Invasion

I haven't been very good at keeping this blog so far this year - I'm hoping that will improve now. I

An example of an invasion in Panama City - dramatic contrast

have been very busy getting classes ready as I was dealing with the new subjects that were landed on me. We have also been having a lot of power cuts - explosions in the electricity sub-station followed by blackouts lasting up to 4 or 5 hours. The power cuts are still happening, but the repairs seem to be getting shorter - I suppose that practice makes perfect.

Part of the problem is probably due to the fact that there has been an invasion close to the power station which means that a lot of people are trying to connect their houses to the transformers - themselves!!! This is a highly dangerous thing to do but poverty means that these people try to get electricity without paying for it.

When we see the word "invasion" we normally think of one country invading another - that is not what it usually means in Panama. An invasion here refers to a very common phenomenon whereby a group of people occupy a piece of land and construct their houses there without any reference to the owner, the local government, or anybody else. These people build their own "houses", which are really little more than shacks, from pieces of zinc or timber that they are able to come across by scavenging, or even "borrowing".

This is a phenomenon that has its roots in extreme poverty. Those who build their houses in this way do so as they see it as a way out of squalor. Even a shack, with no sanitation, running water, electricity, or even street, is better than what they have been living in.

This practice is tolerated because the government really has nothing else to offer these people. Very often, what happens is that after some time - probably a number of years - has passed, the owner will come to an agreement with the government whereby the government will buy the land and install electricity and other services for the people who have been, to all intents and purposes, squatters. Unlike squatters in Ireland, these people are not on their own - invasions often involve hundreds of people - the average number for a family in Latin America is 5 people, so the reality is that a great many families are involved in this.

Of course, until the government eventually steps in, these people have no rights. They can be ousted by "heavies" doing the will of the landowner, but they also have no protection whatsoever from fire, floods or other common problems.

There is now an invasion just behind the seminary - probably part of the reason for an increase in security concerns. This particular invasion is quite small, perhaps about 40 "dwellings" which are of a very poor construction - most of them remind me of where Irish people might keep their turf or wood - really more of a shelter than a house. Seeing the reality of the invasion makes you wonder about the dire situations these people have come from.

The seminarians play football with the young people from the invasion most afternoons - I go down with them (but I don't play football in this heat - I probably wouldn't play if it was cold either, to be honest) and have met the lads. Just like young people anywhere they have their dreams and hopes about the future - but the likelihood of attaining them is slim, given their starting point.

Hopefully, I'll be back tomorrow with another post
N