Panama invites artist, then deports him upon arrival

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121461You may not know this, but most Panamanian state agencies are staffed by insufferable troglodytes who have somewhere long ago abandoned the evolutionary process. Some of the most stunning examples of this bit of famous Panamanian biodiversity are the Immigration Service and the cultural authorities.

Case in point: First Biennial of the South in Panama 2013. Something with art. Horrendous website (you can't find anywhere where to go and when; no descriptions of the artists; front page only has stupid ad; English site is done with Google translate, and so on). Too many rabiblanco names on the board, because they think this shows that they are cultured. Having Panama's ruling elite involved in any sort of event organizing is always a disaster waiting to happen - and, we're sorry to say, the rabiblanco women are the worst in this respect- because they are by far the stupidest people in Panama. And the disaster did indeed happen!

On April 8, Chilean artist Bernardo Oyarzún Ruíz arrived at Tocumen airport as one of the participants of the biennial. He was invited by this organizing committee with the too many rabiblancos and yeyes and other impostors.

Now, in any normal country where such events are organized, there would be some sort of thing in place where the organization picks visitors up from the airport, makes sure that immigration knows the guest is an invitee of this festival, you know, a sort of basic festival organizing having it together kind of thing. Easy to do, one would think, with COPA airlines and Tocumen Airport being sponsors of the festival, right?

But this is Panama! Did you know that artists from real Latin American cities consistently describe Panama as "un hueco"? Here's why: When artist Bernardo Oyarzún arrived at the airport, the fine people of immigration asked him what the reason of his visit was. They had no idea about this festival. They did however not approve of the fact that Oyarzún had only $200 in his pocket. So what, you think? Rules, dear reader! He has to have at least $500 or it's bye bye - a rule that is ONLY applied to darker or indigenous looking Latin American visitors, by the way, because Panamanian immigration is a bunch of racists. 

So instead of receiving him as the welcomed guest, they held him in custody at Tocumen airport (recently modernized!) and then had the police escort him onto a plane back to Chile.

According to La Estrella, the director of the biennial, Luz Botero, did initially not reply to requests for comment and was not even aware of what had happened. Oyarzún, meanwhile, told the paper that he had traveled to countless festivals around Latin America and beyond and never been refused entry into a country. "It was like talking to stones", he described his ordeal at the airport. Then finally Mrs. Luz Botero found some time in her busy schedule managing her own interests and jet hopping to and fro Miami,  and wrote Oyarzún, offering him to pay for airfare if he would come back (economy, no doubt).

The artist, however, declined. He does not want to return to Panama. Wise man.

17 thoughts on “Panama invites artist, then deports him upon arrival

  1. Organizing such events requires much attention for detail, which obviously is missing: despite his decline to return, the artist still populates the list. In case the other invited artists share a sense of empathy, more of them might decline the invitation.

      • The issue reminds of a previous blooper, when the duration of a tourist visa was changed from 90 to 30 days, in violation of a treaty with the EU. Apparently an embarrassment too big for public correction as well.

        • The best part of that affair was that Ruben Blades was tourism minister at the time and had no CLUE what was going on. I wrote about that, much in the same wordings as the above, and then he stated in La Prensa that me and the late Sam Taliaferro – who also made quite a stink about it – were out to “harm the country”. Then, while he was defending the measure for “national security reasons”, it was reverted, again behind his back, first for Europeans and then for Americans. A hilarious blooper indeed!

          • Every psychologist will confirm that when making an error, the best way to correct it is first to admit it and subsequently to take action to compensate victims for eventual damage, then prevent such an event from happening again. But these characters assuming the role of self-proclaimed “dear leader” accuse victims and reporters instead just like was the case in past Stalinist regimes. Hence such issues keep repeating till revolution happens 😉

  2. Not only are Rabiblanco women stupid, but they are some of the most miserable people on the planet.
    Perhaps it is because they know that their husbands are sleeping with the chola maids who they feel are inferior beings.

    • Well, that is one reason why those poor, sexually frustrted women must sleep with the cholito gardener or chauffer. He is pretty affiable and does not need the little blue pill the rabiblanco hubby uses.

  3. Once again you hit the nail on the head.


    What happen only shows the incompetence that has flooded the ranks of Panama.

    I can completely understand when the Artist Bernardo Oyarzún stated, “It was like talking to stones”. I know of this first hand and even as yesterday in dealing with the Ombudsman in Chiriqui. We placed a formal denounce as to Mayor Franklin Valdes of Baru, Chiriqui as to the invasion of our property and the establishment of an illegal road. The road does not exist as to MEF titling inspections of 2005, MIVI Inspections of 2005, 2009, and 2012. This Ombudsman of Chiriqui is stating that MIDI is the ultimate authority as to roads and walking paths and that any walking path used by the people is their right even if it goes through private property. Where in the HELL did this come from because we can not find anything in MIDA that grants such power. But what we did find was Ley 9 (De 25 de enero de 1973) Por la cual se crea el Ministerio de Vivienda. In this Law 9 of 1972 of MIVI. The concerning part is Article II (q).

    q). Levantar, regular y dirigir los planos reguladores, lotificaciones,
    zonificaciones, urbanizaciones, mapas oficiales, líneas de construcción y
    todos los demás asuntos que requiera la planifi cación de las ciudades, con
    la cooperación de los Municipios y otras entidades públicas;

  4. Definitely the board names make one want to vomit looks just like a list of candidates we get every 5 years or after perhaps worse nombrado.

  5. I’m taking from the tone of the article that a lot of public offices are run by political appointees selected for connections rather than abilities?

    I was stationed in Panama an eternity ago, and at the time got the impression that while there was some graft in offices, it was moderated by the need to keep good relations with the local U.S. command (for the sake of contracts). I take it our departure has hanged the situation?

  6. Chile the economic shining star of Latin America and we need to review their funds available? Then why not for Canada the U.S. Europe etc

  7. After reading this, I went to the website to get some answers to some questions that had popped into my head. When I got to looking at the sponsors of the event, I began laughing hysterically. Not only was Luz Boterlo’s business one of the sponsors and the Alcaldia de Panamá, but prominently featured on the list were the Autoridad de Turismo, Aeropuerto Internacional Tocuman y Aerolineas COPA. Surely with all those people listed as sponsors of this event, SOMEBODY should have been able to straighten out this mess before it turned into an international incident. I’m still laughing about the stupidity of bureaucrats. It seems that is one of the universal constant: inept bureaucrats.

  8. All that can be said of all these sad events, Government know nothing officials and the Cartel Government that over see all of this BS is:

    “Welcome to Panama!”

    Nothing can will change when the country of Panama is regressing into a total state of nothing functions anarchy, (except money laundering, drug money payoff and protected drug shipments), but look at Panama we have a new modern skyline GHETTO (buildings) without water, sewer, electricity, working elevators, fire or earthquake standards, streets and now public transportation ( Metro Bus & the dead tube metro subway) that does not function to any basic needs of those who need this infrastructure just to survive!

    “You can put an elegant formal on a pig, it still a pig!”

  9. Troglydytes indeed!…I think Panama and Panamanian Govt Staff/Authorities….are in Desparate NEED of an injection to the frontal lobes of their injection of “class, culture, and decency”! Will this country EVER ..evolve into something more than glossy-8×10 picture version…of La Republica de Banana, Land of Manana? Mmmmmm…. I doubt it!

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