Michael Campo posing for a photo outside of El Vivero Coffee Bar in Panama
Rachel Fu
Picture-Perfect Panama
by Michael Campo
AAA employee Michael Campo discovers how art can connect cultures.
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then I should be able to keep this article short.
As a photographer and filmmaker, I have been blessed with amazing opportunities to travel around the globe.
Specifically, 14 years ago I was invited to Panama to screen a film I had produced. I was young, and it was a short trip where the highlight of our “downtime” was the Panama Canal. As amazing as the canal is, I wasn’t able to truly immerse myself in the Panamanian culture, nor did I have an opportunity to spend time with the local citizens.
Fast forward a decade and a half, and I now work for AAA (The Auto Club Group) as a Digital Content Production Specialist. In this role, I was given an opportunity to venture back to Panama, this time to attend the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summit. For more than 20 years, Tourism Cares has worked to unite the travel industry in efforts to positively impact destinations through conservation, education and sustainable tourism initiatives. AAA is a proud partner in the nonprofit’s continued mission.
Michael Campo having fun being photographed by Lucas Ramos of Mi Gente de Santa Ana
I found that this new experience, the people and organizations involved with Tourism Cares solidly back the idea that discovering a nation’s culture and identity is one of the most important aspects of travel, and advocating for cultural activities and tours can help visitors authentically experience how locals live, work and play. The people I met at the summit truly care about what we were doing in Panama, and they truly care about the Panamanian people.
This epiphany had an impact on me and plays a role in why I’m sharing this story. As a storyteller, I have an inherent desire to get to know people—who are they, what makes them tick, and how similar (or different) their lives are to mine. When I meet a new person, I like to explore the deep waters of who that person is and discover their unique personal story. This has helped me establish several amazing and lasting relationships over the years.
Photo of Michael Campo by Lucas Ramos, a student of Mi Gente de Santa Ana
Lucas Ramos
On day three of the summit, after a long hike around the city of Panama, I met with the rest of the group for lunch. Now, I’d like to share that the ceviche on this day for our lunch was the most delicious that I have ever had in my entire life. With a mouth full of this yummy dish, Greg Takehara, the CEO of Tourism Cares, excitedly found me in the group. He wanted to introduce me to Carlos Vicente Tapia Mendez, an amazing local photographer who runs Mi Gente de Santa Ana, a nonprofit focused on teaching and encouraging Panama City kids to take photos around the city.
Before working with AAA, I worked with inner city youth in New York City, so this was right in my wheelhouse, and I saw it as an opportunity to make a human connection with local youth around something we have in common—photography. The two young men I was introduced to didn’t speak English, and my Spanish is limited to “no bueno,” so we were fortunate to have an interpreter fill in the blanks.
Michael Campo
The young men were excited to share examples of their photography with me. And seeing the stories they wished to share through their eyes spoke to me instantly as a fellow storyteller. Everyone knows art is subjective, and I admit I can be critical at times—especially of my own works—but these young men really captured their lives in and around Panama City through their lenses.
Their photos told a story, with their personalities interwoven into each image—and that’s my sweet spot when it comes to photography. I was impressed and moved by the honesty and authenticity of their photos as well as their willingness to share their art with me.
Imanol Grajales took this photo of Michael Campo during the impromptu photo challenge.
Imanol Grajales
Since the small group of us were having a great time, I decided to take it a step further and get interactive. The interpreter translated for me that I wished to have a photo challenge with them.
He quickly spoke to them in Spanish, telling them what I said, which was; “We come from different worlds. I don’t know your world, and you don’t know mine. But today—right now—our worlds have come together, and we have an opportunity to share in each other’s worlds just for a moment.” As the interpreter continued, I watch as smiles formed on their faces. “So let’s do a photo challenge,” I said. “Let’s go outside and set up a photo session. Both of you will take photos of me, and I will take photos of each of you. When we’re done, we’ll look at them together.”
Like the famous canal connecting two bodies of water that slices through their country, photography served as the canal that bound us together. With little else in common, including a basic understanding of each other’s languages, for the next half hour we were connected, smiling, laughing and snapping away.
We were, in fact, communicating on a deeper level. I feel blessed from the experience because I was changed a little bit that day, and I believe they were as well.
I’m grateful for the time that AAA and Tourism Cares gave me to make a connection with other people and places. I’m grateful that Greg Takehara recognized an opportunity and made the connection without knowing where it would lead.
But that’s how travel works sometimes. We never really know how the connections we make will impact our lives, or how art can impact us as well. But if we take the opportunity to go deeper and to reach out, we can be changed for the better—just like the mission of Tourism Cares and AAA. Each of us, by our actions and what we share, can make an impact on a deeper level, effectively changing things for others and for ourselves. And that’s a true start toward making a positive impact.
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