Gunas people participate in Panamanian elections, and campaign materials can inspire molas. They may depict one or more candidates, political party symbols, or satirical commentaries. Sometimes Guna blouses will have two panels, portraying an office-seeker on the front panel and his party's symbol on the back panel as are the first two molas shown.
Galindo for President: 3PN Party (front panel) [1997.1.1a]
This is a good example of a blouse that displays a political mola. The front side depicts the candidate Galindo running for president and shows he belongs to the 3PN party. There is a second flag at the bottom left which is the national flag of Panama, and a second name at the bottom—Carlos Rowe, the deputy running on the same ticket. Frequently two names appear on political molas, one being the deputy, the other being the candidate for president.
Typically there is a band above the mola, often sewn with additional material but in this case, it is patterned. The pattern is also repeated on the band on the sleeves and there is a little patterning by the neck. All this work is done by hand—no commercial rickrack was included except on one part where the sleeve meets the body of the blouse. The blouse is of a pink material unlike the usual practice of using a bright material for the sleeves and a yoke of the blouse. This is a small mola and would date back to the 1950s or 60s.
Voting/Polling Depiction [1997.1.274]
This mola creation is taken from the Panamanian television logo. This is an old and widely used television standby logo in the Americas.
National Emblem of Panama [1997.1.188]
This is the national symbol of Panama, the Escudo. The mola was probably never on a blouse, as there appears to be no stitching that would indicate this. It may have been made to be sold to tourists or could have been specifically ordered by someone. Collectors or buyers occasionally suggest saleable designs to the Guna women.
Panama's Television Logo [1997.1.242]
This mola creation is taken from the Panamanian television logo. This is an old and widely used television standby logo in the Americas.
Reverse of Galindo Blouse (back Panel) [1997.1.1b]
The reverse side of the blouse shows Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid who is a well-known political personage in the history of Panama. He was president several times and this mola was done for a re-election campaign. At the bottom we see the phrase, “volveramos,” or, “We will come back; we will win again,” at the bottom of the mola. He has his hand raised but he is orating with one finger raised up and the other tucked down and appears quite animated.
Political Propaganda Cartoon [1997.1.280]
This mola probably dates from the 1950s. It is based most likely on a political cartoon. The party is represented by a man with a machete (bottom center) trying to cut the tentacles off of the octopus that is the other party. The man with the machete has a flag that says, “liberalism.” Octopi along with devils symbolize evil to the Guna. This octopus has tentacles labeled with campaign issues to characterize the candidate in question. For example, “la ti fundio transporte autobus,” says the transportation didn’t work. Another says, “the mores of estranjeros,” which means the customs of foreigners.
A Bell: Robles Political Symbol [1997.1.272]
This mola creation is taken from the Panamanian television logo. This is an old and widely used television standby logo in the Americas.
Political Symbol: Bull (CPN party) [1997.1.277]
This political mola shows two candidates in the top corners and flags in the lower corners but the dominant, central figure is a bull, the symbol of the CPN party. The lettering that seems clear at first glance is rather hard to decipher. Sometimes letters on molas may appear backward as some Guna artisans were illiterate at this time and the primary purpose of the letters is as a design element.