Panama

Rachel Booker



= Introduction = Panama, a constitutional democracy, is located south of Costa Rica and north of Colombia. Known for its extensive forests and fertile land, Panama is marked with beautiful mountains and hills across the country. The population is an estimated 3,410,676 people. The largest city and the capital is Panama City. “The Republic of Panama is a former Spanish colony in Central America with a mixed population of Creoles, mestizos, European immigrants, Africans, and indigenous Indians (the Kuna)” (Culture of Panama). The official language of Panama is Spanish but English is accepted nation wide. Raising and producing livestock are very important and a big part of the Panamanian economy. Their major industries are producing sugar and bananas.

A country with mix nationalities and vast natural beauty has a lot to offer to art. Food is one of the great arts of Panama. Very different than Spanish diet, Panamanians do not depend on corn. “Game and fish were always sources of protein, and corn is eaten mainly in the form of thick cakes called arepas and maize gruel. The Kuna roast bananas and boil them in a soup dish that consists of water squeezed through grated coconut meat, fish, and fowl or a game meat”

[|Culture of Panama - history, people, women, beliefs, food, customs, family, social, dress] [|http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Panama.html#ixzz1y7GpEpDN]

= Artist =
 * José Luis Rodríguez Pittí**

A renowned writer and documentary photographer in panama, José Luis Rodríguez Pittí authored books, short poems, fiction, essays and short stories. He was born in Panama City, Panama March 29, 1971. José attended and graduated from Universidad Tecnologica de Panama, then became a professor as Computer Vision, Programming Languages and Artificial Intelligence educator. He is a writer, professor, and a photographer wrapped into one talented body. He traveled across Panama to inspire his writing and photos. Many of his photos are used for cover art for Panamanian books. José is well known for his contemporary style. Many of his books were published and honored. Some of José’s books are Panamá Blues, miniTEXTOS, Sueños urbanos, Crónica de invisibles, and Sueños. Many of his essays and short stories were published in newspapers and literary magazines nationwide. The Universidad de Panama honored and awarded José with the Premio "Darío Herrera" for his book "Sueños". He received many other awards ofr his books, writings, and photographs.

[]

= Arts Organization = Fundacion Opera Panama Panama Opera Foundation is an organization that is dedicated to training young talented musicians and provides educational scholarships to go to the USA or Europe. The foundation was re-opened in 2008, their mission is to re-establish an Opera company in Panama and revive the art across the nation amongst the youth. The main founder, Irena Sylya, is a talented and devoted opera singer as well as founder. Panama Opera Foundation is non-prifit organization. Their objectives of the foundation are…
 * To establish an opera company in Panama, dedicated to the highest artistic standards.
 * Producing world-class operas offer artists a chance to perform, both experienced singers from around the world, as well as talented new artists Panamanians.
 * Find the best and most talented young voices in Panama and provide opportunities for vocational training, education and development to help them make a career in opera through grants and performance.
 * Provide employment opportunities for arts professionals’ singers and the orchestra of the ballet, visual arts, stage design, lighting design, costume design makeup, and stylists.
 * Make Panama a cultural destination for opera lovers who travel the world.

[]

= School Arts Program = Colegio Internacional del Caribe The International College of the Caribbean is a nonprofit, co-educational organization that offers educational services to the community. The organization offers 80% of their curriculum in English to expose the community to the English language. Their mission is…

* Providing a quality education, and specialized integrated with solid grounding in values, shared experiences and community services to youth in becoming responsible citizens, seeking academic excellence with empathy and respect for cultural diversity.

* Create an environment in which each student can develop his or her full potential, learning and contributing to the group in which studies.

* Encourage the teaching of different languages ​​used in the world to the extent necessary.

* To encourage understanding and acceptance of cultural differences.

* Maintain a continuing update of the curriculum, in harmony with modern requirements.

Their main goal is to supplement students’ education or those who desire an education and can not afford it. They believe in immersing students in native languages to make them more marketable in the real world when it comes to the work force. The Panamanian school system suffers from cultural and economic injustices and this organization hopes to make a positive impact on rural and urban communities in Panama.

= Conclusion = The Panamanian Education system differs greatly than the United States. Unlike us, high school is a choice for Panamanians, not required. Most schools are operates in Spanish with a variety of private school that expose students to English and other foreign languages. Many Panamanians are subjected to racisms against their culture or race, certain races in Panama are considered “higher” than others. With the separation of race and class, many students fail to receive the education they deserve. Panama does value preserving certain cultural aspects and takes pride in doing so. I would love to visit Panama to witness the country first hand and experience the natives’ way of life. Despite the separation of classes, Panama has much to offer and to improve on. I would love to be apart of the improvement process and witness the wonderful organizations that serve their community.

Works Cited

[|Culture of Panama - history, people, women, beliefs, food, customs, family, social, dress] [|http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Panama.html#ixzz1y7GpEpDN]

[|Panama: Maps, History, Geography, Government, Culture, Facts, Guide & Travel/Holidays/Cities — Infoplease.com] [|http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107870.html#ixzz1y754uKrx]

Figueroa Navarro, Alfredo. //Dominio y Sociedad en el Panamá Colombiano (1821–1903),// 1978.

Websites

[]

[]

[]