The Ministry of Culture (MiCultura), through the Office of Cultural and Intangible Heritage and with the regional direction of Colón, organized an introduction of the book "My Ancestral and Mas Recipes," by Chef Leticia Levy de Márquez, an exemplary figure of recipes for the production of typical plates inherited from Afro-descendant culture.

"It's for all of you to see that our cuisine's so rich, that our children and young people know that it's a lochorus, or a fufu, (seafood soup)," that she's a mite among other foods of Afro food, "Levy de Márquez said.

During the presentation of this book, the heritage value of traditional kitchens was emphasized by the meaning of family and community rituals and celebrations as well as values of Afro-descendant identity, as well as the transmission and fusion of knowledge about the cultural diversity of the country and the world.

The General Coordinator for Cultural and Intangible Heritage of MiCultura, Emma Gomez, who introduced the Libo, argued that "this work includes, while they are recipes, explanations about how to produce these Afro-Caribbean plates that have been made especially in the province of Colón."

He added that in Panama there are few or barely anything about them that have been published by people of African descent and that they have actually been living at that time. "

He highlighted the contribution of this book to graphic lexic research with the documentation of voices that are not yet registered with dictionaries and that enrich our tongue, including Mimín, Bingi, Unique, Tapao and Mancocchio.

The Governor of Iracema Ayarza de Dale Province, as an educator, expressed her commitment to support this type of activity and emphasized that "the best that Colón has, they are his people" and that was shown by this Afro-descendant woman who today puts at the disposal of all the flavour of our region. "

"I thought I knew them all in the kitchen, but this yuca girl did not know them and with this book I will learn how to prepare them," the governor said.

•