Panama City 25, August 2025. From 22 to 24 August Panama participated in the XV edition of the Caribbean Arts Festival (CARIFESTA), in Barbados with a delegation led by the Minister of Culture, María Eugenia Herrera, a couple of dancers and two artisan.

Under the motto "Caribbean Roots... Global Excellence," the country brought to the festival the tradition of the Baits Congos and the artisan talent of Alex Santiago Tuñón, an artisan that manufactures Hat Pintano and Yilka Hart a Guna artisan, who shared Panamanian cultural wealth in every movement and presentation of their products.

With the strength of the drum and the cadence of the Baits Congos, our dancers filled with energy the stage, passing on the Afro-descendent heritage that forms part of the Panamanian identity. At the same time, the artisan enlisted the public with pieces that tell stories through their hands, where every fiber of a knitted hat and every stitch of a mola became living symbols of tradition and memory.

Alex Santiago Tuñón, artisan from the province of Coclé and heir to a family tradition of more than 50 years in the production of the Pintano Hat, described his participation in CARIFESTA as an amazing and exciting experience. He proudly shared the production techniques of this national symbol, which awoke great interest in the Caribbean public.

"It was very special to see how they acquired our hats and how they were excited to see the Panama flag," she said. On behalf of the Togesan artisan, she thanked the National Government for the opportunity to show this art that represents Panamanian identity at international stage.

For his part, Yilka Hart noted that "what surprised me most was that his pieces have been received with admiration and curiosity, as many visitors have been interested in knowing the stories, production techniques and cultural value of each work. To her, this cultural meeting did not only mean international visibility but also an opportunity to connect with the Caribbean public, who felt identified with the rhythms and colors we share as sister peoples."

CARIFESTA XV turned Barbados into a mosaic of cultures where music, dance, visual arts and popular tradition met with a dialogue without boundaries. That's where Panama proudly shared its panamennidad and celebrated with countries of the Caribbean and Latin America the diversity and diversity that united us as a region.

With applause and admiration, the Panamanian delegation left a mark in Barbados: a country that heard and saw and celebrated Panamanian art.