Panama, 17 August 2026. The National Folklore School "Dora Pérez de Zárate," of the Ministry of Culture, held the First Folklore Student Congress under the motto "Folklore and Cultural Heritage," throughout the weekend. The meeting had as its stage the City of the Arts.

The academic meeting gave rise to debate, analysis and exchange of knowledge about folklorology and related sciences, integrating the headquarters of the headquarters at La Villa de Los Santos, the City of the Arts program and its regional aids at David, Colón, Panama West and San Miguelito.

The initiative focused on the interplay between teachers, students and specialists to move from empirical appraisal to scientific research and the formulation of plans to safeguard the inmaterial cultural heritage.

During the opening day, the secretary general of the Ministry of Culture, Ivis Moreno, emphasized the institutional importance of this reflection space by stating that "today we are called by an historic and institutional milestone: to transcend the contemplative, social or commercial vision of folklore and to confirm it in his place of right: that of science, strict research and conscious safeguard."

The congress program included master lectures by exhibitors such as Carlos Fitzgerald, Samilight Stanziola, Emma Gómez and Miky Fábrega and a virtual intervention from Spain by specialist Juan José Prat Ferrer.

The sessions also addressed thematic challenges focused on the safeguard, creative economy and preservation of the native traditions of the country, developing conceptual challenges as an academic dimension, opening up an area of analysis and debate about the conceptual and methodological foundations of Folklore Science.

Also safeguard and conservation, which addressed the formulation of strategic guidelines for the protection, documentation and transmission of traditional culture and intangible heritage and a student meeting that served as a platform for dialogue, reflection and exchange among students, researchers and cultural managers.