Panama shows its cultural diversity as an Invited Country of Honor at FIL Santo Domingo 2026

Panama, September 24, 2026. Panama participates as an Invited Country of Honor at the 28th International Book Fair of Santo Domingo (FILSD) 2026, which opened its doors on Wednesday September 23 and will extend until October 4 with a program that brings together more than 35 writers and representatives of different Panamanian artistic and cultural disciplines.

The Panamanian participation began during the inaugural ceremony, held at the Carlos Piantini National Theater, where the National Folk Dance Company presented "Festivals in Panama: an extract of dances representing the region of Ajuero," as part of the opening of the fair.
The official opening of the Panama Pavilion will be held Thursday, September 24, and during the fair will offer the Dominican public a sample of the country's literary, artistic, artisan and gastronomic production, with musical presentations and cultural activities..

The literature holds a central place in the Panamanian agenda with the participation of authors in presentations of books, dialogues and meetings dedicated to issues such as poetry, narrative, memory, identity, territory, child literature and literary creation.

Among the writers that make up the delegation are Isabel Burgos, Mayra de Gracia, Gloria Young, Tania Hyman, Alondra Badano, Cheri Lewis, Ela Urriola, Fifita Bichili and Paola Meneses, who will be part of different programming activities.

The intended literary meetings include "To write without boundaries: poetry, tale, novel and theater," "Panama from the word: memory, identity and territory" and "To think about Panama from the Caribbean and the world," as well as presenting a selection of works by national authors.
The dance will also have an outstanding place with the National Ballet of Panama, that will feature The Lake of the Swan on 25 and 26 September at the Carlos Piantini Room at the National Theater as part of the artistic program at the fair.

The music will be represented by Panamanian artists and groupings as Outdoor Jazz Band, Yek Gamboa, Kandall, Javier Medina Bernal and Saxg Urbano, as well as workshops with musical composition. One of the main moments of this program will be the concert that will be offered by the National Symphony Orchestra of Panama on 3 October at the Carlos Piantini National Theater.

Panamanian cinema will also have its own program with film and short films, accompanied in some cases by contiguations with its filmmakers and participants. Projected productions include something Blue, Fast Box, Jazz's grandchildren, I say Panzer, A Night of Calipso, Panama Al Brown and The Witch: Julio Zachrisson.

The theater will complete the cultural proposal with works aimed at different audiences, including I'm Panama, The City of Piedra and what trouble did I get myself into?
During the day of the fair, the public will be able to visit the Panama Pavilion, where you will find national authors' books, coffee and typical cuisine and a sample of crafts and other Panamanian cultural products.

Panama's participation will extend up to October 4 with an agenda that aims to bring the Dominican public closer to the diversity of Panamanian cultural creation and to generate spaces for interchange between writers, artists and cultural managers from both countries.