Article 1 of Panama's Law 15 of 2004 declares March 30 of each year as the National Chinese Civic and Commemorative Day, with the purpose of highlighting their values and contributions to the culture and development of the country. In its Article 2 - The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture (National Institute of Culture) and the Tourism Authority (Panamanian Institute of Tourism), who will guarantee the faithful fulfillment of the previous disposition and will organize events alluding to the date. In its Article 3 - The official and private educational centers, as well as public, autonomous, semi-autonomous and municipal institutions, will develop during that day cultural activities aimed at highlighting the scientific, cultural, economic, labor and social contribution of the Chinese ethnicity in Panama. With the exception of civic, cultural, religious and educational organizations of the Chinese community in Panama, the entities mentioned in articles 2 and 3 have NOT complied with the provision since the Act was promulgated in 2004. "Ignorantia juris non excusat", ignorance does not exempt compliance with the law.

After a decade of developing projects and initiatives with the most important entities in Panama's cultural and creative sectors, in 2015 the Ciudad del Saber (City of Knowledge) launched the TRAMA Program to help connect the key actors and strengthen the culture and creative economy sector, as well as its entities and professionals, in a collaboration/competition ecosystem that generates social, cultural and economic value, in favor of sustainable development. With the same purpose, CdS organized in 2015 the first TRAMA Meeting of Creative Economy, which brought together managers, entrepreneurs and professionals of culture and creativity, representatives of NGOs, international organizations, academia, business and public sector, from Panama and Latin America. More information here. At the end of 2015, TRAMA - with the support of UNDP - launched a Call for Creative Entrepreneurs. Nearly 100 entrepreneurs participated in the training process with 39 business projects oriented to the production, distribution, exhibition, dissemination and/or commercialization of cultural and creative products and services. More information here. Between 2016 and 2017, the program was completed and two studies were published: Cultural Entrepreneurship in Panama (María Ángeles Sallé) and The Music Industry in Panama (Javier Stanziola and Maritza Vernaza). The first one described the local panorama and the main national and international policies and experiences carried out to promote creative entrepreneurship and to solve the obstacles faced by entrepreneurs. The second study aimed to explore strategies to facilitate the creation and appropriation of value by Panamanian musicians, as well as the comparative advantages and challenges faced by the Panamanian music to be able to grow and to expand internationally. In March 2017, the City of Knowledge co-organized, together with the Inter-American Development Bank and the Panama Film Festival -IFF, the Regional Forum on Creative and Cultural Industries - Vitamin C, a panel of national and international experts presenting studies, projects and successful policies in this sector of the economy, as well as entrepreneurship. More information here. The second edition of the TRAMA Meeting, in 2018, was entirely dedicated to the music industry. It included conferences, round tables, master classes and presentations of project pitches, attended by approximately 400 people, most of them young audiences. TRAMA 2018 showcases featured 12 local bands that were selected. The event featured as speakers around 20 key figures from the music industry in Panama, Latin America and Europe. More information here. Website: http://trama.ciudaddelsaber.org/ That same year (in September), City of Knowledge launched the Creative Industries Cluster for Panama, supported by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. City of Knowledge proposes to set up a cluster of companies, enterprises, foundations, universities and other key players on its campus, as well as to provide a space for articulating and collaborating with the various players involved in the creative industries value chain, in an effort to become more strategic and competitive. More information here. In 2019, the City of Knowledge and the IESA School of Management launched the first Music Business Diploma, offering its 30 participants a window of possibilities and knowledge for developing their careers, entrepreneurship and innovation in the music sector. The first edition concluded successfully and will be launched again virtually in 2020. More information here. With the leadership of City of Knowledge, in October 2018 the Panama Chamber of Commerce launched its Creative Industries Commission, in an effort to establish consensus, strategies and initiatives in order to be able to collaborate as a private sector in the promotion and development of the creative economy. More info here The Commission is currently working (with financing from the IDB) on the elaboration of an Action Plan to be ready by September 2020. The third edition of the TRAMA Meeting was scheduled for the end of July 2020. More information here. Given the current situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the event has been restated. The activities have been taking place virtually since April and will continue in that way in the coming months. This edition of the event includes 9 creative sectors, and it is oriented to the update and exchange of knowledge among professionals.

The overall objective of the initiative is: Conservation and promotion of Afro-Darienita cultural assets as an opportunity to reduce the vulnerability of youth and improve the quality of life of the Afro-Darienita population. The following are specific objectives: (a) Enhancing the value of Afro-descendant cultural assets and promoting the identity and contribution of the Afro-Darienita population to the country's development (b) To promote income opportunities for young people of African descent at social risk (c) To strengthen the human and social capital of Afro-Darienita communities The activities to be carried out include (a) Strengthening the Yaviza Afro-Darienita Cultural Centre; (b) Recording Afro-Darienita music and dance; (c) Producing publications and teaching materials for schools; (d) Forming and strengthening dance and music groups in schools; (e) Supporting community cultural managers in holding events; (f) Cultural enterprises and vocational and technical training for young people of African descent at social risk; (g) Training leaders and strengthening community organizations of African descent and alliances.

Fémina, a collective of women in the arts, is united in the development of a continuous feminist cultural and artistic community, creating spaces for alternative feminist education, as well as spaces for communal living and recreation. The biggest event of the year is the Fémina Festival of art and culture, made by women, commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November. This Festival presents arts such as: Cinema, Theatre, Visual Arts, Crafts, Stand Up, Performance, Music, among others. There are several workshops, a marketplace, and a talk show. The goal is to promote the visibility of women artists, craftswomen, and cultural managers, who work with the transverse nature of feminism and the quest for a society with equal rights and opportunities. The work developed by Fémina, including educational, recreational, and community-building spaces, is self-managed. Throughout the year, they become the facilitating steps in the process of raising awareness among the population and finally organizing the Festival, together with artists, organizations and allied groups, that make it possible for each event to be held on a voluntary basis. Mission: ● Fémina seeks to create community through cultural events made by women, from a feminist perspective, making artists, craftswomen and cultural managers visible in safe spaces for women. Vision: ● Fémina seeks to make society aware of violence against women and its macho culture through the use of Artivism. General Objective: ● To create a feminist cultural and artistic community. Specific Objectives: ● To make women artists, craftswomen and cultural managers visible. ● To create safe spaces for women to live together. ● Generate artistic-cultural events produced by women. ● Raise awareness of gender-based violence. ● Activate the female economy