Cultural Forum in Colón Puts Caribbean at the Center of the Agenda

On Friday, the city of Colón, on the Atlantic coast of Panama and with deep Afro-descendant roots, hosted an international event dedicated to heritage, historical memory, and integration. It was a «space for dialogue and a regional milestone» aimed at placing culture at the center of the Caribbean's agenda. In this context, the Secretary-General of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Noemí Espinoza, the second woman and first Honduran to hold the position, emphasized the importance of holding the cultural meeting in the province of Colón, located on Panama's Caribbean coast and at the northern entrance to the Panama Canal. Espinoza highlighted that «this meeting is a space for dialogue and a regional milestone» and a call to action to place culture at the heart of the ministerial agenda, defining it as «the beginning of a new stage, a roadmap for this century... recognizing that culture is a strategic axis for the future of the Greater Caribbean». «Rescuing the legacy of our ancestors, our shared worldview, and our history, which is the culture that identifies us,» stated Panama's Minister of Culture, María Eugenia Herrera, during the opening ceremony. The event positions Colón as a key point for Caribbean cultural dialogue and highlights Afro-descendant heritage as a pillar of identity, memory, and a shared future. One of the central axes of the event was the panel «Afro-descendant Cultural Heritage,» focused on safeguarding this legacy, and the panel «Caribbean Integration,» centered on regional cultural cooperation, with the participation of ministers and representatives from ACS member countries such as Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Barbados, the Bahamas, Honduras, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Colón is a territory traversed by history, mobility, resistance, and Afro-descendant heritage. «It is a place where the Caribbean expresses itself forcefully in its people, its rhythms, its memory, and its daily dignity,» Espinoza affirmed. «(The Caribbean) is a region that must be understood as more than a simple sum of island and continental territories.» Panama's Vice Chancellor, Carlos Guevara Mann, also highlighted the heritage value of the Caribbean and the contribution of Afro-descendant peoples to the historical and cultural construction of the region. «It is a historical space of constant exchange, where human trajectories crossed many times violently, but where extraordinary gestures of solidarity, creativity, and affirmation of humanity also emerged,» expressed the Vice Chancellor. The Minister's message was directed to the authorities from the 25 member countries of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), as well as specialists and artists from the region gathered at the Colón Art and Culture Center (CACCO). She emphasized that the international projection of these cultural expressions «cannot be disconnected from their history and the values that made them possible». «Let us listen to each other, unite our voices, take up the baton to run the race that will happily lead us to the finish line.» «It has a profound meaning. This is an invitation to fulfill this vision together.»