OPINION: Panama’s cultural loss

For 57 years, Panamanians have enjoyed top quality musical and artistic events. All these cultural benefits will come to an end with the final closure, this year, of the National Concert Association, which will cease to function due to lack of financial support. This organization has contributed to train musicians and other national artists, to promote music education and to develop national talent. In the country of skyscrapers, the two metro lines and the expanded Canal, culture does not appear in the list of priorities of the rulers. It is a contrast and even an irony that precisely the year that the Ministry of Culture is established, an organization whose legacy is undeniable disappears. No society develops if it does not have a space dedicated to cultural policies and a stable allocation of resources to organizations in this sector. Panama will suffer a great loss if we let the National Concert Association close permanently. The government, the private sector and every Panamanian who enjoys music owes the National Concert Association an opportunity-LA PRENSA, Dec 30