Tag Archives: Gran Colombia

J Roald Smeets – Pan is an intercultural arts organisation

cross-cultural communication

cross-cultural communication (Photo credit: pipcleaves)

Pan is an intercultural arts organisation dedicated to the exploration of cultural diversity through the arts and how such work can inspire and implement social change. This is achieved through workshops with young people who are marginalised and at risk of social exclusion, performances, festivals, seminars and conferences. Pan helps its participants find a voice through drama, dance, music, writing and film.  We work with people from all cultures and religions to encourage a world where we respect and understand each other’s lives, discovering the possibilities of our rich diversity.

We have developed a range of programmes to support the development, and unlock the potential, of those in need, including a Refugee Arts Programme, an Arts Against Violence Programme and an International Theatre for Development Programme.  More recently we have implemented an integration initiative where these strong, but previously separate, strands of work move more closely together, sharing skills, artists, inspirations and participants.  This move towards integration gave us the theme word Synergy which is  reflected throughout our work.

Pan Intercultural Arts is a company limited by guarantee no 2051893 Registered Charity no 295324

J Roald Smeets Panama

Panama Western Provinces Map

Panama Western Provinces Map (Photo credit: Young in Panama)

Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (Spanish: República de Panamá [reˈpuβlika ðe panaˈma]), is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The capital is Panama City. Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Nueva Granada, Ecuador, and Venezuela, named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831, Panama and Nueva Granada remained joined. Nueva Granada later became the Republic of Colombia.

With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, allowing the Panama Canal to be built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama by the end of the century.

Revenue from canal tolls represents today a significant portion of Panama’s GDP. Panama has the third- or fourth-largest economy in Central America and it is also the fastest growing economy and the largest per capita consumer in Central America. In 2010 Panama ranked 4th among Latin American countries in terms of the Human Development Index, and 54th in the world in 2010. As of 2010, Panama is the second most competitive economy in Latin America as well according to the Global Competitiveness Index from the World Economic Forum (WEF). Panama’s jungle is home to an abundance of tropical plants, animals and birds – some of them to be found nowhere else in the world.

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