Meet Rubén Blades, a Salsa superstar. He helped mix Cuban and Caribbean rhythms with Jazz in New York City. Rubén Blades (or, Rubencito here among friends) composed some salsa classics while also excelling as a singer. But that’s not all. Moviegoers may recognize him as one of the victims in Predator 2. He also has a law degree and ran for president of Panama. When this video with Calle 13 was filmed, he was Panama’s Tourism Minister.

Cienfue is an alternative folk guitarist and singer who mixes Panama's peculiar folklore with alternative rock and social lyrical content. Here is the official video of "La décima tercera", a song that is part of his 2010 album La calma y la tormenta (The Calm and the Storm).

Enrique Sanchez, a marketing manager for Panama's Tourism Authority, gives us a plethora of ideas about what to do when visiting this vibrant country, which combines and contrasts tradition with modernity.

Panamanian Carnival Queen, Nohelys Gonzalez, shares with us a bit about this much anticipated celebration as well as her beautiful nation.