Afro-Panamanian music, in its very rich character of in-betweenness, adds to the African expression the layers of flavor from the pacific and the Caribbean, and central and south America. Sharing strong musical ties with genres that are more usually placed in the Colombian territory, like cumbia, rhythms like the tamborito and mejorana have also had a strong, even if hidden, presence in the sounds associated with salsa and reggaeton.

The tamborito “Por la Playa Tú No Vas”, a didactic children’s song which also can be a warning for other dangers in adulthood, thrives in its repetition and small variations of the female voice, eliciting a call and response that invites to a state of joyful and reflective trance by dancing.