Caribbean Cultural Industries being discussed in Suriname

Jun 02, 2009 News

…governments need to provide incentives for artistes

The Second Meeting of the Regional Task Force on Cultural Industries opened yesterday, in Suriname, with the pressing issue of the future of Caribbean Cultural Industries high on the agenda.

At the meeting, it was agreed that governments and other institutions needed to provide incentives, as well as to create the enabling environment that would encourage artists to establish their operational base in the Caribbean.

It was also agreed, that for the Caribbean Cultural Industries to bloom successfully, artists, governments and institutions needed to play their respective roles.

The work of the Task Force is carried out with funds from both the European Union (EU), through the Hub and Spokes Trade Project, which is administered by the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat, and by the United Nations Education Cultural and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO).

Chair of the Meeting, Sydney Bartley, Director of Culture, Jamaica, lamented that there were too few formal structures or mechanisms in place within the Caribbean for educating and nurturing talents to support the development of the creative industries. According to Bartley, artists within the Caribbean are “accidental creations,” rather than the product of a co-ordinated strategy to discover, nurture and develop talent in a systematic way.

He emphasised that the formal education system should recognise and include arts education within the school curriculum.

Creative talents, he said, should evolve into disciplines which were examinable and certifiable within the formal education system.

“If we are going to create an industry, then we have to establish and formalise the processes,” he asserted.

“The creative industries will be as strong as its nurseries, and we need to take the time to create and foster those nurseries through the education system,” he said.

On the other hand, however, the meeting acknowledged that the key players in the creative industries, the artistes themselves, needed to establish professional standards and organize themselves into associations with solid operational structures and mechanisms.

This should be done, he said, if they want to be taken seriously and to command the financial support of government and other institutions.

The Regional Task Force on Cultural Industries, was established by both the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) and the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) to develop a comprehensive Regional Strategy and Action Plan for the Region’s cultural industries.

As a result, the major item on its two-day agenda, is the development of this strategy, as well as measures to advance the regional agenda for the cultural industries, with its recently nominated Champion for Culture, Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, with responsibility for Gender Affairs and Community Development.

The 20-member Task Force comprises representatives from a wide cross section of relevant sectors: culture, industry; government, trade and finance; educational institutions and the private sector as well as representatives of regional organizations, including the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat, Caribbean Export, the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) and the CARICOM Secretariat.

Latest News

Caribbean Cultural Industries being discussed in Suriname

…governments need to provide incentives for artistes

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 14th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Slingerz FC shines at Guyana Energy Conference and Youth Forum

Guyana’s rising Chess stars take on Barbados

Elite clubs will challenge KFC monopoly on team...

Bristol named manager as Guyana gears up for 2025...

BCB puts a halt to cricket season due to...

Changes made to KMTC Phagwah Horse race meet

Features/Columnists

The clock and the cloud

CARICOM Nations Should Respond Together To new U.S. Policies

Wood snake year

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Caribbean Cultural Industries being discussed in Suriname

…governments need to provide incentives for artistes

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 14th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]