Latest update November 19th, 2024 1:00 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

The development of Cultural Industries rests with National policies that will benefit all

Mar 09, 2014 Letters

Dear Editor,
In January 2012 ACDA held a symposium on the Theme ‘The way Forward.’ I headed a work group on the organizing of Artistic Talents and gifts into functioning Cultural Industries, a term not used in this country and void among the discourse of the politicians, even though the PPP’s Ambassador Odeen Ishmael had penned an interesting article in Kaieteur News on Dec, 6, 2009 on Cultural Industries in Latin America.  The ACDA symposium was successful in this area and so in the days following, I packaged a Document that was an overview of the initiatives noted for the streamlining of Cultural Industries. This document was distributed to the following sources: The offices of the Ministers of Culture and Finance, to which I received no receipt of acknowledgment, a courtesy of simple manners accustomed to from Ministerial Offices in the pre 1992 administrations. I delivered a copy to the opposition Parties separately, I proceeded to distribute to Mr. Zephyr of the Small Business Association, Birch Simon of Cross Colour, the Media, both electronic and print and others. I had given Artist Stanley Greaves a copy of this document. He commented that I didn’t include details, I told him that I was addressing officials who would plagiarize intellectual property and care less. I gave him the example of the Desmond Hoyte ‘IWOKRAMA’ initiative with its Principles, that Jagdeo jumped on and never referred to Iwokrama as the prototype. We were living in ‘The Supremacy of the Shameless’ and I was going to proceed on guarded grounds.  Kaieteur News has been in the forefront of exploring the discourse of Cultural Industries, CARICOM had a meeting and…?  AL Creighton has covered Cultural Industries in Jamaica and developments of CI like our fledgling film Industry with Mahadeo Shivraj on Stabroek June, 10, 2010. The Caribbean Press should have been the vehicle for an official jumpstart at recognizing C.I ; instead it evolved into a little Cult, with no procedure of Accountability or defined Memorandum Of Understanding; the fiasco of the Caribbean Press is now common knowledge as is the Minister’s highhanded arrogant cluelessness with the 1823 Monument, and it seems he has repeated himself with the Indian Arrival Monument in Berbice as stated by the familiar contentions of Muneshwar Rup, Stabroek News 9, Feb. 2014.
On Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014 a meeting, symposium or workshop was held at Yumana Yana by the Ministry on Cultural Industries, and I’m told the Cross Colour group. Of course myself, Ruel Johnson and many others who’re earning and practicing Cultural Industries and are critics of the Minister’s miserable failings were not invited. What was baffling was that Birch Simon of Cross Colours said that Minister Anthony is crucial to the development of Cultural Industries. I‘ve known Birch for over thirty years, since he had an afro, he’s a talented and a creative musician. I still listen to Totally Connected on my cassette player. Why would Birch think that he had and still has to do a ‘Cross Roads pact’ to realize his creative self.  Minister Anthony, Dr. James Rose [ who prepared a Cultural policy draft since 2008, to his credit and it has remained a Draft]  have all let the ball drop, they’re afraid to engage the creative community as equals in the very way Dr Denis Williams, Miss Dolphin, Frank Pilgrim,  Ms Hunt and every other official drawn into the Arts has done to the benefit of our evolution. Not these hide and sneak, with efforts to entrap while changing nothing. The development of Cultural Industries rests with National policies that will benefit all. It is obvious this country has tremendous human talents and faces a continuous rise in poverty. It now resides with Parliament and the Government to recognize this area of marginalization, I have raised a family through Cultural Industries and were there certain systems in place I would have done much better. Minister Anthony and his colleagues are not Arts trained or have never been practitioners. This is not Politics or another form of ‘runnings’; this is about giving due to the first science of the human species.
Barrington Braithwaite

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | November, 18th, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Dolphin Secondary, East Ruimveldt seal Round-5 victories in Republic Bank U-18 Football League 

Dolphin Secondary, East Ruimveldt seal Round-5 victories in Republic...

Nov 19, 2024

  Kaieteur Sports- The Ministry of Education ground came alive on Sunday as the Republic Bank Schools’ Under-18 Football League wrapped up its fifth round of competition with thrilling...
Read More
Golden Jaguars to host Barbados tonight in crucial Nations League Play-In decider 

Golden Jaguars to host Barbados tonight in...

Nov 19, 2024

Members show confidence as they re-elect Ninvalle and executive to lead GBA

Members show confidence as they re-elect Ninvalle...

Nov 19, 2024

Badminton Team enjoy decent success in Suriname

Badminton Team enjoy decent success in Suriname

Nov 19, 2024

Successful 8th Charity Event hosted by Inniss Family and Nexgen Golf 

Successful 8th Charity Event hosted by Inniss...

Nov 19, 2024

Nine years old is latest recipient of gear from Project “Cricket Gear for young and promising cricketers in Guyana”

Nine years old is latest recipient of gear from...

Nov 19, 2024

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]