CARIFESTA XIII to enhance cultural industry

THE Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley, firmly believes that CARIFESTA XIII can be a major driver for the development of the Caribbean cultural industries.

He said that a study conducted by the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) indicated that there were numerous opportunities for the region in terms of the development of the creative and cultural industries in general.

“In a study commissioned by the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), it was concluded that there were investment opportunities opened to the Caribbean Creative Industries, which were premised by the rising demands for domestic and regional content (literary works, fashion, festivals); the growth in alternative musical genres, e.g. dancehall, reggae, soca, calypso, meringue, salsa, zouk; the digitisation of cultural content (YouTube, MySpace, iTunes); and the emergence of new markets such as Electronic communities, Diasporic exports, Intra-regional markets and South-South markets.”

He said that, furthermore, this study proved that these industries have the capacity to contribute significantly to the GDP and generate employment for the citizens of the region.

“What this study told us was that the creative industries had emerged in some cases or were emerging as a key growth sector in the Caribbean economy, through their contribution to GDP, exports and employment. Opportunities were also presenting for the creative industries to be used in destination and intellectual property branding. After all, the region has given the world its only musical instrument invented in the 20th century – the Steel Pan; it has also given the world musical genres such as Reggae and Calypso, among others.”

Lashley stated that greater investment in this industry is therefore necessary in order to present this sector as a viable source of economic development.

“This list is by no means exhaustive, but it gives credence to the thought that we have cultural assets which can be leveraged for the economic development of the region, and from which the region’s economies can benefit. I believe that it must be a fact for all the economies of the region, that greater emphasis and investment in the creative industries will help to diversify and strengthen our economic base, in a manner that is both sustainable and resilient.”

This is why the organisers of CARIFESTA XIII have envisioned that this festival will play a major role in the development of regional culture, he said.

“We therefore drew on the advocated vision for CARIFESTA to become a full-fledged professional Entertainment Trade Show, which would attract a world-class gathering to exhibit and promote Caribbean artists of various genres; and a forum for show-casing Caribbean talent to the key players from Europe, North America and Asia that purchase, promote and distribute cultural products and services. It also drew on the vision to enhance the region as a destination through festival or cultural tourism.”

At the time, the Minister of Culture was delivering the feature address at the launch of this event recently at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC).