THE CULTURAL?INDUSTRIES in Barbados are made up of talented and creative individuals who have been demonstrating that they possess the talent which can be harnessed and nurtured, through training, marketing and focused investment, into major foreign exchange earners for the Barbadian economy.
The disconnect between the visions expressed by practitioners and policymakers and the frustrations from underachievement can be attributed to a number of factors.
The reality is that investment in the cultural industries has been poor and the absence of meaningful fiscal incentives have not encouraged entrepreneurs to treat to investment in the creative clusters of Arts and Culture with the same measure of intensity that has been applied to tourism or even manufacturing.
Recent Governments have all expressed support for the notion of cultural industries.
However, if we are serious about achieving stated objectives, I suggest that there is a dire need for institutional strengthening in order to create an enabling environment for cultural workers and prospective investors.
Fiscal incentives and supporting legislation are required to attract sustainable investment [for] product development, effective marketing and distribution to [penetrate] the markets we target.
Moreover, it is critical that cultural industries not be allowed to suffer from the chronic under-capitalisation that plagues too many Barbadian business ventures.
For example, if we consider a cluster of cultural industries which includes songwriters, musicians, producers, film and video makers, engineers, graphic artists, dancers, actors and business managers, there is a direct correlation between the various skill sets which can serve to fortify the products of their collective interaction. Â
Furthermore, the intellectual property created by these synergies can be exploited to boost foreign exchange earnings.
Creative workers must be assured that their ventures into the cultural industries will not be sacrificed on the altar of lacking implementation.
Additionally, the linkages between Government’s many agencies must be strengthened through effective collaboration if cultural industries and the combination of clusters are to achieve their full potential as foreign exchange drivers.
The relationship between the National Cultural Foundation, the Barbados Tourism Authority, the Ministry of Culture, the Barbados Industrial Development Corporation and Invest Barbados is not tangential but fundamental.
Cross-sectoral collaboration will ensure that our cultural products benefit from the availability of the expertise that resides in these agencies, as well as stand a much better chance of gaining penetration where support staff is available to boost online marketing strategies.
The competitive advantage which resides in the uniqueness of the Barbadian brand must be fully exploited and our cultural workers and artists must comprehend the importance of product identity to our ability to earn foreign exchange.
The draft national policy for cultural industries embodies many ideas which are capable of transforming our approach to the management of cultural assets.
I am hopeful that the dream of generating sustainable income, including foreign exchange, which is shared by many cultural workers will come to fruition.
