This is a new area we are looking at as a country. We need to ensure that we fashion the creative sector as one of the planks of the economy, and this must be done across party lines.
In general and throughout the Cultural Industries Development Bill, the power vested in the minister is inordinately high and opens doors for many questions to be asked.
The minister is cited to have power for everything, and the bill does not state the presence of a designee.
Can there not be a junior minister or minister of state?
Such total control would be a huge undertaking, even for someone with a detailed understanding of all the disciplines within the cultural industries and their attendant idiosyncrasies, who was also in possession of a complete grasp of the rapidly changing faces of culture on a global scale.
Regarding the setting up of the Cultural Industries Authority, such a move has always been in our plans of recommendation. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
 However, we have serious concerns on the manner in which the bill sets forth proposals for its structuring.
We want to ensure that such an authority, or board, does not become another source of personal reward, only to be loaded with persons who have no idea of what they are presiding over.
Nor can the entity only be comprised of civil servants.
These are recipes for disaster in a cultural environment.
As an alternative, we suggest that the minister be part of a committee comprising representatives from the various creative disciplines, a business person with an understanding of the creative industry, a copyright/intellectual property lawyer, marketing representative, and a member of government equipped with the prerequisite training and experience in the creative industry, as well as a similarily educated member of the opposition.
We strongly suggest a process of governance relating to the Cultural Industries Development Act which is more inclusive, and affords a greater sense of equilibrium and transparency to the decision making process.
The reason for including a member of the opposition reflects the government’s non?partisan approach to the shaping of the constituency councils by allocating space to the opposition.
We want this course of action for the same reason – a model already exists and we are drawing a parallel arrangement.
We would also suggest the implementation of an oversight committee.
There also appear to be no provisions made, other than the brief mention of possible fees that may or may not be implemented, which allow this Authority to generate revenue other than through donations and funding from Government.
The legislation needs to be supported by policies which will clearly outline how the state is nurturing the arts.
For example, many graduates coming out of the Barbados Community College and Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination programmes have nowhere to go for employment.
It does not make sense for the state to support creative tertiary level education and give no thought to creating an enabling environment for graduates to be able to work within as professionals with sustainable livelihoods.
