Over the past few years I have followed rather closely the annual Crop Over Festival in Barbados as well as travelled to several countries in the region to witness and enjoy their yearly carnivals. The contrasts that exist in the management and growth of these various cultural presentations are as clear as crystal balls.
Indeed, Barbados’ Crop Over Festival takes pole position in relation to escalation and maturity and that to some may be a major surprise given the poor economic climate that has prevailed in the country in recent years: low and negative economic growth, relatively high unemployment, crippling fiscal and debt situations, rising cost of living and deteriorating workers’ real wages. Yet, for the most part, shows, whether organised and managed privately or by the National Cultural Foundation, start on time, are mostly very well produced and attendances are high.
Several factors can account for this marvellous state of affairs. Two of the issues that stand out as critical elements in the success of Barbados’ Crop Over Festival are the active participation of and investments by Trinidadians and the involvement of the diaspora. Imagine, many relatively high-priced shows usually sell out long before they are staged and most of the tickets are bought outside of the country. Isn’t that phenomenal?
I have deliberately zeroed in on Barbados because of the role played by the Trinidadians and diaspora in advancing Crop Over, allowing this annual festival to make its meaningful contribution to the socio-economic development of the country. And immediately, I started to think about this situation in the broader context of drivers of economic growth and development in our small, highly open and vulnerable economies.
You see, once more, it should be getting clearer to all of us that with the right focus, with the proper strategy, with the precise vision, our economies can be effectively positioned to “take off” in ways unimaginable to the naked eyes. And if we approach our growth and development within the context of regional integration, our chances of survival could be increases exponentially. Why?
Trinidad and Tobago is undeniably at the pinnacle of calypso and carnival in our region. The people of that country have clearly been unselfish in spreading their wonderful experiences and knowledge throughout the Caribbean to benefit others. Barbados’ Crop Over Festival has been the biggest beneficiary.
The question, therefore, for us as a people is: why should we not focus on our core competences as the key drivers of our growth and development within the context of regional integration? I have already alluded to the role of Trinidad and Tobago in relation to carnival in particular and culture in general. Carnival and culture are clearly areas in which Trinidad and Tobago has core competency and that country should be allowed to lead in those areas throughout the region, allowing the other countries to benefit with positive economic effects.
Guyana, with its vast amount of land and other natural resources can easily be considered competent in agriculture, broadly defined, and hence should be allowed to provide leadership to the rest of countries in that vital area of economic activity. Such a simple model has the potential to create thousands of employment opportunities for many farmers, fishermen and other key participants in this critical industry, resulting in food security throughout the region, reduction in our huge import bills and the expansion of exports.
Have you got the message? Isn’t this a viable strategy worth exploring?
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