This document discusses opportunities for culture and development links to drive regional integration in the Caribbean. It outlines that cultural production is a fast-growing economic sector that can diversify economies and create jobs. While economics and politics have failed to fully integrate the Caribbean region, culture represents an opportunity as Caribbean people already share a strong cultural identity. The document reviews culture-development initiatives by CARICOM and ACS and proposes ideas to strengthen the regional approach, encourage research, reframe culture's economic contribution, determine focus areas like music and festivals, and enhance cooperation between local and national initiatives.

1. Dr. Jacqueline Laguardia Martinez
Institute of International Relations, UWI
Jacqueline.Laguardia-Martinez@sta.uwi.edu
Culture-Development links in the Caribbean:
Opportunities for a new kind of external projection

2. Points of discussion
Culture-Development links in the Caribbean
1.Regional Integration and Economic Dimension
2.What has been achieved?: CARICOM and ACS
3.Ideas to move forward

3. Economic Dimension
• The production-… of cultural
products and services is one of
the fastest growing sectors of
the world economy.
• Mechanism for diversifying
economies
• Spaces for innovation and
global competitiveness
• Jobs for local artists and the
youth
• Unique cultural content of the
Caribbean
Regional Integration
Confessions of a Wayward Economist, by N. Girvan
Can cultural production succeed in driving
integration, where economics and politics
have failed?
The sense of the Caribbean as a ‘community
of culture’ (…) stands in curious contrast
with the difficulties that have been
encountered in configuring the Caribbean as
an economic and political community.
Quoting George Beckford: “Caribbean
people are already integrated. The only
people who don’t know it are the
governments.”

4. Strategic Plan for the Caribbean Community 2015 – 2019: Repositioning CARICOM
• Core Values: “We celebrate the strength of both the shared and diverse aspects of our culture,
heritage, and communities.”
• The Ideal Caribbean Person: “values and displays the creative imagination in its various
manifestations and nurtures its development in the economic and entrepreneurial spheres in
all other areas of life”
• Opportunity: Increasing demand for new and varied forms of tourism experience such as
adventure, medical, nature and cultural and creative tourism
• Building Economic Resilience - Stabilization and Sustainable Economic Growth and
Development: Unleash Key Economic Growth Drivers on Creative, Manufacturing and Services
Industries - with an emphasis on Tourism Services
• Goal: To engender innovative, knowledge driven development within the Community, and
unleash the creative talent of the people of the Community.
• Regional Education and Human Resource Development: “addressing the linkages between
culture, sport and education”
• Create a “new Community culture”

5. Culture - Development in Caribbean Regional Integration schemes
CARICOM
• Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) (1972) and
Strategic Plan (2004)
• CARICOM Regional Cultural Policy (1994)
• CARICOM Regional Cultural Committee (1987)
• Report on The Cultural Industries in CARICOM for the
Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (2006)
• CARICOM Regional Task Force on Cultural Industries
(2008) [the region cultural products are competitive
and important to the regional economy and central to
our people’s identity and advancement]. A Report on
Strategic Policy Directions was delivered in 2011.
• CARICOM Caribbean Creative Industries Management
Unit (CCIMU) (2016)
ACS
• Sustainable Tourism and
Trade (Focal Areas)
• Action Plan Pétion-Ville
(2013) on Cultural
Cooperation
• Caribbean Carnival
Network (2015)

6. Obstacles
1. Complex debate (multiple dimensions, different and conflicted visions, strong ideological
content, the “new” perspectives are not totally accepted)
2. Perceived as a non-urgent, expensive and volatile issue (politicians, economists)
3. Insufficient experience, expertise, information (poor data and statistics) and research
4. Scarcity of resources and funding for research, informed policy making and negotiations
5. Artists are poorly organized and highly fragmented (informal sector and SMEs)
6. Poor interest from private sector and financial institutions
7. High duties/taxes on imports related to cultural goods and services
8. Insufficient mentorship and apprenticeship programs and formal training
9. Inadequate protection of copyright or intellectual property
10. Insufficient domestic institutionalization and legislation
11. Insufficient investment (public and private)
12. Insufficient adequate performing facilities

7. Ideas to move forward: to capitalize on Caribbean Cultural Power
1. To adopt a coherent regional approach/narrative/strategy: cross sectoral, multidimensional and accountable
(SIDS, vulnerability and resilience/ resistence, sustainable knowledge, from “made in…” to “created in…”, a
“Caribbean” brand, …)
2. To evaluate the initiatives and institutions in place (resources optimization) and stablish a regional body
3. To systematize and produce relevant data, information, knowledge, policy documents (cultural mappings,
cultural cartographies, index) and make them available for public consultation
4. To encourage research (comparative research with Pacific SIDS and Small States)
5. To revalorize the economic dimension of the culture-development relation and its potential contribution on a
sustainable and inclusive development model and regional integration (National Accounts, trade
regimes/missions and FTA, foreign investment, fiscal policy, SMES, Intellectual Property regimes, training,
TIC, innovation policies, business models, laws, marketing, professional and diaspora associations, grants,…)
6. To determine where to focus on: music, festivals, craft, visual arts TOURISM AND CARNIVALS
7. To update the Regional Cultural Policy and encouraging the adoption of national policies and strategies
8. To develop actions for the recognition, protection, support and incentives for artists and creative projects
(CARICOM-DR-EU EPA and the national registries of artists…)
9. To act vigorously to protect cultural patrimony, heritage and traditional arts
10. To enhance on initiatives for functional cooperation and funding

8. How to articulate with the Local Development Dimension?
• National Initiatives: Saint Lucia (2016), T&T
(2006), Dominica (2007), Bahamas (2006),
Jamaica (2003), Barbados (2002)
• Creative Industry Exchange Project of the
Shridath Ramphal Centre for International
Trade Law and is funded by the UNESCO,
Kingston office… continuity? (2015…)
Non-systemic actions,
initiatives stagnate and disrupt
when governments change
Cuba’s pan Caribbean initiatives
 Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase
 Caribbean Regional School of Arts at the Edna Manley College for the
Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston (CARICOM-Cuba Cooperation
programe)