Cashing in on creativity
published: Sunday | March 5, 2006

Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer

TO THINK outside of the box is to get creative, and it has been argued that for the Caribbean to crawl out of the economic box into which years of exploitation and mismanagement have sealed it, it will take the creative arts. So when banana and sugar gasp their last breaths as the kings of the Caribbean economy, it is the supposed 'barefoot' culture of the region which will take their place.

Interestingly, the same repressive societies which fostered the sugar and banana industries have allowed the Caribbean to become a crucible of creativity. This creativity has been evidenced in the creation of the steel pan, ska, reggae, calypso, soca and dancehall. From the Trinidad carnival to Crop-Over to Reggae Sumfest to Passa Passa, the economic potential of the music is quite in evidence ­ and if you doubt, ask Sean Paul about it.

The issue came under discussion at a two-day seminar recently held at the JAMPRO's head offices in New Kingston. As a part of the presentations, the question of trade and the creative industries was explored by Lincoln Price of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM). Additionally, there was a presentation by Edna Dos Santos on the findings from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) exploring the developmental possibilities to be harnessed from the creative economy.

The creative economy involves culture and also the technology related to that culture. The creative industries are numerous. As listed by UNCTAD, they involve arts, crafts and traditional festivals, stage arts, audiovisuals, multimedia, design, the music and phonographic industry, visual arts, publishing, and the digital industry.

Though the words 'creative economy' are new buzz words, the concept is not new. Dos Santos explained that the sector is expected to grow by 10 per cent annually over the next several decades. Additionally, First World economies have already begun to tap into that potential. In 2004 the sector employed 1.8 million people in the United Kingdom and accounted for £11.6 billion in exports, four per cent of all goods and services the country exported.

Furthermore, as Price explained, the creative sector worldwide is valued at US$1.3 trillion. This is not surprising when one considers the scope of the music and film industries; it is easy to see the economic scope of the creative industries. However, though the cultural industries in the developing world are quite rich in talent, they have so far settled with the small dog's share while the developed countries feast like lions.

So while Jimmy Cliff's eternal pose with both guns drawn on the Harder They Come poster still whispers of possibilities for the Jamaican film industry, only five of 132 countries have large film industries and 85 countries have never produced a film.

Yet, the industries are far from fallow. The proliferation of festivals which attempt to explore food from breadfruit to bussu, and jerk to coffee highlights that many have perceived the economic potential of the creative industries.

UNCTAD proposes that music, film and the multimedia and digital industries offer the greatest opportunity for the developing world. Mike Henry of LMH Publishing also pointed out that though publishing was not on UNCTAD's list, there are significant potential earnings through the sale of language rights, though not the actual publications.

A significant part of the Caribbean's ability to mine the real potential of the creative industries, however, will come through trade. Price noted, however, that there is currently a divide on how 'culture' should be treated. He noted that some argue that culture is special and cannot be treated like sugar and bananas and so should be taken off the trade table. On the other hand, other players in the creative industry are agitating for trade-related incentives, such as reduction of barriers to export throughout CARICOM, reduction of restrictions on temporary entries to countries and a reduction in tariffs on cultural products.

Sydney Bartley, director of culture in the Ministry of Culture, pointed out that there needs to be a compromise, where culture is made a part of trade negotiations but room is left for its special needs. The needs are special because culture always tag teams with identity and, as such, it brings with it the World Trade Organisation's anathema, 'protection'.

Price noted that creative industry players were handicapping their situation by waiting to have data in order to lobby for government support. "I think we have backed ourselves into a corner with this data thing," he said. As such, he argued that players need to lobby for much-needed policy which will help to facilitate the growth of the industry.

Bartley pointed out, of course, that despite the wanton neglect the industries have received at the hands of policy makers, they remain fertile ground and represent our 'strongest industries'.

Indeed, the pan chicken man standing below the spanking new, short-sighted signs declaring 'no vending' in the middle of Jamaica's commercial district, waiting on the crowds to exit the nightclub already knows the value of moving on while policy makers continue to eloquently twiddle their thumbs. And Puma, cloaked in the hippness of black, green and gold while dancing to a reggae rhythm, can smile benignly at our error.