Cultural Development: Developing and Marketing T&T’s Cultural Sector

By TriniView Reporters
Event Date: September 17, 2014

On September 17th 2014, the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism hosted the launch of several documents on the state of culture in Trinidad and Tobago at the Hyatt Regency, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. The title of the event was ‘Culturing Development: the Significance of the Arts and Cultural Industries in Trinidad and Tobago’. Present at this event were Dr. The Honourable Lincoln Douglas, Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism, Mr. Maurice Suite, permanent secretary, Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism, Mrs. Patricia Boyce-Diaz, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism, Mr. Damian Richardson, Culture Officer, Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism and individuals reflecting a range of various stakeholder interests.

Dr. The Honourable Lincoln Douglas, Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism
and Mr Maurice Suite, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism

Mr. Maurice Suite, permanent secretary, Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism delivered opening remarks, observing that traditionally T&T’s arts and culture policies have been based on outdated empirical evidence derived from short term research. He said that such has not resulted in strategic development of the sector. The evolution of Carnival as an art form can be seen in the growing aspirations and expectations of our cultural practitioners, the introduction of intellectual property laws and the movement of Carnival the festival to Carnival the industry. He underscored the intention of his Ministry to continue with a system of data collection and analysis which would then inform policy decisions.

Dr. The Honourable Lincoln Douglas, Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism delivers the feature address

Dr. The Honourable Lincoln Douglas, Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism addressed the audience and shared that the ministry is working on ways to harness the true potential of the creative sector. He said that it is absolutely necessary the cultural sector positions itself to compete in this competitive environment. He expressed that the harnessing of creativity brings with it the potential of new wealth creation, the cultivation of local talent, the generating of creative capital, the development of new export markets and enhanced competitiveness. Using examples from around the world he explained how the cultural sector could make significant contributions towards this country’s Growth Domestic Product (GDP).

Mr. Damian Richardson, Culture Officer, Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism presents a draft document
titled ‘Carnival: ‘Trinidad and Tobago style.’

Among the documents launched were a glossy forty-seven page publication titled ‘Carnival: Trinidad and Tobago style.’ This draft document, which was presented by Mr. Damian Richardson, a Culture Officer with the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism, serves as a blueprint which will allow other countries to implement Trinidadian-styled carnivals in their countries. According to the document, through the years, countries organizations and individuals have approached Trinidad and Tobago for information and advice on staging a Carnival. The Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism has, over time, facilitated the interest by providing opportunities for representatives to visit and experience the carnival firsthand. A decision was taken by the Ministry in 2014 to develop an overarching guiding document that would assist persons in developing a greater understanding of what is needed to put on a Trinidad and Tobago-styled carnival.

Lead researcher Dr. Suzanne Burke, delivers reports from the research

Another important aspect of the symposium was the presentation of a cultural mapping exercise by a team of researchers led by Dr. Suzanne Burke. This exercise aimed at a comprehensive analysis of the cultural resources of Trinidad and Tobago towards developing a baseline which would then inform the strategies for development of the sector. According to Dr. Burke, the study describes the resources, assets, strengths and weaknesses of the sector, while pointing out what is unique about the country’s cultural products and services. The report also examines the employment and entrepreneurial patterns of the creative classes to understand and analyse their motivations, ways of working and the skills they employ in their everyday practice.

Dr. Suzanne Burke, lead researcher delivers her presentation

Dr. Burke went into detail about the creative and cultural industry, highlighting that there was an interest to get a sense of the entrepreneurial acumen of those in the cultural arena. In her entrepreneurial analysis, the findings showed that people are working long hours but many are not able to earn a living from what they were engaged in. The consequence of this is that people are holding down other jobs, while also pursuing creative and cultural initiatives. In the narratives of those interviewed, she said there is a struggle between two value systems: the intrinsic value of culture, as an expression of people’s identity, and culture being monetized. In addition, Dr. Burke said that there is great diversity within the cultural sector but that there is a problem of uneven and ad hoc standards across the board, related to inadequate training and audience expectations.

Mr. Marvin George delivers a presentation on the Festivals aspect of the research

Mr. Marvin George presented on the Festivals aspect of the research. He observed that apart from possible monetary benefits of festivals, there are intangible benefits, such as affirming group identity and maintaining tradition. Findings from the field show that these festivals are expensive to run and are often heavily dependent on external sources of funding. This translates into heavy competition for available private sector and government funds. Another finding highlighted that music-based festivals are the festivals that attract the most patrons, however, there is is a scarcity of purpose built venues for the various national festivals.

Ms. Gillian Moore delivers a presentation on the Cultural Facilities

Following Mr. George’s presentation was Ms. Gillian Moore, who presented on the segment on cultural facilities, which includes archives, museums, art galleries, libraries, heritage sites, parks and theaters. The findings showed that archival spaces are underfunded and the storage mechanisms very poor, and, therefore, there is a terrible danger of loss of artifacts and documents. In terms of art galleries, she shared that most of these are located in Port of Spain, and there was the perception that it was a closed community, with artists outside of Port of Spain feeling that they did not have as much access to show their works. In relation to heritage sites around Trinidad and Tobago, the research found that these are underfunded, not properly regulated and visitor records are often not collected. While public parks often were not doing well, private parks were thriving. In addition, Ms. Moore shared that perception of crime also affected how people engage these sites. Overall, Ms. Moore expressed that in relation to cultural faculties, there is a need for support and development, better amenities, better security and staff training. “What is needed is an overarching vision for the development of arts in communities across T&T” she said.

Attendee, Vijay Ramlal participates in the discussion segment

There was also a discussion segment in which stakeholders made comments and posed questions. One stakeholder described the draft Blueprint document as having a watered-down depiction of Carnival and expressed the view that the history of Carnival and steelpan as expressions of resistance should be captured properly. A second participant, Vijay Ramlal, expressed that the document is not a bad start but is lacking a lot of information. He recommended that a look be taken at other blueprint documents to develop the present document. Another attendee asked what was being done with the importation of mas to preserve local artistry and to develop this sector.

Mr. Maurice Suite, Permanent Secretary in Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism responds to remarks from the audience

In response to some of the concerns, Mr. Maurice Suite, permanent secretary, Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism emphasized that the document was a draft and not a historical document but one that is to be used as a guide to implement a Trinidad-style carnival. Regarding the importation of mas costumes, Mr. Richardson of the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism, expressed that this is an issue that is engaging the attention of the Ministry and one possible way of dealing with it is to give special awards and to weigh the competition marking criteria in favour of those who produce their costumes locally.

Dr. Bhesem Ramlal presents a Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of the local culture and creative arts industry

Another researcher on the team, Dr. Bhesem Ramlal presented a Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of the local culture and creative arts industry. A GIS is a computer based system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to geographical positions. Using a pictorial-based presentation, he gave the audience a look at how our cultural resources, including facilities and organizations are spatially organized across Trinidad and Tobago. This GIS mapping showed that Port of Spain and environs had a far heavier concentration of cultural organizations and facilities than other parts of Trinidad.

The two documents launched are available for download on the following website of the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism: www.culture.gov.tt/

Developing and Marketing T&T’s Cultural Sector in pictures:
www.triniview.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=776365