Barbados’ hosting of Carifesta XV has demonstrated the big potential for the country’s creative industry and lays a foundation for further investment in the services economy.
That is the assessment of Matthew Wilson, Barbados’ Ambassador and Permanent Representative of to the United Nations, World Trade Organisation and other international organisations in Geneva, Switzerland.
The trade expert and diplomat also envisages that once the foundation is laid properly, Carifesta and other major cultural events can open the door to a much stronger trade and economic relationship involving the Caribbean, Africa and Latin America.
Wilson was speaking while in Barbados for several official engagements during which time he participated in Carifesta, including visiting the Grande Market at Waterford, St Michael.
“I’m actually really happy that I’m here for Carifesta. It was a bit of a happy accident, to be honest. I have been able to take in some of the sights, being at the Grand Market on Saturday and seeing the different products and services on sale, seeing the entrepreneurship, seeing the innovation,” he said.
“Seeing this kind of celebration of cross-Atlantic culture, shared values, a shared history and shared aspirations is going to be one of the fundamental deliverables of Carifesta as almost an exercise in de-risking, helping people to understand and appreciate what Africa can bring to the Caribbean, and what the Caribbean can bring to Africa, what Latin America can bring to the Caribbean, or what the Caribbean can bring to Latin America.”
Wilson noted that this was about “creating a level of comfort, a level of transparency, a level of understanding between the different countries and the different cultures”.
“And to me, that is a really important first step to embarking on a trade and economic relationship, which needs to be the next step,” he said.
“A lot of this has also got to be about how we monetise the incredible creative industries that have seen showcased at Carifesta. How we make sure that we monetise our music, our art, our innovation, our app development.
“And this, I think, is something that the Government has got to really work on with the social partners, including the private sector, to see how can we monetise this innovation and this entrepreneurship and make it a tradeable product for Barbados.”
Wilson added: “So for me, I think Carifesta is a real eye opener into the potential of further investing in a viable services economy.”
CARICOM Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett also sees the trade and economic potential of Carifesta, which ended yesterday.
In an interview conducted while she was at the Grand Market and shared by the CARICOM Secretariat, Barnett said she looked at the country exhibits, “which were really very nicely done, but I’ve also been looking at the exhibits by persons who are making a living off their art, whether it’s in dual redesign or shoes or handbags”.
“It’s really just wonderful that we’ve managed to bring all this together because it gives you an opportunity not only to make connections among the artists and the designers, but also to show us, show up what we can do,” she said.
“It’s important at the level of showing our creativity because how we respond to any situation really is a reflection of how creative we are. And creativity on the artistic side can’t be separated from creativity on dealing with the problems side.
“So that’s important for us, but really it’s also about showing that we can make a living off the things that we love and can do well.”
The Secretary General said the hope was that “the persons who are exhibiting will be able to make long term relations with customers not only within the region, but internationally”.
“I know there’s been an effort to create an online platform that they can put their items on and I’m hoping that works not only here, but it would be one of the last things that come out of Carifesta so people can continue to make a living from their art,” she stated.
Barnett also said that in addition to the CARICOM Secretariat which she leads, the work and contribution of agencies like the Caribbean Development Bank and Afreximbank was also important if creative industry practitioners were to fulfil their potential.
“The development of arts and culture requires a productive relationship with those who have access to finance who can help. Those who are able to help artists and cultural practitioners to think through how they navigate solutions to the problems they have,” she said.
“So those institutions are important. We have a particular role that we play, which is to assist with the organisation to ensure that everybody who needs to know knows, then can come and participate in this.
So it’s really an excellent coming together of the countries, the institutions, the artists and participants as well.”
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