Creative Economy: A Feasible Development Option

Meeting of Ministers of Culture of the Americas was hostedand chaired by the Minister of Culture of Barbados, 62 andthe Ministerial session adopted a declaration committing allthe 34 members of the Organization of American States toincrease their efforts to promote and support cultural andcreative industries activities as part of their national policiesfor the promotion of sustainable economic growth. UNC-TAD was invited to present the findings of the CreativeEconomy Report 2008 for the Ministerial segment.Dominican Republic: Dominican Republic is recognizednot only as a tourist destination but also as a cultural destinationfor its tangible and intangible patrimony, gastronomy,cultural industries and arts. The city of Santo Domingo wasselected the 2010 American Capital of Culture, a designationcreated to promote inter-American integration in the culturalfield and to promote respect for national and regional diversity.A noteworthy initiative of the Ministry of Culture of theDominican Republic is the creation of a new penitentiarymodel with an educational centre that provides inmates with aFree School programme as well as classes in painting, theatre,dance and art crafts. The General Attorney and the Minister ofCulture recently announced a strategic partnership to sustainand develop the arts and culture in other centres of the country.63 The Ministry of Culture through the National Centre forArt Crafts created the National Registration System for ArtCraft makers with the aim of identifying and supporting theirworks through initiatives across the country.Jamaica: Since the 2002 release of a study commissionedby UNCTAD and WIPO 64 on the importance ofmusic as an economic activity and source of income-generationand trade opportunities, the government has devotedmore and more attention to the strategic role of the creativeeconomy can play in fostering development in the country. Akey message conveyed in that report, applicable in principle tothe whole Caribbean region, was that the music industrydeveloped with little government assistance. A turning pointoccurred when the National Industrial Policy recognizedmusic and entertainment as two key elements of the nationaldevelopment strategy. This debate progressed further with the2004 National Strategy and Action Plan to develop theJamaican music industry, an effort that brought together theprivate sector, governments and international institutions.2The development dimensionBox 2.7Brand Jamaica as the home of reggaeCreativity represents one of Jamaica’s most distinguishable assets and competitive advantages as a country. Through its music, fashion, dance and cuisineJamaican culture continues to influence and impact global pop culture as it has done since the introduction of Garveyism, Rastafari and reggae music.Jamaica’s exploitation of this sector is vital if it is to realize development gains from international trade, as highlighted in the UNCTAD São Paulo Consensus.The United Nations estimates that the creative industries are growing at a faster rate than the world economy in general. Yet there is still a critical lackof empirical statistics on the contribution of Jamaican music or creative industries to national GDP. This has resulted in repeated undervaluation of thissector in an array of studies, with estimates ranging from $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion in generated revenue.Brand Jamaica is a business brand building campaign to expand the country’s profile from a primarily leisure destination, celebrated for its cultural iconsand athletes, to one where business plays an even greater role. Brand Jamaica has for the most part been an organic evolution driven by the country’screative entrepreneurs and their cultural products. A decade ago, the Government awakened to the potential of culture and creative industries as animportant economic strategy for national growth, signalled with the inclusion of music and entertainment as a strategic cluster group in the NationalIndustrial Policy in 1996. Responsibility for promotion of the sector was given to the country’s trade and investment facilitation agency, JamaicaPromotions Corporation (JAMPRO). The agency, in partnership with the music industry, facilitated the development of the national Sounds of Jamaica TMbrand campaign launched at the Marché international de l’édition musicale (MIDEM), the world’s largest music industry trade fair, in 1997 in France. Theinitiative galvanized the Jamaican music industry in an unprecedented demonstration of strategic cooperation. However, after a vibrant period of activebrand management and trade show participation between 1997 and 2000, the initiative lost momentum. Fragmentation of various aspects of Jamaica’screative industries across five ministries and at least six agencies without the benefit of a sector-driven master plan resulted in staggered duplication,inertia and ongoing loss of wealth-generating opportunities. Additionally, Jamaica has a “hustler” reputation internationally, which negatively affectsmarket confidence in supply consistency, legal protection and business practices.The global appeal and adoption of Jamaican music have spawned home-grown versions and artists within the genre from Germany’s Gentleman to UnitedStates Grammy winner No Doubt, for example. The increasing availability of home-grown reggae and the rising cost of Jamaican versus home-grown62 For further information see UNCTAD Creative Economy Programme E-News No. 8, December 2008.63 Observatorio, Órgano difusor del Ministerio de Cultura, Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana, N° 21, Enero-Abril, 2010.64 Witter (2002).CREATIVE ECONOMY REPORT 201059