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From Jamaica to the world - tapping into the island's creative potential
There are more than 300 reggae festivals in Europe displaying our Jamaican culture to the world?announced Olivia Grange Minister of Culture Gender Entertainment and Sport to the audience on October 31 in Kingston Reggae music and its King of Reggae Bob Marley have been the icons of Jamaica and its culture over the past decades In recent years FIFA Womens World Cup 2019 has introduced the sports fans to Reggae Girlz Jamaicas womens football team on the map Usain Bolt and ShellyAnn FraserPryce have stunned the world with their recordbreaking sprints While these extraordinary individuals may be the most recognizable faces of the Jamaican culture the Caribbean island has a rich and diverse cultural landscape full of potential and the country is making effort to?tap into diverse creativity and achieve greater recognition of the countrys culture and identity through cultural governance Since the ratification of?the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions 2005?in 2007 Jamaican Ministry of Culture Gender Entertainment and Sport has led the implementation of this global legal instrument on contemporary culture and creativity The Convention provides a framework for the management and administration of culture based on the understanding of?culture and creativity as a driver and enabler of sustainable social and economic development Article 16 of the Convention advocates for preferential treatment of cultural goods and services and prompts Parties to facilitate the mobility of artists particularly from the Global South Cultural trade agreements between developed and developing countries is an effective tool to implement this Article the Economic Partnership Agreement EPA signed between the European Union and the Caribbean Forum CARIFORUM in 2008 is a leading example With the support of UNESCO 2005 Conventions International Fund for Cultural Diversity IFCD Jamaicas National Policy on Culture and Creative Economy 20172027 is also being revised In 2019 UNESCO organized series of events in Kingston Jamaica a national multistakeholder consultation was held on 31 October followed by a national training workshop on the 2005 Convention from 6 to 8 November The opening ceremony of the multistakeholder consultation on 31 October took place at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston with presentations and remarks by Mrs Katherine Grigsby Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean Mrs Olivia Grange Minister for Culture Gender Entertainment and Sport Mr Everton Hannan Secretary General of the Jamaican National Commission for UNESCO and Mr Peter Goldson Honorary Consul of Sweden in Jamaica The multistakeholder consultation discussed issues such as media diversity digital technology mobility of artists and gender equality in the cultural and creative sectors The threeday workshop in November was organized by the Ministry of Culture Gender Entertainment and Sport and the UNESCO Caribbean Office in Kingsto with the funding of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency for Development Sida and led by?Avril Joffe a member of the UNESCO Expert Facility The training welcomed government representatives from cultural fields as well as actors from Jamaicas creative and cultural sector including fashion broadcasting film literature academia and the Rastafari community
