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Dr Kris Rampersad warns about rushing culture policies
Pointing to glaring deficits in the Caricom culture policy and others that existed in the region, Rampersad advised the culture sector to identify clear priorities for their national and regional culture sectors
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Consultant: Don’t rush cultural policies
THURSDAY 17 JUNE 2010
The observation came from Unesco culture consultant Dr Kris Rampersad who also warned against the “mad scramble” to formulate cultural policies that may not be relevant to national and regional realities.
She was conducting a two day workshop for Unesco and cultural policy-makers and related interest groups from across the wider Caribbean on the Unesco Cultural Diversity Programming Lens (CDPL) in Grenada.
Pointing to glaring deficits in the Caricom culture policy and others that existed in the region, including a “draft” being circulated in Trinidad and Tobago, Rampersad advised the culture sector to identify clear priorities for their national and regional culture sectors.
And empower their Culture Ministries and bodies like Caricom now in the process of rethinking their culture polices to understand the delicate balance that must be maintained between the intrinsic value of culture and the economic potential of cultural products.
“The Caribbean has much to offer the international community when it comes to our experiences of migration, adaptation, globalisation, multiculturalism, cultural identities and evolution of old and the creation of new cultures,” she said. Dr Rampersad said the CPDL can help the region assess the value of these contributions. She pointed out that only six Caribbean countries to date have ratified the UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity, but there is now a “mad scramble” to do so because of the launch of the Fund for Cultural Diversity which is only accessible by countries that have ratified the Convention.