Business Development Officer for Creative industries at the OECS/EDU, Sobers Esprit, has told participants of a Business Management workshop for the creative industries sector, that although much more needs to be done in terms of investment and support, they should grab on to the available opportunities.
Esprit made the call during his remarks at the opening of the workshop at Garraway Hotel on Friday.
“We all know for a long time people take culture and creative work as a side thing and not much attention has been given to it – a lot of lip service,” he said.
“Well I think that is changing and the landscape over the last several years is becoming more and more supportive, but we think a lot more needs to be done in terms of investment and other kinds of support,” he stated.
However added to that, he said stakeholders in the creative industries sector must recognize the need to take advantage of the opportunities that are emerging in the sector.
“We know that the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) as member states have signed on to agreements including the European partnership agreements, the Caribbean single market and economy(CSME), of course we are into an advanced stage of our Economic Union, and we have negotiations ongoing with Canada under the Canada CARICOM trade agreement,” he said.
Esprit noted that what these agreements do, is that they make it possible to take advantage of a whole range of things that “we as creative industries can in fact benefit from. But for that to happen, it’s going to need us to roll up our sleeves and do some creative things, in terms of how we manage, we plan, how we organize”.
He said the workshop intends to provide that opportunity to listen to some of the fundamentals and what are the necessary tools that are required to “get us thinking about culture as a creative industry”.
The aim of the workshop is two fold. It allows one the chance to touch base with the sector in Dominica, build a rapport and connect with the sector in Dominica.
It also allows the opportunity to begin a process of working together, of developing collaborative actions to enable strengthening of the institutions and raising the profile across the OECS in particular, regarding the shaping of the national economies.
The workshop was organized by the OECS Export development Unit (EDU) and it will run from November 22-23rd 2013.
In what country will this function be held next and what date? Missed it in Dominica and would like to travel to get to the next one. Would anyone have notes on this and how was the participants chosen?
Very good initiative…I commend you guys. WHo are the participants?