Re-imagining the local in national cultural policy formulation – the case of the Anglophone Caribbean

ABSTRACT

The formulation of cultural policies in the Anglophone Caribbean constantly straddles the demands of global, regional and national imperatives as a function of its position as a region of post-colonial, small-island states. This paper will argue that the role these factors play in the art of policy making problematises conventions in the current global/local (glocal) debate circulating in the arena of Cultural Policy Studies. The paper shows that cultural policy making in the Caribbean constitutes a mélange of approaches that are in a constant state of contestation during the policy-making process. It employs content analysis of cultural policy texts from selected Caribbean states, as well as an analysis of stakeholder views from the national cultural policy consultations in Trinidad and Tobago to derive its findings. A Five Factor framework was developed to illustrate the range of responses that guide and shape local actors and activities in the national cultural policy domain. The research concludes that the relationship between the national and local (nocal) actors has to be re-imagined if cultural policy is to deliver on its promise of social transformation in the Caribbean.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural policy, Regional and Local Caribbean Cultural policies
• Caribbean cultural sector

Note on contributor

Suzanne Burke is a Lecturer in Cultural Studies attached to the Department of Literary, Cultural and Communication and Studies, of The UWI, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. Her research focuses on Caribbean culture, festivals, cultural industries and creative entrepreneurship as these relate to the development and evaluation of cultural policies and programmes. She has worked extensively with a wide cross section of public and private sector enterprises as well as civil society organisations in the areas of strategic planning, policy analysis, cultural industry development and audience impact analysis.

Notes

1 Neologism for Global, Regional and Local – “Grocal.”

2 Neologism for National and Local - Nocal

3 CARICOM consists of fifteen Caribbean nations and dependencies inclusive of Antigua & Barbuda; Anguilla; Barbados, Bahamas; Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat (an overseas British dependency), St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

4 The last CARICOM country to obtain independence was St. Kitts & Nevis in 1983

5 The Caricom Secretariat has commissioned several reports, including (i.) Cultural Industries in CARICOM – Trade and Development Challenges (2007); (ii.) Trade Related Issues in the Cultural Industries (2008); (iii.) Regional Strategic Plan for Cultural and Entertainment Services for CARICOM and CARIFORUM States (2017).

6 The vision of the country achieving “First World” development status is the guiding principle of this framework.

7 The author was a member of this TWG.

8 The Tobago House of Assembly was created in 1980 as a unicameral legislative body that is responsible for the affairs of the island of Tobago. It is semi autonomous and has limited ability to collect taxes and impose the rule of law, the responsibility for which lies with the central government.

9 Merikin' is derived from the word “American.” Merikins are the ancestors of a community of African-American runaway slaves who were recruited as soldiers and fought on the side of the British in the War of 1812. As part of their payment, they were settled as free men in six villages in the deep South of Trinidad and given parcels of land in exchange for their service. Their descendants still inhabit these villages today and have retained their distinctive folkways and traditions.