Culture consultation flops

Cultural activists and practitioners in Tobago have been promised a second consultation on the Draft National Policy for Culture and the Arts after they complained of little notice and information on the document presented at last Tuesday’s forum at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex

In the question and answer segment of the consultation, which was hosted by the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, the artistes aired their unhappiness with the process which they said prevented them from making meaningful contribution to the final draft.

Claude Joseph complained that there were two unknown representatives from Tobago who contributed to the policy. Joseph said Tobagonians should have been briefed before and after their contributions was made on the policy so that Tobago culture groups would have been prepared to share their thoughts on the draft in a more effective way.

On the draft, he recommended that it include fair compensation for practitioners in the culture and arts industry, both in Trinidad and Tobago.

Sophia Cooper said Tobago must have a stable position in the final policy, recommending that it be clearly explained to Tobagonians their role in fostering an improved culture and the arts industry.

She also raised an issue with structure, noting that she dd not see any involvement by Tobago House of Assembly (THA) “and since the act gives the THA responsibility for culture, does that mean the ministry will be doing an MOU with the THA or is it the entire process will reside in the island of Trinidad?”

Cooper said she was not confident that last Tuesday’s consultation gave Tobago fair play in terms of its contribution.

“I think we are going down a road we have been down before where a representative from Tobago on a committee does not mean proper implementation in Tobago and while I can see the ministry’s effort, the fact that Tobago’s participation was not considered in black and white, it means that we are not ready,” she said.

Winston Gordon, musician and Manager of the New Dimension Performing Arts Company and RBC Redemption Sound Setters, said he was unsure what the consultation was about. He said the final document should represent the whole of Trinidad and Tobago, and that the management structure must be carefully looked at as those persons would have he the responsibility to drive qualitative methods and preservation of the culture.

“We must not change the culture but learn how to present it in a more effective interesting way. Everything must be documented, we must have a clear objective and the plan must include everyone who should also be involved in the evaluation that should be had from time to time,” he advised.

Musician Lance Jack wanted to know what action was required to truly bring change in cultural development.

“I am deeply saddened that after 60 years of independence, we are still talking about a cultural policy for Trinidad and Tobago. I think that goes to say the kind of people we are. We are a bunch of imitators, and generation after generation we continue to imitate other culture other than developing our own,” Jack said.

“What we continue to do is talk and not implement, since personally I don’t think we should be at a stage where we are doing consultation, we should be at the implementation stage. If we have these things year after year, we have the same people doing the same … we are not doing anything," he added.

Recommending a continuation of policies during changes in THA administrations, he suggested such changes in policy was why there was no growth.

“We could make millions of dollars in this art, but we do nothing about it but talk diversification. And I doubt the Culture Department can tell us how many recording studios here in Tobago; even when I invited officials from the Department they never came,” he said.

Visual Artist Ronald Rodney said more should be done to assist aspiring artists in Tobago, who he said twere growing frustrated waiting for an opportunity to show their skills.

“We are the only island in the Caribbean that doesn’t have an emancipation sculpture and we are one of the islands to first gain emancipation. A lot of the slavery rebellions, Tobago had three major ones,” he noted.

Rodney said he has approached various THA Divisions asking for an opportunity to use spaces in Tobago to design a sculpture, as he yet again requested an area for artist to freely display their work for Art Tourism.

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