Is The Creative Economy Bearing Fruit?

In November of last year, the Government of Saint Lucia officially introduced an innovative topic that has been, and continues to be promoted as a solution to the high unemployment rate seen amongst the country’s youthful population.

The government has since laid out a blue print by which this innovative topic, called the youth economy, is to be developed, which if avidly pursued by the many employed and unemployed youths in the country, could provide them with long term employment both as entrepreneurs or skilled craftsmen/women.

We will tackle this topic in a subsequent editorial. What this topic has done is to direct us to another innovative topic introduced by the Government of Saint Lucia over a decade ago. This pioneering topic, called the creative economy, was supposed to boost the country’s creativity and create  income which was not there before.

This focus on the creative economy came about during the recession of 2008, a crisis which caused a contraction in international trade. What was acknowledged during that time was that world exports of creative goods and services continued to grow indicating an annual growth rate of 14 per cent over six consecutive years (2002 – 2008).

To the world this was a confirmation that creative industries held great potential for developing countries that sought to diversify their economies and leapfrog into one of the most dynamic sectors of the world economy.

The Government of Saint Lucia, forever looking at ways to create employment for a growing population set about creating such an economy, echoing the international economic and development agenda in saying that if adequately nurtured, creativity fuels culture, infuses a human-centered development and constitutes the key ingredient for job creation, innovation and trade, while contributing to social inclusion, cultural diversity and environmental sustainability.

Enter another crisis a decade later (the coronavirus) forcing us to ask: How has the creative economy helped Saint Lucia over the past two years of COVID-19?

Stories of our entertainers, singers, actors, and persons involved in developing creative goods and services in country, crying out for financial aid over the past two years of COVID-19 have inundated us.

We asked: Where is that great potential for developing countries the creative economy was supposed to expose during and outside times of crisis?

The last time we checked Saint Lucia was and still is a developing country, very far back in the developmental stage, and ripe for whatever it is the creative economy would bring to it. So why is it that our singers, actors, performers, writers, entertainers and others involved in developing creative goods and services appear to be struggling today?

Could it possibly be that we never managed to create the right mix of policies and strategic choices, which are essential for harnessing the socio-economic potential of the creative economy, for our own development gains?

The United Nations Creative Economy Report of 2010 notes that policy strategies to foster the development of the creative economy must recognise its multidisciplinary nature – its economic, social, cultural, technological and environmental linkages.

According to the report, “Key elements in any package to shape a long-term strategy for the creative economy should involve concerted inter-ministerial actions to ensure that national institutions, a regulatory framework and financing mechanisms are in place to support the strengthening of the creative and related industries.”

The report further stated that “policies for the creative economy have to respond not only to economic needs but also to special demands from local communities related to education, cultural identity, social inequalities and environmental concerns.”

Having just touched the tip of the proverbial iceberg of the creative economy we are led to ask: What do we do now to ensure that our creative economy does what it was created to do?

We leave this question for those more versed in the creative sector to answer, however, they must bear in mind that the goal of the creative economy is to reinvigorate growth with a focus on culture and creative activities.

We believe that the time has come to identify key creative industries that have not yet been exploited to their full potential. That done, let us put in the work to reap the developmental benefits such industries can give us.