Cultural and creative industries (CCI) across the Caribbean are set to benefit from three million euros in new funding as the European Union with support from the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific state, under the ACP-EU 11th EDF Culture Programme, rallies to help creatives recover from fallouts brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The project to be implemented by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in joint partnership with The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Caricom Secretariat has titled ‘The creative Caribbean — An Ecosystem of ‘Play’ for Growth and Development.
At a launch event held yesterday, key stakeholders informed that the programme will provide grants to creative and cultural practitioners to aid in improving their economic conditions and promote the long-term growth of these industries in the Caribbean. This, whilst also positioning the sector as a catalyst for social, economic and sustainable development in the region.
“The three-year project that will run across some 15 Caribbean countries aims to develop a robust creative economy in the region by strengthening the enabling environment and providing grant support for industry and training initiatives. It further seeks to strengthen research and data collection on CCIs, to facilitate market access opportunities, to support the development of national artist registries, cultural policies and Creative Industry Development Acts to incentivize the sector,” a Caricom report said.