Expert: Region failing to safeguard cultural heritage

KINGSTON, Jamaican, Observer - IN the context of the just concluded Black History Month, world heritage consultant Dr Janice Lindsay is calling on Caribbean States, to step up efforts to safeguard their music from economic exploitation, and do more to turn it into an economic powerhouse for local communities. Dr Lindsay, who was speaking at the recently held Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) Conference at the University of the West Indies, said the region was not making full use of safeguards put in place by the United Nation's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to guard their intangible cultural heritage, despite being signatory to a 2003 UN convention. Lindsay said there are 63 files to be reviewed by UNESCO's inter-governmental committee in November this year, and none of them are from any country in the region.