Time is ripe to export Caribbean culture – lifestyle entrepreneur

Caribbean culture is ‘hot’ on the international market right now, says lifestyle entrepreneur Juliette Maughan. And with that, she says more creative persons should be looking to take their products and services to the world.

The well-travelled consultant, who has done work in Human Rights, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Gender and Youth Mainstreaming, as well as co-editing a recently published Caribbean anthology called ‘Senseisha’, told The Barbados Advocate that if our people did not push to get brand Caribbean out to external markets, we would not get the exposure needed to facilitate badly needed exports. “And truthfully speaking, our work not out there would be a deficit to the world.

“I tell young people all the time, those aspiring to be entrepreneurs, those waiting for something to happen for them at home, [that] the world is your marketplace ... and especially right now for the Caribbean, we have a lot of opportunities in terms of creating our own products. We have stars in pop culture, sports ... the Rihannas, the Nicki Minajs, the Usain Bolts that are and have been for quite some time coming out of our territories and have been making the path easier for us to access foreign markets [are at least be recognised] ... we should be taking advantage of that,” Maughan explained.

She added that she was not discounting the power of being able to dominate in the domestic market first, but pointed out one should not stop there. 

“This market is a testing market, to see how people react to what you have to offer and learn [perhaps] how you should refine it... The world is [really] the marketplace [we should be going after].

Her remarks came against the backdrop of the long-anticipated proclamation of the Cultural Industries Development Act, which occurred earlier this month.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Stephen Lashley, said last month that the proclamation of the Act would set the stage for artistes of varying genres and expressions within the cultural industries sector by providing not only Government, but the private sector the possibility to create avenues for talent to be showcased.

“One of the key components of the incentives is to make provisions for the private sector to be able to invest in the cultural industries sector, and to do so in a way to allow for investments to be given the necessary tax write-off treatment,” Lashley said.

“That alone in my view will encourage the private sector to feel much more confident to invest in the tremendously promising work of the creative sector in Barbados,” he said. (RS)