PARAMARIBO, Suriname – The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has emphasized the critical role of culture in regional development during her keynote address Wednesday evening at the 16th annual ‘Self Reliance Trefossa Lecture’ here.
She argued that investing in culture is not just beneficial for artists and their communities but is also a vital economic strategy, comparable to investments in mining, tourism, and agriculture.
Mottley envisioned a Caribbean where artists have the resources and platforms to reach global audiences independently, without relying on traditional gatekeepers like major labels.
She stressed that this vision is achievable if the creative sector is recognized as a key pillar of regional development.
“Imagine a Caribbean where every storyteller has the tools to reach a global audience; where every musician can produce and distribute their music independently without having to wait to be signed by some big label and where every artist can showcase their work on digital platforms that can truly, truly celebrate Caribbean creativity,” Mottley told a packed Royal Ballroom of the Torarica Hotel. This, according to the prime minister, is not a “distant dream” but a tangible goal that starts with recognizing that the creative sector is a pillar of the region’s strategic development.
She highlighted the significant economic impact of cultural events like Crop Over in Barbados, Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, and Junkanoo in the Bahamas, which generate millions of dollars annually and drive related industries like tourism, hospitality, and fashion.
These events, she explained, demonstrate the potential of investing in cultural assets. However, she also acknowledged that many creative individuals in the region still lack opportunities to showcase their talents globally.
Mottley called for a shift in how the region views culture, advocating for it to be seen not as a static inheritance but as a dynamic industry.
This requires stronger frameworks to empower artists, protect their intellectual property, ensure fair compensation, and invest in essential infrastructure such as studios, theaters, galleries, and digital platforms. She emphasized the government’s role in nurturing this ecosystem, particularly for artists who lack capital.
“This will mean creating even stronger frameworks that will empower these artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers to monetize their work. It means protecting their intellectual property and ensuring that we enforce against the breaches that may take place in our societies. It means ensuring that the wealth that is created flows back into the communities from which they’ve come, and it means investing in infrastructure whether it is studios, sound stages, theaters, galleries or digital platforms. And more often than not, because the people who are investing and expressing themselves don’t have the capital. That falls on us governments to ensure that that infrastructure and that ecosystem is nurtured,” the prime minister stated.
Mottley described the Caribbean’s culture as its very essence, encompassing its music, stories, resilience, and vibrant traditions. She stressed the need to translate this rich cultural heritage into sustainable development and economic growth. While acknowledging the Caribbean’s inherent cultural advantage, she cautioned that this alone is insufficient. She urged a reimagining of culture not just as heritage or a tourism driver, but as a catalyst for innovation, empathy, responsibility, discipline, and risk-taking.
She also outlined four key roles of culture’s transformative power: driving economies; promoting sustainable development; building strong values within individuals and families; and strengthening democracy and community resilience through shared heritage.
Mottley also pointed to the rapid evolution of the creative industry due to social media and AI, citing UNCTAD data showing creative services accounting for nearly 20% of global service exports.
This growth highlights creativity’s increasing value in the modern economy, and Mottley asserted that the Caribbean, with its diverse cultural heritage drawn from Africa, India, the Middle East, China, Europe, and Indonesia, is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend and connect with global audiences.
“The Caribbean, I assert, is unmatched when it comes to the wealth of talent and cultural capital. Indeed we represent a microcosm of the world civilizations and therefore we are in the best position to express that creativity and to find willing audiences in different parts of the world, because we are a part of them all,” she argued.