Above: St Lucia

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Lucia will move to enact a Creative Industries Bill for the country during the upcoming parliamentary session, according to St Lucia Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy.

The bill would follow the lead set by Barbados, which led the region in enacting its landmark Cultural Industries Development Bill.

“This is an important vehicle for generating employment for young persons as well as providing for a positive social environment,” Louisy said in her throne speech, without giving specifics on the nature of the bill.

The Caribbean has long punched far above its weight globally in the creative arena, and more countries in the region seem to be moving to embrace this.

Caribbean poet and economist Adrian Augier has long advocated for the development of cultural industries infrastructure in the region, particularly in the intellectual property field and to invest in artists so their economic impact does not escape the country.

Indeed, he said in a speech in 2012, the region has forfeited significant potential revenue from many of the artists who have found success beyond its shores.