Well be good afternoon to all of our friends and followers on Facebook and Instagram I'm George Popping Honest, chief of Media Services. I think something of a regular fixture from time to time talking about the things that hope matter to you as they matter to us important issues and today I have to say that I'm I'm very lucky in that I have Andrea King with us who is from Barbados and is the former director Of the Barbados and Cultural Industries Development Authority. As you can see I'm checking my cheat sheet here just to make sure I get it all right. Welcome Andrea Esco you pleasure to have you with us on Instagram and also on face. Well, thank you for having me part of me Good morning Barbados. Hello world That's right. This is your wake up call in Barbados said something like a 645 or getting on 70 'clock in the morning about what a better way to start your day than to see your sister here talking Now this is a bit of the I don't know what they say. I don't wanna call it. It's a nerd alert Okay. A little bit of a nerd alert cuz we're talking about trade but you're gonna love this cuz this is about like whether you can watch the things that you like to see on your Netflix or maybe just that cousin of yours was really that emerging film director who's not getting you know he's not getting the break that he needs how can that happen especially if maybe he's down in the Caribbean as perhaps we should Is about cultural goods cultural? Good. Yes. How can you sell your creative? Good Yeah Including maybe even potentially things jewelry I mean oh he said not to move too much. That's right. We're not supposed to move too much but I mean I honestly everybody down in Barbados knows the injuries also a Julia and fashion designer as well as a strong advocate for these issues across all cultural goods. Yes and all creativity and she and I were just together earlier today talking about this for a couple of other panelists so it's bigger than what you think it is and it's more important than even I Utilized as we started to get more and more into the conversation and it has a lot to do with David and Goliath in a way because we're talking about what happens in terms of developing countries getting access to developed markets and there's a lot to talk about here. We don't have a hell of a lot of time but we do have enough to I think get you interested in We hope that you'll follow along on this issue So let's get right to it I mean we're doing this within our program for the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions which At a lot of the things that you see here, artistic freedom, cultural diversity cultural goods, the cultural industries, creativity and how do we move the this cultural product across across international borders while we know that the Economic Partnership agreement with Carrie Forum and the certainly helps to open up markets for small territories like the Caribbean now the Care forum is a treaty is that race or trade agreements, trade agreements. That's a trade agreement. So this is when the you know the Caribbean Entries in the you got together and as I said a bit of a David and Goliath really yes economies of scale. We all know that the Caribbean is very tiny and we know that European Union is very big so that this this the economic partnership agreement in itself is a major thing and then further the protocol on cultural cooperation make is like the icing on the cake Alright but how is it that this agreement is going to I guess in real terms provide for Unities even for people like yourself open up markets in any illegal way Yes, we've been trading in music and other types of cultural goods. Even audio visual goes for a long time but the agreement and the cultural Corporation provides an even more chili say legitimate we to do business. You could do business legally with anybody in the European Union National Cultural agreements not withstanding because we know that each European territory has it's own particular specificities as those of the territories in the Caribbean But the agreement provides that catch all here is the Caribbean you can trade with the European Union above board legal we know that one of the major challenges to to action and treated in a significant way is that all annoying visa entry for some Caribbean people not all some. I don't think Barbados, we have that particular problem but I know certainly Jamaica does and if we can sort of that particular issue I am sure that we can see more significant treated happening with our Caribbean neighbors on the or we will start with that. I just wanna remind everybody if you wanna be part of the conversation you know post your comments questions We're gonna try to integrate those in the 1015 minutes that we have for this Facebook live and make you a part of the conversation also in addition to that hashtag Support creativity you'll put it up put your comments up on on Twitter as well and and on Facebook and we are going to we're gonna try to as I said includes you as much as we can into this into this conversation that we're having let's just kind of give people an understanding of what we talk about cultural goods What are the kinds of things that we're talking about me? We mentioned jewelry. We mentioned fast fashion music and films music videos Croft or Some food, visual art, photography, literature digital elements as well as what's happening in the digital sphere. Yes, we just had a really interesting question from Professor Veronique about hold as the digital technology impact on trees and I I repeat for small territories like the Caribbean It really provides a kind of a level playing field because for us it opens up the rest of the world We can stay in the Caribbean produce export Having to to leave the Caribbean and deal with those challenges like visa entries but that's important though I mean being able to kind of go some place Absolutely. It's about you know making that people to people connection. Yes Absolutely So we real the EU is going to have to find a way to make that particular condition less owners on Caribbean people just to give you a people word baby confused about a reference to professor of or an equitable who is here in Paris in fact and had participated in one of our previous conversations on this issue she's from Quebec Canada in fund a very very different environment delay colder up in Canada than it is down to mothers No, we're getting temperatures at 3132 so it's a nice place to go It is come to Barbados You got the officially on your imagination as they say under imagine one of the tourism stuff Okay but. To kind of go back to you know what we need to to attempt to do here is is grow the cultural and creative industries in Barbados and the Caribbean the Caribbean right, of course and that has to go beyond the markets that are easily accessible. Yes which means getting into these kinds of of agreements with the European Union and perhaps other other regional or National type trade agreements. Yes, I'm dying to say that trade agreements are fine being able to trade with places other than established market is good but we also Capacity building access to investment market intelligence on one of the questions that was on the paper that we had for our panel discussion was what can we do to make it happen in a faster way Those real things that that can be meaningful market intelligence who do we go to where we go to these other places you know who are the pillars on the ground That's the kind of information that we need and further to that the investment They finance the technical assistance to get the product to a stage where it is competitive with products in those markets So there are number of of fund funding Cup funding agreements that currently exist sometimes access in these agreements. The EU surgeon Unesco funding That's another story creative. We'll tell you all my God account fill out that form to many pages too many questions too creative So so making the funding more accessible for the particular purpose would also help so accessible funding and and market intelligence will also help for the trade. Agreements are fine but that information that those types of things to help the creators actually get their their their goods produced So if you're also critical so you're an artist, a performer a composer this this is about how you can save Being yourself because that's that's a very important part of you know, creativity shouldn't be something that you do after you were working you know at the fast food joint for eight hours flipping hamburgers and then you wanna go home and you really want to express what you see in the world, how you express the world to others and you're covered in bacon grease and you're you know I mean that's one of the discussions that happened yesterday about the status of the artist and the rights of the artist as an employee an employee, an employer in itself. How do you Sustained to create a life for seven as an artist You know it'll be talking now about the gig economy depart type economy but how do you work a sustain yourself full time as an artist with the conversation? I think some 400000 artists in Senegal for example creators not necessarily art and create a creators and creatives in a you know a 400000 and essentially most of them are going to be self employed Yes it makes Difficult for them to sustain sustain themselves. Yeah having this as one aspect ensures at least an income but then there are other factors including things like National laws that perhaps deal with the States of the artist. You just brought it up. Maybe we can talk a little bit about that you know one of the questions that we also had was what was the good thing about the Economic Partnership Agreement and a protocol on cultural Corporation in the Caribbean What happened since 2008 was that we saw more attention being paid from a legislative perspective from a funding perspective from a policy perspective to cultural industries not necessarily culture, which is overarching but cultural industries and so a number of business service organizations would have allocated money and pro two programs to develop the cultural industries in Barbados, we had initiatives That helped us to become a policy leader in the region there there was the Cultural Industries Development Act which was passed which was specific to creatives providing a sweet of incentives and funding tax based incentives Dutyfree import task of sessions on marketing research development that that that kind of education just in Barbados are you seeing that across the Caribbean as well it does kind of generating some activity elsewhere Well, we Curriculum level they're examining what we have done in Barbados to develop the cultural industries to see how it can be implemented across the region One of the challenges also that was noticed was how do you know who is an artist So one way we Barbara us sort to redress that is to create a directory of artists and cultural workers Not just the people who actually make the goods but The administrator is the monitors so there's a directory of artists and cultural workers We know that carry calm is also looking to see how that can be replicated across the region I worry I just I'm just thinking about the challenges though when you try to define something like that and if we just think about the fact of what is happening in the digital yes digital creativity and I mean this only I 510 years ago You know if somebody said, hey, you know I'm doing this stuff but it's Electronic and they'll be looking at you and say well, you're doing meet the definition but I mean how do you adapt? This is a but that's it. You have to adapt because if the person can prove they created this word their time on the on the digital devices If they can prove that they've created it you you can't you can't you know they are. The owners is on them to prove it to be within. They are part of the cultural. Yes, industry, not cultural creative. Yes and the legislation that I just referenced the cultural industries development of Barbados provides For that digital creation as well You know I'm gonna take this book from you for a second and I'm gonna free you up with that pen because we I want you to show everybody We are so enchanted enchanted with this piece. Yeah but not because well one because it's beautiful Thank you but two because it actually represents a challenge Yes Okay so you designed this piece and let me give. Let me give credit to undermine creations who made it. I designed it. I didn't make it Okay. So this is a jeweler in Barbados Alright go a shout out to Angelique Creations here from Paris but but This goes to the issue one of the issues and here it is you're wearing it but you wanna you wanna get this out What's what are you up against finding some producer who can make it? It's not non precious material who can must produce this I'm so search a trolley Internet and I look and I email and you know I never find the right person so finding the counterpart in other territory is very critical. Does the market intelligence that I referenced? Hmm. How can a Caribbean person find their The counterpart that they need so for musicians perhaps for filmmakers, it's far easier but for jewelry makers for craft people who do craft for fashion designers How do you find reputable That's the keyword reputable service providers in the so that kind of market intelligence is also very critical Are you can we just say that this is Africa Barbados Stylize. If you look at the map of Barbados look at North Africa Hashtag support support, creativity hashtag elements but also again if if you've got something that you wanna say by all means say it and well we've been in We're gonna bring this kind of too close unless we get some contributions but we started out with this e carat form trade agreement that dates back. I think to 2000 2008. So we're about 11 years on you know has it really To the dynamic all that much what it has done for the Caribbean is to bring this emerging sector The creative sector of cultural industries more to the forefront of policy decisions so people are understanding in a real way Hey I can make a living from my creativity from my art from my cross on my music. If the chills people it's exciting. Yeah you've had musicians doing it for a long time and we've had seamstresses and fashion designers doing it for a long time but no provides a platform for people who work in the digital world For the audio visual creators so it's not just culinary for literature it is not just music so we see the broadening of the segments in the sector and then we see the sector as a whole being given more treatment bringing it not quite on par with terrorism but we will get there and as I said earlier in the panel discussion the agreement is 10 years The implementation has been slow but we've seen how the fact that the trade agreement exists has helped to to Creatives on the same platform as any other business so that's a plus perhaps in 10 years the conversation will be different We have figures to show yes supporting creativity can help with those balance of payments figures injury King Thank you so much Thank you fashion designer, artist and illustrator the former director of the Barbados Cultural Industries Development Authority. Thanks so much for sharing your own experiences and also giving us a really good perspective on what's important What we have to do where we have to go to all of our friends on Facebook and Instagram always wonderful to have you with us here in Paris I hope that this conversation was not something that you wanted to run away from but rather embrace and and enjoy as well Wishing you all a great day wherever you may be