Cuba is home to incredible artistic creativity. Over the past few decades, a remarkable range of Cuba’s cultural production has found international success, extending from the athletic ballet dancing of Carlos Acosta, to the songs of Silvio Rodriguez and the paintings of Wilfredo Lam.

Thanks to decades of government investment in the culture sector, Cuba’s cultural and creative industries have an increasing potential today for economic and human development. In the field of cultural education, the country is noticeably advanced with world-renown institutions such as the International Film and Television School (EICTV). Cuba is also host to important international art events such as the Havana Art Biennale, Havana’s International Book Fair and the Havana Film Festival. Furthermore, with the current actualization and decentralization processes in the country, the culture sector is increasingly seen as a strategic productive sector. In this respect, cultural tourism has accounted for approximately 10% of GDP in Cuba in recent years.

Access to information and artistic freedom remain important areas to address in the cultural sector of the country. Artists are especially hungry for information, which has only become available for some with the most recent surge of internet access in the country. Access to information technologies can help the creative industries, mainly the music industry, to become a leading economic and export activity. In this context of rapid change, this capacity-building process provides an important opportunity to raise awareness of international standards and enhance fundamental freedoms through the 2005 Convention, while facilitating crucial dialogue between civil society, artists and the government.