Barbados hosts OAS Culture Ministers Meeting

By Melissa Bryant
Reporter~SKNVibes.com

~~Adz:Left~~ BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS – TWO HUNDRED culture officials from across the hemisphere will gather in Barbados this week as the island hosts the fourth meeting of the Inter-American Ministers of Culture and the Highest Appropriate Authorities of the Organisation of American States (OAS).

According to Caribbean Net News, the conference, which aims to promote hemispheric policy dialogue and consensus on priority topics on the public policy agenda for culture opens today (Nov. 20) and concludes tomorrow (Nov. 21).

Topics include the Preservation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage, Culture and the Creation of Decent Jobs and Overcoming of Poverty, Culture and the Enhancement of Dignity and Identity, Culture and the Role of Indigenous Peoples, and Cultural Information Systems.

Barbadian Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Michael King, noted that culture “is a very important element of national development as cultural industries are very important in modern economic development because they provide the opportunity for people to be creative and innovative and to explore alternative ways to develop income-generating programmes”.

“We must ensure that whatever comes out of the meeting will be a blue print or at least some good sound advice for governments and countries of the hemisphere to develop strong cultural policy programmes for the benefit of citizens,” he stressed.
OAS Secretary-General Albert Ramdin echoed this sentiment.

“The Caribbean and Barbados have a lot to offer in terms of music and art,” he noted.According to Ramdin, the results of the conference will feed into the Summit of the Americas process.