UNDOUBTEDLY, Guyana’s arts and craft sector has huge potential for growth and plays a greater role in tourism, our education system and national economy because of our unique culture and history.
We also have a large number of people who possess huge talent in the field but because of financial and other constraints, many are unable to transform that talent into economic and commercial enterprises.

In this regard, it is notable that this huge arts and craft talent and potential reside with our indigenous people as this is an integral part and foundation of their culture.

Against this backdrop, it was a wonderful initiative by President Bharrat Jagdeo to meet with local arts and craft producers and to discuss their concerns and challenges.

This is yet another demonstration of the current government’s commitment to addressing development in all sectors, as it has consistently stated as one of its major objectives.

But the meeting was not just about airing concerns. The President offered tangible support and initiatives which the government intends to pursue in the interest of the art and craft producers.

He announced that several programmes would be initiated, including the establishing of a $10M fund to benefit small craft producers, the provision of a building to house producers from across the country, and a plan to work with banking institutions to provide loans with special credit terms.

He said: “It requires working with the banking system and we have passed a unique piece of legislation which allows us to give a corporate tax waiver for some activities; so any bank which lends into the development of the craft industry will not have to pay the corporate tax on income arising from those loans, so they will make the terms of the credit better.”

In addition, President Jagdeo explained that there are policy issues that need to be in place to create the right environment for the development of the industry.
He also pointed to the need for a realistic assessment of the potential of the sector for the generation of incomes for people, and ultimately, the diversification of the economy.

“Clearly, the sector cannot operate in isolation, if you want to grow the market for arts and craft, there has to be greater disposable income for persons to spend on art and craft, and fortunately, we have seen a massive growth in disposable income in the country as the size of the economy has grown from $300M a decade-and-a-half ago to $2.4B today.”

These observations by the President are most pertinent and it is most welcome that he has indicated his government’s willingness to address them.

Guyana, with its small population, would not probably provide an adequate market for arts and craft producers but with our tourism sector constantly growing, this could be an opportune avenue to sell products as tourists are wont to take back gifts for friends and relatives as well as souvenirs to mark their travels.

Exporting our arts and craft products could be another avenue, but this will need persistent and aggressive marketing strategies, an area which perhaps is lacking among a large number of our art and craft producers.

Therefore, this is one of the areas in which support and assistance could be provided for the sector.

However, from a larger perspective, one of the problems which is adversely impacting on the arts and craft sector is that, being ‘third world’, creates a feeling of vulnerability to the developed world.

In November 2009 in Santiago, Chile UNESCO representative, Frederic Vacheron, at a workshop on art and craft, remarked: “I certainly got to know the Latin American journey(s) a little better after this workshop. The status of being a ‘third world’ creates a sense of vulnerability to the more powerful economies particularly to the north.”

To northern economies, local cultural traditions are often seen as signs of backwardness.

Many in Latin America, thus, try to present an alternative measure of value. For them, a sense of one’s own culture is more precious than the flows of capital that course through world markets. An organisation like UNESCO, which recognises the value of cultural diversity, is held in particularly high regard here.

Nevertheless, financial poverty brings its own problems. So how can culture be aligned with the needs of the market without destroying its value?

This is a most interesting and burning question raised by Mr. Vacheron which certainly needs to be resolved. Unfortunately, it is complex, and resolution may not be in the near future.