This document discusses the opportunity and crisis facing Trinidad and Tobago's creative sector. It notes that the most recent budget provided important gains, but this year is crucial for deciding the sector's fate for the next 20 years. The creative sector is at a critical point as the "Golden Age generation" passes away without their skills and stories being documented. If the sector fails to build institutions and infrastructure, it risks losing its uniqueness and competitive advantage. However, with the right support to facilitate talent and cultural products, the sector could contribute $6.5 billion annually to GDP within 3-4 years through subsectors like heritage, carnival, facilitating genius talents, and other creative services. Now is a unique time to seize this opportunity

1. THE CRISIS & OPPORTUNITY
LOCATED IN IMPLEMENTING THE
GAINS WON FOR THE CREATIVE
SECTOR IN BUDGET 2011/12

2. FOR THE T&T ARTS COMMUNITY & CULTURAL INDUSTRY THIS WAS
THE MOST IMPORTANT BUDGET THAT WAS EVER AUTHORED. AND
THIS YEAR COULD BE THE ONE THAT DECIDES OUR FATE FOR THE
NEXT 20. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THIS HISTORICAL MOMENT SO
THAT WE DO NOT MAKE FATAL ERRORS- ANY ERROR AT THIS
MOMENT IS FATAL!!!

3. •THE COMPLETE PASSING OF THE GOLDEN AGE GENERATION
•18,000 DEAD IN 10 YEARS- 1000+ LEFT, 2012 IS THE LAST MOMENT
•WE HAVE NOT DOCUMENTED STORIES NOR PASSED ON INDIGENOUS SPECIALISED
SKILLS, A CRITICAL ENTERPRISE AWAITS
•WE FAIL & WE LOSE COMPLETELY OUR UNIQUENESS & COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
•THIS NOT JUST A MORAL RESPONSILBILITY BUT A BILLION DOLLAR OPPORTUNITY

4. •THEATRE, DANCE, MUSIC, VISUAL ARTS, CRAFT, LITERATURE, TV & FILM, FESTIVALS…
•SKILL, AUDIENCE, INTERNATIONAL BRAND CACHE, AESTHETICS, MARKET CONNECTIONS…
•COMPLETE DIVORCE OF POPULATION FROM THE ARTS EXCEPT IN ITS BASEST FORMS…
•WE ARE MOVING INTO A PHASE EXEMPLIFIED BY WEST INDIES CRICKET WHERE ONCE WE
WERE WORLD LEADERS BUT NOW ARE FIRMLY ENTRENCHED AS SECOND TO LAST- BECAUSE
OF A FAILURE TO HONOUR, INSTITUTIONALISE, TRANSMIT AND INNOVATE ON LEGACY

5. •MOST COUNTRIES HAVE CREATED THE ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS
AND INSTRUMENTS TO UNLEASH THEIR CREATIVE SECTORS
•THEY ALL HAVE REAPED NATIONAL BENEFITS WHICH HAVE TOOLED
THEM ECONOMICALLY TO DEAL WITH THE GLOBAL DOWNTURN
•WE WERE COMPLETELY LEFT OUT AND HAVE TO CATCH UP

6. •WE MUST BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES, WE ARE STARTING ALMOST FROM SCRATCH-
•WE HAVE TO MOVE FROM INTUITIVE GIFTS TO MASTERY TO GLOBAL INDUSTRY
•WE NOW HAVE TO CONSTRUCT A PROPER ECO-SYSTEM OF INFRASTRUCTURE, LEGISLATION,
POLICY, AND FUNDING INSTRUMENTS TO FACILITATE TALENT
•SIMULTANEOUSLY WE HAVE TO ENGAGE THE LOCAL TALENTS THAT ARE READY TO
GRADUATE AND WIN NEW LANDS FOR US-
•WE MUST IDENTIFY AND EMPOWER THESE TO BE THE GLOBAL GATE-OPENERS

7. •NY, LA, LONDON, NEW ORLEANS, PARIS, ROME, INDIA, JAPAN, JAMAICA…
•OUR POWER AND INFLUENCE WAS CREATED IN OUR GOLDEN AGE 1930-1950
•WE EXIST IN A PERIOD OF THE WANING OF THE INFLUENCE OF OUR GOLDEN AGE
•OUR CHALLENGE IS: HOW DO WE CONTINUE THE GIFTS OF A GOLDEN AGE WHEN
THE CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND NO LONGER EXIST?
•OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE ANSWERED THOSE QUESTIONS FOR THEIR TRADITIONS-
•WE MUST: TREASURE, HONOUR, & BUILD ON THESE GIFTS; UNLEASH THE
MASTERS; AND APPRENTICE , EMPOWER AND UNLEASH THE FIFTH GENERATION

8. •WE HAVE WON OSCARS, EMMYS, GRAMMYS, TONYS, NAACP AWARDS, BET AWARDS,
NOBEL PRIZES, COMMONWEALTH BOOK AWARDS, BOLLYWOOD OSCARS-
•300 TRINI-STYLED CARNIVALS GLOBALLY WORTH $15B, CREATED THE ONLY
ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENT IN THE 20TH CENTURY, WORLD’S 1ST PLATINUM ALBUM, 2ND
OLDEST RECORDING INDUSTRY IN THE WORLD, A CULTURAL MOTHERLODE
UNPARALLELLED IN HUMAN HISTORY…
•WE MUST GIFT SKILLED, WILLING AND WORTHY PRACTITIONERS WITH THE LEGACY
OF THE MASTERS AND FACILITATE THEIR WINNING OF NEW LANDS FOR US

9. FACILITATING THE LIFE CYCLE OF
THE CULTURAL PRODUCT

10. SUB-SECTOR POSSIBLE ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION TO GDP
IN 3-4 YEARS
INSTITUTIONS THAT MUST BE IMMEDIATELY
SET UP AND/OR RESOURCED
HERITAGE DESTINATIONS (DESTINATIONS,
MERCHANDISE, BRAND & AMBIENT
ECONOMIES)
$1B 1. Project Memory,
2. The Guild of Masters
3. The Heritage Warehouse
CARNIVAL & FESTIVALS (DESTINATIONS,
MERCHANDISE, & BRAND & AMBIENT
ECONOMIES)
$2.5B 1. Pan Factory
2. Carnival/Mas Camp Factory
FACILITATION OF GENIUS TALENTS &
FRONTLINE PRODUCTS (OVERSEAS TOURING
CONTINGENTS)
$2B 1. Arts Council
2. Trinidad & Tobago Entertainment
Company- and
3. T&T Film Company, funding needs to
be ramped up
OTHER PARTS OF THE SECTOR SERVICES-
CONSULTANTS, EVENTS, SOLUTIONS,
GRAPHICS, PATENTS & COPYRIGHT REVENUE,
IT, PRODUCTS- HOUSEHOLD & BUILDING
ACCESSORIES; CLOTHES, CRAFT &
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, EDUCATION- MEDIA-
TV, FILM, VIDEO, ANIMATION, ADVERTISING,
ETC
$1B 1. Fashion Industry Incubator facilitation
2. Creative Economy Industrial Hub with
Satellites in Growth Clusters
TOTAL $6.5B

11. THERE WILL NEVER BE A CONJUNCTION OF EVENTS LIKE
THERE ARE AT THIS PRESENT MOMENT