Channel cultural potential – Region has a lot to gain from cultural diversity

THE Organisation of American States (OAS) regional experts meeting on the project “Expanding the Socio-Economic Potential of Cultural Heritage in the Caribbean”, got under way at Amaryllis Hotel last week Tuesday.

OAS Representative to Barbados, Francis McBarnette, pointed out to participants that the OAS of today represents a hemisphere of vast cultural diversity, whether referring to architecture, paintings, music, sculpture, craft work, cinema cuisine, literature or religion.

(From left) Gustavo Araoz, Principal Patner, Coherit Associates, LLC
and President of the International Council on Monuments and Sites;
Angela Labrador, Principal Consultant, Coherit Associates; Neil Silberman,
Principal Consultant, Coherit Associates; and Hugh Riley, Secretary General
of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), during the opening of the OAS
cultural heriage regional meeting, held at Amaryllis Hotel last week Tuesday.

“All these forms are relevant, ever evolving, and dynamic,” he stressed.

“However, despite the richness of our cultural diversity and heritage, we here in our Caribbean space still face the challenge of harnessing our innovative capacity, creativity and potential.”

McBarnette also expressed that regional societies still need to recognise fully and embrace the contribution of culture and cultural heritage to integral development, income generation, poverty reduction and dispute resolution.

“There is also the imperative that we open pathways to sectors such as tourism, education, finance, labour and number of other areas,” he highlighted.

“Cultural and cultural heritage has the inherent value of defining us; making us who we are; giving to all of us a point of reference and source of identity and worth.”

The OAS representative further acknowledged that the meeting is the first steps in a journey to a regional collaboration which will ensure that we continue to protect, preserve and promote our cultural heritage and in a determined manner seek to expand the vast and largely untapped socio-economic benefits. (TL)