The Cultural Industry’s Submission For The National Budget 2010/11
Over 20 artist representatives signed and delivered the final figures of a Cultural Sector Master plan for the National Budget to the Honourable Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar on Friday August 27th 2010. The submission of the document followed a presentation of the sector plan to the Prime Minister and other Ministers including Minister of Finance Winston Dookeran on Tuesday 24th August, 2010.
Rubadiri Victor, interim president of the Artist Coalition of Trinidad and Tobago(ACTT),
the organisation that has been organizing the artists, said this, “We
were told by the Honourable Prime Minister that she liked what they saw in the
presentation, but that the country’s financial situation would not allow
the government to engage all the programmes. We were asked to prioritize and
come back with competitive figures. We have done so.” The total cost of
the programmes falling under the ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism for 2010/2011
is: $159,000,000 million TT dollars.
The final version of the document has been the result of extensive consultations
between sector heads and concerned artists over the course of the last 3 months.
The deployment of the plans detailed in this document, if adopted, will create
a real and vibrant cultural sector that can multiply its contribution to the
national economy significantly in 3 years. We are talking increased employment,
crime reduction, an enhanced society, more foreign exchange, and evidence of
our genius everywhere in our mainstream life.”
The final sector meetings were facilitated by the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI) and their CEO Nirad Tewarie. TTCSI is the umbrella body for service organisations locally. Tewarie was part of the spirited discussions with groups as they fleshed out the sector demands.
Picture: Back row from left to right: Amanada Mc Intyre- independent writer; Brother Resistance- president of the T&T Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO); Ravi Ji- interim chairman of the Association of Traditional Religions; Trevor Jadunath- vice-president of the National Drama Association of T&T (NDATT); Christopher Laird- CEO of Gayelle TV; Jaime Bagoo of Artistes Ready to set Standards; Dave Williams renowned dancer; Dennis Frederick- Treasurer of the Trinidad and Tobago Teachers of the Visual Arts (TTTVA); Chantal Esdell- The Ethnic Jazz Club; Danielle Dieffenthaller - independent TV producer; Rachel Collymore- founder of Poetic Vibes; Robert Young- board member of the Fashion Association of T&T; Nneka Matthews- Independent Dancer; Wendel Manwarren- President of the Music Liberation Front of T&T; Nadella Benjamin- President Independent Media Practitioners of T&T;Fabien Alfonso- President of the Recording Industry Association of T&T(RIATT); Sean Thomas- President of the Jazz Alliance of T&T (JATT); Nirad Tewarie- CEO of the T&T Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI); Rubadiri Victor- Interim President Artist Coalition of T&T (ACTT); Mahindra Maharaj- President of the National Carnival Development Foundation (NCDF); Carla Foderingham- CEO of T&T Film Company.
THE CULTURAL INDUSTRY’S SUBMISSION FOR THE NATIONAL BUDGET 2010/11 download the document at this address: http://www.mediafire.com/?g1aupkxk42vjgmr
For further information contact:
Fabien Alfonso
Email: info@riatt.org
1-868- 707-0400