Artiste Coalition (ACTT) to Present Cultural Sector Legislative Agenda.
Another
national election is upon us. In between these elections the agendas of the
cultural industry tend to get marginalized and politicians tend to do whatever
they want with the sector. The Artiste Coalition Of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT)
has embarked on an initiative to present a cultural sector legislative agenda
to parties contesting the 2010 national elections . The plan is to present a
collective artist and cultural sector agenda to all political parties for their
adoption. Whoever wins then shall be called upon to honor their commitments
made during the campaign.
Cultural Sector Legislative Agenda
1. Minimum 50% quotas for local programming and
content on TV and Radio.
For Television the stipulation is 50% Caribbean content with a minimum 40% local.
Such legislation is present in most of Western Europe, Australia, Venezuela,
Chile, Canada and Ireland and has resulted in massive economic benefits. Also
repeal the recently given veto power of the Minister over the Telecommunications
authority.
2. Release for public comment the Draft National Cultural Policy which will regulate the cultural sector, creating protocols for relationships between the Ministry and representative groups, policy for arts institutions and funding regimes for the sector amongst other things.
3. The proper resourcing of Trinidad and Tobago Film Company and the Trinidad and Tobago entertainment Company by the tripling of their budgets. These institutions jobs are to facilitate the local motion picture on one hand and facilitate the export trust of the cultural industry on the other.
4. Extend the coverage of copyrights and Related
rights.
The Berne Convention sets out the minimum duration for copyright protection,
which is currently life plus 50 (fifty) years after the author’s death.
We propose, the government of Trinidad and Tobago extend the term of copyright
to life plus 70 (Seventy) years after the author’s death. The WIPO Performances
and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) sets out the minimum duration for related rights
protection, for Producers and Performers as 50 (fifty) years. We propose, that
this be extend from 50 (Fifty) to 95 (Ninety-Five) years.
5. Trinidad and Tobago should join CARNET an international 'treaty' that ensures free and easy movement of equipment and personnel across customs and borders as well as a uniformity of taxes on all visiting crews. These taxes should go to the local filmmaker’s fund.
6. Formally adopt and liberally fund Lloyd Best’s
Schools in Pan programme- whereby Pan yards become alternative centres of education,
business and mobilization in communities.
7. Complete the empowerment of pan men by the building and resourcing of their headquarters, the creation of a pan industrial estate with factories and up and down stream industries.
8. Repeal the colonial Theatre and Dancehall Act which has been invoked to censor
artists in the recent past. Possibly a ratings system for shows
could be instituted instead. Also revoke the colonial
ban on drumming - still on the law books
9. 3-5% of all corporate building budgets should
go toward 'corporate art' on construction. 10% of that should
go towards the creation of open-air art adjacent to or on the premises of the
building or in the surrounding community (eg public sculpture). Every successive
year at least 3-5% of business profits to go towards acquiring art on a sliding
scale.
10. Removal of select tariffs on artist equipment and materials e.g. Craftsmen, Musicians and Producers - Fine Artists . The manufacturer’s association got a big list of items for tariff removal and reduction last 2 years. We need to push for ours despite the EPA and upcoming Canadian negotiations.
11. A percentage of National Lottery money should go towards a transparent grant scheme administered by a properly constituted Foundation for the Arts. Also monies could be culled from a special Oil and Gas Tax or from companies and sectors that profit from such things as Carnival or foreign content. Monies can also be administered and disbursed by local art foundations eg. TASA and the Beryl Mc Bernie Foundation. Government is supposed to be working on grant scheme as we speak. This must be overseen by an independent ‘Arms Length’ foundation or arts council made up of Industry reps, nominated outsiders, and some ministry reps- see Canada’s and England’s councils as precedents.
12. Removal of work-permit requirements for artist movements between CARICOM islands. CSME means that artists’ movement between islands should be a reality.
13. The Activation of 'the National Trust’ whereby certain people, places and things are declared national treasures and protected as such. An extensive range of buildings, natural sites and people are to be included in the list of Heritage treasures, and money must be legislated for creation of proper Heritage sites eg. there is an outstanding request that the country create 365 local heritage sites- one for each day of the year. Each of these sites will be sites of local economic activity and generators of local and foreign exchange.
14. Government must ratify the UNESCO Convention on the Promotion and Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005) and the Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia and Dominica are among the 108 countries who have to date ratified, and other Caribbean countries are working towards this. Trinidad and Tobago remains virtually invisible in this conversation. We have not ratified the UNESCO Cultural Conventions: The Convention on the Promotion and Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005) and The Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003). As a result: T&T has no access to the UNESCO Fund for Cultural Diversity, launched earlier , March 2010 which helps support development of the culture sector.
For further information
contact:
Fabien Alfonso
Email: info@riatt.org
1-868- 707-0400