-with first natiobal stakeholder consultation

-by Nakasia Logan

The government is taking steps to transform Guyana’s orange economy from a collection of creative industries into a structured and sustainable economic sector.To support this vision, stakeholders from arts, culture, fashion, and entertainment came together at the Arthur Chung Conference Center for the country’s first orange economy stakeholders consultation.  

Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, Steven Jacobs, said that while government has been investing heavily in infrastructure, equal attention must be given to developing the people behind the creative industries.

“The voices of creatives are being recognised as an important part of government’s efforts to build a structured and sustainable orange economy. We have always had the passion, the raw material, and the deep cultural reservoir. What we are doing today is moving away from occasional celebrations toward a formalised institutional framework.We are adding rigid structure, modern physical infrastructure, and policy frameworks to ensure that being a creative in Guyana is sustainable, highly lucrative, and a professional career pathway,” he said.

At the event, representatives from the arts, culture, fashion, and other creative industries shared their perspectives on the sector’s future. 

“The reality is that Guyana is not lacking talent.We lack infrastructure necessary to allow the talent to grow and compete. The first challenge facing our industry is the lack of reliable data. Currently, there is no comprehensive database that captures the size, contribution, or economic impact of the fashion sector,” Designer, Keisha Edwards, said.

Actor and Poet, Mark Edwards, added, “We really need our young people off their tablets and that kind of thing, and to just get back into good old-fashioned reading of books, you know, and however that is done, but that needs to be encouraged so that the next 10-15 years we don’t have the well dry with regards to raters coming up.” 

Another representative, Jerusha Crosse, said, “Performing arts has now become more of a co-curricular activity instead of a livelihood. So it would be wonderful to see how the orange economy can bring back that perspective where performers are now, they can say, okay, I am a dancer, I am a musician, I am an actor, and that is my full-time job.”

Meanwhile, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. noted that government is already moving ahead with immediate short-term and long-term initiatives to advance the sector, emphasising that the benefits of investing in the orange economy will extend beyond the present generation. 

The first Orange Economy Stakeholders Consultation was held under the theme Orange Economy, Unlocking Guyana’s Cultural and Creative Industries Potential.