This country’s vibrant cultural landscape is one of its most powerful assets.
From Carnival to Divali Nagar, Hosay to Emancipation Day, from steelpan to chutney soca, T&T’s festivals, performances and rituals are not mere spectacles—they are expressions of identity, memory, resistance and pride.
These traditions span centuries and carry the collective stories of our ancestors. Yet, despite frequent declarations supporting “culture” and “heritage,” public funding for the arts and cultural events remains unreliable, inconsistent and too often treated as expendable.
Robust cultural funding must be redefined—not as charity, but as a strategic investment directly tied to national development and progress.
Concerns raised by Emancipation Support Committee executive chair Zakiya Uzoma-Wadada have shone a spotlight on a systemic problem that Culture Minister Michelle Benjamin’s response failed to address: chronic financial uncertainty continues to trap cultural practitioners and organisations, stifling their growth and muting voices essential to national identity. For too long, cultural custodians have been left in limbo, awaiting grants that arrive late, in reduced amounts, or not at all.
Event organisers and artistes face excessive bureaucracy, opaque decision-making and a lack of strategic support. These challenges hit small and medium-sized initiatives hardest. Forced to rely on personal savings, ad hoc fundraisers, or the goodwill of sympathetic sponsors, many groups struggle simply to keep their doors open.
This chronic under-investment carries real economic consequences. Culture is not merely about entertainment: it drives tourism, creates jobs, engages youth, strengthens communities and fosters national unity. In fiscal year 2023, cultural tourism generated an estimated TT$1.2 billion in revenue, supporting thousands of hospitality, transportation and retail workers. The creative industries—music, film, fashion and culinary arts—employ an estimated 15,000 nationals, from steelpan makers in Laventille to costume designers in San Fernando. Every dollar invested in culture has a multiplier effect across T&T’s economy.
Events such as the Tobago Heritage Festival, Phagwa celebrations and the San Fernando Jazz Festival attract visitors from the wider Caribbean and beyond, stimulating local economies and showcasing the richness of our multicultural identity. Globally, countries that have embraced their creative sectors are reaping social and economic rewards. Properly supported, our cultural and creative industries can become pillars of GDP growth.
What is needed now is a comprehensive, transparent and sustained approach to cultural funding. This must begin with a complete overhaul of the grant disbursement system—clear, published criteria; predictable application timelines and equitable access for organisations of all sizes and locations.
Funding windows should be open year-round, rather than clustered around Carnival season. Strategic partnerships between government, the private sector and civil society can pool resources and amplify impact. Businesses should treat cultural sponsorship not as a favour, but as a core component of brand identity and social responsibility.
The Ministry of Culture must lead this transformation, but the process cannot be top-down. Cultural stakeholders—including indigenous communities, grassroots groups, and emerging artistes—must be central to policy design and implementation.
Ultimately, we must ask ourselves: What kind of nation do we want to be? Is it one that celebrates its rich heritage and empowers those who keep its traditions alive, or one that allows its creative lifeblood to wither through neglect?
The answer should be clear. Culture is not a cost. It is a catalyst for growth, unity and innovation. And the time to invest in it is now.
