By Arianne S Richardson
At one point or another, you may have heard the term “orange economy” and even if unknowingly, you may have been either directly or indirectly involved in the orange economy as well. Also called the “creative economy”, the orange economy is a concept that we rarely take the time to explain.
So, what exactly is the orange economy, and what does it have to do with you and me? In simple terms, it’s the part of the economy that focuses on creativity and culture. It encompasses the industries that make up the arts & entertainment sector and includes other sectors like architecture and advertising. To give you a better visual understanding, here’s a diagram.
To quote some great entertainers: “Nightlife used to be thriving back in da day.” There were real nightclubs Over-the-Hill, and the hotels consistently had live performances where Bahamian acts would showcase their talent.
So, what’s happened between thriving and now (besides COVID)?
Here’s what I know. From 1985 to 1986, the Bahamas government commissioned a study on culture that UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) carried out. Within this report, they declared that “there is no shortage of creative talent — without a doubt the first and most fundamental requirement of Bahamian development”. I won’t bore you with the details of the report. Still, I will point out that it had a plethora of recommendations for the government of the time, including that the government should “award cultural development a prominent place and high priority on the national agenda”. I would encourage anyone interested in the orange economy to read the report. But if you don’t have time to read the whole thing, just jump to the conclusion; it’s where they house all the juicy details and recommendations.
The report was done as somewhat of a foundation or precursor for drafting a cultural policy document. Now, I know you’re sitting there thinking “here go this writer with another term we don’t know”. Bear with me; I’m connecting dots. The cultural policy document is like a guide the government would use to govern their actions toward culture and cultural development, which, as we know, includes how they handle the creative and cultural industries.
Around 2006, almost 20 years after that UNESCO report I mentioned, a group of Bahamians got together to draft and formalize a cultural policy document. Despite completing the document, the government at the time, and frankly all successive governments, failed to formally adopt this policy, so it’s still sitting in the drafts somewhere. It’s the hardest thing to find, by the way. Thanks to one of the co-drafters, I was able to get my hand on a copy. So, to sum it up, over the years, we’ve invested time and money into research and development of policy, but we have put little action toward placing cultural development in the priority section of the national agenda, causing our orange economy to become stagnant.
These days, much of the activities related to the orange economy are heavily reliant on government involvement. There are, however, several players who have created opportunities for themselves and others, like Shakespeare in Paradise, Junkanoo World, Rum Fest, Dr Ian Strachan and Travon Patton’s production “Gippies Kingdom” and even your favorite local photographers and videographers, just to name a few.
Without a real focus and lack of funding and structure within the orange economy, creatives and cultural practitioners face many challenges, not least of which is having to juggle a “traditional” day job with their creative pursuits. Some other challenges include, but are not limited to, a reliance on government programs and events, lack of physical space and banks and other financial institutions being averse to loaning or investing in entrepreneurial ventures within this sphere.
There is no singular solution to the issues that players face within the industry, nor will there be a quick fix. Still, as with all economic challenges, implementing solutions that benefit the greater good would move us slowly but surely toward better opportunities in this area. Therefore, I propose an assessment of the 2006 draft policy and, after thorough evaluation and appropriate adjustments, a move toward formal adoption of a national cultural policy. In addition, we can encourage the private sector to join the creative ecosystem along with academia and the government to help create a more sustainable environment. Finally, speaking of partnerships, I would encourage more key players and even smaller players within the industry to partner and network to break the habit of working in silos. Alone, we can only do so much.
With the implementation of these and other recommendations, we will be able to move our orange economy from a gig economy to a functioning and sustainable industry.
Arianne S Richardson is a current PhD candidate studying creative and cultural entrepreneurship in The Bahamas. She is the owner of a boutique business consulting and talent management company that caters to Caribbean creatives. Visit her website A Rich Culture at https://arichculture.com.
Loading ...
