As part of the program for the protection and enhancement of cultural property and support for cultural creation in Haiti, included in the Strategic Plan for the Development of Haiti (PSDH), the Ministry of Culture jointly with the International Organization of Francophonie (OIF) organized an exchange workshop on the cultural and creative industries in which participated during 4 days experts sent by the OIF and officials of the Ministry as well as autonomous organizations partners, to realize an inventory of the cultural and creative ecosystem in Haiti.

Discussions focused on:

Governance of Culture in Haiti;

The link between the Government's action in the field of culture and communication and the media;

Arts and culture education;

Cultural planning of the territory and cultural decentralization;

Interdepartmental action to put culture in the context of sustainable development.

Emmanuel V. Adjovi, Director of the OIF Regional Office for the Caribbean and Latin American Countries, justified the choice to accompany Haiti in this sector by highlighting the cultural richness of the country "it is the epicenter, the resultant and the crossroads of many cultures of the world. Its African base has been enriched by Amerindian culture before expanding to the European and American cultural contributions. Haiti is known for the richness of its traditions and the creativity of its artists, who stand out at the highest international level."

For his part, Jean Michel Lapin, the Minister of Cultrure recalled the urgent need to make culture "an essential lever and a field of creative activity employment that value the same time the Haitian ME". This initiative is part of the Ministry's new drive to develop sectoral leadership in culture.

Recall that the PSDH adopted by the Government provides "to boost the cultural industries of books, music, dance, theater, film, painting, sculpture and crafts", as well as "to support the general education of the population, creativity and traditional and contemporary know-how and the development of intellectual productions, and finally to create the basic conditions for national and local entrepreneurship."

For the Minister, this workshop marks a step forward in identifying priorities for the development of a legislative, technical and economic framework favorable to the development of cultural and creative industries in Haiti.

HL/ HaitiLibre