MINISTRY OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT BEGINS DEVELOPMENT OF A CULTURE POLICY FOR ANGUILLA
Friday, December 18, 2009

Work has begun in Anguilla towards the development of a culture policy. The initiative, which is being led by the Ministry of Social development, seeks to articulate a culture sensitive and driven national development framework for Anguilla. The Ministry with approval of Executive Council has established a Culture policy Development Committee (CPDC) comprising a core group of critical stakeholders and specialists to manage the process.

The committee is comprised of:

Ministry of Social Development	Mrs. Chanelle Petty‐Barrett (Chairperson)
Department of Youth and Culture	Mr. Lenox Proctor (Secretary) Ms. Linda Lake
Ministry of Economic Development	Mr. Perin Bradley
Cultural Industries Sector Representative	Mr. Davon Carty
Arts Sector Representative	Mr. Felix Fleming
Heritage Sector	The Anguilla National Trust (Mr. Colville Petty)
Civil Society Representative	Pastor Phillip Gumbs
Youth Representative	The Anguilla National Youth Council NYC (Mr. Kasseem Forde)

Impetus for the development of the policy was provided by the Department of Youth and Culture’s strategic planning process conducted in the final quarter of 2008. Through consultation and review of national regional and international development frameworks it identified several key result areas for government action within the culture sector. These areas include but are not limited to, the provision of public access to the arts and culture; the recognition of the role of the arts, heritage and culture to national development; the development of an enabling policy framework for the promotion and development of the arts and culture; the provision of access to a body of knowledge about Anguilla’s heritage; the celebration of Anguilla’s heritage; the development of the knowledge and skill base of young people in the area of arts and heritage; and the development of the capacity of young people, artistes and cultural practitioners for the achievement of sustainable livelihoods.

The move to develop the policy also recognises the link between culture and development as expressed by the Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies for Development, held at Stockholm in 1998. The conference surmised that, “any policy for development must be profoundly sensitive to culture itself.”

To date the committee has focused on the development of an action plan to guide the process, review of literature in the culture policy field and is now commencing the sensitization of the public about the process. The process which began in July 2009 is expected to span a 16 month period. It will seek to engage and educate the public at all levels and utilizing a wide range of forums and media. The process is a people centered one that will draw on the collective knowledge, experiences and aspirations of the general public. The Ministry of Social Development is thus seeking the full participation of the general public to make the process meaningful and productive.