Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Reverend Joseph Atherley (third from right), along with senior members of the Prime Minister’s Office, as he spoke with members of the NCF board (at left).

Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Rev. Joseph Atherley, officially met the new Board of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) today at government headquarters.

During discussions, he advised the 10-member body of the policy framework in which it is expected to operate.

The Minister noted that the NCF should facilitate the contribution of the creative economy (culture industries) to the overall economic development of Barbados.

“Culture industries have become a major plank of Barbados’ development, and the NCF must see itself as playing a principal role in contributing to such national development,” he said.

This could be possible by pursuing the convergence of culture industries and tertiary level education, the development of culture through a programme of training and research and by means of fostering a culture of entrepreneurship around the creative economy, to name a few.

“We cannot talk about developing culture industries and not speak to what is happening at the tertiary level of education. The NCF, in my view, will have to take the lead role with the UWI to widely accept the various aspects within the cultural sphere,” said Rev. Atherley.

He was also vocal about the NCF being a part of the setting and monitoring of standards relative to culture industries in Barbados.

The new NCF Board is: Chairman, Anthony (Al) Gilkes; Deputy Chairman, H. Adrian Cummins; Members, Alissandra Cummins,Edmund Hinkson, Dr. Victor Agard, Errol Griffith, Kaymar Jordan, Dr. Ikael Tafari, Cicely Walcott, and the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office or his nominee.

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