April 26, 2022
We have been watching with earnest the amount of bluster and blather about developing the orange economy, and if possible, monetizing it. But there are only a few out here actually doing it. Most of which is now this magazine and our efforts to move the needle for the various artisans in the Caribbean and Central American region.
We are shocked at how much talk there has been over the last 10 years or so when they first started abusing the term “orange economy” and not do anything about it substantially aside from spend money on consultants with nothing sustainable.
The Caribbean Export Development Agency are the biggest bullshit artists out there. Nothing but bureaucrats sitting too important among themselves to know how to help anyone. We have experienced their uselessness first hand and we wish nothing more to even hear about them. We cover their news, but often times we follow up with the people they said they have helped to find out what was actually done. Oftentimes the people we contacted have referred us back to CEDA like we are on some sort of gotcha situation. Red flag off the bat! So from them, lots of fluffy talk but very little meat to the bone.
But now we have the Caribbean Development Bank who have also pledged to help the orange economy, and very little has been heard about what they have actually done or spent the money they have gotten from developed countries like the U.S. and most notably the European Union. At least CEDA boasts boldly about how much time and resources they have wasted, but the CDB says little or next to nothing. One press release that they have gotten money or have spent money and them that’s it.
Then we now have the CARICOM getting into the mix, God knows how much time and resources they will frit away, but please don’t be as useless as CEDA. For God’s sake, one of you is enough.
It’s been too long and Caribbean artists are complaining about the lack of solutions for intellectual property and trademarking. It’s been too long now that musicians are complaining about a lack of infrastructure for a music industry- there is no promotional unit and no development unit. They are at the mercy of foreigners and it doesn’t have to be, especially since we have two genres that have global appeal: Reggae and Calypso.
We’re not blaming anyone, but fix it. Don’t even get me started with the various different authors and budding poets out here not from Trinidad or Jamaica. We are missing so much talent and God is not pleased with these hoggish cliques.