On December 7 the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hosted the second World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) with the world’s thought leaders, aspiring creatives and innovators at Expo 2020 Dubai. Over three days, a global community of entrepreneurs, creatives, and policymakers gathered — in person and virtually — and were joined by world-leading speakers, thinkers and doers, including Jamaican-Canadian author Malcolm Gladwell.

I was invited by the UAE’s Ministry of Culture to speak on Building Global Creative Cities. The discussion centred on finding the cultural and creative recipe for thriving urban ecosystems and exploring how cities can be developed to support blended cultural realms and social prosperity. The panel also explored the importance of facilitating creative clusters and entrepreneurial ecosystems through the right policies and infrastructure.

In my presentation I pointed to the fact that Kingston is a small city of one million people on a small island of three million, but with outsize global impact and cultural resonance. Having created eight genres of music; birthed superstars like Bob Marley and Usain Bolt; created dances, language and sounds that are heard on the streets of London to New York to Tokyo to Medellin, it’s not hyperbole to say that Kingston is already a creative city known across the globe.

However, when we say a global creative city, for us at Kingston Creative, it has to mean that the equation benefits the creators of the culture that they can earn and build a decent life for themselves, their families and their communities. You can’t be a global creative city if your creatives live in poverty and have to migrate to the US or UK to succeed. You can’t be a global creative city if you don’t have exhibition spaces, production space, training, development opportunities, investment, funding, and basic respect for creatives. Having talent and superstars isn’t enough. To truly be global creative city we must also have a healthy ecosystem in which creative people can succeed.

In Jamaica, a problem consistently flagged by every internationally funded study is that there is a high level of fragmentation, competition, or “disaggregated polis” within governance of the cultural and creative industries (CCI). We could move faster with more unity and less competition. The solution is to be found in community. There is a power in having a large community of like-minded individuals with a singular focus.

A way to break down silos is to execute tangible projects and demonstrate that what you are doing is working. If you are consistently doing something positive, and doing it well, it is easier to rally even more support and grow your community. So to break down silos and boundaries, be consistent, engender trust, allow everyone to share in the win and, the most important skill is patience. This is a work-in-progress. And, with the constant call for private-public sector partnership, the question was then posed: When is Government intervention the answer and when is it a problem?

For me, the question is really how can the private and third sector build more effective partnerships with Government. Research from the Global Cultural Districts Network (www.gcdn.net) showed that 80 per cent of cultural districts had been built from the top-down, and 20 per cent from the bottom-up. Kingston Creative is one of the ground-up examples — an art district not formed from a government grant, but which now does receive significant government support. So the real answer here is partnership between the Government, private sector and third sector. That’s what we have found to be the optimal way to develop a sustainable creative city.

So, what are the lessons from Dubai?

In a recent interview on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s BBC World Leroy Sibbles, of the legendary group The Heptones, commented on the dire situation for famous reggae artistes of his generation — many dying broke and without recognition. This is why Kingston Creative’s goal is to transform creatives’ lives, grow the creative economy, and transform the old city (downtown Kingston) into a creative hub.

Engagement

There has to be a real effort to listen to creatives and strengthen the NGOs and industry associations to ensure that there is continuous communication to identify the growth needs and to unify the efforts to build the creative economy.

Execution

In Dubai there is a motto, ‘Fifty years ago this was all a dream’, an adaptation of a message from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai. Having identified problems and barriers, there appears to be an urgency to build, to implement, and to find solutions, which is key to progress. The ability to execute consistently and fix problems — not just identify them — is part of a winning strategy.

Simplifying processes

Dubai believes that this is the most important aspect to consider when helping the CCI to thrive. Initiatives such as provision of a trading licence within seven minutes, instead of visiting nine different entities as they used to do, makes it easier for creative entrepreneurs to move faster, and to operate formally.

Data collection

A universal pain point across many countries is lack of data to make investment decisions in the CCI. Through the Dubai Creative Pulse they have implemented an integrated economic classification and measurement framework aimed at measuring the health of the creative economy. This statistical study that showcases the reality of the creative economy in Dubai, and is conducted by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority in cooperation with the Dubai Statistics centre. It gives cultural sector leaders the ability to show proof of growth in businesses, employment, and other key indicators as well as the ability to make smart decisions.

Post-COVID economic diversification

As an island that was heavily reliant on tourism, investing in the CCI (where we have an undeniable global competitive advantage) is one way for Jamaica to diversify. Similarly, in Dubai they view CCI or the orange economy as not only a key element of this phase of the recovery from COVID-19 but also as a major priority for years to come as they position Dubai to be a global hub for attracting investment in creative industries, building innovative financing instruments and even planning to offer long-term cultural visas to creatives who are ready to establish their businesses in Dubai.

Social & economic transformation

We want to use art for social and economic transformation in Jamaica, which is applicable across the Caribbean region. The goal is to create a thriving ecosystem with job opportunities that grow the economy. Creativity can be used as a lever to change people’s lives, uplift communities, and help countries to grow sustainably. People have to be at the heart of any successful strategy for CCI, ensuring that the next generation of creators of Jamaican culture get a fair deal.

Andrea Dempster Chung is the co-founder and executive director of Kingston Creative — a non-profit arts organisation started in 2017 by a team of individuals who believe in using art and culture to achieve social and economic transformation. She is also a structural engineer, entrepreneur and executive.