KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government’s latest policy move to formalise and expand Jamaica’s cultural and creative industries has received bipartisan support, with Opposition members welcoming the tabling of the Green Paper on the National Policy for Culture, Entertainment and the Creative Economy 2025–2035 in Parliament on Tuesday.

The Green Paper, presented by Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange, sets out a 10-year roadmap to strengthen Jamaica’s creative economy, a sector already contributing more than five per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and nearly three per cent of national employment. It outlines plans to establish new institutions, strengthen intellectual property protections and develop sustainable funding streams to support artists, entertainers and cultural practitioners.

According to Minister Grange, the policy represents “a transformative framework which both preserves and promotes our rich culture and heritage as a priority and unlocks the full potential of Jamaica’s vibrant creative sectors, driving Jamaica’s cultural and creative sectors into a new era of accelerated human and economic development.”

She said the document reflects years of consultation with cultural experts and creative industry practitioners and “charts a future where our people and culture are at the heart of economic transformation, social cohesion and national pride”.

Responding to the tabling, Opposition Spokesperson on Culture, Creative Industries and Information, Nekeisha Burchell, applauded Minister Grange’s work, describing the document as “a timely and necessary step” to strengthen one of Jamaica’s most powerful engines of identity, influence and growth.

“I want to commend the honourable minister for tabling this Green Paper…I take particular note of the fact that you acknowledged the Opposition’s participation over the years in building out the body of this work. A Green Paper is but the first step, and so we welcome it,” she said in Tuesday’s sitting of the House of Representatives.

While expressing optimism about the policy’s potential, Burchell urged that consultations reach beyond Kingston and the major entertainment hubs to include smaller communities and traditional practitioners.

“No policy that is to serve the creative industry that doesn’t get the voice of the creatives, the drummers, the Dinky Mini people, the Kumina people, the church people… those craft vendors, those stilt walkers in Farm Retrieve in South St James, those Maroons in Flagstaff…If our voice is missing from this, it will not truly reflect the best foot forward for Jamaica,” she said.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding also congratulated Grange and her team, describing the policy as a valuable foundation that now needs a clear plan for implementation.

“What I would ask of you is to lay down a blueprint for how we move forward from here… by which you can have the most dynamic and contentful responses to what is presented by way of policy in this Green Paper that will ultimately lead to the finalisation of what actually takes place legislatively, yes, but also institutionally,” Golding said.

He requested more details on the proposed charitable foundation and other governance structures, as well as timelines for implementation.

Adding to the discussion, Opposition Member of Parliament for St Catherine North West, Damion Crawford, called attention to practical issues affecting the entertainment industry, including the low uptake of the entertainment registry and limited awareness of existing tax reliefs for practitioners. He urged that the ministry take registration and sensitisation drives into communities to “drive registration” and ensure that creatives can benefit fully from available incentives.

Crawford also pressed for the creation of community entertainment zones, not just large-scale venues, and for stronger systems to protect Jamaican cultural expressions from international exploitation. Citing examples such as the “Dutty Wine” dance being performed on major global stages without credit or compensation to its Jamaican creators.

“There seems to be a need to extend the benefit from the immediate excitement around it so that it extends further,” Crawford said.