JCDC executive director wants increased investments in culture
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Newly appointed Executive Director for the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), Lenford Salmon, says he wants to see more investments in culture.
He noted that the sector contributes to Jamaica’s gross domestic product (GDP) as much as any other.
“There’s a job to be done to convince those with the purse strings to invest more in culture. We have to because the return for the investment in culture is no different from the return to investment in any other (sector). In fact, it’s better than investments in several other industries, because we (culture) do, in fact, pay our way,” Salmon said.
He noted that the contribution by cultural industries to the GDP is often not duly captured in the macroeconomic statistics and maintained that this must be corrected by the authorities.
“We must change that narrative. We have to get the authorities to recognise that it is not just people jumping up and down at the [National] Stadium, but that this thing impacts the GDP of our country. It impacts the development; it impacts building citizens of worth in this country,” the executive director explained.
He stated that there is always that debate about what is culture and what is tourism.
Salmon contended that when someone comes to Jamaica for a football match, it is never captured as sports, “but captured as tourism”.
“But it is sports tourism. It is the same when they come to Reggae Sumfest, it is not captured as culture or entertainment, but it is cultural tourism,” he emphasised.
Salmon, who was appointed JCDC Executive Director in July, said he is aware of the commission’s needs and is grateful for the opportunity to lead the organisation to its new phase of growth and innovation.
“So, I am acutely aware of where the JCDC has been, where the JCDC is now and where the JCDC needs to go. I’m acutely aware that what would appeal to a public in 1962 [and] what appealed to a public in 2012 when Jamaica reached 50 [years of Independence], may not be what appeals to a public now in 2023,” he pointed out.
“So we have to keep reinventing ourselves. We have to keep the staff on their toes,” the executive director added.
Salmon is no stranger to the JCDC, having served as Project Director for the Secretariat for Commemorative Events and Special Projects at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.
“My responsibilities at the ministry… since 2000, and long before that, was that I had oversight responsibility for the national celebrations, because it was under the Secretariat for Commemorative Activities, which would include the national celebrations,” he informed.
Over the last 25 years, Salmon has produced multiple national events, including the annual Grand Gala, a highlight of Jamaica’s Emancipation and Independence celebrations.
He has also played an integral role in revolutionising Jamaican theatre as an entertainment option for Jamaicans.
Salmon, who won the 2022 Gold Musgrave Medal for ‘distinguished eminence’, said he is eager to work with the young cadre of staff at the JCDC.
“There has been a changing of the guard in the JCDC, in many many respects, where a lot of young people are there… young, energetic, enthusiastic people, who want to see the JCDC succeed,” he pointed out.
The executive director, who will this year be getting a national award – the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Officer (OD) – on National Heroes Day, Monday, October 16, for contribution to Jamaica’s arts and culture, in particular the production of national events, noted that the JCDC’s success can only be achieved with the support and help of everyone.
Salmon said the staff, with whom he worked closely over the years, “continue to give their full support and cooperation”.
“I’ve not come to the process believing that I’m going to wave a magic wand to change what happens in the JCDC. Everything I’m going to achieve can only be achieved with every hand on deck, pushing that cart towards that finish line. We need the help of everyone,” he maintained.
– JIS