As St. Lucia gets ready to celebrate the 2014 St. Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, the St. Lucia Youth Business Trust (SLYBT) pays due recognition to the island’s artistes and entrepreneurs who have contributed significantly to the development of the creative industries.
In order to ensure that the festival is a success, the organisers have come to rely heavily on the talent available in the local creative sector to give patrons the opportunity to experience a wide range of offerings, from music and art to cuisine, dance and sculpture.
St. Lucia has produced many renowned entrepreneurial artistes, including Shane Ross (music), Jalim Eudovic (sculpture), Francis “Leebo” De Lima (music production), Richard Ambrose (dance), Ted Sandiford (animation), Tiege La Borde (events management) and the internationally recognised Nina Compton (culinary arts). Many more St. Lucians contribute to this sector in various ways, all excelling in their field.
Commenting on the development of local dance, Richard Ambrose asserted, “I think it is the aim of dance and the arts as a movement to shift us to another level. It is also about inclusion and the sharing of forms and history ingrained in each of us to an end that is unbound and beyond the scope of any one imagination.”
All these artistic professions have become an indelible part of the fabric of our St. Lucian culture, and now find full expression in our annually celebrated Jazz & Arts Festival.
They have brought worldwide acclaim to our island, showing not only the potential of St. Lucians but also the viability of the creative industries. Our artistes and creative entrepreneurs also inspire the next generation of artistes and motivate them to explore their talents and creativity and view the arts as a lucrative and fulfilling career option.
In celebrating another St. Lucia Jazz & Arts festival, as many get ready to enjoy the range of planned activities, we encourage St. Lucians, especially the youth, to appreciate the valuable contribution of our nation’s creative sector to the island’s economic development.
