Barbados Cultural Policy and Mapping 2024 (Division of Culture, Prime Minister’s Office, Barbados)

“Culture is the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, that encompasses lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs. It’s how and why we do what we do.”

The Division of Culture, Prime Minister’s Office is in the process of revising Barbados’ national policy on culture (2025-2023) towards creating data-driven cultural programs that strengthen the cultural industries, improve productivity and address contemporary issues such as diversity, the digital era, and the inclusion of civil society organizations in promoting cultural expressions.

The Division convened a series of focus groups with key stakeholders to ensure widespread consultations. Ten focus groups comprising government, private and third sector contributed to the creating of the new policy in the following areas: National Identity, Cultural Heritage and Preservation, Cultural Expressions and Gender, Creative Industries and Trade, Information and Communications Technology, Cultural Diplomacy, Healthy Society and Food Security, Culture as a tool in crime prevention,  Cultural Inclusion and Youth, and  Environmental Sustainability.  

CALL Barbados contributed to the planning of the consultation and facilitated the focus group sessions.The process, including final stakeholder consultation, is expected to be completed by year end.