Culture Vital to Economy
Junior Minister for Culture Honourable Luce D. Hodge-Smith has emphasized the vital role of local heritage in driving economic and national growth. She urged residents to foster cultural confidence and attend upcoming town hall meetings on the Territory's Culture and Heritage Policy.
Junior Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Sustainable Development Honourable Luce D. Hodge-Smith has highlighted the essential role that local culture and heritage play in strengthening the Virgin Islands economy and building national identity. Delivering a message on the Virgin Islands Culture and Heritage Policy, Honourable Hodge-Smith outlined the Government's ongoing commitment to investing time, resources, and effort into developing the Territory's cultural and creative economies.
She explained that these creative sectors encompass a broad spectrum of disciplines, ranging from literary arts, visual arts, and crafts to multimedia, culinary arts, and the performing arts. Furthermore, she noted that traditional arts, museums, and protected heritage sites remain deeply intertwined with the cultural fabric of the Virgin Islands. "When we develop the creative and cultural industries properly, we strengthen our culture and heritage, and in turn, we strengthen our nation and our economy," Honourable Hodge-Smith stated.
Her remarks align closely with the overarching goals of the Virgin Islands Culture and Heritage Policy and Strategy. The strategic framework identifies cultural confidence, the preservation of national identity, creative-industry enterprise, and broad social and economic benefits as top national priorities.
Honourable Hodge-Smith specifically underscored the significance of cultural confidence, defining it as a nation's complete recognition of its own values and an unshakeable belief in the vitality of its unique identity. She noted that without firm faith in local heritage, the Territory risks seeing its traditions overwhelmed by external cultural influences, urging Virgin Islanders to approach creative expression with courage and vitality.
As the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sustainable Development works to seamlessly weave arts, heritage, and tourism into the broader framework of national development, the Junior Minister issued a call to action for the public. She urged residents to actively participate in upcoming town hall consultations on the policy, reminding all Virgin Islanders that safeguarding and developing local heritage is a shared national responsibility.
Primary source: VINO