![[OPM logo]](http://opm.gov.bs/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OPM-logo-for-website.png){kind=logo}
Madam Speaker,
I rise today in support of two Bills that represent one of the most significant cultural commitments this administration has made to the Bahamian people.
These Bills are based on our belief in the Bahamian people.
We believe in Bahamian excellence.
And that is why we also believe in Bahamian creativity.
We view the creative economy, the Orange Economy, not as a supplement to what we are building, but as a central pillar for economic growth.
The global creative economy generates between two to four trillion dollars annually. It drives tourism growth and produces intellectual property that grows in value over generations.
As a result, countries that invest in their creative sectors don’t just produce better cultural outputs. They produce better economies.
For The Bahamas, a nation whose greatest natural resource has always been the depth, originality, and vitality of its people, this represents an immeasurable opportunity.
And we are making the necessary investments with no doubt that we will get exponential returns. How could we not? When we invest directly in our people.
Madam Speaker,
This nation has produced artists and creatives whose work has reached every corner of the world: Baha Men, Sir Sidney Poitier, Esther Rolle, Ronny Butler…
I could stand here for an hour naming Bahamians who have made their mark on the world through the power of their gifts, and still not exhaust the list.
But the question we have never adequately answered is this: Did we truly invest in them and sufficiently support them before they left to gain global acclaim?
Of course, just by nature of being Bahamian and having people who believed in them along the way, The Bahamas has undoubtedly played a role in their success. But did we invest intentionally, systemically, and with sufficient resources to truly empower them?
I think any creative would agree that we can do more.
Many of these icons made it in spite of the systems available to them, not because of them.
Some had to leave to make it. Some are remembered here, but built their careers abroad.
We are here today to change that equation, as we say to the next generation of Bahamian creatives: you do not have to leave to succeed.
You do not have to fight against the system. We are building a system for you.
Before I turn to these two Bills, I want to acknowledge the institutional groundwork that makes them work.
The investments we have made in modernising our intellectual property framework are the legal infrastructure upon which a creative economy must rest.
After all, you cannot build an economy around creativity if you cannot protect what is created.
Our updated IP legislation ensures that Bahamian creatives have robust copyright enforcement and the legal tools to monetise their work.
CAPAS will carry that education into its curriculum, producing talented graduates who will become empowered creative entrepreneurs who know the worth of what they create.
Madam Speaker,
I now turn to the Junkanoo Authority Bill.
Any discussion of Junkanoo must begin with the recognition that Junkanoo is not simply a cultural artifact.
It is a living, generational enterprise sustained by thousands of Bahamians who have given their lives and their hearts to it.
We have craftsmen who have created Junkanoo costumes for decades. They don’t receive formal contracts, and many have never been paid a fraction of what their work is worth.
Yet they spend decades creating breathtaking artistry seen by hundreds of thousands, broadcast around the world, with precious little to show for it beyond the knowledge that they contributed to something great.
That is not a sustainable arrangement.
The National Junkanoo Authority Bill corrects that.
It creates, for the first time, a permanent statutory home for Junkanoo, giving our craftsmen, musicians, composers, and parade participants a professional and organized structure within which their contributions can be properly recognised and protected.
If you are a member of the Junkanoo community listening right now, I’d like to speak directly to you.
I know this process has not been without tensions.
The question I hear most often is: Will this Authority take Junkanoo away from the people who built it?
And the answer is: No. It will not.
The Authority is structured to include the voices of the Junkanoo community at every level, and it includes all major stakeholders: from family island groups to parade management committees to research and preservation sub-committees.
This is not a bureaucracy imposed on Junkanoo.
It is a framework built to support it.
We are providing dedicated funding, professional management, intellectual property protection, and a marketing strategy that positions Junkanoo as both a national celebration and an international cultural and commercial asset.
Madam Speaker,
The naming of this Bill in honour of Willis George Bethell and William Wallace is meaningful.
These are Bahamians who dedicated their lives to Junkanoo with no expectation of reward.
We honour them today by building the very institutional support they would have benefited from during their Junkanoo careers.
But now, their names will forever be associated with providing support to others, just as they supported the Junkanoo community during their careers.
This Bill is for them, and all others who have contributed to this iconic parade, which I believe is the best parade of its kind in the world and actually goes far beyond just being a parade.
Junkanoo is truly one of a kind, unparalleled in its creative direction and unique artistic techniques.
It is undeniably the best.
But just because it is the best, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. And that is what this Bill is about: strengthening Junkanoo for the foreseeable future.
Madam Speaker,
The other bill before us today establishes the proper framework and structure for the Creative and Performing Arts School, CAPAS.
This is a foundational Bill for our country.
CAPAS is a dream that has been dreamt of and spoken about for a very long time.
As we debate this Bill, I can’t help but think about the talented young people I’ve met over the years, those who have been singing, dancing, acting, and producing for years.
Some pursued these passions from early childhood, but lacked the support and infrastructure to take the next steps.
They needed a place where they could learn and train seriously, a place that could guide them along a professional pathway in the creative and performing arts right here in The Bahamas.
Sadly, for our creatives, many dreams have been deferred. Many dreams have died waiting for this moment. And many others were forced to take root elsewhere.
CAPAS is the answer we should have given those talented people. Unfortunately, we can’t make up for lost time and opportunities, but we can give our creatives the support they need today.
Madam Speaker,
As we lay this legislative foundation, I am proud to report that CAPAS doesn’t just exist on paper. It is already a reality.
CAPAS opened its doors last September to fifty Bahamians who began a twenty-eight-week foundational programme in acting, vocal performance, and dance.
These lessons came at no cost, because this administration believes that financial circumstances should never stand between a Bahamian and the development of their world-class talent.
I was privileged to attend the first-ever showcase held by CAPAS just a few weeks ago, featuring these same students, and it was truly astounding to see the level of talent we helped them cultivate through this programme.
One of the students in the showcase is a member of staff at the Office of the Prime Minister, who dedicated herself to developing her talents each day after work, and was able to perform on an auditorium-style stage for the first time ever, thanks to CAPAS.
I was proud to see her display her immense talent for singing and to know that we were able to help her confidently take this major step.
It’s amazing to see the talent that is all around us in this nation.
And we owe it to the many talented Bahamians to build an institution that can help them to fulfill their dreams. CAPAS is helping us to do that.
And this is just the beginning.
A production arts stream is already in development, expanding into film, audio production and engineering, and other aspects of production.
In the near future, CAPAS will be home to a three-year Bachelor of Arts programme with a curriculum developed in collaboration with international conservatoires and industry leaders.
The long-term vision is the creation of an institution that will produce, not just performers, but directors, producers, and creative entrepreneurs who will build the next chapter of our Orange Economy right here at home.
Madam Speaker,
The National Junkanoo Authority and CAPAS are not new ideas. They have been discussed across multiple administrations. Plans have been drawn before, committees were formed, and consultations were held.
And then the status quo was preserved.
I note that the Leader of the Opposition, who often refers to himself as a creative, was himself once the Minister responsible for Culture.
He had the portfolio, the background, and the opportunity to invest in change, yet the status quo largely remained.
And I say this not to diminish him, as he is a man of genuine creative gifts, particularly in writing poetry and plays, and writing about Politricks.
I have no doubt he can appreciate what we are accomplishing with these Bills today.
And when, in a few months, he finds himself with considerably more time on his hands, there may well be a place for him at CAPAS.
After all, CAPAS is for everyone.
Madam Speaker,
Successive administrations have preserved the status quo, and the cost of that inaction was borne by the craftsmen who were never compensated fairly, the dancers who packed their dance shoes away forever, and the musicians whose work was broadcast around the world without receiving their share of the royalties.
We owe them better.
And we are taking the steps to begin doing better.
Madam Speaker,
My sincere gratitude goes out to the member for Garden Hills, the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Honourable Mario Bowleg, whose disciplined leadership moved the Junkanoo Authority Bill through considerable turbulence without losing its bearing or its purpose.
And to the member for Englerston, Minister of Education, and Technical and Vocational Training, the Honourable Glenys Hanna-Martin, whose lifelong commitment to cultural authenticity helped us get to where we are today.
There is one more acknowledgment I must make, Madam Speaker, of a person who was instrumental in making CAPAS happen.
You see, there are people in public life who serve because it is their job. And then there are people who serve because it is their calling.
Ian Poitier is the latter.
Ian left a successful career in the United Kingdom, where he had a stellar reputation, because we believed The Bahamas needed him.
He answered the call to come home.
Throughout this term, he has served with distinction across a portfolio far broader than any single passion. As a policy advisor, he is at the table on trade diversification and helped to lower crime through his work on Clear, Hold, Build.
In each of those spaces, he has brought rigour, depth, and the quiet intensity of a truly gifted mind in service of the public good.
But his heart truly beats for the arts.
His passion is here, in this legislation.
He spent years working on the architecture of CAPAS, using every international connection, every relationship built during his years abroad, to ensure that when CAPAS opened its doors, it opened them to a world already prepared to receive our students.
He has poured himself tirelessly into this work.
And for that, we thank you, Ian, as well as all others who played a role in making today happen.
Madam Speaker,
These Bills do not stand alone. They are part of a deliberate commitment to building the institutions through which every Bahamian can find a path to opportunity.
The opportunities created through our investments in Junkanoo and CAPAS will stand alongside the National Apprenticeship Programme and BTVI’s expansion into the Family Islands, as well as DigiLearn, and Upskill Bahamas.
Taken together, these initiatives form a vision of a future in which every young person, regardless of their gift, whether for music or engineering, dance or data, costuming or coding, has an institution that recognises their talent, a programme that develops their talent, and an opportunity pathway that rewards them for their talent.
We are fortunate to live in a country filled with people of extraordinary abilities. And we are now building the infrastructure to support that talent.
Madam Speaker,
When the people of this country voted for a New Day, they voted for progress.
They chose to change the status quo. And they empowered us with the mandate to move The Bahamas to higher ground. Bill by Bill, institution by institution, and programme by programme, we are making it happen.
And this is just the beginning. There are still many more years of progress to be made.
And we are determined to see our work through to the end, for the creative community, and for Bahamians everywhere to gain unprecedented access to abundant opportunity.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.