As we conclude Garifuna Arts & Culture Appreciation Month in New York City, in honor of UNESCO’s proclamation of the Garifuna Language, Dance and Music as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, we’d like to share our plan to make New York City the epicenter of the Garifuna Arts & Culture Economy. The plan will be based on a three-prong approach, expand our strategic marketing efforts, organize the Garifuna Arts & Culture sector, and find ways to expose Garifuna artists and arts-based businesses to new markets.
While the Garifuna intangible cultural heritage has enriched New York City’s cultural landscape since 1823, there is no medium to draw citywide audiences into the Garifuna Arts & Culture sector. Therefore, in an effort to find ways to expose Garifuna artists and arts-based businesses to new markets, we will continue our strategic marketing by upscaling this series of articles into the Garifuna Life Newsletter/Magazine with the aim to become the premiere online destination for Garifuna-American cultural insight, news and perspective. Through original reporting and highly curated aggregate content, Garifuna Life will reflect the diversity and broad spectrum of daily thought and opinion within the Garifuna-American community.
As part of this effort, we will continue to support Don Juleon Rochez’ Puntalogy Radio Show, The Science of Garífuna Music with the objective of bringing Garífuna music to the mainstream. To assist him reach his objective to inform, educate and entertain, we will feature a Music section that will include review and analysis of current and classic Garifuna music by the various artists. (Click here for an example) In addition, we plan to partner in organizing public forums, seminars, lectures, symposium, etc. about the Garifuna Arts & culture sector.
To develop the Garifuna Arts & Culture Sector, we will assist in organizing the Garifuna artists and cultural organizations into the New York City Garifuna Arts & Culture Cluster with the goal of tackling the multiplicity of challenges facing the Garifuna creative sector. It will lead the Garifuna creative industry’s agenda by pulling together community and cultural groups with government, and other partners, and driving forward a long-term program of investment and growth. The plan will be to connect the Garifuna Arts & Culture Cluster to existing initiatives and with the New York City creative/cultural sector. This plan will promote The Garifuna Arts & Culture cluster by fostering collaboration to spur economic activity.
Finally, we will encourage the ongoing development of New York City’s Garifuna Arts & Culture to ensure that Garifuna artists and cultural organizations flourish throughout the City. We plan to find ways to expose Garifuna artists and arts-based businesses to new markets, both locally and abroad. A core focus will be to bring Garifuna Arts and Culture to new and expanded markets. This will include development and implementation of a strategic marketing program designed to draw citywide audiences into the Garifuna Arts & Culture Cluster.
Stay tuned! © 2014 José Francisco Ávila, All Rights Reserved
