The Afro Caribbean Creative Bridge forum, organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in collaboration with Ghana's Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, recently took place in Ghana. The event brought together stakeholders to explore ways of strengthening intellectual property protection and deepening creative ties between Africa and the Caribbean. Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Dzifa Abla Gomashie, emphasized the need for more effective copyright management systems to ensure creatives benefit financially from their work.
Minister Gomashie stressed that stronger copyright protection would empower creatives to thrive in the global marketplace while enabling them to move, collaborate and work across countries. She questioned the current state of affairs, asking, "Too often, many of our creatives, at the end of their lives, have very little to show for what they have achieved, only because they stopped producing. But the music is being played all the time. Who is paying for that?" The Minister also called for greater cooperation between African and Caribbean countries to strengthen the creative industries in both regions.
Musician and Ambassador for Africa, Rocky Dawuni, highlighted Africa's immense creative wealth, which must be recognized and protected as a valuable asset. He stated, "Africa is a land of creativity. Our creativity defines who we are as a people, from our music to our food and culture." Dawuni stressed the need for appropriate legal frameworks to protect creative works and ensure creators benefit from the value generated by their intellectual property.
Carol Simpson, the officer in charge of Latin America and the Caribbean at WIPO, mentioned that the organization is working on practical solutions to help creators protect and benefit from their creative works. She emphasized that WIPO is bringing experts together to have discussions and come up with solutions to help creatives better protect and benefit from their creativity.
The forum aimed to address intellectual property challenges facing creatives as their work reaches wider international audiences and markets. For Ghana's creative industry, the discussions speak to a long-standing concern: artistes and creators often earn little from their work even as their music, films and designs continue to generate value across streaming platforms, radio, events and international markets.
The creative industry in Ghana and beyond faces significant challenges in terms of intellectual property protection. Despite the value generated by creative works, many creators struggle to benefit financially from their efforts. The Afro Caribbean Creative Bridge forum sought to address these challenges by bringing together stakeholders to explore solutions and strengthen collaboration between Africa and the Caribbean.
The discussions at the forum have significant implications for Ghana's creative industry. With stronger intellectual property protection and more effective copyright management systems, creatives can benefit financially from their work and thrive in the global marketplace. The forum's outcomes are expected to contribute to the development of more robust creative industries in both Africa and the Caribbean.
Key points
- Stakeholders call for stronger intellectual property and copyright systems to protect creatives
- Effective copyright management systems are necessary to ensure creatives benefit financially from their work
- Greater cooperation between African and Caribbean countries is needed to strengthen the creative industries in both regions
