On June 19 th & 20 th , the Department of Culture within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport will host the 5 th Annual Culture Creative Industry Forum (CCIF) at the Belair Community Center in Cay Hill. This year the goal of CCIF 2023, under the theme “The Development of the Creative Industry: The role of the individual in creating success”, is to place emphasis on the idea that the individual artist, technician, entrepreneur, investor, civil servant or elected official will have a better understanding of the processes and mechanisms that ensures the successful
development of the Culture Creative Industry on Sint Maarten.
Annually, the CCIF brings together cultural practitioners, creatives and their stakeholders who are involved in the industry that reside on Sint Maarten to engage in meaningful discussions on the way forward in developing this very important industry.
Creatives on St. Maarten are encouraged to attend CCIF as there will be three very interesting international keynote speakers presenting on stage at the forum.
Felipe Buitrago, a highly accomplished professional with an impressive track record in the Cultural & Creative Economy and the Information & Communications Technology sectors. With over 22 years of experience, Felipe has held prominent positions and made significant contributions in various areas, including policymaking, academic
research, and authorship. As the former Minister of Culture of Colombia, Felipe played a pivotal role in shaping and implementing impactful public policies. Mr. Buitrago is a renowned author and has co-authored influential books such as ‘The Orange Economy:
An Infinite Opportunity’ and ‘Orange Economy: An Infinite Reality’ with former President of Colombia, Ivan Duque.
Dr. Keith Nurse is the President of the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts Trinidad and Tobago. He is the former Principal/CEO of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, Saint Lucia. He has worked as Senior Economist and Advisor on Structural Policies and Innovation at the OECD Development Centre in Paris. He is the former
World Trade Organization Chair at the University of the West Indies where he served in multiple capacities on each of the three land-based campuses. He is serving his third term as an expert member of the UN Committee for Development Policy. Dr. Nurse is the Chair of Caribbean Tales World-wide Distribution Inc. and co-founder of the
Caribbean Tales Incubator. He is the executive producer of the docudrama “Forward Home: The Power of the Caribbean Diaspora.”Dr. Erica K. Smith Ph.D is a Creative Industries and IP Specialist who is also the CEO of the Barbados Collective Management Organization for music rights, COSCAP. Dr. Smith has undergraduate degrees in Law and Management and graduate degrees in International Business, Intellectual Property Law and Management and International Sports Law and Management. Her doctoral research focused on Copyright Management
in the digital environment. Dr. Smith is also a consultant and focuses on Business and Intellectual Property strategy and management and Business Development.
All persons interested in attending The Cultural Creative Industry Forum CCIF can still register online at https://forms.office.com/r/gZD0n5PHNY or come in person at the Belair Community Center on June 19 th & 20 th between 8:00 am and 9:00 am. For persons who are unable to attend in person, you may join the forum online via the Facebook page of the Department of Culture Facebook@DOCSXM starting at 9:00 am until 5:00
pm on June 19 th and 20 th .
