Bahamian National Artist Registry to Support Creative Economy

On 14 April 2025, the Bahamas National Commission for UNESCO, under the Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training, in collaboration with the Division of Cultural Affairs within the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, officially launched The Bahamas National Artist Registry.

Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin and Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg delivered remarks at the launch, highlighting the project's national significance.

UNESCO identified the need to map and consolidate data on the country's cultural and creative industries. The registry offers a shared, accessible platform to document Bahamian artists and help grow the broader Orange Economy. According to a UNESCO report, culture and creativity account for 3.1% of the global GDP.

The National Artist Registry project is the final component of the Joint SDG Fund Program Building Back Equal through Innovative Financing for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment. The Bahamas will serve as a pilot, with lessons learned and best practices to be shared across the Caribbean.

The initiative aims to unite key stakeholders to develop legislation, set clear guidelines, and establish a centralized funding pool for the cultural and creative industries-ensuring a more efficient, inclusive, and targeted approach. It specifically aims to promote women's empowerment within these industries.

The Artist Registry of The Bahamas will also meaningfully contribute to CARICOM's initiative on the Regional Registry of Artists and Cultural Workers, and it strongly emphasizes inclusivity, ensuring that the registry reflects the diversity of The Bahamas' cultural and creative landscape.

This project intents to support the creation of partnerships and networks and strengthen the creation, production, distribution and commercialization of cultural and creative products and services in The Bahamas, while supporting as well the use of gender-lens investing and technical assistance.

Extensive consultations were held during the past few months to assess existing databases, explore opportunities for data integration, and guide the development of the registry. Outreach efforts included a wide range of modalities to ensure the perspectives and concerns of creatives were heard and incorporated.