Deborah Papannah, 27 years old, a visual arts student at the University of Guyana, has discovered a career path in restoration that allows her to combine her passion for painting with her commitment to heritage preservation. 鈥業 want to dedicate myself to restoration because it鈥檚 a field with great potential in my country. We have many colonial buildings and museum artefacts that could benefit,鈥 she explains. In October 2024, she took part in a course on mural painting conservation and restoration in Havana, thanks to a scholarship from the programme Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity. This UNESCO programme, funded by the European Union, has been supporting the professionalization of the cultural and creative sector in the Caribbean since 2020. It has established the Caribbean Cultural Training Hub, the first of its kind in the region, made up of prestigious educational institutions in Cuba and the Caribbean. The hub has trained over 750 young people through both in-person and online courses. 鈥楾his course gave me a unique opportunity to gain the tools I need to grow in this important field,鈥 says Deborah.
People-to-people and cultural exchange are at the heart of the relationship between the European Union and the Caribbean. Through the Transcultura programme, in partnership with UNESCO, we are strengthening these ties and investing in the Caribbean鈥檚 creative power, embodied by its youth.
Skills for young people鈥檚 professional development
Teysha Bradshow, 26 years old, from Barbados, participated in a course on painting materials and cleaning techniques in September 2024 to develop her skills as an assistant conservator for the Reclaiming Our Atlantic Destiny project. The initiative focuses on preserving the history of slavery in her country and the wider region. She notes that such workshops are not always easy to find in the Caribbean. 鈥楾here鈥檚 not much funding or resources available for young people in this field, which makes it very difficult to get into conservation. So, this training is really important,鈥 she says.
The Caribbean Cultural Training Hub brings together institutions from the Cuban Ministry of Culture, the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana and the University of the West Indies.
Through this network of institutions, we aim to provide services to young professionals in the Cultural and Creative Industries, so we can train them in the areas they most need to work in their countries or to start their own ventures.
To this end, the institutions have developed a catalogue of over 60 courses, based on a prior assessment of the region鈥檚 training needs in these areas. Transcultura has also supported the purchase of materials and equipment to strengthen the hub鈥檚 capacity to offer courses across the Caribbean. So far, more than 45 specialized workshops have been delivered (26 in Havana), covering topics such as film, design, dance, music, crafts and restoration. The latest round concluded in Havana in November 2024.
Through this personalised training, UNESCO, the European Union and their partners in Cuba are opening up opportunities for young cultural professionals not only to develop their creative careers but also to build the future creative sectors of their countries and tell their own stories.
Training for creative entrepreneurship and self-employment
Building capacity and acquiring new skills not only broadens students鈥 professional and artistic horizons but also encourages creative entrepreneurship, helping to generate income and employment. Emilio Perera, 35 years old, a designer from Belize, runs a craft design business using local raw materials. By taking part in a furniture design course, he hopes to expand his product range.
Now that the orange economy is growing, I believe Latin America and the Caribbean have the potential to lead the way.
Similarly, Massiel Gonz谩lez, 29 years old, an illustrator from the Dominican Republic, believes that the new skills she gained in a traditional screen-printing course could help her find new ways to market her artwork. 鈥業 think what you can learn here can help you as an entrepreneur to find new ways to generate income,鈥 she says.
A representation of the Caribbean in every classroom
鈥業n Guyana, the artistic community is small. Here, I鈥檝e met other Caribbean artists, including muralists who make a living from their art. It鈥檚 been inspiring,鈥 says Deborah, the mural painting student from Guyana. Indeed, beyond the training itself, these courses stand out for the cultural experience of sharing the classroom with professionals from other countries and languages, fostering mutual learning and networks for exchange and collaboration. 鈥業鈥檝e made contacts with others and we鈥檝e made plans to collaborate on a project together, which I think is beautiful,鈥 says Emilio from Belize.
Contributing to the preservation of Caribbean heritage
Among the hub鈥檚 course offerings, those focused on heritage conservation play a key role. These are delivered by educational institutions affiliated with the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana, which has extensive experience in conserving and managing its UNESCO World Heritage-listed site. 鈥楬avana has a long history of restoration and a rich heritage that has been well preserved,鈥 says Pamela Mart铆nez, 34 years old, explaining her choice to study architectural stone restoration. She also highlights the similarities between Cuba and the Dominican Republic in terms of heritage, history and the structural issues their buildings face. Pamela works as an architect at the National Directorate of Monumental Heritage in the Dominican Republic, the entity responsible for conserving the country鈥檚 monuments.
Heritage tells a story and by telling that story, our past shapes our present. To safeguard our identity, we must safeguard our heritage.
Arcquela Beneito, 26 years old, a movable heritage restorer from Saint Kitts and Nevis and participant in the Heritage Archives Preservation course, shares a similar view, though she takes it a step further: 鈥極ur country is very small, especially my island. So, this is just my attempt to make sure that, no matter what happens, there will always be a record of us that survives,鈥 she says.
The creation of this Caribbean Cultural Training Hub has not only had an immediate impact on the training of these young people but also serves as a lasting institutional and collaborative tool that will continue to train future generations of cultural professionals in the Caribbean.
