Towards a Consensus on the Development of Creative Industries

Jodhpur, India, 2001

There is a second assignment that Richard has given as part of my task this afternoon, and that is to summarize the wealth of ideas, suggestions, and insights from the past four days, and to do that in about ten minutes. It is an overwhelming assignment, a bit like asking me to put an ocean into bucket, or to take you on a tour of this magnificent fort in ten minutes.

But I must try. I cannot claim to be comprehensive, and I will surely miss out on several key ideas that may have resonated with you. Instead I will share with you my personal diary of what made the most impressions on me.

We have just gone through the stimulating, if somewhat laborious, exercise of jointly putting in place the bedrock of this symposium, the Jodphur concensus. But, as we have been reminded, this is not the finished house, but merely the foundation of the documents, instruments, action plans and programs that are to arise from it.

As we are all guided through past four days through the symposium, I could not but admire the architecture of the process. Richard and his team have astutely combined the intellectual, the aesthetic, the cultural, even the culinary, and leisure dimension of this symposium in an admirable manner. After a memorable, if somewhat the debate on culture and economics, led by presenters from the international agency family, UNESCO, UNIDO, ADB, and WIPO. Sheldon set the stage, placing the discussion, on the broader stage of Mugs; George underlined the potential of creative industries as real engines of development even within the economic and SME context; Albab spoke about connectivity and genuine intent of the ADB to involve itself fully; Pushpenra provided as an update on the evolving nature of intellectual property regimes for the benefit of all concerned. It was a great example of different agencies pulling together for a common cause.

This was followed by a plenum session to set the priorities and objectives of the Asian Agenda. The following sessions were a carefully sequenced series of keynote addresses, plenum sessions, small group discussions, first debate ons on economic and social dimension to raise the issues, and then roundtables linking these issues and coming to terms with them. Through reporting back sessions, further plenum meetings and vigorous discussions on the floor, ideas were synthesized and prioritized, and we were led by the design of this process toward agreements on guiding principles and the generation of action plans built on it.

Unfortunately my drafting responsibilities did not allow me to go on the tour of the Fort today, but over the past few days, I have had a chance to wander about this remarkable Fort, and I have marveled at the extent and intricacy of this cultural monument, the beautiful pavilions, galleries, courtyards, and fountains. In similar fashion, as I reviewed my notes and handout of this symposium, I have marveled at the richness and complexity of what I have learned and seen.

I have come away impressed by the intellectual pavilions and expositions of the keynote speakers; the erudite treatise of John Hawkins on knowledge driven economic growth and his analysis of the creative economy opened vistas unknown to me before. The research pavilions on cultural industries though which our academic scholars, David Throsby, Simon Evans, Stuart Cunningham, toured us were certainly enlightening. Milagros del Corral gave us a glimpse into the practical realities around the world from her unique global and experience based perspective.

I have marveled at the courtyards of active and still the Korea Culture and Content Agency, as presented by Debates on the re-positioning of international property regimes and the public domain, on the use of creative economies versus cultural industries, on the economic dimensions vis a vis the cultural dimensions.

I have appreciated the watchtowers provided by speakers of the countries that, to the envy of the rest of us, have moved further along towards mainstreaming cultural industries, the moving and inspiring address just this morning from Patrick Ho of Hong Kong, the tremendous amount of work already accomplished by the Korea Culture and Content Agency as narrate by Mr. Haksoom Yim, the shrewd and strategic repositioning of Singapore's development thrust in a knowledge and culture driven economy, as elaborated upon by Mr. Wong and Mr. Baey Kam Yeng, and the revitalization of the cultural life of Macau as recounted by Mr. Jose Luis Marquez.

I have enjoyed in general the galleries of case studies abd contributions form the participants both in the plenum and in the smaller discussion groups. Who among us did not appreciate, indeed enjoy Bob McNulty's presentation of YaYa in New Orleans , and all that it symbolized. We looked at many other case studies, such as those in Pakistan elaborated on by Beg of Agfa Khan, Thailand/Italy, Trimarchi. We have a photo gallery in our published program, but also have in the same program an ideas gallery in the form of the abstracts of all the presentations, which I have read but which I do not dare to summarize at this time.

I have visited the kitchen of this symposium, the secretariat room, where Ikker, Ellie, Trista, Golf, seemingly work night and day to provide us with copies of presentations, help us through word processing and internet access.

Indeed the architecture of this symposium has provided all of us vistas and perspectives that, like the Fort gave us more than what we expected more that meets the eye.

But as I walked around the Fort, and read about its days of past glory, I like to imagine what I once upon a time looked like. The brochure in my tent reminded me that aside from the magnificent stone structures, this was also a veritable garden paradise, with trees, flowering plants and orchards. Perhaps because I live in Hawaii and am surrounded by water and forests, I looked whimsically at the Fort with the eyes of a gardener more than the eyes of an architect. So I know where there are trees, orchard, and of course people, there must be a life force, water, as precious as it is rare in this barren land. The Fort's brochure spoke of an ingenious water supply system feeding the fragrant gardens and shimmering pools, and giving life to the place.

So also, as I reflected on the memories I will bring back from this symposium. I realize that more than the speeches and the roundtables, more even than the Consensus and the plans of action, more than the architecture of this symposium, what will I carry back with me is the life force that brought us together, the life force that ran through all our discussions and ideas. That life force is the passion each of us has brought and shared for the flourishing of creative communities in the Asia Pacific. It is that passion, which is no less than a caring and genuine love for culture and indeed for humanity, that has driven your active participation this week.

I saw this passion in film, in concern for displace persons and cultural heritage sites, in people losing their craft etc. I saw this passion in informal conservations over lunch and dinner, etc. Minster thinly on insistence on the human over the economic.

Chavitchai and Patravadi for theater and other arts Cora Jacob on crafts as high art.

I saw this passion in the enthusiastic and heartfelt contributions for the Jodhpur Concensus.

In the year to come, I may no longer remember the facts and figures of or the refined concepts of creativity etc.

But I hope to be inspired by the spirit of this symposium. It is said that what the mind forgets the heart will always remember.

It is not my place at this time to articulate a vote of thanks, for that comes later, but I cannot resist expressing on my behalf, and hopefully on yours, my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who brought us here and worked with us, from the gracious and hospitable Maharajah himself, H.H. Gaj Singh, to Richard and his team, to the presenters and discussants, to those who served our meals, looked after our tents, and sang and danced for us. To all of them, a million thanks for this incredible journey of the heart.

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