Caribana benefits the Canadian mainstream; creators get crumbs !!!

By Ajamu Nangwaya

While the recent news of the $438 million economic impact of Caribana is worthy of celebration and all the media attention that it has generated, I hope that as Canadians we will open our eyes to the monumental failure of government funding of this phenomenal cultural festival. An Ipsos Reid Economic Impact Study clearly demonstrated that Caribana is the most lucrative festival in all of Canada. Yet the Calgary Stampede which attracts millions of dollars in annual government funding is touted as the largest “Canadian” festival with its $173 economic impact over ten days.

It is estimated that Ontario’s cultural institutions bring in a yearly income of $4.5 billion, while attracting 3 million patrons. About 1.2 million people participated in Caribana and over 300,000 of these revelers came from abroad. It ought to be clear that dollar-for-dollar, Caribana’s economic performance leaves its more favoured cultural competitors in the dust.

In April 2009, the Government of Ontario announced $43 million in funding to six cultural organizations that were reflective of Anglo-Canadian cultural dominance. The Arts Gallery of Ontario received a $10 million operational grant and an additional one-off gift of $8.6 million. The Royal Ontario Museum received an operational grant of $9 million and a one-time funding support of $7.2 million. Yet in April 2010, the Ontario Liberals are giving its Cinderella of a cash cow, Caribana, an insulting grant of $484,000. The City of Toronto will be offering a grant of about $500,000. Last year the federal government ponied up $415,000, but got back over $108 million dollars in tax receipts from this cultural golden goose.

In my judgment, the miserly level of funding from the City of Toronto, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Canada and the business sector has much to do with the perception of Caribana as a cultural outsider; the multicultural Other. Further, the people who are the driving force behind the festival are themselves culturally peripheral to the Canadian cultural-cum-political project.

If the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Ontario Science Centre, Royal Botanical Gardens and Ontario Heritage Trust could received grant funding of between $2.5 -$3 millions in April 2009, certainly Caribana with its huge cultural, social and economic footprint doesn’t merit being treated like the “black sheep” of the artistic family.

African and Caribbean peoples, the creators of the Caribana festival, are minor economic beneficiaries. But their countless volunteer hours are indispensable to the enormous income that goes into the Canadian economy. It is high time that Caribana be given millions of dollars in annual operational and project funding so as to enable it to operate as a year-round cultural institution.

Further, this festival should contribute to the economic and social vitality of the African and Caribbean community. It is high time for Caribana to not be treated as an economic resource that is exploited for the benefit of the capitalist class and the government. The three levels of government and large capitalist sponsors have a neo-colonial relationship or a system of indirect rule (smacks of British colonialism in Africa) with Caribana through the Festival Management Committee.

The government through its funding of the festival has an effective veto over the people from within the African and Caribbean community who should organize this festival. Yet, if we become better politically organized as a community and with Caribana’s economic impact, we have the ability to make this festival one that benefits its creators and under our effective control.

The benefits should be largely channeled through community-controlled programmes and institutions such as community centres, educational scholarships, museums, arts centres and initiatives that will generate employment and other opportunities.

Ajamu Nangwaya is a trade union activist with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). He serves as a Divisional Steward with CUPE Local 3902 and the Chair External with CUPE Local 3907. Ajamu is a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto.

Tags: Ajamu Nangwaya, Canada, Caribana