Sinckler defends $35.7m CARIFESTA spending bill

Minister of Foreign Affairs Christopher Sinckler has defended the government’s $35.7m pricetag for staging the regional arts and culture festival, CARIFESTA XV, last August, insisting that the long-term economic and cultural returns justify the cost.

Pushing back against critics as the Senate debated the Appropriations Bill for the next fiscal year on Tuesday, he urged Barbadians to adopt a broader view of national development — one that considers both financial and intangible benefits.

Referring to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup held here in 2024, he noted that similar concerns had been raised ahead of that event, only to be disproven by subsequent economic assessments.

“I remember, I was overseas, but I heard the big debate about Cricket World Cup until the report came out that showed how many millions more than the investment we made… came to Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean,” he said.

Sinckler stressed that such events generate a ripple effect across multiple sectors, boosting economic activity well beyond the initial expenditure.

“So you have to call the value of it, the multiplier effect, as the economists call, how it percolates through an entire economy,” he explained, pointing to gains for artists, tourism stakeholders and other service providers.

He added that the timing of CARIFESTA XV also worked in Barbados’ favour, as it helped to stimulate activity during what is traditionally a slower tourism period.

“At a period when it’s considered to be a low period in tourism, beds were full in Barbados. The economy was benefiting—GDP if you want to call it—that’s nominal and real,” Sinckler said.

Beyond the economic argument, the foreign minister underscored the importance of investing in culture as a pillar of national identity and regional integration.

“The fact of the matter is that when you calculate the value of the investment in something like a CARIFESTA… it really can’t be seriously contested. I say that humbly.”

He maintained that the true worth of the festival could not be measured solely in monetary terms.

“The value of that investment goes beyond money. Because what is a country if it does not have a proper culture, if it does not root itself in its cultural underpinnings and values? If we don’t have that… then really have to question what we’re doing.”