On cultural appropriation and Intellectual Property Rights in the Caribbean;
How long can we shout strangers away from the yard?
By Dr. Abiola Inniss Ph.D. LLM
In
recent weeks, and not for the first time, there has been a tremendous clamour
over the issue of cultural appropriation. This time it was about the use of the
word J’ouvert as the label for a rum product to be produced by the well-known
American actor Michael B Jordan. In 2019 there was the matter of Kanye West
using National emblems of Jamaica on merchandise that he was marketing in
promotion of his church services. In both situations public condemnation and in
the Kanye West case intervention by the Government of Jamaica resulted in the
reversal of the decisions to use the identified term J’ouvert and logos for personal
gain by these artistes.
In
some ways it is heartening that Caribbean voices are being raised in objection
to the appropriation of cultural emblems, words, phrases, and other expressions
which are of definite Caribbean origin by those in developed countries for personal
gain. It signals that there is a growing awareness of the value of culture from
a socio-psychological perspective for nationals, as well as the novelty it
contributes to world culture. It is the latter that non-Caribbean operatives have
exploited for decades with no recompense for the Caribbean economies or its
people as a whole. The Caribbean has benefitted little from the use of cultural
and traditional knowledge both in the region and outside it, and while some in
the past have considered it of low value and the culture of developed countries
as far superior, the diaspora has begun to own the culture more forcefully, to
share and promote it vigorously. Caribbean peoples the world over have begun to
recognize the value of our cultural contributions and to feel pride in it now
more than any time in our history.
Nevertheless, the more substantial issue of
how to approach the protection of cultural and traditional assets still remains
to be addressed in an holistic manner and through the mechanisms of legal and
regulatory framework as outlined in Article 66 of the Revised Treaty of
Chaguaramas for Caricom nations.
Traditional knowledge and cultural expression have
long held the attention of a few academics and cultural groups who have felt
the need to preserve them but are to this day largely unknown to the public.
The concept of traditional knowledge in the context of
intellectual property is rooted in the idea that the life skills and knowledge
passed down through generations should be the preserve of the peoples who
practiced them, and that any use of such knowledge should be with their
permission and in such a manner as prescribed by them. It is recommended that
where financial gain is intended from the use of such knowledge the originators
of that knowledge should benefit financially as well. This seems to be a fair approach
to the issue of monetizing traditional knowledge.
The following excerpt from a WIPO
publication is instructive on this idea.
‘‘Contrary to a common perception, traditional
knowledge is not necessarily ancient.
It is evolving all the time, a process of
periodic, even daily creation as individuals
and communities take up the challenges presented
by their social and physical
environment. In many ways therefore, traditional
knowledge is actually contemporary
knowledge. Traditional knowledge is embedded in
traditional knowledge systems,
which each community has developed and
maintained in its local context. The
commercial and other advantages deriving from
that use could give rise to intellectual property questions that could in turn
be multiplied by international
trade, communications and cultural exchange (http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/studies/publications/genetic
resources.htm).
There is also the issue
of folklore and the ability of any group or nation to protect for posterity the
use of information known as folklore. For example, the legend of the Guyanese
“Massacuraman” a demonic spirit found in the jungles of Guyana, particularly
the rivers and creeks which appears to those it encounters as half man- half
animal and which causes untold terrors to those who cross its path is derived
from the tribal traditions of the Amerindian peoples, though it is unclear
which of the tribes originated the legend. It is said to be similar to the
legend of “Papa Bois” of Trinidad. It the case of the “Massacuraman” the
protection of the legend as folklore or cultural expression has not been
considered to any great degree, if at all by academics and certainly not by
policymakers. This applies of course to all Guyanese folklore and cultural
expressions. WIPO is still in the process of working on a draft document for
the protection of traditional knowledge and cultural expressions with input
from several countries including a few from the Caribbean, it is unclear
whether Caricom through its COHSOD - Council for Human and Social Development is
part of the negotiations and how the eventual draft mechanism will take into
account the various traditional practices of the Caribbean region.
It is clear however
that Caricom has an opportunity to craft a regional convention for the
protection of traditional knowledge and cultural expressions for the entire
region to which member countries can become signatories. Such an approach will
serve two purposes; in the first instance it will enable the protection of the
use of traditional expressions and folklore within the region, and second,
provide a substantial basis for negotiations at international bodies in these
areas.
The clamour for recognition and
protection of the use of expressions, practices and other cultural attributes
both by Caribbean nationals and foreigners who wish to monetize them is an
important facet in owning the culture, protecting it from sociological and
anthropological standpoint, ensuring that it is passed freely to the next
generations as part of their natural inheritance, and asserting the value of
our unique contributions to the world at large. National governments and
Caricom have to take up the responsibility for ensuring that comprehensive
legal mechanisms are developed to protect our heritage. The tactic of “shouting
strangers away from the yard” will not always work and may not work much
longer.
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