CREATIVE ECONOMY as a development strategy: a view of developing countries Ana Carla Fonseca Reis editor CREATIVE ECONOMY as a development strategy: a view of developing countries São Paulo 2008 Creative economy : as a development strategy : a view of developing countires / editor Ana Carla Fonseca Reis. – São Paulo : Itaú Cultural, 2008. 265 p. ISBN 978-85-85291-87-7 1. Creative economy. 2. Economy of culture. 3. Developing countries. 4. Creative industry. 5. Cultural goods production. 6. Cultural heritage. I. Title. CDD 306.4 SUMMARY Preface 8 Prologue 10 Ana Carla Fonseca Reis Introduction 14 Ana Carla Fonseca Reis GLOBAL VIEWS 50 Creative economy: is it a feasible development option? 52 Edna dos Santos-Duisenberg Global view: from conceptual discontents to a research agenda 74 Yudhishthir Raj Isar AFRICA 92 Creative economy and poverty eradication in Africa: principles and realities 94 Máté Kovács AMERICAS 122 Transforming Brazilian creativity into economic resource 124 Ana Carla Fonseca Reis Mexico: technology and culture for a comprehsive total development 142 Ernesto Piedras Feria The creative economy and the development possibilities in Argentina 160 Facundo Solanas Creative economy as a strategy for Jamaica and the Caribbean growth and 174 wealth generation Andrea M. Davis ASIA 192 Creative economy as a development strategy - The Indian perspective 194 Sharada Ramanathan The current trend of Chinese cultural industry: Introduction and thinking 216 Xiong Chengyu The creative industries: Asia-Pacifi c perspectives 232 Pernille Askerud Index 256 Credits 2 PREFACE 9 A production that values singularity, the symbolic, and that which is intangible: creativity. These are the three pillars of the creative economy. Although this con- cept has been under wide discussion, defi ning it is still a work in progress becau- se it comprises diff erent cultural, economic, and social contexts. This publication seeks to off er a multiplicity of viewpoints on the topic. The in- tent is not necessarily to point out answers, but rather to discuss the concept of creative economy and its practices through the knowledge prism of thinkers who understand its local reality and take part in the transformational process that leads communities to development. The collection of texts looks at the actions of the Itaú Cultural Institute, which contributes to the democratization of access to cultural assets. With the creation of the Observatory in 2006, the institute became a locus for refl ection on the con- temporary cultural arena, reinforcing the study of local and global themes such as the intersection of culture with the economy and – above all – acknowledging the importance of publicizing information regarding the sector as a tool for the development of cultural policies and making these data accessible. Considering the nature of this debate involving diff erent cultures, the institute chose the digital medium as a means of publication support – shaping this me- dium into content that can be accessed at any time, from the farthest reaches of the planet; where, who knows? Maybe a small sample of creative economy is at this moment in motion or preparing to fl ourish. Itaú Cultural Institute 10 PROLOGUE Ana Carla Fonseca Reis