Dennery Segment performer Kurtly Pablo Estava used his appearance at a United Workers Party (UWP) rally tonight to endorse the party, accusing the incumbent Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) administration of neglecting the creative sector.
Declaring that the UWP was the only political organisation serious about developing the Dennery Segment and the wider creative industry, he urged young Saint Lucians to vote for the party’s candidates in the December 1 general election.
Taking the stage on William Peter Boulevard, Pablo argued that the creative sector lacked proper structure despite the global reach of Saint Lucian music.
“For years now, we’ve been doing music in Saint Lucia, and we don’t have a proper industry. Our music makes it on the international stage, but our artists cannot take full advantage of it and propel themselves to where they need to go,” he said, adding that creatives needed support for issues such as work permits and distribution deals.
“We get no support and no help from the government, and they say they give you exposure. Well, exposure without a plan doesn’t really work. You just go out there, you perform, and you come back home…. If there’s nothing planned out for the artist, they don’t achieve anything.”
Pablo, who has been on the Dennery Segment scene for the past eight years, told the crowd that the UWP was “the only political party that would give us a seat at the table”.
“The United Workers Party has proposed a plan for the Dennery Segment and the creative industry,” he said. “The only party to ever put any resources behind the Dennery Segment is the United Workers Party.”
He said a government formed by the Allen Chastanet-led party would provide the necessary resources to help artists grow.
Pablo told the crowd that the UWP had begun building connections in music and the Dennery Segment with other Caribbean countries.
