Tobago’s unique selling point is its booming orange economy

“Tobago’s orange economy has been booming, it continues to grow and we have data that says it’s going to outpace the oil industry eventually. Creative products are Tobago’s unique selling point,” declares Jared Prima, interim CEO of the Tobago Performing Arts Company (TPAC).  “Our island’s unique and rich culture is more than just performance and presentation, it’s what defines us as a people. We’re proud and passionate when it comes to who we are and our cultural history,” he adds. Established in 2021 under the auspices of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation, TPAC is a multidisciplinary arts institution tasked with preserving and advancing that culture, as well as promoting the island’s extensive dance, music, drama and film talent via activities such as education, training and forging international partnerships. 

“It’s about arts being the vehicle by which we showcase our wealth of culture to the world,” Prima summarizes. “We want to get our people ready for when the true orange boom happens here. We want, for example, our performers to have honed their craft and how they function as businesses, as brands.” A focus for the company is building up human capacities by, for instance, developing multimedia productions of works written, performed and produced by local artistic and technical talent, which address real issues facing the island’s communities. “All our productions are not just infusing Tobagonian culture, they are showing how drama, dance, music and film can work in concert,” he states. 

As well as generating cultural products that entertain, TPAC aims to create products that educate. Prima says: “We’ve developed a lot of avenues for that. One we’re very proud of is Fource, a multidisciplinary festival we held for the first time this year.” The June event included performances, workshops, master classes, debates and discussions targeted at emerging and established creatives, as well as art lovers. International talent will be welcomed at future editions. “Fource is a hub for creativity and a safe space for artists to perform. We want it to be an incubator, a platform, a showcase for creative technologies, where we can tell our stories and expose our excellence in music and dance,” he states. Another illustration is a new boot-camp competition for young soca musicians. “We bring music, production and business professionals in to teach them about sound, stagecraft, copyright, licensing and so on. It’s about elevating artist development and capacity building,” Prima stresses.  As an experienced movie director, he is enthusiastic about Tobago’s potential in film and television. He explains: “There’s so much content to create here and many unique stories that could be converted into amazing universal content with global relevance. We have all the necessary tools.”  

Developing Tobago’s orange economy is not a one-organization endeavor and TPAC collaborates closely with others, including the Tobago Festivals Commission Limited (TFC) that is also under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation’s umbrella. TFC’s CEO Kern Cowan says: “We’re primarily charged with overseeing festivals and events in Tobago, providing managerial support and strategic direction. His organization is kept very busy. “Tobago is a mecca of festivals in the Caribbean region, offering year-round authentic cultural experiences,” he notes.

Reveling in paradise

The biggest event in the island’s annual calendar is its carnival, which takes place over the final weekend in October, with TFC providing over $145,000 in funding to support participants in this year’s edition. The carnival has a rapidly expanding worldwide audience. “Between 2022 and 2023, visitors to the island for the Tobago Carnival increased from 20,000 to 50,000,” Cowan discloses. As Prima notes: “It’s a festival that brings people in to experience Tobago and revel in its events, as well as our sea, sun, sand, food, culture, crafts and people.”

Other Caribbean nations also celebrate carnival, but Tobago’s is different. Prima explains: “It speaks to Tobago’s unique identity. People are inspired by our landscapes, flora, fauna and folklore in their costumes and performances, for instance, and ritualistic elements are important.” These include Mud Mas, in which mud is used for costume, self-expression and celebration. “People find Mud Mas very freeing. Mud is on the face, the body — you’re completely covered in mud!” he comments.  Other central features of the carnival include soca, calypso and numerous steel bands that take to the street. Prima says: “Tobago’s steel pans were born out of the country’s oil boom experience. An important part of our carnival is Rhythm, Steel and Powder, which describes how we infuse our rhythms into our pans and other percussive instruments, creating energy.” 

Another event that is popular with international tourists takes place during carnival in Bloody Bay village: the Blue Food Festival, which celebrates an indigenous variety of dasheen, or taro, that turns blue when cooked. Attendees are able to sample an immense array of savory, sweet and baked treats, and even wines made from the gluten-free starchy vegetable. One unmissable summer draw is the month-long Tobago Heritage Festival that embraces the island’s cultural traditions. Every night, a different village takes its turn to welcome guests and introduce them to its dances, theater, music and foods. Among the participating communities, Cowan highlights Moriah’s reenactment of an 18th-century processional wedding dance. “The Ole Time Wedding is a whole cultural experience by itself,” he insists.

The range of festivals held on the island is vast, with its calendar running the gamut from traditional goat and crab racing at Easter, to a four-day yacht regatta and carnival in February. Every Tobagonian celebration has one thing in common though. Cowan reveals: “Our food is one of our major selling points. We’re talking about our curried crab and dumplings, and all the other things Tobago is known for.” Among the best places to discover the diversity of the island’s cuisine is at a Harvest Festival. These thanksgiving feasts occur once a month on a Sunday and are hosted by a different village each time.

TFC prepares rigorously for every festivity it manages. “We try to have at least a three-to six-months’ window of pure planning before any execution, and we ensure each event gets the oversight it requires because we believe in brand quality,” Cowan asserts. “Tobago has unique culture, heritage, dances, linguistics and other qualities that we home into as a commission, as they are the things that set us apart from anywhere else.”

TFC is stepping up its efforts to promote the island’s orange economy, which the CEO is convinced has huge potential to attract international tourism and investments. “In 2025, we’re going to engage in early, wider-scale promotions. North America is one of the markets we’re targeting,” he reveals. As far as TPAC is concerned, “Our work has only just begun,” Prima says. “We will continue to develop well-created, produced and curated content that showcases Tobago and can earn revenue as creative products. And we will continue to partner with local and international entities that want to assist in the development of Tobago’s cultural product.”