Local government should not only be about fixing roads, cleaning drains or collecting money from businesses. It should also participate in protecting and spreading the culture of its constituents.

This is the word coming from Mayor of Kingston Desmond McKenzie on the theme from the 2009 Inter-City Intangible Cultural Cooperation Network (ICCN) International workshop of Local Government Administrators. The workshop ended yesterday.

"The basic thing coming out of the conference is that local government is essential to the preservation of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage and that local government is the vehicle for that.

"I believe that Jamaica, and I'm not just talking Kingston, Jamaica in general possesses a lot of tangible cultural heritage. I think this is a golden opportunity for us as local government practitioners to look at a different side of our administrative work," he said yesterday in an interview with The Gleaner at the Jamaica Conference Centre.

Appropriate policies

The workshop, which is being hosted outside of Asia, in Kingston from September 15 to 17, seeks to exchange experiences, discuss the necessity and most appropriate policies in preserving intangible cultural heritage.

With Jamaica known for its cultural feats in music, theatre, dance and art, McKenzie said the country had much to offer to the globe.

Several presentations were made from representatives across the world which included South Africa, Canada, the Philippines, Hungary and the Czech Republic. These talks presented the varied efforts from these countries in showcasing their cultural talents and how the other agent countries could learn.

McKenzie also revealed that Robert Montague, state minister in the Department of Local Government, would be making $500,000 available to all parish councils to enhance the preservation of cultural heritage.

The mayor also said several relationships had been forged between Jamaica and other countries and that South Korea had expressed an interest in having a cultural exchange with the island.

McKenzie said he would be having discussions with the delegation from the Asian country to finalise details. He said the outcome of these discussions would be revealed at the next monthly sitting of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation Parish Council.