10. Short Debate: Wales and the cultural economy: The economic benefits of the creative industries and the arts in a creative Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 7:10 pm on 29 January 2020.

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Photo of Mick Antoniw Mick Antoniw Labour 7:10, 29 January 2020

Thank you for the minute. Music and dance enriches lives. It promotes peace and friendship around the world. I believe, with the cultural and musical assets that we have within Wales, our responsibility is to evangelise the world with Welsh culture and Welsh music. In this post-Brexit world that we're going to be in, I think never has there been more reason to actually do so: to engage, to forge new links.

We have the fantastic Cory Band, which I know I mention very regularly. We have choirs. In my constituency alone: the Llantrisant choir, the Pontypridd choir. We have the fantastic Dawnswyr Nantgarw appearing all over the world, in countries where it is clear we have economic and cultural interest.

It seems to me that what we now need to do is develop a proselytising strategy whereby we engage with other countries, we support our cultural organisations going out into the world, and gain the benefits from that, which is part economic, but it's also the benefit of culture, peace and friendship.