#culture19
2019 was a year during which we continued work on the fulfilment of a number of important reforms in both the justice sector, as well as culture. It is impossible to name all, but here are some highlights.
O ne of the main objectives in the culture sector was to build on the legacy of 2018, a year that saw our country celebrating the prestigious title of European City of Culture Capital. However, we also implemented new schemes, renewed others, and continued with our resolve to protect, regenerate and restore our Cultural Patrimony.
The Valletta Cultural Agency (VCA) was officially launched an agency tasked with sustaining and strengthening the capital city’s vibrant cultural life through the creation of an annual programme of creative events developed in collaboration with artists and other Public Cultural Organisation. This year we also established the Festivals Malta Agency, with a mission to implement the objectives and perform all those functions established to create, maintain, organise, administer and oversee the organisation and implementation of a portfolio of national and international cultural and artistic events, festivals and cultural infrastructural projects.
One of the successes of this year is the Passport Scheme. Introduced at the beginning of this year, the Passport Scheme for Students proved to be an immediate success, with an enthusiastic response of 7,000 students collecting their Heritage Malta Passports, with 31,000 adults and students visiting the Agency’s attractions and sites, in just the first 100 days since its launch. This scheme continued to be a success during the year, which led to the introduction of the Senior Heritage Malta Passport Scheme, also a success.
This scheme resonates our determination to make culture accessible to all, in a number of ways. I am proud of the results we are achieving. Mentioning the Passport Scheme, I also have to add the Culture Pass as another scheme that is having its good results. This is another scheme by which 50 productions are made available to the holders – 30,000 students.
Looking back at this year, I am also more than pleased with the work we are doing in restoring our Cultural Patrimony. This is a vast task, but which is giving good and concrete results. Our Restoration Directorate is doing its utmost to repair, restore and eventually regenerate this important part of our cultural heritage. We have restored and given a new lease of life to various buildings, bringing them back to their architectural glory – but also using them to the benefit of our authorities and citizens alike.
Just this year we worked on not less than 80 different sites located all over our island. We believe that our identity as a nation is reflected in what our ancestors created and therefore it is our mission and responsibility to leave this rich inheritance as a legacy to our future generations. For the fifth consecutive year, we opened a call for applications for the restoration works scheme for local councils. The scheme aims to assist local councils in the restoration of buildings and other immovable monuments of historic and/or artistic value located within their delineated boundaries.
Keeping traditions alive is also our goal. Traditions and folklore are as important as our buildings, and it is our mission to safeguard these for posterity. We are investing and supporting local societies so that they can continue with their generations-old impeccable work in this sector. Our support includes a number of funding initiatives for musical societies, strengthening the art of pyrotechnics, especially regarding the safety of people working in this field and helping with the teaching of rare musical instruments to the musical society’s allievi.
Maybe the crowd puller of the year is the much-awaited Notte Bianca, this year attracting around 70,000 people. However, audiences are also numerous for all the other various cultural activities organised by the several entities working in this sector during the year. Here I applaud Festivals Malta, Heritage Malta, the Cultural Directorate, Zfin Malta, KorMalta, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, the Manoel Theatre, Pjazza Teatru Rjal and Teatru Malta for their commitment in this field. Hard work is paying off.
Fondazzjoni Ċelebrazzjonijiet Nazzjonali this year commemorated a number of anniversaries of national importance including Freedom Day, Malta as an EU Member State, Sette Giugno and the end of the Cold War. Here I must mention a first for Malta – “Just Noise” a new and exciting local production inspired by the June riots of 1919. The film, which will hit the cinemas in 2020, is directed by Davide Ferrario and written by Jean Pierre Magro, featuring two Hollywood legends: Harvey Keitel and Malcolm McDowell.
2019 was the first year in which the Maltese public and tourists could enjoy the first Maltese community museum, as MUŻA this year celebrated the first anniversary since opening its doors to the public. Not only is this space a showcase for our National Art Collection, but it is also attracting international organisations in holding conferences in a prestigious and cultural loaded space.
Work is progressing in other spheres as well. MICAS – the
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Introduced at the beginning of this year, the Passport Scheme for Students proved to be an immediate success, with an enthusiastic response of 7,000 students collecting their Heritage Malta Passports, with 31,000 adults and students visiting the Agency’s attractions and sites, in just the first 100 days since its launch.
Malta International Contemporary Arts Space has been attracting interest from both local and international artists, structural works are ongoing at the new concept named the Valletta Design Cluster – another space for established and budding artists. The latter is a Valletta 2018 legacy project and a first-of-itskind initiative in Malta which will have space dedicated to NGOs and individuals working in the cultural and creative sector based in Malta.
This year we also announced several new projects, amongst which, that of the Malta Maritime
Museum. The project will eventually see this space increased considerably, by more than 500m2 and an extension of the digital outreach through a €2,000,000 project.
New discoveries were made in prehistoric site of Għar Dalam and at Tas-Silġ in Marsaxlokk, leading to further studies on these two important sites.
We are also preserving our history in many ways. Just to name two instances, this year the volume holding a copy of the grant of the George Cross to Malta, was given a conservation treatment through a successful collaboration between the Office within the Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government, Din l-Art Ħelwa and the Notarial Archives Foundation. Later in the year, I announced that the Notarial Archives Foundation thanks to its Adopt a Notary/Item Scheme, restored a 16th-century volume by notary Placido Abela – one of the earliest and most important notaries found in Maltese history.
This year we announced the launch of the first Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit within Heritage Malta which will see to the managing and protection of underwater cultural assets. Thanks to this initiative, we will see to the setting up of underwater archaeological parks which will bring a number of benefits, primarily the safeguarding of our country’s unequalled and precious underwater cultural resource. This is in line with local heritage legislation as well as with international conventions.
Together with the Cottonera Rehabilitation Committee we published an online a Strategy for Cottonera following public consultation and Cabinet approval. The Government’s aim is to further ensure a better wellbeing for the citizens of Cottonera and all those who visit this beautiful part of the island.
PBS this year is benefitting from a €4.8 million investment partially funded through the ERDF Programme PBS, embarking on a digitisation project ‘Enhancing the Cultural Tourism Experience through Digitisation’, which should reach completion by 2021. This is the second part of a project which PBS embarked on in 2014, under Priority Axis 5 Protecting our environment, investing in natural and cultural assets.
The coming year we will continue to enhance this sector. Not only by continuing to export our local culture abroad – this year the Presepju Malti is being exhibited in Vienna – but also in further strengthening this sector to benefit artists of all forms of culture and art, but also to the benefit of this nation and its citizens.
A good New Year to all!