Maltabiennale.art and colonial contestations
Iwish to congratulate the maltabiennale.art curators and Maltese and foreign artists for sharing colonial contestations promoted in my book Decolonising the Maltese mind, in search of identity. I extoll their artistic smart expressions ranging from Siġġu subtexts to jazz concepts.
In reaction to Ray Cachia Zammit’s (March 22) claim of some “fixation with the statue of Queen Victoria” by those who provoke the debate on Malta’s persevering colonial mentality, may I highlight some pertinent points on the issue.
Having been declared Empress of India in 1876, on the occasion of her golden jubilee in 1877, the British colonial office expressed the wish to have a propaganda statue of their august monarch in every colony. Malta joined others in erecting one in 1891, complete with the island’s coat of arms under her derriere.
In colonial fervour, Adrian Dingli and the bishop of Gozo joined 80 other towns of the empire in petitioning to change Rabat’s name to Victoria. In 1884, Porta Marina was dismantled to make way for Victoria Gate while, in 1887, bishop administrator Mgr. A. M. Buhagiar urged the faithful to “give proof of our affection… and our sincere and profound attachment to the British Crown, in our double quality of true Catholics and loyal subjects”.
Queen Victoria never visited Malta and, in 1839, refused to help build the Valletta Anglican cathedral. In 1901, following the prohibition of political public meetings, the Valletta statue was besmirched at night “with liquid nitrate of silver”. In 1972, the police had to intervene to stop Labour protesters who were about to haul the monument from its pedestal.
Taking the cue from Dubliners when, in 1987, they diplomatically gifted their copy of the monarch’s statue in Parliament Square to Sydney. in Australia, our Reġina, bizarrely sitting in Republic Square representing the pinnacle of British imperialism, would certainly feel more at home in her namesake Victoria. If our brethren, the Gozitans, refuse the gesture, she would find good company at Hastings Garden.
Sixty years after Independence and 50 since the Republic, I get the strange feeling of State institutions joining a string of pubs in reviving colonial sentiments, what with Villa Guardamangia becoming the most expensive relic of colonialism at €15 million to honour the late Queen Elizabeth. In truth, I have been informed that this derelict villa, certainly not an architectural gem, will also honour the memory of Augusto Bartolo of the Daily Malta Chronicle, whom the rival contemporary newspaper, Malta called “a prime true-blood imperialist”.
May I recommend this project to house a history museum of British colonialism including these two personalities.
Finally, the Commonwealth, often referred to as Empire 2.0, headed by the current British monarch. A few years ago, Malta favoured the decision not to apply a rotating system to its headship. To affirm this monarchical affection, in 2015, some keen ‘royalist’ fellow in government installed a number of markers in what was termed a Commonwealth Walkway on the streets of Valletta, with Queen Elizabeth’s crown and royal initials instead of the Commonwealth logo to memorialise a routine CHOGM meeting that, as usual, left no consequence.
As British academician, Samir Puri (2021) attests, many believe that British imperialism consisted of domination, cultural imposition and exploitation. British postcolonial theorist Robert Young (2003) adds that colonial rule was legitimised by anthropological theories portraying the peoples of the colonised world as inferior, incapable of looking after themselves and requiring the paternal rule in their own best interests.
Our Reġina, bizarrely sitting in Republic Square representing the pinnacle of British imperialism, would certainly feel more at home in her namesake Victoria*