Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1226904
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 MARCH 2020 5 THIS WEEK CULTURE Clockwise, from top left: Singer-songwriter and X-Factor Malta judge Alexandra Alden (Photo by Marija Grech), Culture Venture director Toni Attard, author Clare Azzopardi (Photo by Giola Cassar) and pianist Gisèle Grima and artist Kristina Borg survive the pandemic? lating (including the suddenly free online museum tours and streaming international theatre productions), think about the peo- ple who brought these products to your devices – work which is often generated by freelancers most vulnerable to destructive force majeure events like pandemics, which have a tendency on destabilising the eco- nomic infrastructure in which they operate. Singer-songwriter and X-Factor Malta judge Alexandra Alden similarly called for an increased empathy and appreciation for what the arts have to offer, while being broadly appreciative of the government measures currently being put into place. "I also hope this crisis is also an opportuni- ty for us to reassess our priorities as a soci- ety. As we are being confined to our homes with just the basics, it also makes me ques- tion how much of the extra fluff do we ac- tually really need. Living with unnecessary extravagance as a society is damaging our environment and is pushing us in an unsus- tainable direction. The arts in general tend to be an underpaid and generally highly un- der appreciated sector in many parts of the globe, so it is important that we, as a com- munity, also strive to improve our working environments too," Alden added. Fragmentation, and those left behind Speaking of Netflix, film and TV… though Netflix itself has promised to safeguard its creatives with a $100 million stimulus package, the effects of the pandemic re- main alarming for the audiovisual industry worldwide, with even the most established actors and filmmakers left out in the lurch given their freelance status. And though Malta's own aforementioned revised eco- nomic package does provide respite for most sectors of the arts, film and publish- ing have strangely been deemed less 'at risk' than other creative sectors, with film and media production being relegated to the less generous 'Annex B' classification. Stakeholders within the film industry have already raised the alarm on this, with local stakeholders describing the impact as noth- ing short of "critical". On this concern, Toni Attard suggests that the fragmented nature of cultural practice on a ministerial level could lie at the root of the problem. "The fragmentation of the cultural and creative sectors across four ministerial portfolios makes the possibility of a coher- ent policy approach for the sectors all the more challenging, with film, arts, crafts and publishing all falling under different portfo- lios," Attard said. In fact, the local publishing industry has also been hit, and the cut runs all the deeper because, as National Book Council Execu- tive Chairman Mark Camilleri points out, the local book industry remains precarious even during 'normal' times. "Only the National Book Council is sup- porting the book industry. Admittedly, un- der the previous administration we used to have by far much more attention and sup- port. For example, the current government is postponing a legal- notice which was al- ready approved last year under the previous administration, but got stalled during the December crisis. This legal notice would in- centivise publishers to pay authors royalties with tax incentives, however the current government is not offering us any support and it is still refusing to publish the legal no- tice, contrary to the agreement we had with the previous administration. I hope this government changes tack and starts taking the book industry seriously," Camilleri said. He added that "The National Book Coun- cil is now in overdrive to save the indus- try. We are conducting rigorous marketing campaigns to encourage people buy books online. We are also conducting emergen- cy book purchases from the publishers to provide them with a lifeline. We will keep doing this for some time but I'm afraid the money we have will run out very quickly." In light of all this, one of Malta's foremost authors Clare Azzopardi – who also hastens to add that her full-time job, also as a teach- er, insulates her from some of the more immediate economic realities faced by her peers – allows herself to contemplate some potential silver linings that could emerge from all this once the dust settles. "Perhaps now that we're all cooped up at home with access to a number of free materials made by artists and writers – such as films, books, streaming concerts – once all of this is over people will re-emerge into the world with a new appreciation of what the arts had brought into their lives while they were forced to remain indoors and apart from each other, with no ac- cess to performances and other public art events? Or is this too far-fetched a pipe dream?" Azzopardi asked. Similarly, Camilleri recalls how a visit to Norway with author Trevor Zahra in tow rang a hopeful note on this front, even if the economic and cultural realities that sur- round the book industry may not be rosy even at the best of times. "Once, I was on a flight with Trevor Zahra from Munich to Malta. We were traveling back from a literary festival in Norway. Be- fore taking off, the pilot made an announce- ment on the plane saying he welcomes Tre- vor Zahra on board and wishes him a good flight. I think people may not necessarily read books all that much, but they are aware of Maltese writers and sometimes they hold them in high esteem."