Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1496720
10 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 APRIL 2023 Lessons from Marsa: cultural city binned for regional approach Former minister's €200,000 cash drop to Marsa in election year is scrapped for fully-f ledged regional council arts strategy MATTHEW VELLA AN initiative to elevate Marsa to 'cultur- al city' in 2022, mimicking the European Capital of Culture, will not be pursued after a policy change at the arts ministry. With over €200,000 spent by the Marsa local council for a calendar of activities, a new strategy will ditch the locality-only grant devised under former minister José Herrera, to promote various towns ac- cording to region. The Marsa local council had presented a "robust, fully-costed programme" to lay claim to the grant, with mayor Josef Az- zopardi taking issue with criticism that the port-town – associated with heavy in- dustry and a reception centre for asylum seekers – was "devoid of history, culture and activities not worth sharing". "Well, now we have a chance to prove you wrong," he quipped, claiming the honour would be "a wake-up call to the rest of the country that Marsa needs in- vestment" on the same lines as other Eu- ropean cities. But far from the Valletta 2018 expe- rience, the initiative only betrayed the limitations of Maltese councils who are granted cash simply to fund an unchang- ing calendar of traditional pageantry. The 10 events comprised the opening ceremony, taking over €50,000 alone; and then two carnival activities in February as well as in May, two exhibitions of art and decorative rice in March and April, a resi- dents' gathering dubbed 'Breakfast on the Bridge' in May, an evening of Għana mu- sic in July, a joint 'festa' by the two parish- es of the Marija Reġina and Holy Trinity churches in September, the 'Battlefront' event marking the arrival of the George Cross in Marsa, in October, a classical music event in November, and in Decem- ber, a closing ceremony, band march and Christmas crib exhibition costing over €61,000. The new arts ministry under Owen Bon- nici will not repeat the singular accolade, gifted by Herrera in whose constituency the town fell. Instead, Bonnici has opted to widen the net by allocating the funds to regional groupings of councils – Gozo, north, east, south, west, and the port area. Additionally, each region has developed its own regional cultural strategy (RCS), with Arts Councils experts meeting coun- cils, NGOs and public cultural organisa- tions as well as creative practitioners and residents, to identify cultural themes and priorities for their 'capital of culture'. These roadmaps, as explained by the Arts Council's director of funding and strategy Mary Ann Cauchi, are meant to push funding into tal- ent development, audi- ence engagement, and heritage innovation. But they recognise that while each region has a blend of unique cultural strengths, too many people find it hard to build sustainable ca- reers in culture. "There are serious capacity lim- its for cultural organisa- tions, with many strug- gling to make ends meet and grow sustainably." They also recognise that outside the standard festa mainstay of the Maltese summer, the regions must build other au- diences that are left out from events pre- dominantly led by men – namely women – but also ethnic minority communities and people with disabilities. By prioritising social inclusion as a prin- ciple for a dynamic and responsible cul- tural system, cultural organisations and NGOs can open the cultural offer. And while the Arts Council warns against the perils of overdevelopment compromising Malta's heritage, it also suggests the focus on protection has, in some instances, limited the potential of heritage innovation – "where heritage as- sets are revital- ised and re-im- agined as spaces, platforms or forms for contemporary use and where different narratives are formulated which posit the future as a departure from the past." Cauchi says the implementation of these strategies – all presented in 20-page reports detailing each region's cultural specificities – is entirely dependent on the willingness and motivation of all the stakeholders to work hand in hand. "The formulation of six unique strategies is an important step in the realisation that every region is distinct and diverse and that the initial familiarisation processes are key to understanding the uniqueness of communities, their challenges and re- sources." Many of the Maltese regions have their