Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1510560
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 OCTOBER 2023 THIS IS A PAID COLLABORATION To a visitor, Malta must be a bit over- whelming at first. There's so much more to us than winter sun and beaches, so much more than our modern bustling lifestyle living right beside our ancient historical past. We are such a concen- trated experience for the outsider that they want to return over and over for new adventures. For us, we know where one village or town ends and another begins. We're rightly proud of our communities, our local traditions and values, and we all strive to make things even better next time. This month, we've seen two wonder- ful examples of these year over year improvements - the Hamrun Choco- late Festival and Birgufest are calendar events that organisers and local visitors can't wait for. They're not done to grab international headlines, even though this year the Chocolate Festival made its way into the UK's Guardian newspaper. They're done because we love where we come from, we're passionate about what we do, and we want everyone to cele- brate our local unique talents together. Both events were a runaway success and received tens of thousands of vis- itors. Most of these visitors are local, but you don't have to look far to see the tourists. Most of them have never ex- perienced anything quite so unique in their lives, and this is what we celebrate. Whether it's a life-sized 150Kg chocolate sculpture of Russel Crowe or turning a corner of a quite candle-lit alley to find a centuries-old village square filled with people dancing to live music, it's unique. Organising such events is both chal- lenging and rewarding. Birgu by candle- light uses over 20,000 candles through- out the streets and alleyways of the city to create a magical atmosphere. It brings together local and international artists, craft workers, musicians alongside local businesses, charities and voluntary or- ganisations to create a lasting impact. It is also a process of renewal for the city's culture, winding together the strands of tradition and modern to constantly maintain a contemporary experience. Hamrun's Chocolate Festival was more than just an opportunity to give in to the temptation of one of our favourite treats. With chocolate from Malta, Italy, Germa- ny, Belgium, USA, UK, Brazil and many other countries, it was a unique oppor- tunity for us to sample different flavours from around the world. And the crea- tivity on display was truly breath-taking this year from life-sized sculptures to the finest intricacies of delicate craft work. Many hundreds of hours went into the preparation of the display pieces as well as the logistics involved in making the event such a huge success. Our job as a Government is to protect this and strengthen it. Throughout Mal- ta and Gozo, Local Councils together with voluntary groups, cultural societies, artists and active citizens are building communities through their own unique forms of expression. For the period 2023-2024, 49 local councils have bene- fitted from a total of €800,000 between them in support of their annual cultural activities programmes. These funds are made available through collaboration between the Ministry for Tourism and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Local Councils. These cultural activities achieve a number of important objectives which include improving the promotion of cul- ture and the unique cultural heritage of the localities, and increasing local tour- ism. Innovation, creativity, quality and sustainability are key ingredients in the success of such activities whether they attract thousands or tens of thousands of visitors. For each hosting locality, the positive effects are more long-lasting than the sense of pride that each expe- riences though. They contribute very significantly to local economies in the towns and villages where they are or- ganised. They also introduce tourism to places that are perhaps not traditionally associated with it. At the heart of this work, beyond the economic benefits, the collaboration between the Ministry for Tourism and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Lo- cal Councils are two goals; keeping our unique Maltese and Gozitan culture alive and vibrant, and improving Malta's tour- ism product. The collaboration is mutu- ally supportive, genuine and deserving of recognition as a process in its own right. This is not a self-congratulatory point though, indeed the collaboration by it- self would be worthless were it not for the work of so many people in local com- munities. It is here that the true congrat- ulations are to be offered. The tireless work of mayors and local councillors, the energy and passion of local community and cultural groups and relentless work of local business communities deserves full recognition. A visitor to Birgufest or the Hamrun Chocolate Festival experi- ences something wonderful and unique, whether they are local or a tourist. We rarely stop to think what it must take to make something as successful as these events. So, I conclude by thanking those unsung heros who put their hearts and souls into celebrating who we are as a country, and sharing that so freely with every visitor. Prosit tassew! Strengthening culture within our communities