‘Serving Kant’ to war

Given our Maltese ways of phonetically flattening or augmenting vowels when speaking English, whenever I teach Kant’s aesthetics of the sublime, I am always at risk of serious blunders. The result could lead to a degree of misunderstanding, if not unwarranted scandal, hilarity or both. I recall how as a junior academic back in 1990s England, I was still adjusting my diction and feeling extremely anxious about pronouncing certain words, especially when it came to the name of that venerable philosopher from Königsberg.

Once, a mature student attending my aesthetics class, could not contain himself when I slipped on my Kant and his a priori judgements. In a moment of weakness, instead of pronouncing his name in a mock-English ‘Kentian’ manner, I slipped into Maltese mode, and uttered the name closer to its Germanic original. It could have sounded like ‘can’t’ in British English, but my “a” was rather short and phonetically Maltese, and it sounded obscenely suggestive.

From the sublime to the ridiculous

Malta’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest has caused ripples. Some regard the issue too frivolous to occupy us at a time when more urgent European issues are flaring up and talk of World War III is being bandied about, especially by irate presidents having a go at each other. By the time this article is published only the Good Lord would know what may or may not happen, but I couldn’t help thinking whether, in such times, it would indeed be a good idea to ‘serve Kant’ to war and oppression.

When the song first came out, I was not sure what to make of it. It didn’t even hit my radar until my attention was drawn to its cultural messaging. Being in my early 60s I needed some translation and instruction from my younger interlocutors, who happen to be well versed in the nuances of such words and phraseology. As Ms Conte comprehensively explained to her audience, the infamous ‘serving Kant’ refrain carries a sense of empowerment, which with a Maltese twist, is both fun yet quite effective.

Yet even when this was explained, ‘serving Kant’ remains rather perplexing to the Maltese audience. Some realised that the sound of that ‘c-word’ is too much to bear. Others, in full patriotic zeal, engaged in every imaginable contortion and found themselves gesturing a tirade of insults, critique and counter critique to anyone they deemed deserving of their verbal assaults. As usual we all found out that Malta is overflowing with critical and cultural studies specialists, whose musicological expertise knows no bounds.   

Frivolous at best

But this might sound all too frivolous to even mention at a time when the discussion ‘out there’ is animated by another tirade of bizarre arguments that have to do with Ukraine. As expected, another batch of experts emerged with homespun military strategy and peace at all costs arguments.

From the Maltese perspective one begins to wonder if there is even a local flavour to the Zelenskyy-Trump showdown. As someone suggested, it could well be that a portion of the Maltese public actually regard Zelenskyy as being Roberta Metsola’s buddy, and therefore a Nationalist. Somehow, others think that Trump is in a friendly corner, though this time it’s in Robert Abela and Ian Borg’s bosom.

Given the blue colour which Zelenskyy has adopted from Ukraine’s flag, and Trump’s red Republican tie and MAGA hat, may well indicate that here we do have a blue-red divide, which is rather familiar with the Maltese political imaginary.

Those pesky Europeans

If there was a time for contradictions and confusion, this is one of them. There is a reality which should make us think beyond our own comforts. We all have our opinions, but as mere mortals we could only be spectators. However, those dying in wars are neither spectators nor do they have a choice.

At the time of putting these thoughts in writing, Ms Conte’s song seems to have been censored by the ESC and BBC, while only Heaven knows what will happen in Gaza, Ukraine, and other war-torn countries. However, one thing seems to be in common – even with the phantasmagorical world of the Eurovision Song Contest – the desire to express ourselves with freedom, while we leave our own little mark on the world. Perhaps a mark of hope.

In the specific Maltese context, there may appear to be a sense of distraction with many issues that keep arising, but one thing is for sure: We seem to have a lot to say on our history as well as our present, particularly when it comes to those “pesky Europeans” which we love and hate in equal measure – especially when as Mediterraneans we feel European but also more than that.

With the specific context of Ukraine, and Malta’s membership in the EU as a neutral country, many of us are trying to say their bit. However, we also need political leadership, and as I remarked a few weeks ago, that is not as clear as it should be, especially when, for what it’s worth, word on the street (or perhaps on social media) is that Maltese society is not only divided as usual, but within the tribal divisions themselves there’s quite a constellation that, perhaps in Kantian manner (pun intended), tend to move from the sublime to the rather inane and ridiculous.

It is here that our politicians do need to pull up their proverbial socks and maybe decide to speak in one voice – at the very least on this one. And if they don’t agree, then we are owed an explanation which could help us mortals really understand their whys and wherefores.

If we want to ‘serve Kant’ to war and really desire a lasting peace sustained on justice in Ukraine, Gaza and beyond, we can’t resort to quick and lazy thinking. Nor should we simply rely on our long held tribal instincts, which as we are seeing everywhere, are not exactly a solution.