Minister’s ‘artist-IQ’ comment earns him rebuke from arts and entertainment industry

A slip of the tongue from arts and culture minister José Herrera has earned him a lashing from the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA), after he claimed the arts were “more of a vocation” than a gainful occupation or business.

Herrera’s comments to journalists in a press conference on Monday, in which he said “the artist’s IQ is not so business-oriented” - a response to Net News on the support for artists during the COVID-19 pandemic - earned him rebuke from the MEIA.

“These comments, which are contradictory to the actual press conference he was part of, insult hundreds of people employed and self-employed in the sectors as well as the creative entrepreneurs who have built the industry through decades of hard work and investment,” the MEIA said.

The association said Herrera’s statement was also confusing since it contradicted what he outlined in the press conference, reaffirming that the economic data clearly shows the positive contribution of the creative sectors to Malta’s economy, surpassing other sectors. “Such comments, which might have had a different intention, can have a devastating effect and counteract all possible efforts and sacrifices made by the various sectors as well as other Ministries to respond to the current crisis.”

The MEIA said such sentiments fuel a narrative that belittles artists at a time when they require support, and called on Herrera to apologise to professionals working in the hardest-hit industry.

Record producer Howard Keith Debono also said he was offended by Herrera’s chosen words. “I’m sure the intention might have been different, but this is exactly the kind of narrative I have been fighting against all my life. Let us not go back to the days where the word career in the arts was not even an option or laughed at,” Debono said.