Lessons from Marsa: cultural city binned for regional approach

An initiative to elevate Marsa to ‘cultural 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 according to region.

The Marsa local council had presented a “robust, fully-costed programme” to lay claim to the grant, with mayor Josef Azzopardi taking issue with criticism that the port-town – associated with heavy industry 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 investment” on the same lines as other European cities.

But far from the Valletta 2018 experience, the initiative only betrayed the limitations of Maltese councils who are granted cash simply to fund an unchanging 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 residents’ gathering dubbed ‘Breakfast on the Bridge’ in May, an evening of Għana music in July, a joint ‘festa’ by the two parishes 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 December, a closing ceremony, band march and Christmas crib exhibition costing over €61,000.

The new arts ministry under Owen Bonnici 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 councils, NGOs and public cultural organisations 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 talent development, audience 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 careers in culture. “There are serious capacity limits for cultural organisations, with many struggling 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 audiences that are left out from events predominantly led by men – namely women – but also ethnic minority communities and people with disabilities.

By prioritising social inclusion as a principle for a dynamic and responsible cultural 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 assets are revitalised and re-imagined 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 resources.”

Many of the Maltese regions have their own strong heritage landscape, often characterised by historic buildings, feasts, band clubs or traditional approaches to music, crafts, agriculture and cuisine, and often linked to specific places – villages, towns, even neighbourhoods.

“Each region has a fascinating and, in some cases, dynamic contemporary cultural landscape – through the talent base of the people, the energy of the communities and through the fresh perspectives an increasingly diverse population brings,” Cauchi says. “The opportunity now is to recognise and celebrate these cultural assets, to be frank and open about gaps and challenges, and to develop a strategic process where culture can play a starring role in the social, economic and environmental futures of the regions of the Maltese Islands.”

Even regional and local councils will be obliged to address their cultural functions as outlined in the Local Government Act, by creating and maintaining cultural centres, local libraries, safeguard local identity and historical and cultural heritage, traditions and folklore, as well as extending assistance to artists within their locality to help them develop their talents.

Shared priorities for six regions

Connecting rural communities and smaller towns to build stronger cultural links and bring the countryside to the city and the city to the countryside. “It is vital that communities are both internally and externally connected, with opportunities for the members of the communities to participate in a range of cultural activities and to exchange and co-create new cultures which enhance well-being and facilitate a stronger sense of place.”

Building capacity in cultural infrastructure with a commitment to supporting emergent cultural organisations. “This also means the development of good governance practice in the selection of events, the utilisation of available resources, the methods of community engagement and the documentation and analysis of outcomes.”

Invigorating partnership and diversifying investment, with the need to reframe the approach to investment in culture, “also placing it at the heart of education, planning, health and well-being. This will require synergy between the various strategic stakeholders to develop a common cultural plan.” The formation of a Regional Cultural Committee – local councils, NGOs and creative practitioners – will facilitate more participatory decision-making.

European dimension to counteract a growing tendency towards insularity. “The region can be better connected to the rest of the world and would benefit from cultural exchange and partnerships with international partners.”

Evaluation and evidence. The outcomes of the cultural strategy must be measured to assist partners to identify ways to improve delivery and ensure that the vision and themes of the strategy are impactful over the long term. “This would help the implementers of the strategy to gain a better understanding of the assets of each locality within the region and gain valuable regional data about underutilised venues and how to better engage resident artists and NGOs based in the area.”