V18 chairman announces six-hour extravaganza to commemorate Valletta's founding

A six-hour hour show, Pageant of the Seas, will be organised next year to commemorate the founding of the capital city, V18 Foundation chairman Jason Micallef said tonight.

Speaking on tonight’s edition of Reporter, Micallef explained that Pageant of the Seas, which will be held in the Grand Harbour, will involve a number of activities coordinated by V18 Artistic Director Mario Philip Azzopardi.

Micallef came to the director’s defence after MaltaToday’s culture editor Teodor Reljic made reference to Azzopardi’s Islamophobic rant by insisting that all he was interested in was in Azzopardi’s work in his V18 role.

Azzopardi will be judged once the activities and events, including the Pageant of the Seas, will be over, Micallef added.

In the Facebook rant, Azzopardi had lashed out against Sharia law, claiming that all Muslims by proxy follow the same law and that it is only those who refuse it that deserve to ‘join our club’. Azzopardi went on to say that he would make sure that any ‘idiot’ who follows Sharia law should not attain any political power, ‘at the risk of using violence against him’.

Reljic also criticised the Artistic Hubs, insisting that while it was a good idea, residents were concerned that the “imposed” hubs will result in excessive noise and other inconveniences. But Micallef claimed that residents were consulted and the hubs will revive neglected areas in the capital.

“Valletta is not a museum and should provide alternative entertainment spaces,” Micallef said. 

Denying that he wants to turn Valletta into another Paceville, Micallef fended off Reljic’s criticism on the proposed beer festival in Valletta. The V18 chairman said the way things are developing in Strait Street, confirms that Valletta “never was and will never be another Paceville.”

Highlighting the capital’s infrastructural problems, Valletta mayor Alexei Dingli underlined the importance of involving the residents in all events planned for the V18 celebrations.