Din l-Art Helwa - 40 years as a saviour of historic sites

Over 20 mediaeval, 17th century and 19th century historic sites and monuments in Malta would have been lost had Din l-Art Helwa, the heritage NGO, not been founded in 1965 and intervened to save them, its executive president Martin Scicluna said yesterday.

Since it was set up, DLH, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, has restored 23 sites and intends to complete four more restoration projects, including the Delimara lighthouse and the Sta Lucija chapel.

Thirteen of the properties, including its headquarters, are now in its hands and have been opened to the public. They continue to be conserved and are used regularly to be kept alive, Mr Scicluna said.

DLH was also working towards a management partnership agreement with Heritage Malta to be able to use its own volunteers for the day-to-day running of sites. Mr Scicluna was speaking on the occasion of the launch of a programme of events to celebrate the NGO's 40th anniversary and he outlined its achievements over the years.

He paid tribute to Judge Maurice Caruana Curran, the founder president of DLH, and to whom the existence of the heritage NGO is largely owed.

None of DLH's achievements over the years would have been possible without the early leadership and inspiration of Judge Caruana Curran, who dedicated 40 years of his life to upholding the cause of Malta's cultural heritage, Mr Scicluna said, describing his creation of DLH as a "timely and far-seeing act".

DLH was founded to safeguard Malta's cultural heritage and natural environment. Primarily a lobbying association, it also took on a hands-on restoration and conservation role, Mr Scicluna said.

He stressed that the NGO had always spoken its mind "without fear or favour" and that it never made any political distinctions.

The government's awareness of Malta's heritage and the environment had increased enormously over the last few years but the problem was that good intentions were not always followed up by implementation. The focus was in the right direction but needed to be translated into action, Mr Scicluna said.

Malta had undergone a process of deterioration since DLH was set up but it could still be referred to as din l-art helwa (our charming homeland) - although it was in danger of losing that title if a concerted effort were not made to halt its "uglification".

DLH is launching a number of award schemes to mark its anniversary. These include the 40th Anniversary Silver Medal Award For Outstanding Service To DLH, the Award For Architectural Heritage and the Award For Cultural Heritage Journalism, in association with the Institute of Maltese Journalists.

The silver medal is aimed at recognising loyal and meritorious service of its volunteers, while the Journalism Award for Built Cultural Heritage is being presented annually for published articles that make an outstanding contribution to the better appreciation of Malta's built cultural heritage.

The annual award for architectural heritage is aimed at encouraging more awareness among architects and developers in the restoration of buildings and their adaptation for new uses, Mr Scicluna said.

Other highlights of the wide-ranging calendar of events include the organisation from April of public tours to DLH properties to encourage access.

An International Music Festival is being held in May, with four concerts at the mediaeval chapel of Bir Miftuh.

On the exact day of the foundation - July 9 - DLH is hoping to inaugurate the complete restoration of the tower of Sta Marija on Comino.

At the end of April, it intends to organise a reunion for ex-Teenagers Din L-Art Helwa, who are not easy to trace, many of them being in their 50s and over.

DLH currently has some 2,000 members, having doubled the figure over the last four years. But it is always seeking to increase the number.

Mr Scicluna pointed out that youths did not show enough interest and that, despite its efforts and initiatives, targeting schoolchildren was an "uphill struggle".