Gozo, the golden egg - 1

"Why kill the goose that lays the golden egg?" Astrid Vella, asked Dr Francis Zammit Dimech, Minister for Culture and Tourism. She's spokesperson for Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (Together for a Better Environment, www.ambjentahjar.org) the organisation of environmental activists.

His was the final presentation at Heritage Malta's third International Conference, entitled "Island Fragility and Cultural Resources". The minister's speech was pretty standard stuff: how important Malta's heritage is; how much Gozo has to offer; and how we need to strike a balance between cultural resources and economic development.

As for golden eggs, Ms Vella explained that, often through MEPA, decisions are made that would spoil some part of the country. Malta and Gozo are the geese, as she describes the fairy tale, and the golden egg is the islands' heritage that attracts tourists.

She continued: "While Government is sinking record amounts of funds into restoring its monuments, speaker after speaker today stressed that culture is more than churches and museums, it is the whole context of the country. Many spoke about the authenticity and distinctiveness of Gozo. Continue along the current path, overdevelop, overbuild and ...distinctiveness is gone." Because of Government's recent rationalisation scheme, more of Gozo's lands are being tossed to the winds of speculation.

"Why," she asked, "is Government killing the goose that lays the golden egg by backing projects like that proposed for Hondoq ir-Rummien in Qala? Both the Minister for Gozo and the Prime Minister have announced their support for it and yet permits from MEPA have not been approved or issued."

The minister replied that it is actually MEPA, the independent planning agency, which makes such decisions. Moreover, no application should be denied automatically, he said, before he hurriedly left the room.

It's compelling, this issue of cultural preservation vs. development - of protecting history at the sacrifice of new building - because in a sense it's a clash of cultures. Limited space overwhelmed by cultural riches. But also, as the conferees heard, cultural appreciation is being overwhelmed by pressure to build bigger buildings, higher towers, marinas... and pave more roads.

The problem for an island nation, the reason we are considered "fragile", is that very soon the builders run out of land to build on. Then what? Build over top of historic sites? Tear them down? Bulldoze them out of the way? These were some questions this conference dealt with.

Cultural heritage and balance of development
Dr Mario Tabone, chairman of Heritage Malta, opened the conference by focusing precisely on that issue: the problem of space and the balance of development, or building. "The policy of space creation is vital to our future," he maintained. "Our cultural heritage is the best aspect of this country. Do not let developers destroy our heritage, don't try to be everything to all people." Sound advice.

Speaking somewhat later, Economics Professor Lino Briguglio, noted however, "culture is costly to manage". In fact, he observed, some think we have too much heritage, so much that we can afford to sacrifice some.

What accounts for such an attitude? Professor Godfrey Baldacchino, of Prince Edward Island University in Canada and the University of Malta, seized the challenge, seeking to explain what's going on. Why aren't Maltese and Gozitans more forcefully protective of their amazing abundance of history?

Keying his discussion to a personal anecdote, he told a story of Roman catacombs. Some 25 years ago he bought a house in Marsascala near Catacombs Street. Searching for those catacombs, he discovered that they were built by the Romans and were actually underneath the street of that name. The shabby entrance, accessible with a key from the local council, was near an old detached villa. Recently, he looked for it again. Two new luxury villas had been built on the site and the ugly entrance was paved over.

"Out of sight, out of mind," he commented, "and that is a relief, since a much worse fate might have befallen them. The prevalent attitude continues to be to keep mum about any such discoveries" ...and avoid risking legal action to stop construction.

Professor Baldacchino's anecdote sharply illustrates the current disconnect between heritage and modern daily life. Heritage is recognised as important for tourism and tolerable if functional, he comments, but currently it is considered insufferable if it clashes with private interests, primarily regarding construction and development.

To what does he attribute this lack of interest in the past? Generally speaking, it's a lack of pride in the country's history, because much of it is not our history but rather that of foreign powers on the Maltese Islands; history taught in schools is for passing exams, not for appreciation; when it comes to contemporary history, there's no nationally agreed upon set of facts, "Malta holds a world record in having five national days."

Earlier events like the Shipwreck of St Paul in 60 AD, the Great Siege of 1565 or the uprising against the French (1798-1800) are acceptable because there is no Nationalist or Labour interpretation of them. They just happened.

In contrast to Malta, Gozo has a much stronger sense of a unified history and also "has some very serious claims to autonomy going back to Roman times and the period of the French occupation". Gozo's "definitive geography, its distinct culture and history can translate into a robust sense of self and civic pride".

This distinct sense of the past and present in Gozo, Professor Baldacchino sees as instructive for Gozitans, because "an equally distinctive future beckons." In short, Gozitans still have a chance.

Citizen action on Gozo

It's the Gozitans' shared sense of the spirit of place, of their rich culture, their many legends and their bountiful countryside that has inspired so much citizen action, relatively speaking, to protect their culture. Their appreciation of their island and its past as well as their strong sense of "Gozitan" identity enables them to see things in the long term.

The Ager Foundation
Recognising that economic development can cut both ways, that it can destroy and replace or it can preserve and enhance, the Ager Foundation is Gozo's leading promoter of agro- and eco-tourism. They involve visitors actively in preserving and enhancing local life, connecting the past with the future in an understandable and productive way.

To visitors, they present authentic Gozo through "experiential tourism". That means experiencing a day on a functioning farm, for example, with a shepherd teaching how to milk sheep and make gbejniet, or learning the secrets of traditional Gozitan cooking from a farmer's wife or how to make bobbin lace.

Fishing? Spend a day on a luzzu with a working fisherman and barbecue your catch for lunch.

Drinking? Homemade Gozitan wine is well known. Visitors can learn the home viniculture process and enjoy the vintner's earlier results.

Many participating visitors are urban Maltese bringing their children to learn where milk comes from or how to catch fish the traditional way. Guided tours of the island's Neolithic treasures or structures built by the Knights are also provided by knowledgeable Gozitans. These one-day visits are available seven days a week all year round for a reasonable fee that goes to support the hosts. www.agerfoundation.com It's a sound way of helping them through the leaner months.

What the Ager Foundation offers is the kind of Gozo experience discussed at the Heritage conference by Naomi Attard, segment head of Gozo-based holidays for the Malta Tourism Authority. She explained that her agency is now promoting Gozo as a distinct cultural destination.

Because of their exemplary efforts, a delegation from the Ager Foundation was invited to Turin last month to participate in the International Terra Madre Slow Food Fair. To the over 1,500 representatives from around the world, they explained their tourism ethos, how they involve tourists. Slow food? That means the communities represented produce clean, organic food in a responsible way that doesn't hurt the land.

Joining Foundation chairman Victor Galea in Turin at the meeting were Gozitan sheep farmers Marianna and Tereza Mercieca of Xewkija. They explained how they involve visitors and tourists in their daily work. Vintner Eugene Bajada of Munxar described showing visitors how to make homemade wine as well as the traditional ways to cook Gozitan sweets and other dishes.

Their message, like that of the Slow Food Fair, emphasises responsibility along with hospitality.

"When the culture of a place develops on two fronts - with those who visit and those who host - tourism becomes one of the keys to sustainable development, to equal exchanges and cultural enrichment. These provide the basis for new frontiers of responsible tourism and for companies working to create healthy economies."

Soon they'll initiate a "Slow Food Mediterranean Network" here in Malta/Gozo to disseminate the message to a much wider audience.

Farmer fought illegal quarries
In a sense, Toni Falzon pioneered this generation's citizen activism in Nadur. He recognised early on the need to protect farming, against the quick profit schemes of a couple of individual contractors.

As an organic farmer today, he grows his fruit and tomatoes nature's way in the valley below Nadur looking out over the Mediterranean Sea. When he was young, many more farmers worked these rocky fields. For some, cracking the hard rocks of the cliffside with wooden pegs made open space to grow apple trees. The valley became known for its orchards and fruit.

Someone else came along who was also interested in cracking rocks. A contractor who decided he'd quarry and crush them for cement. In 1963, he built a crusher nearby. What he saw as a source of free building supplies soon became a threat to the farmers.

Hard, sharp Qala rock, dislodged by explosions often sliced through the air and anything else in the way, flying into the farmers' fields. Fine white dust from the crushed stone covered the fruits and vegetables, stunting their growth.

Why not just put a stop to this illegal quarrying? Almost all the farmers were leery of picking a fight. Then in 1973, the quarry ran out of rock. Instead of quitting, the contractor moved on to dig another quarry and build another crusher. This time both were closer to the village centre. Fine white dust invaded the homes and even the church.

Young farmer Toni Falzon became an environmental activist. He tried talking to the elected politicians but they told him to go away. Despite physical threats and harassment, finally, he found a lawyer. For eight long years, he and his lawyer were in and out of court. Ultimately, they succeeded in shutting down the illegal operations. But that wasn't the end of it.

The notion of "free" materials appealed to another contractor who moved in and began to blast and crush the rock again. Enough!

This time Toni was not alone. Others from Nadur joined him in protest demonstrations. These public protests, empowered by another court case, finally shut down this second contractor. But only about a month ago did the real end come when the quarry was finally filled with stone.

Today, Toni and some like him are still farming in the valley. The abandoned crusher near their fields stands as a monument to his tenacity and a reminder that even alone, one man can make a difference. In retrospect, Toni's long struggle to protect farmers from the ravaging carelessness of short-sighted contractors is significant as a milestone along the way to sustainable development.

Farmers fight for citrus groves
To thrive, the citrus groves of Ramla Valley overlooking Ramla Bay need fresh natural water. Luckily they get it because the clay through which the water flows, acts as a sponge retaining the water until it is drawn upon. In this valley, between the springs and the rain water coursing down from the garigue, 40,000 litres of fresh, pure water are produced every 12 hours or so.

Combined with the fertile land and an encouraging climate, conditions are right for some of the lemon trees actually to produce fresh lemons every month. But even on a more modest scale of production, these citrus trees produce some of the best fruit on the island. In addition to the farmers' knowledgeable care, all that's required is fresh, clean, natural water. For millennia, nature has provided that in abundance.

Complementing the citrus groves are ancient carob trees and olive trees. And together, they produce not only fruit but a view of nature and the sea that is pure poetry.

Who could ask for anything more?

Well, actually, the archpriest of Nadur. He wants to turn the high ground above the citrus groves of Ramla Valley and Ramla Bay into a cemetery. According to Martin Camilleri, president of the farmers' co-operative, doing so will contaminate much of the fresh natural water needed in the groves, cutting back on the amount of fruit they can produce.

When some farmers met with him, the archpriest explained that there was a borehole near the present cemetery. Martin Camilleri points out that the borehole is 130 metres deep and the water there is contaminated anyway, so it should not present a problem. On the land where the archpriest wants to build a new cemetery, the pure, fresh water is only 30 cm below the surface. The cemetery will contaminate at least some of the water.

Because of the structure of the rocks and clay, the water will swirl around the graves and then funnel down to the citrus groves in the valley below and on into Ramla Bay.

Twice MEPA had rejected the archpriest's application but recently, on the third appeal, it was approved. Now the farmers' co-operative is appealing the decision but they don't have much hope. The local council could step in but they don't want to appear to be going against the church.

For the farmers, there's another aspect to the public relations problem. Even for those whose water will not be contaminated, there's unease about growing fruit downstream from a graveyard. "Who will eat my oranges then?" asks Martin Camilleri.

Appeal of Hondoq's abandoned quarry
Not far from Nadur and Ramla Bay, a developer looked at an abandoned quarry with a beach and small dock below Qala where people go to swim and barbecue. The water is pristine, the beach is open and the land was owned by the Augustinian order in Malta. The water could be a yacht marina and the quarry, a five-star hotel. He made the order an offer, which they accepted. They agreed that if it is ever permitted to build on the site, he'd pay them more.

The architect responsible for Portomaso and Cottonera drew up a Project Development Statement and four years ago, in 2002, they submitted it to MEPA.

Meetings and challenges and protests followed. The people of Qala united to oppose this project. It deprived them of their beach; exposed them to years of construction-related inconvenience; and essentially diminished their quality of life. Who needed that? Not the people of Qala. In a referendum, more than 85 per cent of them voted No.

Four years passed and, probably encouraged by the government's "rationalisation scheme", the Project Development Statement for the "Qala Creek Yacht Marina and Tourist Complex" has resurfaced. Same plans, same players and the same disregard for community concerns.

It's not just Qala that will be affected. All of Gozo and in some instances, Comino, will suffer from the altered coastline, the heavy yacht traffic and a disproportionate number of day trippers who, instead of touring Gozo, will more likely swim or stay on board their vessels and party.

The project's overarching goal is: "The enhancement of the Maltese Islands' objective to act as an international hub for yachting and marine activities in the Mediterranean Sea. The development of the location as a destination port where yachts and boats can anchor in order to enjoy day/short-stay trips."

Gozo will suffer the ripple effect. There's no stated intention to promote the spirit, heritage or culture of Gozo. Not surprisingly, people from other parts of the island are adding their support to the Phase II group of community activists in Qala. See their Website www.soshondoq.

blogspot.com.

"Hondoq Needs You" reads their flyer in Maltese. Distributed by SOS Movement leader Paul Buttigieg at the Heritage Malta conference, he thrust one into the hand of Minister Zammit Dimech as the minister was rushing out.

The aim of the movement is to rehabilitate the disused quarry into a national park where everyone can enjoy the beauty of nature as was previously listed in the Gozo Local Plan.

In August, the Gozo and Comino Local Plan was approved and announcement flyers recently were distributed to local homes. Under normal circumstances, that pubic action would ensure that the Qala Creek project would be tossed out, denied. But this project calls for eternal vigilence.

A few weeks ago, a luxury passenger yacht carrying 110 people on her maiden trip stopped for half a day near Dwerja. Passengers were entertained by folklore displays - offered with the compliments of the Ministry for Gozo in collaboration with the Gozo Culture Department and the MTA and served traditional food, an initiative organised by the Gozo Ministry Secretariat ...not a good sign for the SOS Hondoq Movement.

Moreover, The Times reported that these yacht owners believe Gozo has potential as a marina day stop for the smaller cruise ships. If an investment is made in Gozo's cruise infrastructure, they say, it will not be too long before Gozo will start attracting numerous ships just as the Greek island of Santorini does. With that comes traffic, pollution and difficult swimming conditions.

To be concluded