At the cutting edge of culture

There seems to be a lack of awareness of the legal frameworks of cultural institutions in Malta. In 2002, two important Acts were set up by law in order to provide for contemporary practices and needs in this sector:

The Malta Council for Culture and the Arts was set up by Act V CAP444 of 2002 in order "to promote Malta's culture through all forms of creative expression and to increase the accessibility of the public to the arts, and enhance Malta's cultural heritage locally and abroad".

The MCCA took over from what was known as the Department of Culture which was part of the Ministry of Culture. It is authorised and obliged by the Act, among other objectives, to advance funds allocated by the government for the management, administration and operational requirements of the following entities: Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, the Manoel Theatre, the Mediterranean Conference Centre, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity.

Similarly, cultural heritage, which was formerly run by the Department of Museums, is now taken over by Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and Heritage Malta which were set up by the Cultural Heritage Act, Act VI of 2002.

The link between all the cultural entities and the Ministry is the Cultural and Audiovisual Unit. I will not go into the workings of the cultural heritage entities as this would better be described by them. It is the aim of this article to bring about an awareness of the legal frameworks and structured relationship between the entities and the Ministry of Culture while focusing finally on MCCA's mission.

The MCCA is seeking to achieve its success as a relational leader that is leading by inspiring and motivating the cultural institutions that fall under its remit, as this is considered to be best practice in today's cultural context. Working together with all the cultural institutions is the only way to reach our goals and we are determined to see this through. It is true that the current lack of resources and basic lack of structures in the arts result in a siege-mentality whereby each organisation becomes territorial in order to protect its own turf. This has been recognised by the government and incentives to overcome these problems are being addressed. The leadership of the MCCA in this regard is therefore vital. An important aim of the MCCA is to promote accessibility and participation in the arts, especially as public funds are the main source of income for the MCCA and the entities.

One of the advantages of the setting up of the MCCA rather than remaining a Department of Culture, is that programming and cultural funding are not politically influenced, but choice is based on criteria of excellence, creativity, accessibility and participation. However, since we are public funded, we are obliged to follow government financial regulations and are governed by the Public Administration Act so as to provide transparency and responsibility.

The MCCA has been working on the National Cultural Policy, as the legal advisor to government on culture, together with the Ministry of Culture. The draft policy, as it currently stands, has identified guidelines and a 21st century vision for culture that needs to be addressed with urgency. The next and vital phase is that each entity responsible for the various measures must provide and carry out viable strategies to enable this policy to come to fruition. The National Cultural Policy 2009 focuses on the cultural development needs in Malta. These will include:

• improved cultural governance structures;

• international cultural cooperation;

• strengthening the professional status of the artist;

• articulating the specific needs of the arts, heritage and audiovisuals;

• development of the cultural and creative industries;

• recognition of cultural rights, cultural socialisation and cultural inclusion;

• ensuring the long-term sustainability of the cultural sector.

The MCCA is seeking to address contemporary and future needs of culture and the arts in Malta by identifying its responsibilities through strategic planning. We strive to be measured by standards of quality and excellence, putting into all our cultural organisations our passion and dedication towards our culture and the arts, which ultimately gives us our identity as Maltese.

I feel confident that through the many measures that are taking place, thanks to a very small but driven workforce, we will succeed in our vision in leading the way forward in culture and the arts in Malta, fostering public trust and importantly, creating cultural value.

Ms Galea is the executive director of the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts.