The excellent news that Valletta has been awarded the accolade of becoming one of Europe’s Capitals of Culture in 2018 is a tribute to the efficient team that has been working on Malta’s bid for the past three years.
It is also a great credit to the way in which the whole of the country unified behind the bid with all local councils agreeing that there should be one common application in the name of Valletta.
The award is a great honour for Malta. More than that, however, it is a wonderful example of what the island can achieve if it adopts a bipartisan approach to tackling a project without the backbiting and political infighting that so often characterise such matters.
It is hoped that this will continue to be the case, whichever party is in government, over the next five years leading up to 2018.
The Valletta 2018 Foundation, operating under the leadership of architect David Felice, must feel enormously encouraged that its bid has succeeded.
Valletta will be joining Athens, Paris, Liverpool, Glasgow, Florence, Prague and Madrid – a stellar group of cities – and others in the honour of becoming the European Capital of Culture. It will be the smallest capital ever to enjoy this accolade, though, rightly, Valletta’s bid will in practice embrace the whole of Malta and Gozo in its execution.
The hard work that has led to this point, however, will be dwarfed by the challenges that now lie ahead.
Preparing to be the Capital of Culture will entail the most meticulous coordination and planning, whether by the Valletta 2018 Foundation or by a range of government departments, ranging from culture and environment to infrastructure, local government and resources.
The various capital investments now moving apace in Valletta must be completed in order to showcase this outstanding historic capital city in all its splendour and beauty.
At the strategic level, liaison between the Government, local councils and the Valletta Foundation must be close and seamless in its execution.
The Valletta Foundation has branded its bid Imagine 18. This has a most ambitious and worthy aim, no less than “a long-term, culture-led regeneration that sees cultural and creative activity as the most dynamic facet of Valletta’s and Malta’s socio-economic life”.
It is a vision that is inspired by the national cultural policy, identifying culture as “the driving force in building individual creative careers while promoting well-being”.
This award is regarded as more than just an opportunity to show off the beauty of our cultural heritage. It is seen as a stepping-stone to realise the potential of cultural enterprise and to provide a five-year plan for capacity-building in the cultural field. It strives to bring about shifts in mentality, challenging us to experiment and raising our expectations.
Most commendably, Imagine 18 aims to do this by encouraging wide participation of individuals and organisations from different parts of Maltese society. The long-term legacy for Malta lies in what it could do for our attitudes to culture as a nation in general.
Imagine 18 has to be seen not just as a flash in the pan for one year – important and exciting though that will be – but as the creative vision for the whole of Malta, which translates into cultural structures, activities and initiatives that bring tangible benefits to our art, music, heritage and our quality of life.
This is the real significance of Malta’s award as Europe’s Capital of Culture.