A recent interview in The Sunday Times of Malta with outgoing St James Cavalier general manager Chris Gatt should be obligatory reading  starting with our own Culture Parliamentary Secretary.

In a one-page interview, Mr Gatt managed to nail down all that is wrong with such an important facet of our society and why the Maltese rank in the European cultural hall of shame.

The Maltese are the least interested in going to the theatre in the EU and the least likely Europeans to dance or sing, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey. The Maltese are also the second least interested in visiting museums and galleries, after Cyprus.

Sadly, there is reason to believe the figures will become even more embarrassing as culture is clearly an inconvenient footnote for this government. Moreover, it seems to be a recruitment agency for those who could not be given a job anywhere else. Since last March, we have witnessed a culling exercise of some of the best artistic brains in the island. Sadly, in several cases they were shoved out to make way for party acolytes.

The arms-length policy approach adopted by the previous government for most artistic and funding decisions has gone out of the window.

From the very outset, Culture Parliamentary Secretary José Herrera gave indications he was unsuitable for the job when he mulled the idea of having three carnivals a year. Talk about populism!

How are we to move ahead with a cut in the arts council’s budget? Why are culture boards still appointed by ministers, which, with all due respect, might not really know much about the area? Why are we still without an artistic director for the Valletta 2018 celebrations?

Instead, the artistic community could only cringe when, last Wednesday, we were regaled with more dumbfounding ‘initiatives’ for V-18: a revamped Malta Fashion Week, a Valletta Green Consciousness Festival and, wait for it, an Under-17 Football Tournament!

Clearly, this government still cannot grasp that V-18 is not merely a platform to boost the country’s tourism figures but a wonderful opportunity to imbue our citizens with culture.

The government appears to be going towards mass-market culture, which leaves little room for diversification or originality. Of course, carnivals and village feasts have their own cultural appeal but it is also the government’s duty to try to entice people to attend festivals, drama productions and quality events.

What is equally worrying is the artistic community, as Mr Gatt rightly pointed out. While in private, the majority are lamenting the sorry state of our culture, in public they are afraid to speak because, they claim, Malta is too small. The answer is education. Teachers should take a good look at themselves and realise the important role they play. For too long the message relayed to our children has been that the arts are an unnecessary distraction.

What books are our students reading? Are students being given enough time for creative thinking beyond their textbooks? We should collectively ask whether our certain exhibitions and cultural manifestations are too expensive? And why aren’t people bothering to go to art galleries if they are free, as is often the case?

Exposure to culture does not only mean more bums on seats. Culture is not just a product to be sold to foreigners. It’s about life skills, confidence, creativity, critical analysis and self-expression.

All these will eventually impact society and the economy positively. If our leaders are unable to understand that, they are in the wrong job.

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