I could not help wondering what made the editors of Malta 50 Years of Independence 1964-2014 (a Times of Malta/Allied publication) opt to feature photos of the official anniversary visit of William the Duke of Cambridge in 60 out of 160 beautiful coloured pages.

While the obvious journalistic imbalance gives little credible credit to the title of the souvenir book, it definitely blocked out so many other national aspects of those 50 years which were unfortunately left out.

It is mnemonic products like this from an established national institution like Times of Malta that unwittingly contribute to a memory malady that perpetuates our distorted identity.

It is already incomprehensible how the organisers thought of inviting the future king of Malta’s ex-colonizer to officially celebrate 50 years of independence – as if one still needs the stamp of paternalistic approval for the progress which we made – but to give a disservice to the community in such a well-produced milestone commemoration does not seem to help to attain the universal multicultural identity that we all strive for.

Editorial note: The pictures of the Duke of Cambridge, who was invited by the government as guest of honour, had no bearing on the coverage dedicated to the other subjects related to independence.