The Valletta 2018 Foundation has embarked on a journey since Valletta was officially declared European Capital of Culture back in October 2012. It’s a journey towards creating an innovative and diverse cultural programme that will leave behind a legacy which will live on beyond 2018.
The cultural events that the Valletta 2018 Foundation creates are not only quality events, but also communal ones which bring people together, as the title for European Capital of Culture is one which everyone living in Malta and Gozo can celebrate. To accomplish this, the Valletta 2018 Foundation is organising a number of initiatives as part of the run up to 2018.
For October, the Valletta 2018 Foundation has created events which people from all walks of life can enjoy. The first event for the month is intended to honour our Maltese roots and our love of food with the L-Ikla t-Tajba project. Using local, fresh ingredients to create tasty dishes, teens from Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, under the supervision of head chef David Darmanin, have prepared a varied menu which they will be selling as street food from a pop-up kitchen during Notte Bianca. From scrumptious spring rolls and kebabs to delectable ftizzas (a ftira and pizza hybrid) and hot dogs, there’s more than enough to whet people’s appetite.
That’s not the only thing planned for Notte Bianca. The Valletta 2018 Foundation has also teamed up with Mdina Glass to work on a lantern installation which will illuminate Strait Street during the night. Like last year, Porte des Bombes will also be opened to the general public. An exhibition featuring art works created by children during the Kanta Kantun project will also be on at St James Cavalier during the night.
The Valletta 2018 Foundation has also teamed up with Teatru Manoel to work on a joint production: Dido and Aeneas. The production, written by Henry Purcell, features the talented Teatru Manoel Youth Opera and the Valletta International Baroque Ensemble. The opera, which will be on at Teatru Manoel on October 9 and 11, recounts the tragic love story of Virgil’s titular characters.
On October 22 and 23, the Valletta 2018 Foundation is hosting an international conference at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. Titled Cultural Mapping: Debating Spaces and Places, the conference invites academics, researchers and practitioners to discuss cultural mapping, the practice of documenting and mapping spaces used for cultural events and activities, within a Euro-Mediterranean and international context.
The Valletta 2018 Foundation will be heading to Gozo on October 24 and 25 to set up the Qatt Ma Ninsa project in Pjazza Indipendenza, Rabat. Expect a trip down memory lane while traditional Maltese recipes from the pre-war period from a pop-up kitchen are served or while you dedicate a candle to someone you once knew at the candle memorial. Entertainment will be provided by popular band Cash and Band and a special performance by Naupaca Dance Factory inspired by the memories of fellow Gozitans. Two exhibitions will also be on, one organised in collaboration with Heritage Malta which explores Gozo’s maritime past and its link to Malta, while the other displays objects from the daily lives of present-day Gozitans along with stories from their owners. The public is invited to bring with them old photographs, recipes or objects and to share their stories with the Memory Officers at the event.
To finish off the month on a musical note, the Valletta 2018 Foundation has joined forces with Modern Music Days and Teatru Manoel on Ionisation for 13 percussionists, a concert featuring the Italy-based Ars Ludi Ensemble joined by local percussionists.
To fully realise its vision, the Valletta 2018 Foundation has given its projects both a Maltese and European identity, in order for them to leave a long-lasting cultural legacy and impression on our islands that will continue to live on beyond 2018.