There is a tendency to be lulled into a false sense of security when money is thrown at a problem. And when the amount runs into the millions, then that tendency risks becoming a foregone conclusion.

The Arts Council recently announced that it is getting €10 million to use for artists and cultural organisations for a five-year period, which will help no fewer than 750 projects and beneficiaries.

It is part of an investment of €52.2 million for 2016 alone, according to Culture Minister Owen Bonnici, not only a substantial increase of 39 per cent on the amount for 2015 but also the first time that culture will be allocated more than one per cent of the government’s budget. Dr Bonnici pointed out that this means €122 for each member of the population.

The problem is that money is rarely enough to change trends. The policy has to cover four aspects: the demand – in other words, the audiences; the events; the performers; and the policy’s administrators.

Starting with audiences, there are enough statistics to show that there is a problem at grass roots level: a Eurobarometer survey in 2013 reported that 82 per cent of the Maltese did not take part in any artistic activity the previous year – the second lowest level in the EU.

This seems to clash with a report from the National Statistics Office for that year which showed that over half a million people attended cultural events organised by local councils, perhaps down to different definitions of the events. But there is clearly a thirst for events – particularly when they are free: just under 99 per cent of those who went to the local councils’ 593 events did not have to pay. So who funded these events? The NSO reported that 64.6 per cent came from government.

This is worrying, as it fuels the perception that there is no money to be made from art and that is must always rely on government hand-outs. The so-called Creative Economy project had found that the 2013 arts festival got a return of €1.3 for every €1 spent, when you considered not only direct revenue from tickets but also the indirect spending on restaurants, bars and shops. For the year as a whole, the study found that festivals and concerts generated €1.2 million in direct revenue and €345,000 in indirect.

So much for the audiences and for the events; what about the performers? There were 188 performing arts schools or tutors in 2013, with over 9,000 students. But there is a worrying trend: only 20 per cent of the performers were over 18. Why do so many of our talented youngsters fail to make the transition to talented adults? How will the arts fund help to keep them motivated, to remove the economic hurdles, to help them balance the family and work pressure with the time needed to practice, perform and create?

That leaves the administration of art and culture. As with most other aspects of Maltese life, the sad reality undermining all the good intentions is poor governance, overblown egos, political interference and knee-jerk reactions. Frequent changes in top executives, unclear designations, last-minute attempts to shore up lacklustre line-ups… Money will not solve any of these problems – if anything it will generate more greed.

Art and culture are the privileges of civilisation. They are a manifestation of personal development, a fount of innovation and inspiration, an enticement to visitors – whether businessmen or tourists – and a source of pride and patriotism.

Money is an enabler. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.