The budget allotted to the cultural sector has been increased by 25 per cent, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici said yesterday.

Addressing a press conference at the temporary headquarters of the newly set up national contemporary dance company, Dr Bonnici said the funds allocated to supporting culture had gone up from €30 million to €46 million.

Two thirds of the funds, €26.6 million, will be administered by the Culture Ministry, while the rest, €17.4 million, will be spread across several different ministries, which will also organise cultural activities.

These will include public outreach programmes in schools, which will be funded by the Education Ministry.

There are approximately 3,300 businesses involved in the cultural and creative economy, with around 10,400 people economically active in the sector. Dr Bonnici said the government wanted to increase the number of people who participated in the sector by helping to foster a professional environment in the arts.

We are committed to supporting the arts

“We are committed to supporting the arts, both in terms of educating the public and by providing an environment in which the cultural and creative industry can grow,” he said.

Choreographer Mavin Khoo, who heads the national contemporary dance company, Żfin Malta, shared the sentiment. He said one of his dancers had expressed disbelief when she resigned from her job as a pharmacist to pursue a professional career in the performing arts, something very few had been able to do.

Dr Bonnici said a number of funds had been bolstered to this end.

These include the Malta Arts Fund, which has been allocated a new €200,000 financing programme to support the exporting of creative work and artistic mobility.

This will be further supported by an additional €86,000 fund to help support cultural entities.

Work was also under way on the new National Art Museum, MUŻA, which is expected to be completed by 2018.

A number of fortifications, including Fort St Angelo and Fort St Elmo, are being transformed into museums while works for a new visitors’ centre at St Paul’s catacombs were near complete. A new baroque music ensemble has also been set up, Dr Bonnici said.