The European Capital of Culture can be the catalyst for the regeneration of a city, say V-18 artistic programme directors Coryse Borg and Ruben Zahra.
As a capital, Valletta is part of our collective consciousness – however, it’s also a personal, individual space. What does Valletta mean to you?
Coryse Borg: Throughout different periods of my life, Valletta has meant various things to me. When I was a child, my grandmother and aunts had a shop in the capital. I often used to go there with my mother and I loved the fact that I could run up and down Republic Street without the fear of being run over, except by the occasional fast walker or short-sighted tourist.
As a drama-obsessed teenager, Valletta was the place where I went to drama school – at the Manoel Theatre Academy of Dramatic Art – most evenings and to the theatre on weekends. Then when I finished University, it became the place where I worked.
Now, as a V-18 artistic programme director, I see it as a stunning capital city which has been given an incredible opportunity to demonstrate its beauty and heritage to the world, while helping us show what we are capable of.
Ruben Zahra: I have to admit that like most Maltese, I sort of always took Valletta for granted. Some five years ago I was comparing favourite travel destinations with a very well-travelled businessman from Belgium. We both agreed on Venice as our first pick as a unique historical cultural centre. My second destination however was Rome while his was Valletta. I was surprised that out of all the cities in the world he would choose Valletta. From that day onwards I began to experience Valletta in a totally different way, like a traveller seeing Valletta for the very first time.
It’s amazing how this truly beautiful and unique city revealed itself in a totally new way.
Valletta holds centuries of memories – yet for the first time in decades, the city is also thinking about the future. How will V-18 change Valletta?
CB: Anyone who visits Valletta cannot help being struck by its uniqueness. V-18 will bring Valletta’s inimitable characteristics to a larger audience. However, it will also instil an even greater pride in us Maltese. Past and present will merge to create an even brighter future for this remarkable city.
RZ: I believe that the future depends on the implementation of infrastructure that empowers cultural stakeholders to create and produce. By infrastructure I mean performance spaces with the adequate instruments and equipment. It’s futile building a hospital without the supporting equipment, just as much as it’s useless to have a music centre without a piano, recording facilities and lighting. I am always embarrassed when I travel to international festivals as a composer and experience the facilities of other cities. From a cultural infrastructural perspective, Malta is in the Third-World category.
For V-18, all Valletta will be a stage – but what are the long-term aims of V-18?
CB: Apart from putting Valletta on the world stage and generating more jobs in the creative sector, ultimately I am hoping that V-18 makes people realise that, apart from being the heart and spirit of human beings, culture also brings with it pride, integration and employment. Culture should not be considered in isolation. Through V-18, people in the arts should be helped to develop their economic potential and creativity.
RZ: V-18 can be the catalyst for the regeneration of a city. This concerns not only the cultural stakeholders but also the community. European Capital of Culture is an opportunity for the people to rethink the city by using culture to make Valletta a better city.
I believe that the long-term commitment of V-18 is to design the right strategy so that Valletta can become a model for other small cities in Europe.
What does your role as a V-18 artistic programme director entail?
CB: Together with my colleagues, I am taking care of the programme of events leading to, during and after 2018. One of the projects I am currently spearheading is an exciting new venture called Band on the Run. V-18 and the Malta Band Club Association are currently collaborating on this project, which will see a number of members from different band clubs coming together to perform a number of flash mob-style musical numbers in different localities. The main aims of the project are to bring the reality of the band club culture to an audience made up of people who perhaps would not normally experience it. This project will also demonstrate to the general public the valid contribution band clubs give to local communities, enable a new and revitalised approach to this art form through the legacy of creating a new band out of existing ones, and be the catalyst into awakening society to the possibilities and reality of V-18.
It’s eventually envisaged that the band may become the official V-18 band that grows and develops together with the Valletta 2018 Foundation’s vision and remit. We are looking to have our first event at the beginning of December
RZ: All artistic programming directors have a good understanding of the local cultural scenario. This means that we are well aware of the problems and issues that need to be addressed. We are also aware of the unique fabric that contributes towards our cultural identity. So our role as artistic programme directors will be on one hand to improve the local cultural backdrop and on the other to celebrate our unique cultural identity within a European context.
Given your experience and involvement in arts, what do you bring to your role and to V-18 in general?
CB: I have been involved – and immersed – in the arts ever since I was very young and have worked not only as an actress and director, but also under various other guises. Through my role in V-18, I would like to accomplish two main things: to instil a true love for the arts in the younger generations so that they grow up with the realisation of all that they have to offer; and to make Valletta and Malta a showcase for the many talented people we have.
RZ: My main professional commitment is that of a music composer. Therefore I intend to contribute to the artistic programming with my own projects that are designed around the themes and priorities of V-18. As artistic programme director I want to contribute towards a strategy to achieve artistic excellence. Every year I am invited to showcase my music in about 10 different countries. This international network gives me the opportunity to experience a variety of advanced cultural scenarios. Therefore my proposals to develop our local cultural platform are based on effective contemporary models that I have personally experienced through my work.
Valletta isn’t just the stones and walls – it’s also the nation. How will V-18 involve people of all ages and backgrounds?
CB: V-18 is for everyone – all people, young and old, from all backgrounds, can contribute with their ideas and participate in this unique opportunity through the many events and activities taking place.
RZ: The cultural regeneration of a city is very much about the people living in that city – the community. The artistic programming for V-18 will target all ages, not only in terms of audiences but also in terms of reciprocity – including the audience as part of the creative process. European Capital of Culture is not about niche artistic events or mass entertainment – rather, it’s about creating events of high artistic excellence that are accessible to the largest possible audience. I feel this is our challenge as artistic programme directors of V-18.