With the 2013 edition – its 37th to date – of the annual L-Għanja tal-Poplu festival only days away, there’s little left to do now bar the odd final touch here and there, before the curtain goes up to offer the stage to the 19 participating acts that made it to this year’s final.

The popular event, one of the few local music festivals dedicated to songs sung in Maltese, will be held this Saturday at the University of Malta. As the bands and artists busy themselves rehearsing for the big night, we spoke to Prof. Manwel Mifsud, a Maltese language university academic who has been involved in the local music scene for many years.

Apart from writing several songs with social themes, among them Vassalli, Għajnejn Sbieħ, April and Għanja lil-Libertà, Prof. Mifsud has won the festival six times and translated several popular foreign folk songs into Maltese.

His work on the religious album Ikun li Trid Int is a classic in its genre, and remains as popular now as it was on its release in the mid-1970s. Prof. Mifsud has written articles and papers about the development of Maltese music from għana to kanzunetta, and produced a series of radio programmes on the subject.

He was also among the group of Youth Travel Circle members who launched the L-Għanja tal-Poplu festival in 1973, which makes him the perfect person to talk to about the recent resurgence of the Maltese language in the local music scene.

In recent years, the Maltese language is becoming more prominent in contemporary music locally…

In the past, say 60 or 70 years ago, Maltese was first and foremost a spoken language, and yet, despite being our national language, it wasn’t the primary language in our courts, churches or even the Civil Service.

By tradition, these used Italian or English, which practice relegated Maltese to being simply a ‘language for the kitchen’. These were also early days for the kanzunetta Maltija which, gradually evolving in parallel and in mutual contact with the makkjetta, was generally inspired by local themes of a folkloristic or humorous nature.

From the 1970s onwards, however, the Maltese song took on a deeper meaning, reflecting more of the social and cultural situations of its time, and it is this aspect that the Youth Travel Circle’s festival has helped bring out more of in our popular music. In a way, it was the musical equivalent of the revolution that shook Malta’s literary scene in the 1960s.

The problem today, as I see it, is that while the Maltese language has consolidated its position as the national language, there seems to be a tendency among Maltese families to talk with children solely in English. It’s a debatable choice – in my opinion the wrong one – but it’s there and we must both acknowledge and respect it for what it is.

Oddly enough, Maltese has made it into Parliament and the European fora, but back home it seems to be losing its place in the kitchen. As a result of this, and due to the increasing influence of English language songs, the majority of our young songwriters tend to write and sing almost exclusively in English. This is at the risk of eliminating the use of Maltese entirely as an artistic medium in our popular music.

Fortunately, the old roots seem to have found their way to the present, and many local acts, such as Brikkuni, Kantilena, Hooligan and several others are embracing the Maltese language in the same genres and rhythms that exist in contemporary music elsewhere.

At the same time, their themes tend to have a local feel, reflecting the mindset of today’s Maltese youth. Whether this renewed interest in Maltese is just a passing fad or the beginning of a new spring for the kanzunetta Maltija is not easy to predict, but I believe this interest needs to be recognised, supported and nurtured so it can continue to grow and evolve.

How important are festivals like L-Għanja tal-Poplu in their impact on the Maltese identity in music?

I feel the Maltese have always held back from making themselves noticed, perhaps because we don’t believe enough in ourselves. This is evident in the fact that, while other larger and more cosmopolitan countries openly promote their own product, the minute a local person or company tries to do the same, their efforts are quickly shot down by those claiming that we no longer live in an era of patriotism.

As I see it, it is the latter party that remains shackled by a perpetual inferiority complex. We are not a big or small population, we are not better or worse than others, but we are our own people, and we exist with our own characteristics, history, tastes, language and identity.

It is precisely this message which, in its own sweet yet obstinate manner, L-Għanja tal-Poplu has sought to convey these past 40 years or so. To its credit, it has successfully evolved over time to keep attracting and motivating new generations of Maltese artists.

I personally feel that the Maltese state, which spends considerable sums of money in other musical projects, some even less authentic, should support and encourage any musical initiative that strives to enable the Maltese people to be more comfortable with its identity. And since popular music is a strong means of communication, it is also the duty of our media to offer it adequate support and promote it as much as possible.

What else can be done to encourage the use of our language in popular music?

Actions speak louder than words, so I believe that increasing the presence of concerts, TV programmes, and websites about the kanzunetta Maltija will help the Maltese people appreciate its worth better.

There is also a need to collect and archive – physically as well as virtually – Malta’s discography and all that has been written about it. Ideally, there should be a place where local artists can meet and discuss their thoughts and ideas, listen to each other’s work and inspire one other.

I feel that schools and churches can also help. The schools can help by exposing children to Maltese song from an early age, and proposing the best Maltese songs alongside literary texts as pedagogical aids in discussion groups.

The Church, in particular, has an extensive musical heritage of religious songs in Maltese. Yet, many churches sadly tend to use alienating English hymns instead.

All this, of course, is about more than just L-Għanja tal-Poplu, as this is only a means of reaching the ultimate goal. This is for the people, so that hopefully, one day they will have a truly Maltese voice to represent them, a voice that reflects their interests, their joy and suffering, their aspirations; in one word their identity; a voice like all mature nations have.

L-Għanja tal-Poplu will be held on Saturday at Sir Temi Zammit Hall at the University of Malta, Msida. Tickets cost €10 and are available online or from YTC, Merchants Street, Valletta. For more information call 9923 4500 or visit www.facebook.com/GhanjaTalPoplu.

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