As Valletta gears up to take on its role as Capital of Culture in five years’ time, Karsten Xuereb takes a look at how the current capital, Marseilles, is faring.
There is one capital of the Mediterranean, and that is Marseilles. At least, that is what the team behind the city’s efforts to host the title of European Capital of Culture during 2013 will tell you.
Charles Bové argues that Marseilles lacks its own distinctive style which marks it from other French cities
The fact that one can still talk about and observe preparations, some of which are still under way, may cause one to doubt this claim. On the other hand, does not the Mediterranean enjoy its own particular rhythm with life in general, and is that to be frowned upon?
During various moments in history, cities like Athens, Alexandria or Smyrna, now Izmir, as well as Constantinople, today’s Istanbul, have made similar claims. These, and other city characteristics, are, in fact, taken up by the main exhibition which launched the cultural year in Marseilles, namely Navigations et Méditerranées, hosted at the newly renovated harbour building called the J1.
The fact that Valletta does not feature in this historical yet contemporary overview of cities which have left a mark on the Mediterranean gives the island’s capital city a reason and an opportunity to reach out and step up its efforts on the wider stage, especially in relation to Mediterranean cities and culture.
Commenting on the opening of the European Capital of Culture year in Marseilles early in January, architect and urban designer Charles Bové argues that Marseilles lacks its own distinctive style, which marks it from other French cities. He adds, however, that visiting and eventually settling in the city for any prolonged period of time comes down to a connection one develops with a city that has its own peculiarities.
Marseilles is known to be a city of artists, though at times, not always so kind to them. The challenging conditions people who live in or travel to the city face on a daily basis augment the notoriety of an urban space which continuously struggles to maintain an air of beauty and serenity as a façade to the rough, societal, environmental and economic realities faced.
The project proposed by Marseilles in 2013 has to be seen in relation to the strained relations the city experiences with its own large region. Several of the infrastructural limitations and disappointments experienced by the 450,000 visitors during the opening ceremony – overwhelming organisers who expected not more than a 10th of that figure – featured long delays due to apparent inade-quate welcoming facilities and incompleteness of the cultural programme. These seem to have stemmed from the slow ebbing of support and coordination suffered by the city in relation to neighbouring cultural centres like Aix-en-Provence and Avignon.
As was noted in other Capitals of Culture, as well as cities hosting large sporting or cultural events, a loss of ownership and shared belief in the benefits of the project often lead to feelings of discontent and estrangement which render efforts vain and results tenuous.
However, Marseilles is not showing signs of being fazed by what may have been a slow start to what still promises to be a unique experience. Other prospective Capitals of Culture, including Valletta, trying to avoid organisational setbacks in their preparations for their own title, are following Marseilles closely.
Dr Karsten Xuereb is project coordinator for the Valletta 2018 Foundation.