It was exhilarating (and suffocating) to be part of the 110,000 crowd that thronged Valletta to celebrate the commencement of activities to mark it as one of Europe’s capitals of Culture. Somehow, we wanted not only to be spectators but also participants in this memorable event. Though, obviously, on that evening, it was spectacle that we watched.
As has been pointed out by various contributors in this paper, involvement and participation, by one and all, is the measure of success in this cultural experience. But to be involved one needs to find meaning in such cultural activities and to find meaning these activities have to be the expression of one’s way of living. However noble and lofty cultural activities are, for them to have an impact on society as a whole, they have to reflect our inner thoughts, feelings and beliefs.
The Catholic Social Teaching defines culture as “that through which man, as man, becomes more man, ‘is’ more, has more access to ‘being’”. So culture is not something abstract or exterior to our way of living. Culture exposes all that makes us who we are. It does not control us or dominate us but reveals our inner feelings.
As has been rightly emphasised in the leader of the Times of Malta (January 20), “Being the European Capital of Culture provides Malta with a splendid opportunity to act as a catalyst for regenerating our cultural heritage and fostering our arts, unique culture and traditions”.
To regenerate our cultural heritage, we have to make it appeal to today’s society. We all are aware that Malta, like all other modern, democratic European nations, is being transformed into a pluralistic and multicultural society. Such a reality, though, should not mean that we are losing our identity.
Multiculturalism helps us appreciate and treasure our own culture without looking down on other cultures. Our individual culture and traditions should not isolate us. On the contrary, it should, together with other cultures, enrich our European identity. The fact that today many foreigners, with their own cultures and traditions, are working and participating in our way of life, shows that we are bound to affect and be affected by one another.
To remain tied down to the past is to look at culture as something static rather than something dynamic
To speak about culture in the past tense and to remain tied down to the past is to look at culture as something static rather than something dynamic that is continuously being transformed and made it anew by those who live it. It seems, for some, that when one gives emphasis to a multicultural society one is abandoning or giving less importance to one’s own culture. But this is not the case.
We have to look at culture holistically, with an open mind, and realise that intercultural relations and activities help to enrich one’s culture. We are not talking here of a ‘transplant’ or ‘conversion’, to borrow Henry Frendo’s words from his book, Europe and Empire, when referring to the British domination in the 1940s, but to a ‘graft’. Yes, sometimes grafting is needed for growth and it embellishes one’s identity.
As we highlight and promote our unique identity, we should not lose sight of the fact that we are not living in a vacuum. Because we value our own traditions and religious beliefs, so also should we show respect and treasure other cultures.
As the Catholic Social Teaching warns us, “Globalisation must not be a new version of colonialism. It must respect the diversity of cultures which, with the universal harmony of peoples, are life’s interpretive keys. In particular it must not deprive the poor of what remains most precious to them, including their religious beliefs and practices, since genuine religious convictions are the clear manifestation of human freedom”.
Let us therefore, without minimising our cultural heritage, give culture this inclusive dimension. Because if culture has to be an expression and manifestation of how people live in a particular society, it has to encompass all members and take into consideration all aspects, be they artistic, linguistic or religious.
On such an occasion, when we are celebrating Valletta as one of Europe’s Capitals of Culture, let us also earmark our Christian heritage, which still forms an integral part of our tradition. The Church’s Social Teaching affirms that “when the religious dimension of the person or of a people is denied, culture itself starts to die off, sometimes disappearing completely”.
Let us celebrate, by all means, our own cultural heritage but let us look at culture holistically by considering all its components – artistic, linguistic and religious – and let our heritage impact and absorb all that is noble in other cultures for the good of our society and mankind as a whole.