It has only been a few weeks since the curtain was officially lowered on what, for years, has been touted as the biggest cultural epiphany to hit these islands: Valletta 2018. From when the first bid was formalised back in 2011, till now, the hype surrounding the capital’s tenure as European Capital of Culture dominated all culture-related discourse – the hyperbole it attracted from various official quarters perhaps even clouding the actual events themselves, some have argued.
Throughout the 12 months Valletta held the title, there were a handful of positives, with Malta getting a good share of international coverage as a destination hotspot. A Euronews documentary showcasing the city’s regeneration was broadcast to millions of viewers across Europe. Complementing the tourism drive, the city was given an extensive facelift that saw its entrance completely renovated, a newly restored Tritons Fountain installed, the old market on Merchants Street reopened and a new arts museum inaugurated.
But a number of culture practitioners have also posited that this is nothing that a well-orchestrated – and possibly less expensive – marketing campaign by the Malta Tourism Authority could not have achieved, and that the scope of a European City of Culture went well beyond that of mass tourism marketing, which seems to have taken a sizeable chunk of the V18 Foundation’s priorities.
Even the supposedly successful aspects of the tenure were not without controversy. The launch of MUŻA, Malta’s new national art museum, was delayed by months when works fell behind schedule. And the reopening of the old market on Merchants Street came under fire for presenting a venue more akin to what has been described as an airport food court than a genuine market that focuses on the artisanal aspect of food and drink.
Other flagship projects also remain incomplete, even though Valletta 2018 is officially over. Among these are the Malta Design Cluster at the Old Civil Abattoir and the Malta International Contemporary Arts Space in Floriana.
And, while the programme contained an impressive total of 400 events, the overwhelming feeling among disgruntled artists is that Valletta 2018 brought nothing new to the table, choosing instead to appropriate successfully established festivals like the Valletta Film Festival, the Malta International Arts Festival, Earth Garden, the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival and Science in the City, among others, to pad the list with tried and tested mainstays.
Meanwhile, many of the major concerns levelled by the artistic community remained unaddressed. Valletta 2018 failed to bring evidence of international opportunities for Maltese artists; no new and affordable performance spaces were identified; the dearth of arts on the National Curriculum was ignored.
The question whether Valletta 2018 managed to achieve its goals remains unanswered, and Culture Minister Owen Bonnici’s claim last week that its legacy is “the rebirth of the capital city” met with scepticism. A loud section of stakeholders seems to be of the opinion that this is highly doubtful, at best, with a number of core functions that every European City of Culture is expected to fulfil having fallen by the wayside – most notably, the celebration of European culture.
On a European level, it is very likely that Valletta 2018 will mostly be remembered for the way political controversy overshadowed cultural identity. To date, Valletta remains the only city holding the coveted title to have been boycotted by its sister capital Leeuwarden; by the mayor of the city itself; and by a not inconsiderable number of artists.
Despite this unremarkable performance, Foundation chairman Jason Micallef has now been moved to another plum cultural post as chair of the Valletta Cultural Agency, which is expected to be set up in the coming months.
The exact functions and goals of this agency remain, as yet, shrouded in mystery. With the Malta Arts Council supposedly having full jurisdiction over all matters related to arts and culture – the council is the national agency tasked with funding, supporting and promoting the cultural and creative sectors in Malta – many wonder whether there really is a need for such an agency, and what new role it could possibly fulfil.
Although Valletta 2018 is no more, the debate within artistic circles shows no sign of abating, and one question keeps recurring from various sources with a worrying regularity. Can it be that the biggest legacy left by Valletta 2018 is, in fact, a considerable upgrade to Mr Micallef’s personal CV?
This is a Times of Malta print editorial