It is said that when Winston Churchill was asked to cut arts funding in favour of the war effort, he replied, “then what are we fighting for?” Sadly, we’re not sure if the British Prime Minister has actually said these words, however they surely encapsulate his thoughts about the artistic sector and a universal truth about the arts.
The value of art and the artist in society has been debated for many centuries and surely it will remain an interesting subject for generations to come. In fact, we often associate them with notions of national identity, and that is correct, as they often are the ones to examine and prod society into reflection. What is certainly guaranteed, is that a society that is stripped of its artists, is a much poorer society, that is worse off.
I do not wish to enter a philosophical debate about the importance of art in society, or the role of the artist in the 21st Century, but as a politician I feel duty bound to address a problem that has been noticed to grow over the past years locally – an artistic brain-drain that cannot continue to go ignored.
Artists from various fields are seeking better opportunities abroad. I am all for young people chasing their dreams on the mainland, and growing personally on the international stage, however, what we are experiencing is something quite different. Our young artists are leaving for good. They have understood that they are not valued locally, and that the few resources available are all accounted for.
And this brings me to a very sad situation which revolves around art funding. Talent ought to be recognised as talent, no matter where it comes from. No matter if it asks the uncomfortable questions or points its finger at the sore subjects. Sadly, we have learnt time and time again of instances where artists are ostracized for their observations, blacklisted for speaking out and this is beyond acceptable.
The Opposition has submitted a motion to Parliament to include the arts in our country’s Constitution, the highest law of the land. This request remains pending. What is the government waiting for to acknowledge this proposal? This would signal Malta’s clear recognition of the arts’ importance, granting it rightful status in Malta’s highest law.
I firmly believe in the potential of Maltese and Gozitan artists, and I do not say this just to sound appealing. As a practitioner and an artist myself, I understand full well what the needs of the artist are, and what nurtures their talent, as I have experienced it myself.
The Nationalist Party believes that we need to ramp up our investment in creativity and the diverse activities in this sector, rather than continue spending on vanity projects and endless parties. We must begin to protect workers in these creative sectors, offer new opportunities that would broaden our country’s artistic sector and grow the workforce within it. This will not only guarantee a healthy artistic sector, but it will also benefit our economy.
One catch-all, magical hub in Marsa will not solve all of our problems. Government is so lost for ideas, that it is trying to stretch, shape and form what was originally meant to be the Carnival village into the answer for everyone and everything. In all probability, the project which has been promised for many years now, and which is taking longer than the great pyramid of Giza to complete, will fall short of being a real solution for anyone.
We believe that we need a new way of doing things. We need to seriously consider revolutionising the incentives structures for artists and for the private sector operating in this field. How can we expect private entities to compete with the government and its formidable bottomless well of resources to create projects of any significance? It is immensely disheartening to our artists who find themselves competing with tax-euro-funded projects, leaving no breathing space for them. We have spoken repeatedly about this and mentioned several examples. This is an issue that needs to be addressed.
The private sector must have the chance to grow and compete in the local market, because that is how we can guarantee a healthy, daring, flourishing artistic sector that isn’t afraid to challenge and call out matters for what they are.
When Malta’s first stint as European Capital of Culture was still a very vague appointment in the future, we asked ourselves what we would have wanted to achieve from it. The optimism was palpable, and many agreed that one superb goal could have been the possibility of creating an environment that allowed for more artists to work fulltime on their art.
I will let you decide if this goal, under the present administration has been reached.
We believe we can get there, but we need to be daring to do things differently to grow. I am determined to work with all stakeholders, to take our artistic sector to the next level.
Julie Zahra is the Opposition’s Shadow Minister for Cultural Heritage, Arts, and Culture