Something that I want to mention about Malta’s identity in relation to its history and culture as a tourist appeal in relation to (in contrast) to how the Maltese live and behave

9 comments

1. This is probably not the answer you’re looking for but to put it simple, All traditions and cultures evolve with time, and our culture here is no exception to the norm.

2. I’m not really understanding your point here? Our history is…well history. We are modern versions of our ancestors and our culture is different to what it was 100 let alone 500 years ago. Our principles are the same though; pick any moment in history and we have always been resolute in our willingness to keep our country from being robbed of its values/culture/tradition, no matter who invaded whether that be the Ottomans or the British.

   We have remained Catholic since St Paul set foot on our Islands in 60 AD and we have developed our own language. Our traditions have been kept relatively intact since the Knights of St John. Every town has its own Feast; the people who organise this aren’t the government, it’s the church, the volunteers and people who enjoy creating those big statues and scenes as a hobby. Students aged 5 to 16 must learn Maltese, Maltese literature and Maltese history.

   So I’m really quite confused by what you are arguing?

3. There is probably a distinct between ‘our’ history and things that happened in malta. You will find that often they are not the same thing.

   Malta is in many ways a new country with shallow roots.

4. Our modern society is too crazy and busy working off giant loans to pay for our homes than worrying about our history. That’s our present life and how our culture has evolved. Not that different from other countries.

5. If I’m understanding the thrust of your question, it’s whether our culture matters to us as people as much as everyday issues like politics, development, the economy etc. You’ve also tied it into whether this gives a ‘true’ appeal to tourists or whether our culture something put on for tourists but not really relevant to locals.

   So, in my opinion, what makes local culture pretty solid is that people tend to live it rather than have it displayed to them as information, as would happen for instance, at the Heritage Malta events that you mentioned. History re-enactment groups perhaps a little less, since the people involved in that are actually doing it for their own fun, instead of it just being for the benefit of others (even though I should add, I’m not particularly involved in Heritage Malta, so for all I know there could be a solid community built around that).

   But this living culture really shines in your third example, when it comes to feats. In a feast, people aren’t putting on a show for anybody, it’s actually a very sizeable group of people doing something for themselves (different parts, the band, the decorations, the fireworks etc.) and they do this for a substantial part of the year.

   And there are other similar examples of this in mass-culture (but very locally ingrained) events, such as the Carnival, Holy Week, the Regatta etc.

   As for higher-end culture, it’s there but it is a little more niche. Even though most upper-end activites don’t technically price anybody out even though some of them, like the Pantomime seem to have an invisible barrier around them. Still, the number of plays and concerts targeting a broader demographic is always on the rise (and the backlash to some of these plays suggests that people do indeed feel strongly about the state of what’s on offer), so I’d say all in all yeah, low-end, high-end, it’s all alive and kicking and certainly not a show we put on for tourists hehe.

6. Are you asking if we actually partake in traditional cultural activities and whether we enjoy and honour them as part of our heritage? Your question is unclear. But if this is your question, then most people partake in activities which are ‘traditional’ just because that’s what they were brought up to do – that’s how they live their lives. This would be the case for festas, celebrating carnival, Santa Maria, Christmas activities etc. Not everyone partakes in these events and there are enthusiasts for different cultural activities, some people like to create fireworks, others make crib figurines, others go fishing every Sunday, some dance in every carnival, and some cook every traditional food on each feast. I’m not one of those people who’s life revolves around a traditional activity, but I attend cultural events because that’s what my family has always done. My husband on the other hand still contributes time towards the village band, and our family gets to be part of the village community through his contribution.

7. It all starts with education; if we are not educated on our history at primary school (or we go over it very briefly) how can the people know their own history? Another issue is that of foreign influence from media, as Malta was a British colony many of us speak fluent English and it’s acting as a cancer, influencing both our culture and language. What I mean by this is that since we speak English, we are more vulnerable to globalist media and ideals all whilst forgetting and destroying our native language. I will be the first to admit that I find it much easier to speak English instead of Maltese even though I am Maltese and am able to speak both fluently. What I’m getting at is that due to this foreign influence, we are distracted from learning about our history or even celebrating it. Ask people about our history and most won’t even know when and why the Knights took over, that we were a fiefdom of Sicily or that Islam was once the main religion. Education is seriously failing us and it’s tragic, actually it’s painful to watch.

8. Culture has eveolved through time. As you mention, we were under many rules, something that has effected our culture vastly.

   Still I can assure you one thing, we love our country to the core, no matter how much we complain about Maltese politics, weather, tourists, lack of greenery etc.

   The Maltese spirit and fight will always live on, even in our children.

9. decolonization efforts can help our people reconnect to our culture.