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Kunsill ta' l-Ewropa - Rapport ta' esperti dwar il-kultura f'Malta (2002) siltiet |
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National Cultural Policy in Malta |
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Steering Committee for Culture CDCULT(2002)14B, 4 September 2002
EUROPEAN PROGRAMME OF NATIONAL CULTURAL POLICY REVIEWS
Report of a European group of experts by Anthony Everitt (September 2002)
The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily engage the responsability of the Council of Europe.
excerpts
6.1 The challenge facing Maltese culture does not lie in the absence of a vibrant artistic life. Quite the reverse; much excellent creative work is produced in all the art forms. The difficulty lies in the fact that Malta’s population is too small to sustain a community of artists able to make a living from their practice without public subsidies.
6.2 The central question is whether it would be possible fully to professionalise Malta’s contemporary arts. There is no simple or single answer. This is partly because the situation differs in the various art forms. Music, for example, is better funded than drama or dance; the members of the National Orchestra earn full-time salaries (and there is a commercial music industry), whereas there are no full-time paid actors or ballet/contemporary dancers.
6.3 Progress towards professionalisation could be made, if number of issues were to be addressed in a comprehensive and coherent package of measures. First, the example of other small countries such as Iceland, strongly suggests that, where a government invests in the promotion of its artists abroad, an international market can be created that will help them to establish a reputation, develop a career and provide a living by complementing their domestic activities with foreign engagements or commissions. This is evidently easier to accomplish in those art forms where language is not the primary medium of expression – music, dance and the visual arts. So far as drama and literature are concerned an emphasis would need to be placed on translation programmes and the export of educational drama, for which Malta has significant achievements to its credit. It may be objected that artists who study (see paragraph 6.7) or work abroad may not return to Malta, but experience elsewhere in Europe suggests that this is not necessarily the case where the state ensures a reliable supply of domestic work opportunities through its cultural programmes.
6.4 There are various administrative mechanisms through which the Government could operate an international cultural policy: the responsibility could be entrusted a) to a Government department – for example, the Department of Foreign Affairs; b) to a subcommittee within the new Council for Culture and the Arts; and c) to a new pro-active agency specially designed for the purpose. Because promotion calls for enterprise and specialist commercial or quasi-commercial skills, we recommend option c).
6.5 The second component of a policy package for artists in Malta concerns professional development. Across the art forms, full-time professional vocational training at the highest level does not exist in Malta. There is a wide range of often good-quality existing provision, including 24 private registered dance schools, a College of Jazz Dance, the Johann Strauss School of Music, the privately-run Euro Institute of Music and Arts and five private drama schools. The Theatre and Music Programmes at the University of Malta provide important educational opportunities, but it is understood that their courses focus on history and critical analysis rather than the development of practical expressive skills. There are no professional training courses for stage and lighting and stage management. A Centre for Orchestral Studies for in-career orchestral musicians has been proposed. However, there is no degree-awarding drama and dance academy, nor a music conservatoire.
6.6 A proposal to create an Academy for the Performing Arts has fallen into abeyance and the group of experts agrees with Cultural Policy in Malta that it should be re-considered. However, it may be wise to hasten slowly. This is because in most countries there is a structural surplus of recruits to the artistic professions. It is characteristic of the arts that ‘many are called, but few are chosen’. It is a democratic virtue for a society to allow as many youngsters as possible to test their artistic potential. However, if Malta establishes and expands professional arts education, there is a risk that an oversupply of entrants to these professions will follow (although employment opportunities may increase if cultural institutions and Local Councils offer more education and outreach programmes and if a greater input by artists into Carnival and festas is encouraged). As elsewhere, some graduates will not find any employment in their art form; others will have to combine artistic practice with other kinds of work (whether arts-related or not). It will be necessary to train potential artists in Malta to cope with a situation where they have to combine different jobs/income sources.
6.7 Our view, then, is that the establishment of an Academy should be a medium- to longterm aim, to be implemented once the professionalisation of Malta’s arts has progressed to a more advanced stage and it is possible to estimate accurately the likely level of need for trained artists. In the event, it may turn out to be more appropriate to ‘up-grade’ some of the existing arts training establishments. For the immediate future, we recommend that the present limited and ad hoc funding opportunities for arts students wishing to train abroad be regularised and extended (the example of Iceland in this regard would repay study) and that the Ministry of Education establish and administer a well-resourced scholarship fund for talented young people to study their art form abroad.
6.8 The Malta School of Art delivers a four-year Certificate course; it has been suggested that it merge with the Arts and Design Centre in Valletta, which has itself been absorbed by the newly established Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology. The group of experts is not in a position to comment on the detail of these proposals, but, by one institutional means or another, it recommends that existing provision be up-graded to, or complemented by, degree level training in the visual arts.
6.9 Thirdly, arts development in Malta has been impeded by the lack of affordable, properly equipped rehearsal spaces (although it is good to learn that the Manoel Theatre will be building some) and, for visual artists, studios and installation spaces where new technological tools and audio-visual techniques can be deployed. One way forward would be through the implementation of our recommendation above (see paragraph B 3.10 and 3.11) concerning the refurbishment and animation of unused heritage buildings.
6.10 Fourthly, it will be necessary to find ways of promoting high quality artistic production. The group of experts advises the Ministry of Education to require the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts to develop a system of individual grants to artists (including travel grants, support for young artists and artists-in-residency schemes). The distribution of grants and subsidies to projects should be selective and based on artistic quality. A peer evaluation system should be introduced in order to ensure national and international standards. It may also be helpful to invite, at least the outset, some foreign artists/curators/specialists to assist local peer evaluation. A system of soft loans for visual artists and craftspeople could be considered. Music is characterised by its diversity of practice and genre; support for the art form should be based on a broad definition and not over-favour Western orchestral music.
6.11 The group of experts was pleased to learn of the proposal to develop an old hospital in Floriana as an Open Village of Art. This would provide technical assistance and workshop spaces for the realisation of artistic projects and make studio facilities available students and artists. The Open Village would also enable the general public to witness the making of art and promote residencies that would enable interaction between foreign and local artists.
6.12 A notable feature of the drama scene is the very small number of new Maltese plays being produced. Some witnesses told the group of experts that the explanation lay in the poor quality of theatre texts, but leading authors complain of a stubborn reluctance on the part of theatre managers and drama companies to stage their work. We do not know whether this is so; however, if writers can see that there are real opportunities for performance of their work and a real demand for it from directors, experience suggests that plays worth presenting will emerge. We recommend that relevant cultural institutions and drama groups in receipt of state funding (see our proposal in paragraph B 7.7 below) be encouraged to commission and present new Maltese work reflecting Maltese and Mediterranean realities.
6.13 Maltese literature, whether in Maltese or in English, will require special supports. The group of experts welcomes the recent formation of the Malta Book Council and endorses its commitment to ‘explore new area in which readership and the diffusion of books can be further stimulated’ – in particular by improving the marketing of authors and books. This will entail analysing the state of the Maltese publishing industry and considering how it could be strengthened through professional development and targeted investment (for example, in marketing budgets). It is suggested that a study of the publishing industry be commissioned to inform future policy for Maltese writing.
6.14 In addition, with a view to directly supporting creation, the group of experts recommends the establishment of a direct support scheme (administered by the Council for Culture and the Arts) to encourage literature, whether written in Maltese or in English. One option would be to support the production of specific categories of literature in Maltese (for instance poetry and drama). Another might be to introduce a purchase scheme for Maltese fiction, whereby a certain number of books should be bought by the Arts Council and distributed into the library system (subsidises both production and distribution).
6.15 Also, we believe that support for translation of literature in Maltese into English and other languages would enhance the international profile of Maltese writers and grow the market for book sales as well as enhance the status of Maltese literature.
6.16 It is important to remember the wealth of popular cultural activity among the population at large. We discuss the important role of band clubs in paragraphs B 8.10 ff below. Malta is also rich in traditional crafts, some of which (the building of Maltese rowing boats are an instance) run the risk of dying out. The Malta Crafts Council, founded in 2000, seeks to revive local crafts and to ensure long-term sustainability by developing their commercial potential, both domestically and internationally. This and other relevant initiatives (some in the private sector) are to be welcomed. More needs to be done, though, through apprenticeship schemes, financial incentives and soft loans, as well as marketing advice and training in the management of small businesses. The group of experts believes that Government should support for crafts development, perhaps through the Department of Economic Services.
6.17 While accepting the need to classify films (largely for the protection of minors), the group of experts believes that stage productions should only be subject to the usual application of the criminal law and was surprised to learn that theatre in Malta is censored by a Board of Classification. In our judgement, such controls over the freedom of expression are inconsistent with the principles of the Council of Europe and the European Union and should be abolished.
B 8 Maltese language
8.1 For historical reasons Malta is unusual in that its citizens are mostly bilingual. Maltese, a Semitic language in origin, gradually enriched by Romance and Teutonic elements, is the national language and is spoken by the vast majority of the population, but one result of the island’s long period under British rule has been a widespread fluency in English, which is also an official language (although it should be noted that a substantial minority of citizens, perhaps up to 25 per cent mainly drawn from lower socio-economic groups, only communicate effectively in Maltese).
8.2 Generally speaking, Maltese is used for speaking, but that, in many fields of life, English is the main written language. (An exception to the rule is that Maltese is the language of the law courts, having succeeded Italian in the 1930s). In schools, subjects such as mathematics and the sciences are taught in English and Maltese with English textbooks. Use of the old Maltese numerals has nearly vanished. Civil servants routinely use English for their correspondence and internal communications. Popular entertainment is also dominated by the English language.
8.3 In one important sense, this state of affairs is greatly to Malta’s advantage. The pressures of economic, financial and indeed cultural globalisation continue to quicken and English has become the dominant medium of international communication. The fact the Maltese are masters of this new lingua franca gives them an edge in an increasingly competitive world.
8.4 However, a balance needs to be kept between the island’s two languages. Four major questions need to be addressed. First, how can Maltese be protected from degradation through the excessive introduction of loan-words? Some linguistic purists have sought to lessen the influence of foreign languages, especially, English, by coining Arabic-derived terms where Maltese ones do not exist. Others take the view that attempts to preserve linguistic ‘purity’ do not take account of the organic nature of linguistic change.
8.5 The second key issue concerns the need to determine which linguistic ‘space’ across the range of Maltese life should be occupied by which language, with particular reference to writing. In this connection, much work has already been done to assure an orthography of Maltese, but there is a continuing need (as one of our interlocutors put it) to ‘guarantee a certain degree of correctness’.
8.6 Thirdly, more needs to be done to promote Maltese in schools. It was surprising to learn that the qualification in the Maltese language required for university entrants has recently been lowered.
8.7 Finally, the oxygen of a language is its literature. As Dr Charles Briffa points out: ‘One way of increasing the importance of small languages in 21st century Europe is to foster the native literature that could be translated into other languages.’12 Creative writing courses in higher education would encourage young people to maintain Maltese as a vehicle for imaginative expression. Language being closely associated with collective memory, the work of professional authors could be usefully complemented by the encouragement of written reminiscences by older Maltese citizens, which will record and celebrate a traditional way of life that is passing.
8.8 Recent Governments have addressed the challenge of protecting the Maltese language by nominating a Board for the Maltese Language charged with the formulation of a linguistic policy for Malta. The Board has suggested the creation of a governmental General Directorate for the Language, which in turn will establish an expert and advisory Language Council. Through specially appointed commissions, questions of terminology, teaching, linguistic research and orthography will be addressed.
8.9 The Government has issued a Broadcasting Code on the Correct Use of the Maltese Language on the Broadcasting Media, 2002, to take effect from October 1, 2002. It calls for the correct use of Maltese, caution in respect of neologisms drawn from foreign languages and good quality translations from foreign languages.
8.10 There are a number of measures that could profitably be taken to protect the Maltese language. The first would be to foster the practice of writing in Maltese by establishing creative writing courses in higher education; secondly, in the context of preserving the memory of Malta’s social heritage, to establish a community-based policy to encourage memoir-writing in Maltese by older people; thirdly, to invest in translation, not only of Maltese writing into other languages but of foreign writing into Maltese. The expert group was surprised to learn that 80% of the books in public libraries are in English. We suggest that steps be taken to increase their holdings of books in Maltese. Perhaps, with the future development of the language in mind, priority could be given to children’s books.
8.11 At present we understand that broadcasters rarely offer translation from English. The group of experts also suggests that it might be useful if speech in English on television was routinely subtitled in Maltese.
9.1 The number of people of Maltese origin probably exceeds one million – more than twice the island’s population. Some first generation migrants are approaching or have passed retirement age and have specific social needs. Second and subsequent generations of expatriates need educational guidance and, sometimes, ethno-sensitive advice and psychological support. Returning migrants sometimes face difficulties of psychological adjustment and a range of practical settlement problems. The Government is committed to improving links with Maltese communities abroad and a Commission for the Maltese Abroad was formed in 1987. The Roots Programme, established in 1996, run by the Ministry of Tourism with input from the Ministry of Education, seeks to foster Maltese culture among the younger generations of Maltese descendants and encourages expatriates to visit the island as tourists. The planned development of cultural tourism will give a positive boost to this continuing policy.
9.2 If, as the group of experts recommends (see paragraphs B 6.3 and 4 above), the Government adopts a pro-active international dimension to its cultural policy, this should be targeted in part at those countries with large Maltese populations – for example, Australia and Canada.
9.3 Other appropriate cultural measures could include the creation of a distance learning language programme. The cultural and broadcasting communities in Malta could play a constructive role by further developing the production and distribution of films, videos and CDs for the benefit of Maltese expatriates.
D Conclusions and Recommedations
When considering Malta’s cultural policy, the Council of Europe’s group of experts recommends that
General
1 the Maltese government conducts an examination of the creative industries as a contributor to economic as well as cultural development (A 2.5) and investigate ways of supporting them (B 6.15)
2 a primary long-term objective of Maltese cultural policy should be to increase access to the arts, heritage and libraries by citizens of all social classes (B 1.8)
3 Malta’s aspirations to cultural development will only be realised by substantially increased investment, especially by the public sector, both at national and local levels (B 1.21)
4 the Ministry of Education should continue to monitor closely and publicise cultural developments in Malta and on the European mainland both with a view to informing its own policies and to stimulating debate
Participation
5 a detailed survey be conducted of cultural participation by citizens as a basis for future policy in this field (B 1.11)
6 there should be greater commitment to, and investment in, interactive community-based or outreach arts activity than there is at present by the Government and Local Councils (B 1.14)
7 as a condition of grant-aid, Malta’s major cultural institutions be required to engage in, or improve their provision of, educational and community-based outreach activity (B 1.15)
Education and Young People
8 following the welcome emphasis on creativity in the revised national Minimum Curriculum, an action plan be produced ‘for the promotion of creativity at school, class and education system levels, as well as evaluation instruments’ (B 2.5)
9 the comprehensive development of specialist arts training for teachers, both in higher education and through in-service short courses (B 2.6)
10 the establishment of a well-structured relationship between the education sector and Malta’s arts community and the further development of artists-in-residence schemes, designed to contribute explicitly to course-work in the class-room (supported by appropriate training for artists) (B 2.6)
11 the commissioning and wide dissemination of appropriate teaching materials with a view to fostering the creative ‘culture’ of schools (B 2.6)
12 within the Ministry of Education, the Department of Youth and Sport should work with the Department of Education and the Ministry’s Policy Unit to prepare a comprehensive youth cultural policy which ensured consistency between what takes place in place in school and what outside it (B 2.8)
13 Malta’s youth cultural policy should not only address the heritage and the arts as traditionally defined, but also popular forms, especially music, in which young people have a special interest (B 2.9)
14 the comprehensive development of specialist arts training for teachers, both in higher education and through in-service short courses (B 2.10)
The Heritage
15 Heritage Malta and the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts should agree and implement a joint strategy for training in management and marketing. A comprehensive (and perhaps compulsory) range of short courses should be offered and vigorously marketed to workers in the cultural sector. We further suggest that the University of Malta consider establishing a degree course in cultural administration (perhaps, in the first instance, in association with a European University experienced in the field) (B 3.4)
16 the Government should agree a common approach to heritage policy with the Church and private owners (B 3.9)
17 the Government should consider means of offering incentives to owners and appropriate enterprises which would encourage the refurbishment and animation of old buildings (B 3.12)
18 planning legislation aimed at the preservation not only of the heritage, but also of the natural environmental context and skyline should be rigorously enforced (B 3.13)
19 the major museums should be encouraged to develop small touring exhibitions and interactive outreach and educational programmes (B 3.14)
Cultural Tourism
20 the encouragement of cultural tourism would not only contribute to economic growth but to the enhancement of the island’s cultural facilities, which would be to the direct benefit of citizens as well as of foreign visitors (B 3.17)
21 further research into the market potential be conducted before a major commitment to cultural tourism is made (B 3.17)
22 careful balance should be struck between the needs of visitors to heritage sites and the imperatives of conservation (B 3.18)
Libraries and Archives
23 the university establishes a diploma course for archivists (B 4.2)
24 a common policy approach should be agreed between the Church and the state regarding the future conservation and development of Malta’s overall archival holdings (B 4.5)
25 a medium-term development strategy is required which would up-grade Malta’s public libraries by installing new information technologies, increasing book purchases and enabling them to act as local access points to cultural and public information and services (B 4.8)
Traditional Celebrations
26 while any necessary steps should be taken to control public disorder, the festas should be maintained without bowdlerizing their popular, if at times rough, energy (B 5.12)
27 consideration be given to introducing artists and animators to work with the local organisers on enhancing the imaginative content of festas and broadening their creative scope (B 5.13)
28 the further development of international exchange and such initiatives as master classes run by professional band conductors; the encouragement of band clubs to commission new music; and the provision of training opportunities for band club members by the School of Music (B 5.13)
Contemporary Creativity
29 a new pro-active agency, with enterprise and specialist commercial or quasicommercial skills, should be created to promote Maltese culture abroad (B 6.4)
30 a proposal to create an Academy for the Performing Arts which has fallen into abeyance should be re-considered (B 6.6)
31 the Ministry of Education establish and administer a well-resourced scholarship fund for talented young people to study their art form abroad. (B 6.7)
32 existing visual arts training provision be up-graded to, or complemented by, degree level courses (B 6.8)
33 the Ministry of Education should require the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts to develop a system of individual grants to artists (including travel grants, support for young artists and artists-in-residency schemes) (B 6.9)
34 relevant cultural institutions and drama groups in receipt of state funding should be encouraged to commission and present new Maltese work reflecting Maltese and Mediterranean realities (B 6.12)
35 the state of the Maltese publishing industry should be analysed with a view to considering how it could be strengthened through professional development and targeted investment. A study of the publishing industry should be commissioned to inform future policy for Maltese writing (B 6.13)
36 a direct support scheme (administered by the Council for Culture and the Arts) should be established to encourage literature, whether written in Maltese and in English (B 6.14)
37 support for translation of literature in Maltese into English and other languages should be introduced to raise the international profile of Maltese writers and grow the market for book sales as well as enhance the status of Maltese literature (B 6.15)
38 support for crafts development, perhaps through the Department of Economic Services, will be necessary (B 6.16)
39 stage censorship, being a control over the freedom of expression, is inconsistent with the principles of the Council of Europe and the European Union and should be abolished (B 6.17)
40 to protect their members’ interests, it may be appropriate for artists’ groups or associations to seek the support of larger, already established unions (B 6.21)
41 cultural and artistic associations or networks should co-operate with one another with a view to co-ordinating their efforts to raise the status of culture, to agree a unified agenda for development and act as an effective cultural lobby (B 6.23)
42 the Ministry of Education should discuss with the Ministry of Economic Services the improvement of copyright observance and collection in the cultural sector (B 6.25)
43 consideration should be given to establishing the droit de suite (B 6.26)
Arts Development
44 the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts) should establish a project fund to help existing ‘amateur’ drama and dance groups to present work of a more ambitious nature than they are in a position to do at present (B 7.7)
45 funding should be made available for theatre groups to provide theatre-in-education productions and other kinds of outreach activity (B 7.8)
46 a study of Malta’s infrastructural needs should be commissioned, accompanied by an audit of dedicated arts buildings as well as spaces available for part-time arts usage, as the basis for an arts capital development strategy (B 7.12)
Maltese Language
47 the practice of writing in Maltese should be fostered, first, by establishing creative writing courses in Maltese in higher education; secondly, in the context of preserving the memory of Malta’s social heritage, by establishing a community-based policy to encourage memoir-writing in Maltese by older people; thirdly, by investing in translation, not only of Maltese writing into other languages but of foreign writing into Maltese. Steps should be taken to increase the holdings in public libraries of books in Maltese (B 8.10)
48 speech in English on television should be translated or routinely subtitled in Maltese (B 8.11)
The Maltese Diaspora
49 if the Government adopts a pro-active international dimension to its cultural policy, this should be targeted in part at those countries with large Maltese populations (B 9.2)
50 other appropriate cultural measures to maintain contact with the Maltese diaspora could include the creation of a distance-learning language programme. The cultural and broadcasting communities in Malta could play a constructive role by further developing the production and distribution of films, videos and CDS for the benefit of Maltese expatriates (B 9.3)
Broadcasting and Film
51 we suggest that advantage be taken of existing production and script-writing training opportunities (such as those offered by Eureka Audiovisual and the Media Plus Programme) and that other such opportunities at the national level be increased and improved and that consideration be given to incentivizing independent production. (B 11.7)
52 the Government should encourage the further development of small-scale radio stations whose programmes are produced and presented by people from the communities they serve (B 11.8)
53 the Government should maintain its current policy of creating a favourable financial and fiscal environment for international film producers (B 11
Financial and Fiscal Analysis
54 the Ministry of Education and the National Office of Statistics should prepare a comprehensive programme of cultural financial data collection, for early implementation (C 1.8)
55 the Government should carefully examine ways by which culture could contribute to the implementation of Malta’s National Development Plan as well as regional and structural policy and should prepare to make use of the opportunities which European Union Structural Funds can offer for the development of cultural life in Malta (C 1.9 )
56 the Government should study the possibilities of using lottery proceeds and other specialist taxes or levies for promoting the arts and contemporary artists and for other cultural purposes (C 1.11 )
Legislative Arrangements
57 the successful implementation of the Cultural Heritage Act 2002 will depend on three things – first, first, clarity in the national heritage strategy, which should set clear, measurable sociocultural, as well as economic, standards and targets and establish an efficient monitoring and evaluation system; secondly, firm but sensitive handling of its regulatory functions by the Superintendance; and thirdly, explicit demarcation of the roles of the respective agencies (C 2.3 )
58 an ‘arms length’ principle will be established, enabling the Council for Culture and the Arts to act independently so far as any artistic decisions are concerned (C 2.6 )
59 the Council for Culture and the Arts should be empowered to convene working groups or advisory panels to help it with its work (C 2.7 )
60 the Government should invite Local Councils to participate in drawing up the overall cultural policy framework and to produce cultural plans of their own consistent with this framework (C 3.5)
61 one of the first tasks for Heritage Malta and the Arts Council should be to identify gaps in useful knowledge and to establish research requirements in their respective fields of responsibility (C 4.13 )
62 within a framework set by the Ministry of Education, Heritage Malta and the Council for Culture and the Arts should create an evaluation methodology which would govern their relations with the organisations and individuals they may come to support and enable them to demonstrate the success with which they deliver the Government’s objectives as enshrined in its cultural policy (C 4.14 )
63 the Ministry of Education publish a planning policy framework which sets out in as concrete terms as possible the Government’s high level policy objectives and that Heritage Malta and the Council for Culture and the Arts be then invited to prepare timetabled, targeted and costed development strategies (C 4.15) |
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