Valletta is buzz with rumours over Owen Bonnici’s latest scandal where he eloped with one of his supporters and Ministry employees. He is denying the “allegations” although by now, many have independently verified the story. I’m leaving out names in a conservative spirit to avoid going into potentially, unnecessary details, but the story here is that a government Minister is busier sleeping with his employees instead of doing any actual meaningful work.
The ministry he supposedly leads is ultimately a victim of these circumstances, but more significantly, it is the culture industry that suffers due to having a disinterested, opportunistic, and sleazy minister who behaves like a teenager instead of demonstrating any signs of maturity. And this is also the reason why the Ministry for Culture has been turned into a showcase for government propaganda leaving actual artists in the dark.
You may see a lot of propaganda by the entities of the Culture Ministry such as the Arts Council and MICAS but the reality is that beneath the surface, there is little to no substance and policy is mainly constructed to project the Labour Party in good light as it distributes funds and organises media-savvy events. A large portion of these funds aren’t directed to actual artists who work in the culture industries as the government policy is to spread as much funds to as many people as possible: destroying in the process any concept of meritocracy and meaningful investment with a ROI.
Meanwhile, the Culture Ministry is spending millions of Euros on events and foreign artists while Heritage Malta purchases art pieces from local artists at abysmal and humiliating prices that range from โฌ5,000 to โฌ10,000 a piece. Not to mention that now, the culture Ministry is paying foreign professionals to promote us abroad, sidelining local professionals in the process who have been investing their money to promote local artists abroad.ย For the actual professionals in the culture industry who invest their own money, there is little help and support, and at best we have to play lotteries for ridiculously structured funds with incompetent political appointees as bureaucrats.
Throughout its years in power, Labour could have invested in the infrastructure of the industry to stimulate the industry and fostered a new class of local artists who are promoted internationally. Instead, Labour created a large pool of funds where anyone can apply to hang their picture at Saint James Cavalier for the sake of “inclusion” and an infinite amount of photo-opportunities for political propaganda.
To be fair, the government has recently announced the launch of a new art gallery (they are calling it “a global arts space”). The architecture of the building is stunning, but even this project is mired with political nepotism and incompetence. It is currently being lead by Phyllis Muscat, someone who has got nothing to do with the culture industry, but is actually a friend of Joseph Muscat and a very trusted Labour apparthcik.
So when reading the news about the government’s lavish spending in the arts, remember that most of us see none of this in real life and the actual culture and arts industries in Malta are propped up by small businesses that take massive risks. Meanwhile, the Minister is busy indulging in his teenage fantasies.
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