Theme 2: Audience engagement
Culture is a way of life for the people of the
Maltese Islands. In comparison with many parts
of Europe, the level of participation in cultural
events, such as feasts and carnival celebrations,
is high. For many, participation in cultural events
(and their preparation) is part of their way of life.
However, outside of a relatively narrow range of
cultural activities, audiences are still emergent.
There is a general lack of active participation in
cultural activities such as in instances where
women feel excluded from events predominantly
led by men. Ethnic minority communities and
people with disabilities experience a more general
sense of exclusion from active participation in
all cultural forms. Much more can be done to
build active audiences that are intercultural and
intergenerational and who feel able to contribute
to the way culture is presented, promoted
and programmed.
This theme focuses on strengthening active
and diverse audiences for a variety of cultural
forms across every region. The theme prioritises
social inclusion as a principle for a dynamic
and responsible cultural system. It encourages
cultural organisations and NGOs to work in
partnership to open up the cultural offer, to
avoid clashes in cultural programming and to
encourage a coordination of programmes and their
communication. It supports convening activities,
such as shared promotion and ticketing systems,
coordinated approaches to audience engagement
for communities that are not adequately involved
and targeted interventions which encourage cultural
tourism, where the tourist is an active member of
the audience rather than an onlooker on the margins
of the activity.
Theme 3: Heritage innovation
The regions of the Maltese Islands have a layered
history, each layer having been shaped by the people
living on the islands at the time, each creating a
distinct sense of identity and place. The heritage of
the Maltese Islands encompasses an astonishing
array of tangible and intangible cultural assets: a
wealth of ancient temples, citadels, churches and
cathedrals, second world war shelters, beautiful
streets and vibrant squares that are animated by
festivals, music and memory building events. Much
of the energy, resources and priorities for culture
have focused on the protection and refurbishment
of the tangible heritage assets, which is vital if the
country is to remain a jewel in the Mediterranean.
It should be ensured that overdevelopment does
not compromise Malta’s heritage strengths and
cultural tourism is harnessed so that it can play a
role in the preservation and sustainability of the
heritage offer. However, the focus on protection has,
in some instances, limited the potential of heritage
innovation – where heritage assets are revitalised
and re-imagined as spaces, platforms or forms for
contemporary use and where different narratives
are formulated which posit the future as a departure
from the past.
This theme focuses on heritage as a resource for
contemporary cultural development and innovation.
This is where cultural organisations and their
audiences and partners play an active role in
engaging with the past and nurturing possibilities
for the future. This is where new partnerships are
developed to conserve and re-purpose heritage
through the active production of new types of
cultural activity from a changing population. And
this is where cultural tourism and the creative
industries can help generate new income which can
be re-invested in heritage development.
For each of the three transversal themes, the region has a set of distinct
strategic priorities. These are introduced in the next section.
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Arts Council Malta