Heritage Malta has been entrusted to administer and make accessible to the general public all those national historic sites that make up our important and great cultural patrimony. This is definitely no mean feat and the chief executive of such an entity must be someone who gets things done. ANTOINETTE CARUANA, the Chief Executive of Heritage Malta, found time in her busy schedule to speak with Gerald Fenech about her role at Heritage Malta, how the organisation has developed and intends to progress in order to face the enormous challenges that lie ahead.

I approached this interview with some trepidation, given the vast range and broad applications of the topic but Antoinette immediately put me at ease with a clear and concise delivery that made my task that much easier. I began by asking for her views after this period in charge of Heritage Malta and a brief description of the organisation’s activities in a general context. “Working with Heritage Malta is a very motivating and challenging experience and the job obviously gives great satisfaction. We are creating a new organisation and approved practices, introducing a new culture and administering what we have with our limited resources. We know that our assets are disproportionate in size when compared to the resources in hand so the challenge that lies ahead becomes even more daunting, but we will not shirk from our task,” Antoinette says.

The prime assets of any organisation are its human resources and Heritage Malta does have a large number of dedicated and highly talented individuals who are working hard to carry out the work demanded of them. But what is Heritage Malta’s brief, I asked. “In summer of 2002, the government took the decision to close down the existing Museums Department and create Heritage Malta together with a number of other organisations that were established with the passing of the 2002 Cultural Heritage Act. Heritage Malta is the operating agency with the brief to look at the accessibility of its sites as well as safeguard and conserve our heritage. It is a very broad brief and we are investigating all the mechanics that go with such an operation such as accessibility, management, interpretation, restoration and accessibility of Malta’s museums and heritage sites,” Antoinette says.

The discussion then turned to what one could term the ‘nitty gritty’ of the issue and how the process of transformation from the closure of the Museums Department to Heritage Malta actually took place and what this has meant in administrative and practical terms. “The Museums Department, which was established way back in 1905, had obviously risen to many challenges itself. When we took over, the focus of the department had been mostly on the curatorship and there was very little organisational structure. We changed that by establishing five curators in the fields of Archaeology, World Heritage, Maritime and Military, Fine Arts and Ethnography and History. Each curator is responsible for the day-to-day management of sites and also for their curatorship. We have also appointed a number of

managers, which is a first for the organisation. These are in the fields of Finance, Public Programmes, Human Resources, Collections and Conservation, Safety & Security, Capital Projects and Business Development. The Business Development Section is looking into alternative ways of generating revenue and of ploughing money back into the organisation. We have also appointed a manager who is responsible for the day-to-day management of all the Gozo sites and who liaises very closely with all the curators. This shows our commitment and vision for Gozo but due to the logistical problems, we felt that an element of communication was also very important,” Antoinette explains.

One of the current buzzwords in national policy is the combination of tourism and culture. We are hearing repeated statements from all areas of the country and wonder whether this will finally actually happen. I asked Antoinette if there has been some sort of shift in public and administrative opinion on the importance of cultural tourism and greater awareness of our cultural patrimony. “I would definitely agree that there has been a change in perception at different levels with the most important decision being the combination of the Tourism and Cultural portfolios at ministerial level. We have maintained that Malta should not just be sold for its sun and sea but should become an important niche market in the fields of cultural and religious heritage. As Heritage Malta we are doing our utmost to market and create awareness of the great wealth that fills our islands. We have exhibited in various venues including Amsterdam, Rome and Viterbo where we have a strong presence in exhibitions on artists like Mattia Preti. On the local front, we are trying to create awareness by attracting more individual foreign visitors, whose numbers have been rising lately. However, a lot still has to be done to create a sense of identity in the local population. We shall be launching various initiatives next year with membership schemes and a number of events where several museums will be open all day to everyone, both locals and foreigners. Other initiatives include outreach programmes, seminars and lectures, which are attracting an ever-increasing number of patrons,” Antoinette says. The list is almost endless and the many ideas conjured up by this Chief executive is quite impressive.

The budget has been a hot topic on everyone’s agenda, but this time there has been an increase in the vote for Heritage Malta. Does this mean that we are finally turning the corner on this issue and perhaps putting years of stagnation and neglect in the area of cultural heritage behind us? “Heritage Malta’s museums and collections have not been purposely built and these historical buildings demand attention in themselves and this costs money. We are standing very firmly on the issue that we will seek to take any decisions built on solid foundations so any decision that we take will be after careful planning and consideration. This year our recurrent budget was Lm850,000 and Lm300,000 in capital projects plus another Lm100,000 going for our automatic ticketing system. We have retained our admissions that amount to nearly Lm900,000 so this brings us to a grand total of Lm1.75 million for our current budget. Our current payroll is more than Lm1.6 million, which leaves us with just over Lm100,000 for rents, marketing and infrastructure, so you can immediately see that there is a hole in our budget. We have lobbied very hard and had the co-operation of both the government and the opposition on this matter, which resulted in the Lm300,000 increase towards our recurrent expenditure. However welcome, it is still not enough so we have to find ways and means of raising alternative funds. One of the measures we have taken was a review of the fee structure at various sites; another was the introduction of the Patrons Programme where companies are invited to contribute and show their corporate social responsibility. We will shortly announce the setting up of museum gift shops in partnership with a private consortium and this will provide some income for us besides enhancing the visitor experience. The future is challenging, interesting and the message coming across bodes well for the future,” Antoinette says.

Since there is consensus that our cultural heritage is of primary importance to all, how can Heritage Malta act as a catalyst to bring added value to our educational experience, I asked. “I believe very strongly that we need to bring stakeholders on board and work together, especially in cultural heritage. We are working closely with NGOs, local councils and the private sector but there still remains a lot to be done. We have an interesting case study going on at the Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa with a children’s resource guide being prepared with the support of UNESCO Malta, and we are also looking into further avenues of collaboration in the educational sector, especially with the International Maritime Museum in Greenwich, which has a very successful children’s programme. We find that there are a large number of schoolchildren visiting sites but we need to transform the experience to make it more interactive,” Antoinette explains.

Finally, I asked about the future of museums, not just as sites but as a wholly new interactive experience. “We are still very far behind in this area although there are a number of programmes going on in various museums. We are also currently involved in two major projects at the Hagar Qim/Mnajdra Temples and the Roman Domus in Rabat that should provide the visitor with a much more holistic experience. The success story of the Inquisitor’s Palace where a large number of visitors have come to view the exhibition on torture instruments has encouraged us to continue exploring further avenues to enhance the interactive experience. However, there remains a lot to be done at our War Museum and the Vilhena Palace, which currently houses a splendid collection of natural history. The task ahead is daunting but we are ready for the challenge,” Antoinette concludes.

I have no doubt that in Antoinette Caruana, Heritage Malta is in safe hands as it prepares to address the huge challenge of preserving our cultural heritage and making it more accessible to future generations.