Malta makes much of the Salib ta’ l-Gholja procession that takes place on the eve of, and on, Good Friday – and rightly so as it is part of our heritage and culture.

But I was disgusted with the amount of rubbish and vandalism I saw on a recent visit to the area, last Sunday in fact.

But first for some facts and figures. Salib ta’ l-Gholja, or the Laferla Cross, as it is known in English, was built by Dun Pawl Laferla to commemorate the Holy year. On 27 September 1903, the 52-ft high cross in honour of Christ the Redeemer was blessed on the hill that overlooks Girgenti Valley. The cross was placed on a huge stone pedestal close to a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. In 1937, it collapsed after being battered by the gales that frequently swirl around this hill. In 1963 it was replaced by a new bronze cross manufactured in Lucca, Italy. On the winding way up to the cross there are four stone statues, identical to the ones that are part of the Good Friday procession in Siggiewi. At the top there is a cave, which is used as an underground chapel. An impressive procession is held annually on the eve of and on Good Friday, re-enacting the Way of the Cross with a pageant, choir singing, musicians and group prayers.

It is actually a beautiful piece of countryside, with a lovely walk commanding panoramic views over much of Malta. But once my party arrived at the cross and monument we were quite disgusted with what we saw. Plastic bottles, glass, papers, bags and pretty much everything was strewn around. To add insult to injury, we even came across a few spent shotgun cartridges. Although there are no bins (which would probably be vandalised and never emptied anyway), it really does not take much to pack your rubbish up and dispose of it when you get home.

This is what we, and one hopes the majority of other people do, but there are some people who simply do not care at all and leave their rubbish at the foot of the cross.

But the worst of it is the actual vandalism on the stone monument under the cross itself. It is clear that it has become something of a rock-carved graffiti icon, which in a way is cool – a bit of urban “culture” one could say. It is intriguing, as one goes round the monument to find archaically spelled names with dates as far back as 1909, 1911, 1924 up to 2006. It’s kind of like a time machine. But as with everything, vandals go too far. Walking round the monument, one can see daubs of maroon and green paint, which is terrible. Others have damaged the stone by pouring melted wax all over it, completely altering its texture.

But that is not the worst of it. While others have carved their names into the stone – some expatriates leaving their mark, others professing their undying love for their partners, others referring to the group they are in – but as always some take it too far.

The trend is that some people carve their message into the stone and then proceed to ‘cement’ it in place by going over it with paint or permanent marker, which is downright despicable. That is true damage caused by vandalism. But another worrying aspect is that some of this graffiti dates back to 1992, as the photograph shows, it is not about a small graffiti, but quite large graffiti that are unsightly.

The graffiti in question has been there for 14 years. Surely, there must be a way to get rid of it. One really cannot suggest ways to improve matters because at the end of the day, ignorance still rules. Perhaps if we collectively recognise that we truly do have some cultural gems on this island that we should conserve – we might do a bit better. One hopes that some sort of initiative is taken to improve the state of affairs, but I will certainly not hold my breath.