“Let’s go one step further in culture, let us literally think beyond our comfort zone”.

I proposed this question long way back, during periodic meetings I hold with the directors at the helm of all the culture entities falling under the ministry I am responsible for, and which are not few.

I was not implying that we were being comfortable with what we had already achieved. Far from that. I wanted to widen our cultural experience. We all agreed that one of the country’s economic pillars – our culture sector – needed an extra kick.

Now let me put this in perspective. We had already planned, discussed and started implementing not only policies but also plans involving relentless manual work. We were in the midst of detailing the vast cultural programme for Valletta 2018. The Restoration Directorate had already been entrusted with a never-ending list of restoration projects, a list which is being constantly updated; we were working on the Cultural Heritage (Amendment) Bill – a need felt since 2014. We were working on Create 2020 – the Malta Arts Council’s strategy covering the period 2016-2020. I will not list all, as this article would end up being just the list!

However, I believe that there should never be a lull when it comes to safeguarding our cultural heritage. If one really puts his mind to it, there are always new ways – new innovative ways how to put our rich cultural heritage to the front. There are always hidden corners, which I believe we should explore to put light on our vast patrimony.

Our creative thinking resulted in the world acclaimed National Arts Museum – MUŻA, where we used the latest technology to entice younger generations to embrace culture. We also looked at our intangible heritage with very positive results.

Our Valletta Design Cluster project will also take the above – creative thinking – and combine the restoration of derelict buildings into a haven for artists and budding artists. Dr Anna Whicher, PDR International Centre for Design and Research, UK said that design is ‘an approach to problem-solving that can be applied across the private and public sectors to drive innovation in products, services, society and even policy- making by putting people first.’ – That is what we will be doing with the Valletta Design Cluster.

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For our next mega-project, we really dived deep – please excuse me for the intended pun!

It is known worldwide that we are rich in historical sites, and we are doing our very utmost to protect and safeguard them. But we also have a rich patrimony below our waters – our underwater cultural assets.

Again, we are renowned worldwide as a country rich in underwater sites, where professional divers gather to experience our wrecks and our natural beauty under the sea. Ancient wrecks are part of our history and these are constantly being discovered.

Take the discovery of what could be the oldest shipwreck in the Central Mediterranean Sea - a 700BC Phoenician boat found about a mile off Gozo. Back in 2014, I had the pleasure to announce this discovery. A wreck found 120 metres deep. Scientists using specialised equipment found around 50 amphora of seven different types - indicating the vessel had been in different harbours. Twenty lava grinding zones weighing some 35 kilos each were also found. This wreck is still being studied.

Recently, whilst preparing for the Malta-Sicily gas pipeline, a maritime survey turned up amazing findings – Three new underwater never before discovered wrecks were found inside Maltese territorial waters. These include two airplanes and a sunken ship, probably dating back to one of the World Wars.

Our seas are also rich in cultural heritage, be that of ancient wrecks to modern history wrecks. This brought about our next exciting project.

This Wednesday I announced the launch of the first Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit within Heritage Malta, which will see to the managing and protection of underwater cultural assets.

With this initiative, we will see to the setting up of underwater archaeological parks, bringing a number of benefits, primarily the safeguarding of our country’s unequalled and precious underwater cultural resource. This is in line with local heritage legislation as well as with international conventions.

Our underwater heritage adds to the attraction of our islands and has created a tourism niche on its own, so by creating new accessible sites by divers and through virtual reality, will give added value to the diving tourism package offered by the Maltese Islands. In fact, it is envisaged that the Maltese Islands will become a market leader in the field of deep-water wreck diving.

The newly launched Unit will also be undertaking an outreach campaign aimed at informing the public about the importance of its underwater cultural heritage as part of enhancing our cultural strategy to ensure making this sector more accessible.

For a number of years, systematic underwater archaeological research has been conducted off the coasts of Malta and Gozo. As I said in the beginning, in the course of this long-term project some very important deposits of underwater cultural heritage have been discovered, mapped and studied. Such sites vary from the 2,700-year-old Phoenician shipwreck I already mentioned, to dozens of aircraft crash sites, and from early modern shipwrecks to battleships from World War I. A significant number of nations and cultures - both past and present - are represented on the seabed off the Maltese Islands.

This variety makes Malta the curator for a uniquely well-preserved cultural resource that is global and that belongs to all humankind.

We recognise this responsibility, which is not an easy task but which we will undertake with professionalism and by giving it the importance it begs.

The Government, through the Ministry of Justice, Culture and Local Government, has built the platform for the management, protection and valorisation of underwater assets. It has done so by creating the first Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU) within Heritage Malta, the national agency for the management of Malta’s cultural heritage collections, sites and museums.  Dr Timmy Gambin will be the first head of this unit.

The UCHU in collaboration with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, is being tasked with identifying a number of underwater sites so that these may be accessed by divers in a controlled and managed manner. It is being envisaged that approximately 10 historic sites will be open this year and Heritage Malta will strive to open between 3 and 5 new sites in 2020 and 2021.

Shipwreck access will be managed via an online booking system administered by Heritage Malta.

In order to manage Malta’s underwater cultural heritage, local dive schools, boats and clubs will be obliged to register online with Heritage Malta. The Agency will be monitoring historic shipwrecks through regular spot checks to ensure the protection of such underwater cultural sites.

With the implementation of this unit, this Government is also implementing an electoral promise. We had promised the strengthening of our work in underwater cultural heritage – a promise that is now part of our system.

With the recent announcement of a loan agreement signed with the Cousteau Foundation, by which a selection of objects that were used by Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau will be exhibited at the Malta Maritime Museum in 2021, we are really giving this sector – the underwater cultural heritage sector – a kick in the right direction.

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Malta and its rich cultural product. We will not let any stone unturned to get the most out of this sector. We want this sector to be easily accessible to all. We are striving to continue to strengthen this sector by not only preserving it, safeguarding it and leaving it as a legacy to our future generations, but also working to maximise its potential to continue to contribute to our economy with an improved and forward-looking attitude.