When did the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage come to be and what is its history?

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage was created in 2003. In 2002, an important threshold was crossed when the Cultural Heritage Act was enacted. This Act improved upon previous laws and made the protection of national heritage have more legal standing. The Act also separates the operator from the regulator – a principle that is considered the norm in other sectors such as health. In the past, the Museums Department would have carried out both roles – site managing and culture policing. This has completely changed. Now the manager is Heritage Malta and its main focus is the running of Malta’s various heritage offers. While we, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, are responsible for the regulatory aspect of cultural heritage management.

What does the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage actually do and what does your role as Acting Superintendent entail?

Since 2003, the Super-

intendence of Cultural Heritage has been in charge of a number of key responsibilities and functions. We are responsible for the development and management of a national inventory of cultural property. The development of this key tool will lead to the proactive management of cultural property rather than merely the crisis management we undertake now. The superintendence also assists in the establishment of policy, standards, and guidelines related to cultural heritage.

The superintendence is involved with the enforcement of penalties when it comes to any breach of law. In addition, we protect cultural property from being destroyed by illegal construction and we protect archaeological wrecks in the sea from being pillaged.

Moreover, the superintendence regulates heritage management plans and has to give advice to the government on heritage matters. We develop the philosophy of what has to be done and guarantee that the government works for the benefit of the public.

The government has also entrusted us with the regulation of archaeological excavations, conservation and the cooperation with other public entities to promote the regulation of the import and export of cultural goods and the management of guardianship deeds with NGOs and local councils.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage advises the minister in reporting and discussing issues of heritage with other international heritage organisations. We have a number of direct commitments with regional and international institutions in relation to the conservation and promotion of Malta’s cultural heritage on an international basis. At present we liaise with the Council of Europe and the European Union. The superintendence also participates in European and Euro-Med programmes, both on a bi-lateral and a multi-lateral basis.

Another important aspect of the superintendence is that we are on the foreground when is comes to research. Our research is ongoing as only like that can we develop and improve our work. The national inventory we are making is at the heart of our ongoing research programme.

In February 2007, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage launched the CHIMS project. What are the objective and aims of this project?

The superintendence has been working on this project, known as CHIMS, which stands for Cultural Heritage Inventory Management Systems, for a number of years. Malta is actually a pioneer when it comes to having a national inventory of cultural heritage. When the superintendence decided to establish a national inventory, part of our research included checking whether other countries have sophisticated inventories. It turned out that no one had such a highly-developed inventory, so we set up our own. A lot of original research went into the development of this inventory. To date, many bodies have set up an inventory – Mepa, the National Library, the National Archives and the Church, however CHIMS will encapsulate all these fragmented pieces of data and complete them. CHIMS strives to create a single digital platform to collect all these different parts.

This instrument is so useful because it makes the auditing of all heritage sites possible. It is useful to note that the term “heritage” is defined in the Heritage Act of 2002 as “movable and immovable objects of artistic, architectural, historical, archaeological, ethnographic, palaeontological and geological importance and includes information or data relative to cultural heritage pertaining to Malta or to any other country. This includes archaeological, palaeontological or geological sites and deposits, landscapes, groups of buildings, as well as scientific collections, collections of art objects, manuscripts, books, published material, archives, audio-visual material and reproductions of any of the preceding, or collections of historical value, as well as intangible cultural assets comprising arts, traditions, customs and skills employed in the performing arts, in applied arts and in crafts and other intangible assets which have a historical, artistic or ethnographic value.”

This project is very exciting because it is going to be fully appreciated by the public. Through this inventory, everyone will be able to access high-quality information and data on Maltese cultural heritage. In addition, the inventory can handle both movable and immovable objects. For example, a user, sitting at home on a computer, can see an archaeological site and its various layers, which is immovable, as well as the movable artefacts found there, even if these artefacts are now housed in a museum. On the same lines, a church can be seen, including the silverware, which may be elsewhere. Links are going to exist in the programme itself, so a painting in a museum would be linked to its original location in say, a palace. This inventory is in line with the European Union recommendations that cultural data is available in digital form and free.

Cultural heritage is very fluid in nature. We are constantly learning new things. Therefore this inventory can be considered a permanent work in progress in order that it always remains on the forefront. The system created by Datatrak gives us a host, which can handle the constant flow of new information and is very updateable. Furthermore, the definition of “cultural heritage” is constantly changing and with time, CHIMS might become outdated and a new one may eventually have to be created; however the inventory per se is forever.

Last February we presented the system together with demonstrations of what is to be expected to public bodies. The attendance was encouraging. Currently the superintendence is funding a number of data collection pilot projects to be able to test how the data works in the system. The links and analyses between different types of data will correlate. The idea is to proceed to cover the core data areas; some sites are not as high priority as others. Areas, which are at risk of being lost, because of theft, construction or vandalism are of supreme importance. We are trying to develop these projects with other partners, especially local councils because we feel that it is important that this system has a public touch to it.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has several international commitments. What liaises do you enjoy with UNESCO, the Council of Europe, and the European Union?

Lately, the majority of our liaises have been with the Council of Europe and the European Union. All of our issues are raised at these international fora. In the last few years, the Council of Europe has been heavily involved in cultural diversity especially in areas like the Balkans. It is very stimulating to notice the importance of cultural presence in a country.

What is your role vis-á-vis operators such as Heritage Malta?

The superintendence is a regulator and therefore we have the right to intervene on projects if the terms of cultural heritage are being breached. On a broader level, this guarantees that cultural heritage is being properly conserved and managed to the best interest of the public. Hence, when dealing with operators, we take a very technical approach and in no way do we try to replace them – we merely guide.

For example at Hagar Qim, a decision was taken some time back to invest in shelter as the temple was being adversely affected by atmospheric condition. We ensure that this decision will be implemented in a manner that is compatible with the site itself as well as the landscape. The superintendence worked hand in hand with Heritage Malta.

It is important that a wide range of entities in society start shouldering the weight of conserving Cultural Heritage and making it accessible.

The superintendence encourages cultural heritage initiatives with local councils and NGOs and we want to ensure that all operators are using high standards of conservation and management.

Do you feel the public is becoming more aware and respectful of Malta’s cultural heritage? How may this improve further?

In general, I feel that the attitude towards our heritage is becoming more positive although the level of awareness is still quite low and therefore exposure needs to be even higher. I think we have a moral obligation to take care of our cultural heritage because it affects our roots of well-being.

On a personal level, what drew you towards the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage?

I find my work is very positive in nature although sometimes it’s not pleasant to be known as an annoying watchdog. My work is based on the principle that culture matters to the well-being of people. I never regret joining the superintendence and I find my work very worthwhile.

Do you consider yourself, first and foremost, an archaeologist?

My work, today, forces me to take interest in a wide range of subjects so that I have become a multi-disciplined person. My undergraduate studies were in archaeology while my postgraduate studies dealt with heritage management. I consider myself both an archaeologist and a heritage manager.

I find that the two subjects go very well together and it is difficult to be specific. Archaeology shaped me and I still participate directly in archaeological projects, especially ones dealing with the medieval period, which is my personal area of specialisation.

Nathaniel Cutajar was born in 1969. He first studied in Malta and then completed his postgraduate studies in heritage management in the UK. He has published extensively on archaeological matters – especially the medieval period, and heritage management. Through his father, Dominic Cutajar, the ex-curator of the Museum of Fine Arts, Nathaniel Cutajar developed a keen eye for art.