Back in the 1960s, Jeremy Boissevain carried out a study in the small village of Kirkop. It was an influential work that shed light on many aspects of life in a rural Maltese village and among his conclusions he indicated a close-knit society with an inclination for in-fighting. Although pique is still a characteristic of our village festas and band clubs, we have come a long way over the past 40 years.

Not so the Nationalist Party, which is working hard to maintain the tradition of in-fighting and pettiness. There does not seem to be any respite for the poor fellows.

For a little respite of my own, I attended a symposium organised by Wirt iz-Zejtun on the Roman villa that is situated in the village. Contrary to what was observed by Boissevain in the 1960s, this was an occasion for unity. Wirt iz-Zejtun is a local NGO that was only recently established by a hardworking group of local individuals. Its mission statement is worth publishing in full:

“Together we should foster interest and respect towards the natural, cultural, environmental, historical, ethnographical and archaeological, tangible and intangible heritage, handed down to us by former Żejtun people. Our aim is to protect, value and hand over this heritage to the generations to follow, at all levels of society, in the best possible state whilst acknowledging its sustainable development.”

This symposium brought together a number of experts from a variety of local entities, including Heritage Malta, the University of Malta, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and Din l-Art Helwa. Numerous members of the public were also present, confirming that there is a thirst for knowledge when it comes to local history and archaeology. The morning’s proceedings were ably chaired by President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici – an ever present and authoritative figure in the field of cultural heritage. Joe Attard, Zejtun’s mayor, took an active and constructive role during the time allotted to discussion.

Presentations covered a large variety of aspects, including the history of the site and its uses, the ancient trade of olive oil and site conservation and management, as well as proposals for the future. Of particular interest was one suggestion proposing the use of this site as an archaeological educational centre. Such an initiative would definitely be of benefit to our schoolchildren and would be a sound investment in the future generations of these islands. However, the highlight of the morning must have been the presentation by four teenage students from the secondary school in the ground of which the Roman villa is situated. They spoke about their current science project on herbicides and the potential harm that these can cause to the site. Ultimately, they would like to identify one that does not damage the archaeological remains.

I left the event with a feeling that, despite the diverse backgrounds of the people present, heritage is very much a unifying factor that gives local residents and all Maltese a sense of identity and pride. It is no surprise therefore that UNESCO refers to “the common heritage of mankind”. Whilst certainly infinitely more modest than the monuments on UNESCO’s world heritage list, the Roman villa in Zejtun has acted as a focal point to bring together qualified experts and members of the public. Wirt iz-Zejtun is planning to publish a book containing the various presentations delivered during the event. I hear that preparations are well in advance and I look forward to laying my hands on a copy.

A future Labour government will ensure that the work of NGOs such as Wirt iz-Zejtun is given due recognition. Meetings such as the symposium described above will be actively encouraged to ensure that wide-reaching outreach programmes are delivered regularly and clearly. Furthermore, local organisations that are well organised and regulated will be encouraged to become involved in the management of heritage sites within their locality. The focus of this effort will be the numerous sites that are currently closed and under-used. Together with local councils and qualified experts, local NGOs will be actively encouraged to submit management plans for assessment. These less glamorous (but no less important) sites are part of our common heritage and it is local entities which, with the right expert advice and guidance, are in the best position to help give them back to the public.