At the exact moment when I began to write an article on prehistoric art and modernity, the horrible news of the massacre in Paris emerged. The massacre highlighted the absolute lack of consciousness on the strange and macabre period in which we are living (yet we continue to bury our head in sand) and also showed the infernal hypocrisy of all powers who, to exacerbate things, had the nerve to attend the massive and popular protest in Paris.
Saudi Arabia, one of the most powerful friends of the United States and whose barbarous politics are amongst the worst which the contemporary world has seen, has now even instigated war against agnostics and atheists. At the same time that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Nizar Bin Obald Madani, was marching alongside the millions of "Je suis Charlie" protesters, his government ordered 1000 lashes, a ten-year jail sentence and a fine of 240,000 Euros to the intellectual blogger Raif Badawi for having the audacity to advocate the right of opinion over the internet. Similar was Netanyahu's decision to order the cruel killing of 800 children in Gaza, aside from the apocalyptic disaster which he created along the Palestinian territories.
How are we able to live in such a hypocritical world?
It would be fantastic if one were to listen attentively to the declaration of Giulietto Chiesa on Youtube, "Il Punto di Giulietto Chiesa", which even shows photos of American high authorities in the pleasant company of ISIS terrorists and others which the Americans are supposedly fighting against. Watch and listen to Chiesa, a globally respected opinion writer.
Also read "Tragedy of Two Libyas" (Richard Galustian, Times of Malta, 9th January 2015) to see the level of American hypocrisy and, unfortunately, also of its alliances. What madness and confusion. I have grave doubts whether Galustian will be allowed to publish further articles after this one which really touches upon truth. And who stands to gain from this mess which was consciously provoked and created by the powers themselves?
I delight in dreaming that the United States would one day revive the early ideals of international justice and fraternity, which were so beautiful and progressive in the fight against British colonialism, and I continue to dream that with its great power it will be able to engender global peace and tranquility.
The works of Melville, Steinbeck, Edgar Allan Poe, Beecher Stowe, Walt Whitman, Henry James, Hemingway, Miller, Mark Twain, Guthrie, and others. What global human richness!
If her strength, instead of continuously financing international terrorism and causing chaos in every country in which she has interest, was aimed at channeling her greatness to the creation of solidarity with those who are fighting for the same values which she is supposed to be advocating, if only she had to re-read the masterpieces created by her own people... if only...
And I am awoken by Marx who reminds me that capitalism can never give birth to a utopian dream as is mine. Capitalism is genetically dependent on fatal battles for dominance of profits to make further profits, with one objective alone: that of more and more profits. And capitalism will never tire of achieving this perpetual aim, and will even become the devil to obtain it, an aim which always wants more and more. A Faustian paradox. What I cannot understand is how great powers do not realize that one stands to gain more financially from times of peace. Or is this also a utopian dream? Maybe it would be beneficial to remind them of George Eliot's "Silas Marner". I turned and gave my back to Marx, and I continued to dream. As I awoke, I felt as if I had just escaped from a bad dream, but I could not remember what it was. I sat in front of my computer to continue writing the article on prehistoric art. And I couldn't.
Attacks such as these are attacks against 300 years of enlightenment. And thus, unfortunately, Pope Francis almost justified this massacre with the example he gave, of what he would have done if his own mother was insulted. In fact, he reminded me of Zidane's gesture during the final of the World Cup, who was internationally shunned because of his actions.
It was a great mistake of the Pope to go against the teachings of Christ himself. Today Europe has managed to provoke a pandemonium of possibilities of how one could defend their rights and even their integrity. Every offence has political, legal, social and cultural remedies.
However, the Church never seems to be accepting of the sacrosanct right of expression, because this way it loses its ideological monopoly. And so, implicitly and sometimes even explicitly, it tries to find justification for Islamic terrorist acts, so that the Church may gain from such. It is a shame that the good which the Pope is doing is tarnished by mistakes such as these.
I am not saying that I am in favour of insults and the undermining of religions and faith; however they must never have the right of monopoly over peoples' actions. There is the State and its laws which determine defense from offence, and means which may be used in a legal manner, and obviously pacifically, within the parameters which have been developing since the birth of the Enlightenment. We cannot risk losing these victories. Although I absolutely do not agree with those who believe the sociopolitical battle can be fought with extreme ridicule against everything, I will nevertheless absolutely support those who wish to follow this path. If I do not agree with it, then I will reply with equal force, meaning in this case, with caricature.
Great! So now if I feel insulted I will have the right to punch others in the face, according to Pope Francis. And who will have the right to interpret the insult and the nature of the offence?
In the 70s, Dario Fo was excommunicated from everywhere due to his satirical work against everybody. So, according to the Pope, shall we punch him? Shoot him? In fact, the Fascists did carry out such a right by burning down Fo's theatre, kidnapping his wife Franca Rame and raping her continuously. Fantastic!
However, society has developed, and instead of an apology to the family Fo was given - because he truly deserved it - the Nobel Prize, the most prestigious prize in the sphere of human creativity.
I know that the Pope did not praise the killing of such courageous people, but to dare to open a window, however small, towards any form of justification is a fearful monstrosity. Especially when such is said by the head of a Church which in the past burned so-called 'heretics' and sent them to hell. Furthermore, such behavior goes contrary to Christ's teachings.
How many journalists, artists, painters and intellectuals were killed because they were a source of offence to the State, the Church or religion? How many were killed in Nazi concentration camps and the Soviet gulags? How many artists and poets were killed in Gaza and occupied Palestine because their work was so strong and powerful that the State considered them as dangerous?
It is a shame that we do not remember Quirinus Kuhlmann and Jacques de Molay, Ramihdrus Chambrai, Peter de Bruys, Gerard Segarelli, Maifreda da Pirovano, Andrea Saramiti, Fra Dolcino, Suor Margherita, Antonio Bevilacqua, John Badby, Jan Hus, Jean d'Arc, Benato, Gambonelli, Bartoccio, Askew, Parris, Hammont, Legate, Wightman...shall I go on?
And so what shall we do with the satire of Al-Gahiz, At-Taghlibi, As-Salami, Abu-Dulaf, medieval Arab satirists? Shall we burn Chaucer, together with Boccaccio and Rabelais? Maybe we should add Cervantes also, and I almost forgot Donne and Hall. What of Alexander Pope, Johnathan Swift, John Gay, John Arbuthnot, Robert Harley, Daniel Defoe, Thomas Parnell....and in more recent times Charlie Chaplin, Ricky Gervais and Monthy Python? Therefore all of the above, and thousands of others, are to be sent to the butchery because, according to somebody, they offended by mother or some concept which I believe to be essential to my personal life.
And since we have arrived here, we should recall Manwel Dimech, Strickland, Mintoff and their colleagues, amongst others. These experienced floods of intense 'punches' and the throwing of stones and assaults because they wanted modern, enlightened, human and civil values to take root in our country.
Article edited and translated by Nikki Petroni
Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci is the artistic director of the Mdina Cathedral Contemporary Art Biennale which will be held between 13 November 2015 and 7 January 2016. APS is the main partner of the Mdina Biennale