Today our country is in mourning for a loss we all knew could happen but which we never really envisaged would happen in such a sudden and dramatic way. We have lost a natural gem, an icon we were all so proud of. Many of us are looking for that photo or selfie we took with the Azure Window in the background just to show everyone that, when the window was there, we cherished it. It is indeed a part of our collective memory.

Social media is packed with photos and videos of what once was and is no longer.

Now that it is gone I wonder if we could have done something to save it. I am not being political – well, not in a partisan way. Could we, as a country, have done something, anything, at least to say we tried to protect it? Was the little we did enough? Perhaps we could have tried harder to make it last a few years longer, or perhaps not. Nature took its course and it is too late now.

This natural incident is a stark reminder of the fragility of our environment and our heritage. Ironically, only a day before this happened, in Parliament we discussed our intangible heritage and the need to protect and nurture it. The debate shed light on our language, music, song, dance and the performing arts. Intangible heritage includes traditions like feasts and fireworks, as well as skills like traditional trades and story-telling.

Nature’s vanishing act with the Azure Window should be our wake-up call to appreciate and protect our heritage – be it tangible or intangible. However, it is also a reminder that there are aspects of our heritage which we have very little control over, and our intervention (or lack of it) may affect it either way.

In reaction to the loss of the Dwejra window, many have taken to social media to share their views on the matter. The dynamics of the event have triggered both anger and humour. Unfortunately, no money, anger or jokes will bring back this natural gem. So where are we going to take our selfies and which attraction is going to pull tourists to Gozo with the same magnetic force?

As a frequent visitor to Gozo, I would say that this event will undeniably have a huge effect on the tourist industry of the island but Gozo has so much tangible and intangible heritage to offer that a collective effort by all can turn this around.

The question remains – are we doing enough to protect our heritage- be it tangible or intangible?

Of course, this brings me to the argument on how much we should intervene to protect our cultural, historical and environmental heritage. I support the school of thought which states that any intervention should be made evident. This means that I prefer a modern structure intervening in an old building rather than a misleading replica.

On the other hand, what are we doing to protect our intangible heritage? Although we find it hard to admit, many of us shy away from certain aspects of our cultural heritage. Honestly, how many of us have sat to follow a session of ghana, our traditional song form? How many of us have ever bothered to understand what it is really about?

And what about story-telling? In an era when short messaging is replacing simple conversations, I honestly doubt how many of us find the time to look into the old tradition of story-telling.

This is what the loss of the azure window means to me. It is a wake-up call. But how long will it last? We are already looking for another window in Gozo. Will we trample all over it, just to say we were there, only to mourn it when it is gone?