The National Book Council (NBC) appealed to the government and to the Prime Minister to ensure “unencumbered and full access” to the Mediterranean Conference Centre in order to be able to hold the Malta Book Festival on the 10th to the 14th of November, 2021.
This comes after the NBC was informed that it won’t be able to make use of Republic Hall, “as it will instead be used for the publicly-subsidised show of international circus actors Cirque de Soleil,” a statement from the book council read.
“After suffering its greatest economic slump ever, the book industry in Malta needs all the support it can get from the government, however restricting our use of the MCC for the Book Festival will significantly impact the event and its revenue streams, which are crucial for the continued existence of our industry,” the statement remarked.
The NBC pointed out that it had been “the most consistent and loyal client to the MCC”.
The Cirque de Soleil also raises significant question marks as to how they have managed to attain the spot since the company “filed for bankruptcy and the Maltese Government’s public subsidy to this company may have very dubious legal grounds and may also be potentially illegal under EU rules,” the statement pointed out.
The NBC also slammed the government for preferring foreign art instead of cultivating its own.
“It is only in Malta that a government takes the bizarre and absurd decision to prioritise a foreign art group over its own cultural industry. Even if the Government’s end objective is to promote Malta as a tourist destination, it is self-defeating if the government does this by prioritising foreign art groups over its local creative industries,” the NBC said.
The NBC said that the government should take note that the book industry is comprised of “small businesses and hard-working families”.
“We will welcome the government’s intervention in this matter, in the hope this dispute is given the importance it deserves and is not dragged any further.”