It’s nearly the silly season. The heat, as punctual as ever, is reminding us summer is here, out of office replies have skyrocketed, and every weekend is packed with all sorts of events and activities only a Maltese summer can offer.
The calendar is so packed with all sorts of events, that some clashes are bound to happen! But surely, we can handle this sort of thing. We have experts in the field who have been doing this for years – right?
So why, oh why, did we organise the annual Isle of MTV concert, organised, promoted and paid for by the Malta Tourism Authority, on the very same day of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta – the 16th of July?
Just to provide some context for the uninitiated, the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is one of the most ancient feasts on the Maltese calendar, dating back to the time of the Knights. In fact, that is why it is still, to this day, celebrated on its actual feast day, even though it is not a holiday, as the Maltese always gave this festivity a great deal of importance.
In fact, though today it is one of many others, up till not long ago, the feast was marked and venerated by the entire island with thousands flocking to Valletta on the day. The feast is still attended by a respectable many, for whom it still represents an important element in their lives.
And this goes beyond the religiosity of feasts or the particular feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in question. The traditional village feast is a very important element in our culture, which transcends faith. It is the expression of a community which comes together to celebrate itself and the bonds that keep it together. It is no surprise that with our villages and towns losing their sense of community, our feasts are in parallel facing increased challenges.
In fact, a chat with festa enthusiasts, whom I happen to be very close to since I take a particular interest in the field, and lend a helping hand in my hometown Attard, will reveal how hard it has become to meet the challenges to organise a feast. Funding is only one very big hurdle. Manpower and the value we give to voluntary work are also problematic issues.
What is most irritating, is that on the one hand, as a country we seem to have understood the value of this manifestation of culture – in fact we have managed to get it recognised by UNESCO as an example of intangible heritage that merits to be protected. On the other hand, however, very little is done to actually protect this tradition, and volunteers are left to their own devises, with very limited resources to fend for themselves.
Trust you me, there will be a time, and we are not talking about many years in the future, when feasts will start dropping like flies. Then we will say ‘there used to be a pretty festa in this town, but there’s no one to organise it anymore!’
Going back to the particular case of the feats of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta, this is yet another example of shameful management. The Malta Tourism Authority, which doesn’t miss one opportunity to use and abuse feast-culture to promote the island in its promotional material, has messed it up for real this time. Attempts to mitigate the logistical nightmare have been made, but it is all futile in the larger context.
This is an alarming case of disrespect and misplaced priorities. This is another disgusting case of lack of appreciation of what really matters. Memories of the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows navigating a sea of tables, chairs, aperitivos and proseccos in Valletta are far too fresh. I wonder when we will ever learn.
Also… only if there was an agency, funded by Government, with the purpose to protect and promote Valletta culture… something we would call, perhaps, the Valletta Cultural Agency? Oh, wait there is one! But it is only too busy placing potted plants in St George’s square – sorry, my mistake!
Alexander Mangion is the Deputy Mayor of Attard