A comment made by a priest on social media has wider implications than the people it was aimed for.

Last Saturday, Vittoriosa's Fr John Avellino complained that a music concert that the parish had organised was not well attended.

Not even the people who went to the Mass that preceded the event stayed on, he said. Many of them left before the concert started. "One gets to lose heart and do nothing. We are hoping that Vittoriosa becomes the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2031. What culture? Where is our culture? What culture do we have in our locality?"

Words that underscore his disappointment that after all the trouble that was taken to organise the event, the attendance was very poor.

Fr Avellino's comment was directed at his parishioners who, he believes, should be more receptive to cultural events, especially as the locality is competing with Victoria (Gozo) to be declared as the European capital city of culture in 2031.

But we believe that his argument could be extended beyond Vittoriosa, largely because we need to ask whether, as a whole nation, we are losing interest in matters pertaining to the wide umbrella that we call culture.

Yes, we still have many activities which we could describe as cultural events. Newspapers, especially the Sunday ones, carry several articles that report on exhibitions, plays and other events, most of which are organised by volunteers. But what is the attendance for them? Are people going to such events? Or are the organisers as disappointed as Fr Avellino?

People flock more to events which can be described as being more "entertaining", rather than "cultural". During this time of the year, for example, pantomimes are extremely popular and people who leave it for late often do not find tickets. It is well and good that such events draw the crowds - everyone likes to have a good time and a good laugh. But, then, when it comes to events that are more cultural in nature, the attendance is much lower.

Just to give another example, it is easy to take one's children to the Salini park where a Christmas Village has been set up. But how many parents or guardians have taken their children to the Archaeology Museum or the War Museum in Valletta? Again, there's nothing wrong with having something like a Christmas Village at Salini, far from it. But are children being exposed only to such happenings when there are other events or places of a higher calibre, and from where they could learn something, they should also be attending?

Schools have their role to play here too. Education is not just learning how to read and write. It has a much wider function and, in this respect, the system in place is rather lacking. Education in Malta needs to focus more on a comprehensive upbringing of children, not only from the academic point of view. Exams are important, but so is exposure to anything else which is part of the country's history, customs and, here we go again, culture.

The more time passes, the more society gives importance to what is frivolous while ignoring the rest.

Such a pity.