In this part of an essay entitled “Politics, Morality and Civility”, Havel concentrates on an important aspect in the development of citizenship. It is evident that Havel’s ideal state involves a cultured citizenship – what he calls “civility” in the wider sense of the world. The fundamentals of a state lie in the building and molding of individuals – upon civility is his future republic based.
From my political ideals, it should be clear enough that what I would like to accentuate in every possible way in my practice of politics is culture. Culture in the widest possible sense of the world, including everything from what might be called the culture of everyday life – or “civility” – to what we know as high culture, including the arts and sciences.
I don’t mean that the state should heavily subsidize culture as a particular area of human endeavour, nor do I at all share the indignant fear of many artists that the period we are going through now is ruining culture and will eventually destroy it. Most of our artists have, unwittingly, grown accustomed to the unending generosity of the socialist state. It subsidised a number of cultural institutions and offices, heedless of whether a film cost one million or ten million crowns, or whether anyone ever went to see it.
It didn’t matter how many idle actors the theatres had on their payrolls; the main thing was that everyone was on one, and thus on the take. The Communist state knew, better than the Czech-Californian philosopher, where the greatest danger to it lay: in the realm of the intellect and the spirit. It knew who first had to be pacified through irrational largesse. That the state was less and less successful at doing so is another matter which merely confirms how right it was to be afraid; for, despite all the bribes and prizes and titles thrown their way, the artists were among the first to rebel.
This nostalgic complaint by artists who fondly remember their “social security” under socialism therefore leaves me unmoved. Culture must, in part at least, learn how to make its own way.
Alex Vella Gera was the guest Maltese author for this year’s Festival des Immigrations. Vella Gera returned to Luxembourg (he has worked here in the past) wearing his new vestiges of notorious author and under the spotlight for his latest work “is-Sriep regġħu saru velenużi”. The Festival des Immigrations is now in its 30th year and is a celebration of all things “foreign” that exist in Luxembourg – an interesting experience for us Maltese to be counted as one of the “others”.
When the chat with Vella Gera ended a group of us gravitated towards the food stalls (sadly bereft of Maltese timpani, pastizi and kinnie) and opted for a Cameroonian mix of meats and fishes for a very tasty (and in some cases hot) bite. On our way out we passed the Amnesty International stand that was highlighting the plight of immigrant communities in the Med – what do you know Malta features as two-way protagonist!
Back to the chat. The interview was expertly conducted in a relaxed atmosphere by Mark Vella. Malta’s participation in the Festival was once again guaranteed thanks to the dedicated campaign of international passport poet Antoine Cassar. Attendance was purely from the Maltese community in Luxembourg (that officially numbers 225 according to the panels in the main Hall – but that does not count the numerous Maltese who opted to live across the border in Germany or Belgium) and this meant that the language of the discussion switched to the vernacular.
Language was an important protagonist in the surgical analysis that turned out to be a voyage of discovery for Vella Gera himself. By the author’s own admission criticism and public reaction to published works is hard to come by and so Vella Gera seemed to thrive and enjoy this moment of exploration and questioning into the reality behind his work. Hollywood gave us the concept of “behind the scenes”, this was “Sriep’s” behind the scenes moment as both Mark Vella and later those present (inevitably including yours truly) questioned motives, choices and narratives behind Vella Gera’s novel.
The whole sessions should have been recorded for YouTube prosperity but apparently the wrong button was pressed on the video cam so only an audio will eventually be available. This point of the YouTube video was a topic that cropped up in the discussion itself. Such moments of analysis could be of more benefit if advantage is taken of modern technology that allows for a wider vision and an expansion of the platform. This could be one way of filling the absence of the critical reaction.
What did happen in that room was a gradual build up of political, social and linguistic analysis of a book that – in my view – is an excellent documentary in the raw of a particular growing up phase of Maltese society. As was remarked by those present it is a pity that such a discussion does not reach a wider audience. Vella Gera’s Sriep does cut into much of the questions afflicting modern society. The use of Minglish or the special patois of code-switching pepe/malti for example is not simply a cultural curiosity but one that exposes the need of a socio-political understanding of whole swathes of Maltese society. Politically speaking the weight carried by social “castes” or classes can be queried – much as the Labour party did in the past campaign with the “Courage to Vote” video.
In other words it was a discussion about a book, it was a discussion about an author’s experience and dealings with his society and whether he was more of a chronicler of the real than an author of the imaginary. It was all that and more. What the meeting with Vella Gera produced though was a surprising realisation that this kind of analysis might be very much lacking in contemporary Maltese society. While we may often complain that the “intellectuals” and “artistic milieu” fail to engage politically we fail to notice that there are few bridges and platforms where their work is given the necessary attention or allowed to provoke the necessary discussions.
Sriep has sold around 1,500 copies. That apparently makes it a best-seller in Malta. Sadly the potential that such a tome has for provoking discussion on so many levels is about to die a quiet death. The main reason is that Vella Gera would not be invited to the the main media programmes and would not be a convenient selling point for papers if he were not embroiled in a Li Tkisser Sewwi style scandal. Ironically while the last campaign was characterised with empty vessel promises about “burying the differences” we have yet to see a conscious effort being made in understanding where they come from in the first place.
Meanwhile our new Minister for Culture is determined to invest in popular culture – investing in Carnival and investing in local festi because that is how we understand where our differences lie, isn’t it?
P.S. And after the talk I also bought two cd’s by those paradoxes of Maltese social commentary.
And this is where I continue from yesterday’s post. As I was saying (at some point) my biggest worry in this kind of events is that the “culture” crowd gets a little toy and keeps it to itself for a few events that would be deemed “arty-farty”. I am sure that this is not my concern alone but also that of the organisers – it was evident from some of the Monday presentations that they were assessing how to involve more and more people in this festival of all that is art.
Having lived through Luxembourg’s experience of European Cultural Capital (2007) I can see the first-hand benefits to be had to a whole cultural landscape. Luxembourg has been on a massive growth curve in terms of the general culture scene. It does have the added advantage of being part of a “Greater Region” that includes French Lorraine, German Rheinland-Pfalz and to a lesser extent Belgian Luxembourg. Initiatives in Luxembourg may have a wider catchment reaching out to these areas too but the benefits of 2007’s experience remain very local.
I’d like to expand on the village festa and village space concept, especially after Liz’s comment on yesterday’s post. What I meant when comparing “invasion” with “relation” was exactly what Liz emphasised. The village set-up built around organising mass scale events involving the whole population is there to be nurtured not radically changed. Liz echoed my thoughts when she said that the festa people might do with some inspiration to switch from tombola mode and explore new options of entertainment that might be deemed more “culture-worthy” by the snob among us.
Echternach in Luxembourg has the funny-walking march (dancing procession) on the occasion of the feast of Saint Willibrod attracting thousands of pilgrims/tourists to the area. The Limburg carnivals are a huge festival of celebration in the catholic “enclaves” of the Netherlands that turn out to be a massive street party along the canals of Maas for example complete with beer fests, food fests and shopping extravaganza. But we know this don’t we?
We also might have heard of the light show that illuminates Strasbourg’s immense cathedral in summer. We already have a series of summer “festivals” of our own in Valletta and beyond so there’s not much to learn there either. So what can Valletta 18 do that we are not doing already?
I’d suggest, as a first idea, to pilfer the TED format even further. Is there a Ministry building, a department, a hangar or something somewhere in Valletta (I’d bank on Strait Street) that can become a permanent workshop for Valletta 18? I’d turn it into a regular appointment for the business, art and political community. A stage, a powerpoint system, (some fans or aircon would be swell), chairs, coffee bar and bob’s your uncle. Imagine a weekly appointment at 7pm for two or three speakers to give 8 to 10 minute presentations and open the floor for discussion.
Create the thinking space. Give Valletta a brain. Let it build itself into a thinking city. The subjects could be anything – just like TED – so long as they could be linked to Valletta. Ideas about events, ideas about performances, transport, linking, networking…. how about it then?
As the US and Japan issue a terror warning for tourists visiting “Europe” – more specifically the UK, France and Germany an evident shift in the lines of nationality is surfacing in the news. Malta (the nation) woke up for breakfast with Tiffany (the person) – the next top model born in Wolverhampton but claimed by the Maltese nation. The UK born and Maltese bred Tiff has already begun to receive comments from well wishers and one of MT’s regulars (signed Tarcisio Mifsud) urged her:
“to remain a lady with a strong Maltese character and with strong Maltese values. Enjoy it.”
Whether there is much to enjoy is another question. Then again – what are the strong Maltese values? Are they embodied in the Kalkara ’94 video? Or should she be making use of her new found place in the spotlight to echo the latest Vatican ramblings against 2010 nobel prize winner Edwards – father of the test tube babies (the idea – not all of them)? There are now an estimated over 4 million persons who were test tube babies – and the Vatican still wonders whether this miracle is right.
But back to nations and nationalism. Does nationality automatically impart a set of values? Are both nationality and values part of our DNA set up? We get contradictory messages. Germany’s president told the nation that :
“Christianity is, of course, part of Germany. Judaism is, of course, part of Germany. This is our Judeo-Christian history. But, now, Islam is also part of Germany. “When German Muslims write to me to tell me ‘You are our president’ – then I answer wholeheartedly: Yes, of course I am your president! And with the same dedication and conviction of which I am the president of all the people who live in Germany”
Which makes sense really because you cannot suddenly put up mental borders and block out anything new – a new form of religion – simply because it does not form part of your past. Well you could try – but that involves the kind of eradication that goes contrary to the core values which our liberal society holds dear. The problem is that we are still at pains to come to terms with the new realities and identities. Here is the BBC reporting the latest US activity against Al Qaeda in Pakistan:
At least eight al-Qaeda militants – some of whom were German nationals – have been killed in a drone attack in Pakistan, officials have told the BBC. The suspected US drone fired two missiles at a house owned by a local tribesman in the Pakistani region of North Waziristan, the officials said. At least three of the dead were said to be German – of Arab or Turkish origin.
The language of the reporting is interesting. Incidentally the title was ‘German militants’ killed in Pakistan drone attack. “German militants” had to be decorated with inverted commas and further down in the article we get the second clarification: “German – of Arab or Turkish origin”. You can sympathise with the reporter coming to grips with the “Us vs Them” nature of the “War on Terrorism”. He or she could never come to terms with the notion of a German Al Qaeda Militant. The Arab Al Qaeda is a stereotype we are comfortable with (at ease with the label not with the menace of course). Even the curious laxity with which the word Turkish is slapped on, almost as an afterthought, betrays a general compartmentalisation that goes beyond the national.
The ‘Turk’ is to Germany as the ‘Pole’ was to the EU before membership – a mass of people (Turks/Arabs, Poles/East Europeans) in search of work who would bring their own culture along to their new hosts. It is the Turk, mainly, who brings Islam to Christian Wulff’s Germany. It is the Turk who Wulff has to thank for the infusion of cultural and religious diversity and from those letters from “German Muslims”.
The War on Terrorism forced a radical revolution in terminology – most evidenced in the press. It obliged us to create the “Us and Them” mentality and oftentimes we struggle to understand that this is not really a battle of cultures/civilisations but an underpinning new battle of ideologies and that both the redneck yankee and the arab terrorist are just overblown stereotypes that serve to confuse us further in this “war”.
If the Tour Eiffel were under threat there is more of a chance it would be the French equivalent of the UK’s Tiffany. Someone with a French passport bearing an Arab surname – born and bred in Marseilles but with very very strong ties with the people back home (in the Maghreb?) urging her:
“to remain a lady with a strong Arab character and with strong Arab values. Enjoy it.”
