Brass band concert in Alicia Bugeja Said's district got fish farm funding

A public fund administered by Alicia Bugeja Said’s secretariat, intended to “strengthen sustainable development” and support “marine research”, was used to finance a brass band concert in the junior fisheries minister’s district.

Żejtun’s Beland band club hosted its annual concert on Saturday and, this year’s event, dubbed Mewġa Mużikali (Musical Wave), was partly financed by the Aquaculture Fund, which was set up in May.

Bugeja Said was presented with a flower bouquet at the end of the event.

A spokesperson for the junior minister said the activity aligns with Fond Akwakultura’s scope because “community engagement” is among the fund’s objectives.

They added that the project also involved schoolchildren from Żejtun.

Żejtun forms part of the third electoral district, which Bugeja Said contested at the last general election. She failed to get elected but made it to parliament via the gender corrective mechanism.  

During the fund’s launch in May, Bugeja Said described the €90,000 initiative as a means to strengthen the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry in Malta and support marine research.

“This is not just a funding scheme but a fund of opportunity. We believe this sector can become a central pillar of our blue economy, fostering more sustainability, innovation and positive environmental impact,” she said.

“With collaboration between the public sector, NGOs and students, we can ensure that these funds are used effectively to support marine sustainability. I encourage all eligible applicants to apply so we can build a blue future for our country,” the junior minister added.

The fund is financed through annual permit fees paid by aquaculture operators to the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, with those revenues redirected to eligible projects.

The Saturday event saw the Beland brass band perform adapted renditions of popular songs, many of which were nautical-themed.

Bugeja Said was presented with a bouquet of flowers at the end of the event. Photo: Beland/ Facebook

The Saturday night set-list featured Maltese favourites such as Id-Dgħajsa tal-Latini (The Latin Boat) and Il-Bajja tal-Mellieħa (Mellieħa Bay), along with a medley from James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic. The medley included an instrumental rendition of the film’s title track, My Heart Will Go On.

Other songs in the programme had a less direct connection to the sea.

The event’s host linked the 2010 World Cup anthem Wavin’ Flag to football fans’ habit of forming Mexican waves, while a medley from Les Misérables was introduced with a nod to the “waves of revolts” that inspired the 19th-century novel.

The theatre at Żejtun secondary school was also decorated with sea-themed paintings created by primary school children for the concert.

“As we can see, this hall is decorated with paintings about the sea and even aquaculture. In the last weeks, 100 children from Year 6 of the Żejtun primary school prepared these paintings,” the night’s host read out.

An education project for Year 4 and Year 5 children will follow, he said.

In a short speech at the end of the event, Bugeja Said noted that activities like Saturday’s concert help to increase awareness about the sea.

She said the Żejtun concert was the first project to come to fruition from the fund.

Times of Malta asked Bugeja Said’s secretariat how much was given to the Beland band club for the project and why it decided to grant funds.

Replying, the spokesperson said the fund provides financing of up to €10,000 for projects that “support environmental protection and the sustainable development of coastal waters”.

“The project in question was assessed against these criteria and found to align with the fund’s objectives, which include community engagement and educational initiatives related to the marine environment,” a spokesperson for the junior minister said.

“In addition to the concert element, the project includes collaborations with primary and secondary schools to deliver aquaculture-related educational activities. On this basis, it was deemed eligible and consistent with the fund’s priorities.”