Local councils' role in heritage

Malta's Heritage belongs to us on trust. So long as we protect and conserve the wealth that was bequeathed to us. So do local councils. These are elected and serve for three years. Citizens judge councillors by what they promise and deliver. If they do we re-elect them. Otherwise, as an institution they came to stay with us.

Heritage belongs to us always. In a good or bad state on how we care to preserve it or not. In the latter case it means that we would have lost a treasure. But, above all, heritage is not exclusively ours. Specifically archaeological heritage really and truly belongs to the world. Humanity as a whole is co-heir with us.

So where is the connection between local councils and heritage? Local councils have a mission to perform. They are the guardians of local heritage and are accountable to all for their guardianship. It does not matter whether the locality is old or new. If new it still has its roots to be aware of and protect if not intrinsically, at least through 'connection'.

New localities

Santa Lucija is a relatively new locality. Some of its streets are named after worthy women who deserve to be remembered by posterity, Remembrance of the achievements of these women constitutes the localities' heritage. A biographical account and their achievements published in booklet form constitutes a record of this heritage.

San Gwann is both an old and a new locality. The old part, Mensija, is full of archaeological and historical sites. The care of the local council resulted in establishing a 'heritage walk' The San Gwann council published a map pinpointing the places of historical interest.

Some of the streets of San Gwann and of neighbouring L-Iklin bear names of renowened men following the example of Santa Lucija. This act in itself, as in the latter case, constitutes heritage and deserves to be similarly remembered.

Old localities

The old localities, which are in the majority, are chock-full of heritage sites. These are from prehistory, the classical period, the middle and baroque ages. As well as the British period. The small area of the Maltese Islands is in inverse proportion to the density and number of heritage sites. No other country can boast such a rich heritage in such a small area. This is all the more reason why local councils are in duty bound to protect, maintain and conserve these sites, irrespective of their age, worth or dimension.

Heritage Malta

Dr Mario Tabone, chairman of Heritage Malta, described our heritage as that which gives us identity and makes us a nation. We have a wonderful past that is rich, remarkable and deep. Heritage is the soul of the Maltese nation. It is, he emphasises, what unites us as a people, gives us a profile and enhances our international credentials.

This heritage is rich. Inasmuch as it belongs to us in the first place, because it exists on our land, every one of us is rich. As such we have the duty to take care of it and not squander or neglect our wealth. It is this precious heritage which gives our people our unique and singular identity.

The duty of protection, preservation and conservation is preceded by an awareness. We must be aware of the existence and extent of our heritage. Having known it, we must ensure we pay careful attention to it before it is too late. There are signs of serious damage and danger of disintegration through the action of the elements or through human misconduct.

Heritage Malta has many ongoing projects of making our own heritage well known in other countries. The aim of these projects is to persuade cultural tourists to visit our islands, the richest heritage country in Europe.

Environment protection

Local councils are obliged to protect their environment and keep it clean. This applies to a supreme degree to the area surrounding heritage sites. First appearance is what impresses most. Tourists tend to be put off by shabby surroundings.

Well kept cultural heritage attracts tourists. This is a sine qua non to render our cultural heritage uniquely distinguished from that of other countries. The addition of Culture to the Ministry of Tourism should take proper care to solve this problem.