The arts in a state

Toni Attard's letter from Edinburgh, Scotland (November 8) about the proposed development of the opera house site caught my eye. His critical point of successive Maltese governments' unwillingness to invest in culture as a non-vote-catching waste of resources can also be extended to education at every level.

One disgrace is that due to a shortage of money, the University of Malta offers a B.Ed (Hons) degree course in art (with another subject, not on its own) without even offering the facilities or space on campus for students to practise the subject of their choice.

Nor can lecturers in fine art, whose full-time profession as artists includes an educational role, engage in the kind of tutoring in which contemporary, creative practice is essential for student-teachers. I believe this is at the root of our apathy - a lack of funding for basic educational necessities creates a lack of interest and dynamism from the very people whose cultural futures should enrich, and be enriched by, their country.

This is reflected in the unwillingness to participate in debate on the matter. That the government ensures its national cultural policy by investing in a building to house an arts centre instead of Parliament on the opera house site has been urged by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts. This was the position upheld by the chairman of MCCA, Joe Friggieri, at a public discussion at the Manoel Theatre on November 3.

Though this was organised by a student group, Theatre Traffic, and Prof. Friggieri is head of his department at the university, students and academics were conspicuous by their absence. Surely there must be some curiosity, at the very least, to see at first hand what the MCCA's stand is in all this - even to offer support, as well as ask necessary questions.

What about other members of MCCA? In this whole debate their stance should be one which is vital to pinning the government down to their original contract of investment in the arts. Is it their way to hide behind Prof. Friggieri, their chairman? One assumes that an arts council's position on funding for cultural development is the result of board discussions put to a vote; likewise, government proposals on such vital matters are of radical importance to the MCCA, especially as its position is essentially in opposition to the government's "suggestion - not a fait accompli, and not yet a decision", as was declared by Minister Louis Galea.

Arts councils in other European countries are in close contact with artists and educators in all areas; this does not exclude debate through which ideas and policies develop. Consequently, any positive links made with private sponsors for national cultural projects should not discourage artists in Malta from making their views felt. But here the silence on such matters of public importance shows a lack of cohesion, and confidence. An active arts council would ensure a cultural arena overlapping the educational field, in which voices can be heard. Is there some fear of "rocking the boat" from the supposedly creative core of our society - students, lecturers, and all types of artists?