Writing and performing music in Maltese is a national artistic tradition that is set to become far more prominent over the next year. Festival Kanzunetta Maltija, now carrying the name of “Mużika Mużika”, will be pushed to become a fixture in Malta’s calendar. 

The chairman of the festival, Mr Raymond Bugeja, said that the country has been "feeling the lack of a proper showcase for songs written and performed in our native language" for years.  

Festival Kanzunetta Maltija was held annually until 2002 and was last organised in 2016.

However, Mużika Mużika - Festival Kanzunetta Maltija's event is not the only one in which music written in Maltese is the main event. Għanja tal-Poplu, an NGO which shares its roots with Festival Kanzunetta Maltija, has been running for over four decades. 

Għanja tal-Poplu also stepped in to revive the FKM in 2013 and 2016.

L-Għanja tal-Poplu's most recent promotional photo. Source: Għanja tal-Poplu's Facebook page.

As Għanja tal-Poplu prepares to host its 44th edition on the September 11, Festivals Malta’s rebranded event is claiming to be “a proper showcase” of music in the Maltese language.

Arts Minister Jose Herrera said the festival would "attract the best talent in our country".

When asked to comment on the revived festival, Charles Schembri, Għanja tal-Poplu’s chairperson, said his organisation had managed to keep music in the Maltese language "alive and kicking".

“In the last four years alone, our completely voluntary organization hosted a joint-venture festival carrying the name ‘l-Għanja tal-Poplu – Festival tal-Kanzunetta Maltija’ in a professional manner. This was done through us, and we collaborated with the Malta Concert Orchestra of Pjazza Teatru Rjal and with the Arts Council of Malta.”

He said that while they welcome initiatives which encourage songwriting in Maltese he would be "a lot happier if we had a level playing field" and hoped that the local music scene could remain "as independent as possible.”