The Uncomfortable Question: Covid & the Arts

Long Read

The Arts are ailing, and Covid-19 is not to blame. Sure, Covid-19 has disrupted all aspects of our lives, but we must not lay the blame for all our problems at its feet. Instead we must look at it as a violent blow, which in most cases is proving fatal.

It is not a coincidence that the language of art and capitalism have converged. We speak of art in terms of ‘industry’ and ‘production’ and ‘projects’. We might add colourful adjectives to them such as ‘creative’ or ‘cultural’, but the bottom line is that art is reduced to another statistic, and measured in terms of its contribution to a country’s GDP.  It is also considered a market (something which has plagued the visual arts in particular), and thus subject to the rules of the free market. Contemporary art can sell for millions simply on the basis of it being ‘contemporary art’ and ‘in demand’, and not for any aesthetic merit or personal preference. 

Of course there is nothing wrong with acknowledging the financial contributions of art, but it trivialises the whole concept of art. Think of the difference between the price of a cake, and the value of a birthday cake baked by a relative or friend for the surprise party they just threw for you. Both are ‘cake’, but one is a business transaction, the other a social interaction. And the tragic part is that artists are becoming more adept at pricing their work, and less concerned about the value of what they produce. There is a word for that: entertainment. 

Again, entertainment is important. It helps us break the boredom of daily existence, and allows for a few fleeting moments of relief. It is as necessary as food and sleep and physical exercise. Art on the other hand fulfils different purposes. Art raises questions, highlights issues, challenges perceptions – all extremely valuable for our survival. In short, entertainment deals with the present, while Art deals with the future. By conflating the two we are impoverishing our present, and dooming our future.

And herein lies one of the biggest problems with the arts scene, at least locally. For decades art has been reduced to a consumable product. We have become highly skilled at discussing the value and application of art,  but when you analyse the actual content it is severely lacking. This ranges from horrendous public art, tired ‘Maltese’ landscapes, manufactured pop music, and culminating in the ultimate orgy of ‘art’ with the Valletta 2018 Capital of Culture. The point here is not whether they are pleasant to behold, but whether they offer anything of value to us and future generations. If looked at from the lens of ‘entertainment’ then all of the above were fantastic, but if looked at as ‘art’ they make for very depressing analysis.

Let us look at Valletta 2018 in particular, an event that was used as a political and personal calling card by all and sundry. It is also something I was involved in to various degrees, and therefore I’ve had first-hand experience of. I have already criticised V18 before, and I will also freely admit that the work I did for V18 is hardly my best work. But it is very important to look back critically and acknowledge the fact that a lot of our current problems were already manifesting themselves back then. So for the sake of clarity (and because I love lists) here is a list of a few of those issues.

Valletta 2018 Opening Ceremony
Photo credit: The Times of Malta

1. Content Poverty

Art should not be pretty or provocative. It can be either, but it has to go beyond that. It has to ask the right questions that resonate beyond the immediacy of the present. Let us look at two of the most current pressing issues: the environment and immigration. V18 acknowledged both through the Valletta Green Festival (and the infiorata) and Aħna Refuġjati, an ‘opera’ about Syrian refugees fleeing conflict, that was pretty much a still-born child. 

If this were a box-ticking exercise, then V18 ticked the right box, but what about the content? The ‘opera’ comes worst off here – a muddled plot with no character development or credible storyline that trivialises the refugee experience (in the end they literally decide to ‘go back to their country’ and fight back for their homes…honestly if that were an option they would not have left in the first place). The Green Festival was a better attempt, but it tackles the environment like a Wordsworth poem. It is all about ‘pretty daffodils’ and how important trees are. We did not need to spend thousands on an infiorata to know that. What we need to know is why is our environment getting progressively poorer and what we can do about it. Both questions are extremely uncomfortable political questions, and since V18 was a political calling card, those questions were not asked.

Two years down the line, both the environment and immigration remain painful issues that few are able to discuss in any meaningful way. When lockdown happened in March, and the now rebranded VCA went ahead with the infiorata in an empty city, while migrants rioted or were left stranded at sea, it all felt like one giant parody. 

2. Arts Education

I will not delve into professional training for people to become artists, but will focus on a more general approach to arts education, i.e. that of educating the general population on art. There is no creative education embedded in our education system, with the approach being an ad hoc one depending on who runs a particular school. As someone who has worked extensively with schools I am painfully aware of the discrepancies. These are the result of an education policy that has changed little since the post-war period. School is about exams and tests and classrooms and homework. You are deemed a good student if you can remember the date of the Great Siege, or know the capital of Italy. But how many students have visited the sites where the Great Siege was fought? How many of them know the cultural importance of Rome in the 19th and 20th century for Maltese artists like Antonio Sciortino whose works they can admire first hand?

You might think these things trivial, but the effects are disastrous. Generation after generation grow up to be culturally insensitive, leading to the kind of passivity that we are well accustomed to. So when Covid-19 hit, and artists were left penniless, no-one bat an eye-lid. For the general public, art is nothing more than a school project or a government funded activity.

3. Public Funding

It would be both incorrect and unfair to lay all the blame for our current predicament at the feet of the government and the general public. A great part of the blame lies with the artists themselves. Over the past ten years public funding for the arts has increased exponentially. Money has been ‘invested’ in the arts (that’s the capitalist lingo at work again), and most artists have lapped it up. The result is that a great number of artists have become dependent on it.

It is not the fact that public funding for the arts is made available that is the problem, but the unhealthy dependence that has been created between artist and public funds. Instead of striving to become independent professionals, most end up living through public funding. On the other hand there is no clear legislation or structure that permits an artist to function as a financially independent individual. Instead there is a myriad of rules and regulations that are simply unworkable and frustrating. I’ve had situations where different information was relayed from the same government entity with no-one willing to commit to an answer in writing. In the end most take the easier option and live off public funds. 

You might think these are small matters, but they are not. They are life-changing matters. Try getting a home loan as a self-employed artist: it is practically impossible, especially now that we are in the middle of a crisis. With no social, financial, or legal structures to support the artists,  the gut reaction is to turn to government funding. That is unhealthy for both the artists and the government. The former ends up creating safe content so as not to displease the proverbial hand that feeds them, and the latter ends up paying artists alimony. 

4. The Lone Genius

Film has been one of the most powerful inventions of the 20th century (well a little earlier than that). Its portrayal of the world around us has profound influence on how we view the world. Take our current obsession with the superhero franchise. Film externalises our deep desire to be saved by a hero, whether that comes in the form of a religious figure, a political figure, or a scientist. Film also profoundly influences our views on art. Whether it is Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy or Beethoven in Immortal Beloved, the prevalent portrayal is that of the lone genius working against all odds. 

It is a portrayal that has its roots in the Romantic movement. The Industrial Revolution created a great divide between the artist and the real world. Many great artists of the Romantic period delved in historical or naturalistic escapism. Despite a brief flirtation with real life through Realism and verismo, the deep upheavals of the 20th century created deeper divisions. Freud’s exploration of the psyche precipitated the kind of inward looking behaviour that has plagued the arts since. As the 20th century grew bloodier and more totalitarian, many artists retreated into their own private worlds, creating art only for the elite or even just for their own pleasure. 

Although there has been a gradual rapprochement between artist and society over the past few decades (think of Warhol’s ‘art for all’ approach), there is still a deep mistrust and plenty of misunderstanding between the two. Remember Austin Camilleri’s Żieme in 2014? It was an astute and brilliant commentary on the nature of power. Most people hated it. A horse with a missing leg? How outrageous

Fast forward a few years and we found that the horse not only had a missing leg, but pretty much consisted of a bloody headless torso writhing and struggling for its life. An ongoing list of political scandals, bloody murders, betrayals, and dodgy financial transactions that exposed the nature of power. And it looks like Covid-19 might just finish off this headless torso.

In all of this…no-one really cares about the artists. In times of crisis people will snap back at criticism with ‘Where were you?’ Well, we know where some were…but most artists were quiet and complacent, and most will see no reason why they should be bailed out.

5. The problem with the word ‘Art’

I have used the word ‘art’ profusely in this article as an umbrella term. But the word in itself is problematic. What is art? Most will think of it as a painting or a symphony, but art encompasses a broad range of disciplines. I always consider art as ‘creative expression that stimulates intellectual discussion through the senses’. It is true that great art embodies important philosophical issues, but it also has to appeal to the senses. The ways that creative thought can be expressed are various, and often difficult to define or create neat distinctions. A well cooked dish or a bottle of fine wine appeal to the senses just as much as a beautiful painting, but is it art? The answer is not as clear cut as you might think.

This is an important definition to make because the word ‘art’ is bandied about indiscriminately by politicians and policy makers to suit their needs. Thus when a few years back there was a study on the creative industries in Malta, it turned out that thousands were ‘artist’ simply because the statistics considered pretty much any creative work from being a concert pianist to being a hairdresser. Fast-forward to 2020, and all of a sudden that definition is being narrowed down more and more. The less ‘artists’ there are, the less arts alimony needs to be paid out. Most ‘artists’ will also prefer to consider themselves as ‘businesses’ since the financial and legal structures for businesses are infinitely better than those for the arts.

Conclusion

I understand that the issues raised in this article cannot be sufficiently and effectively addressed in a mere blog post. What is important at this stage is to acknowledge the inefficiency of our current structures, and push for real change. We must also admit that these issues are part of a larger whole – all our current structures are crumbling. 

We are at the crossroads of civilisation. Ours is an epoch as crucial to humanity as the Agricultural Revolution or the Industrial Revolution. Neo-liberalism and Post Modernism have failed spectacularly, and both religion and science have failed to ‘save us’. It is useless waiting for God to deliver us from the plague, or for science to come up with a vaccine. It trivialises both these two essential and incredibly beautiful concepts (i.e. the spiritual and the rational). 

What I do hope is that despite the extremely difficult circumstances, artists (and everyone else) realise exactly how crucial and delicate the present is, and start asking the right questions, no matter how uncomfortable they are.

Keeping the Faith

So, less people are going to Mass on Sunday. That is perhaps the most unsurprising headline of the decade, because quite clearly, Mass attendance has been in decline for many years – and I have admittedly contributed to that statistic. 

Allow me to bore you with a few personal details. I stopped going to church in my twenties, attending Mass only sporadically. I had, and still have, many issues with the Catholic Church. There are huge discrepancies between the message of the Gospel and the way it is applied. The principles of unconditional love, forgiveness, social responsibility, and the limitations of the human condition, have remained firm principles irregardless of my Mass attendance. The problem has always been finding an example to follow.

Priests are human – let us not pretend otherwise. Just like in any other vocation, some will be better than others, or at least better in one thing than in another. But just like any other vocation, it is a constant upward battle, and quite frankly most seem to have given up. If the shepherd no longer cares about the flock, do not expect the sheep to follow.

But herein lies the contradiction. There is no lack of interest in the Church and what it represents. There is a new generation, untouched by the cynicism of the 80s and 90s, which is fascinated by the church’s rituals. They are participating more and more in festa rituals. Many unfamiliar with the festa environment might think that they are there only for the good time. Well, that is quite frankly untrue. If people want mere entertainment, there are plenty of  easier options around. It is clear that they are looking for something more – but the Church’s obstinacy in  not engaging with the quotidian keeps them from fully engaging with religion. After all, Christ did not only preach salvation and perform miracles, but also ate and drank with the poorest and the weakest. 

The following list is not to be read as a list of grievances. It’s a wish list, because I firmly believe that religion can be a positive force

Vision after the Sermon, Paul Gauguin, National Gallery of Art, Edinburgh

Sermons

As a musician I’ve had to sit through many sermons, and I can firmly classify them into four categories:

1. Doom and Gloom: I’m not talking about admonitions on observing God’s commandments. No, this is about an unhealthy obsession with fire and brimstone. I remember one particular wedding where the priest not only did not bother reading an appropriate Gospel (he read that Sunday’s gospel about Christ exorcising evil spirits in Capharnaum), but went a step further by telling the newly-weds this insane story about how the Chinese use fireworks to exorcise evil spirits. Well, no risk there I suppose – any self-respecting evil spirit would not come within 5 miles of Malta with all the fireworks around. Also, rather unhelpful advice to give to a newly-wed couple, unless you are encouraging them to store fireworks under the bed in case one of them gets possessed.
2. Kindergarten: Some priests also seem to forget that they have adults in front of them. In the sermon mentioned above, the priest then proceeded to likening marriage to coffee – you need water and coffee to become one for it to work. Splendid advice for newly weds – just heat things up and, hey presto, life’s problems will sort themselves out. In another wedding, the bride was a primary school teacher and her class was in attendance. The priest called the students on the altar (sweet gesture, no harm there), and followed it with 20 minutes of inane baby talk (‘So where is Ms X today? Who is the strange man next to her?). The kids were confused and incredulous. The congregation was merely asleep.
3. The Rally: We appreciate that you went through at least 4 years on theology, but quite frankly not even the great Church Fathers fully understood the nature of God, so no use trying to work us into a frenzy about the infinity of God’s love. By all means, tell us of God’s love, but don’t make it sound like a political manifesto. Christ spoke in simple words, and simple tales. 
4. The Simple Truth: The rarest of preachers. Few words simply said, that just strike at the heart of those listening. I will cite one example. This was in Mosta, in a Mass celebrated by the then archpriest Fr Carabott. ‘St Teresa of Avila once said, ‘If I had to thank God for every little thing I have, I would not find time to complain about anything.’ I must have been 10 when I heard that, and it has stuck. (Also, do read some of St Teresa’s writings – disarmingly simple…beautifully so).

Clerical Lifestyle

Living what one preaches is probably one of the hardest things in life. We see it failing all the time – none more so than in our current global politics. So quite frankly I take issue at the lifestyle of some of the clergy. You cannot go around preaching poverty while running around in a brand new SUV. I know one parish priest who made at least 6 trips abroad, including two trips to Australia lasting around 3 weeks each. And no, the Australia trips were not pastoral at all (Malta is small and Facebook very useful – so honestly, people will find out). Apart from the obvious financial implications of such a lifestyle, this resulted in the priest being away from his parish for about 3 months. Imagine not going to work for three months…hardly a great example to set.

Dealing with scandal

It is true that in reality only a minority of priests are guilty of misconduct, but the reason why this has contributed to the decline in the Church’s credibility is the way it has been dealt with. Avoiding problems does not solve them – it only aggravates the situation. Yes, some issues can be dealt with internally, but when it comes to a criminal offence no-one should be above the law. Admittedly, things have started to change, but that change has been slow, and people are now impatient. And the Church needs to remember that we are human too, and reassurance is not enough.  

Mass 

Mass is central to Catholic theology – the partaking of something beautiful and Divine. So, enough with the big screens, happy-clappy songs, and other gimmicks. If I go to church, I want to be transported away from the dreariness of daily life. I have enough screens at home. I do not wish to go to Mass and listen to bad cover versions of just about any radio song. In short, Mass is not about entertainment. 

For the past 50 odd years, the Church has tried to ‘modernise’ its image by cosmetic adjustments that have only trivialised the Gospel. I remember a particular Christmas Eve Mass where the pre-Mass reflection consisted of six teenage girls in red leggings, Santa hats, and red tinsel around the waist, who burst onto the altar dancing to the tune of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I want for Christmas is You’. That year Christmas Eve was spent in a band club downing whiskey instead of listening to Mass, thanks to Mariah Carey.

I do not wish to suggest that faith is some form of 24-hour mystical experience; far from it. Faith is a daily challenge which very often fails, but sometimes makes us partake in a moment of divine beauty that can transform us for the better. Mass should help the faithful achieve that.

The Calling of St Matthew, Caravaggio, Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

Sacred Art

And how is that Divine Beauty expressed? It is expressed through sacred art and architecture. Theology is a fine pursuit, but words appeal to the intellect, and not the senses. When the Protestant Reformation turned against images, it eventually had to resort to music giving us the glorious works of Bach, Telemann, Purcell, and many more. Even the most puritan of the Reformed Churches had to admit congregational singing to give expression to their beliefs. 

One cursory glance at the past 50 years of sacred art, and it is a desert of mediocrity and ugliness (with a few notable exceptions). Even the Modernist churches, which could be potentially inspiring, have been reduced to feeble architectural apologies. Take Fgura church – disparagingly referred to as ‘the Indian tent’. Hidden as it is by ugly boxy flats, it is anything but inspiring. Imagine it standing in an open space, dominating the skyline: that would be a different story.  Then there are of course the great architectural gems that are the churches of Pembroke, Swatar, and Nigret – literally garages with an altar. 

But the Church lacks the structures with which to foster a common ecclesiastical aesthetic, relying instead on the whims and tastes of individual priests and laymen. One of the reasons that made the Counter-Reformation such a powerful force was the Church’s appropriation and patronage of culture. So much so, that the Baroque movement that originated from Catholic Italy was exported all over the world, including to Protestant countries. And it worked because it was an art movement that appealed to the senses. The great works of Bernini, Caravaggio, Borromini, Titian, Tiepolo, and many many more still have the power to capture our imagination. One may not fully understand the theological meaning of religious ecstasy, but one look at Bernini’s ‘Ecstasy of St Teresa’ (yup – her again!), and you understand what it is. And you do not need to have a vocational calling to understand its meaning in Caravaggio’s ‘The Calling of St Matthew’. Because both St Teresa and St Matthew were ordinary men and women, who did extraordinary things, and Bernini and Caravaggio were ordinary too, only with an extraordinary talent. 

Festas

The Annunciation, Domenico Bruschi, (Mdina Cathedral)

And here is one aspect where the Church has failed – its obstinate opposition to public displays of faith. A lot of it boils down to sheer laziness. I know of too many instances where a local parish priest suppressed processions and celebrations out of sheer personal laziness disguised as false piety, even when the congregation wanted it. I am not talking about full blown festas, but simple expressions of faith such as decorating the church on a particular feast day or organising a simple procession or pilgrimage.

Yes, there are pagan elements in some of our festas – moments of human weakness and superficiality. But there are stupendous moments of unity and faith, and you cannot have one without the other. In a world where communities are under attack from capitalist ideologies which glorify personal gain over the common good, the festa remains one of the few bastions of resistance. These are people coming together on a voluntary basis to celebrate a shared set of values. This is too vast a topic to discuss here, but I have understood more about God through the festa ritual, than in all the sermons I’ve ever heard put together. 

And why? Because the saints we celebrate are far better role models than the priests who preach their deeds. That is why they have been canonised in the first place. I can look at St Cajetan’s black cassock and worn out cheeks and understand the meaning of Divine Providence. I can look at St Francis’ tattered sackcloth and understand Poverty. I can behold an image of the Virgin Mary and understand Humility. And so can everyone else. 

Final Thoughts

There are good priests out there, with a message worth listening to. You will not find them on your social media feeds or your TV screens. They are not infallible – they would probably be the first to admit that – but they work hard. 

Over the past few years I have started attending regular Sunday Mass, and I am much happier for it. Am I a better person for doing so? Well, I am a calmer person, that much I can say, but probably still somewhat of an asshole (pardon my French)…which is why I need to keep on working on it. I have also adopted an approach which works for me – I have a rota of different churches, so I won’t get bored of listening to Mass in the same place (I’m probably ADHD on that level). Finding a Mass just about anywhere is pretty easy – just click here.

You will not find Divine revelation every Sunday (well if you do, good luck to you!), but you will find comfort: comfort in the knowledge that we are all human and we face the same basic needs and fears, and that no-one is alone.

Thou shalt not sing

There are times when arguments become so convoluted as to become a parody of themselves. There is nothing we like better than a sudden violent dramatic outburst followed by a colourful verbal tussle using all sorts of illogical arguments implying some dark conspiracy only to subside back into normality.

Let us get a few things straight. I do not condone Mario’s language, even when on some occasions I do agree with him. Then again, there are many who use much less colourful language to inflict much greater harm. But of course, we love to act shocked…as much as he loves to shock. So far I’d say both parties in the equation should be happy.

There is of course the thorny issue of Farson’s choice of band, or rather whoever chose them on behalf of the Farson’s Beer Festival. Quite honestly, whoever engaged them should have known in advance who the band was. Genuine miscalculation? Marketing directive to preserve brand integrity? I would say more the latter than the former. Corporations will always put brand integrity before artistic integrity.

We also conveniently forget that Mario is not Brikkuni. He is part of Brikkuni, but he is not Brikkuni. Any statements made by Mario on his personal Facebook Page are his own personal responsibility. Whether or not the band is comfortable with those statements…that is entirely up to them.

Whether or not we, as individuals, are comfortable with Mario’s statements, is also entirely up to us. But honestly, what is worse? An artist throwing a tantrum on social media? Or a public official throwing a tantrum on behalf of a party propaganda machine?

Glen Beddingfield’s attack on Mario was just as explicit as Mario’s attack on Michelle Muscat. He was branded as a ‘Labour hating, tree-hugging trouble maker’ who needs to be ‘dealt with’. It had most of us reaching for our liberal swords and shields. But quite honestly there are far more troubling statements in those blog posts.

Let us consider two:

1. ’Farsons għażlu lil grupp anti Labour Brikkuni’ (Farsons choose anti-Labour group Brikkuni)

Politicising a band in such a manner smacks of communist dictatorships. Have you ever seen that list of banned bands in the former Soviet Union in 1985? It’s the one which listed the Village People as ‘Violent’…well I suppose doing YMCA when drunk at a gay fetish party can get quite nasty. Well, we all laughed when it did the rounds on social media…and yet here we are facing that very same predicament at home. As far as I know Brikkuni have never tore up pictures of Michelle Muscat on stage, or written songs offending Labour.

‘Normalment, persuni fil-qasam tal-ispettaklu ma jindaħlux fil-politika’ (Normally, entertainers do not deal with politics).

Uhm…Ġensna anyone? And that long lists of artist parading themselves on Labour party propaganda just before the last election? Should artists not have a political view then? Or is it rather than artists should only have political views as long as its the view of the incumbent government? But of course this is a statement coming from someone who cannot distinguish between partisan politics and state politics.

____

Mario Vella’s Facebook status is just that. It is not a song or a poem. It does not even remotely try to be an artistic work, and cannot therefore be defended on grounds of artistic censorship (in the same way as Alex Vella Gera’s infamous story Li Tkisser Issewwi or Unifaun’s play Stitching).

But it has been turned into a tool and a weapon in a form of perverted artistic censorship; and that worries me more than the debate on whether Mario is entitled to voice his opinions in a particular literary style (or non-style as some might view it). I find Mario’s statement in question in bad taste and indefensible, but that does not invalidate him (or the band) artistically. I also find Glen Beddingfield’s blog entries on the subject equally in bad taste and indefensible, not to mention the untenability of being a public official and part of the party’s propaganda machine.

This whole debate will soon be forgotten (probably by the time I actually publish this some social-media worthy story will have taken over). Mario will continue being Mario, and Glen will continue being Glen. Brikkuni will go on doing gigs, and the Farsons Beer Festival will go on without them.

And sad to say, local artists will continue being local artists, impervious to the world around them, and bloggers will continue to say ‘artists should not be political’ knowing full well they won’t be.

On the destruction of images

I haven’t written a blog entry for a long time. Partly because I have been incredibly busy with work, and partly because I am still trying to digest what is perhaps one of the saddest events of the decade: that of the destruction of world heritage in the Middle East at the hands of IS.

Allow me to explain in the crudest of terms.

We all die. Myself included. Whether it will be a peaceful death surrounded by family and friends, or whether murdered in the name of some obscure ideal, the dark unforgiving truth is that we all die. Of course, one is more preferable than the other, not least because being forced to die leaves a scar on our communities that rarely heals but festers into more violence and more death.

But we also all live; and we all live in the hope that our lives actually matter in some way or another. If not, all human endeavour would be futile. As someone involved in the creative side of things, I like to think (like most artists) that what I create is not only worth listening to and experiencing, but also worth preserving and referring to even after I am gone. I like to think that my work contributes positively to that common heritage.

It is the ability of that heritage to transcend time and space that makes it so appealing. Nowadays I can enjoy the great pyramids of Giza the same way ordinary Egyptian citizens can enjoy opera at the Cairo Opera House, regardless of the fact that both ‘artefacts’ were intended for very different audiences and for very different purposes. And we have both benefitted from that relationship.

So watching a group of ‘men’ take on ancient artefacts and ruins has been, to me, like someone mass murdering my family and desecrating my family’s tombs and memorials. It is an attack on my past and present, as well as negating my future.

They would of course argue that they are creating a ‘new future’, a new ‘kingdom of God’. Well I will state it very plainly. Any ‘God’ who is threatened by an image representing something other than its own ideals is a weak god. Any man threatened by the physicality of someone else’s views is a coward and a bully. If one is really convinced of one’s views, one will believe in them regardless.

But let us not be narrow-minded about this. This is not an IS phenomenon, and we, as ‘civilised Europeans’ have had our fair share of crimes against common heritage. What IS is doing right now is no worse than the Nazi’s burning of books and ‘degenerate art’, or the ethic and cultural cleansing that went on in the colonies throughout the 19th century.

We should neither feel too smug about our so-called ‘progress’. Every time we destroy something of artistic or cultural value (the two are not always one and the same), we are committing the crime of treason against humanity, and treason is the most despicable of crimes.

We might not do it in the name of religion anymore, but we do it in the name of something far more sinister: money. I say far more sinister because at least religion offers comfort (though not necessarily on terms we agree with), whereas money is cold and impersonal.

So before we go on yet another mighty crusade, let us not forget our crimes. Here is a short list of cultural crimes on a Maltese level:

• the proposed development of the Xgħajra coast
• the systematic rape of Sliema from the 70s till today
• the destruction of heritage sites by contractors who just want to speed things up
• the destruction of buildings by private owners ‘because this is my property’ (it is not.)
• the stealing of cultural artefacts and selling them on the international black market

…and the list goes on.

Just because we have not taken hammer in hand and filmed our acts for general online consumption does not absolve us from guilt. Nor will sanctimonious gloating save us from the judgement of those that will succeed us.

‘Out…damned spot.’