A critical debate of the cultural and social effects of Valletta 2018 European Capital of Culture

Abstract

The paper considers the hosting of the European Capital of Culture in Malta in 2018 in the light of the cultural and social effects on Malta's capital city, Valletta. Governance and impacts on Malta's tourism are also debated. The cultural sector was positively impacted with a varied and innovative programme. The expectations for Valletta 2018 was that the cultural scene in Malta would be taken to a much higher level. This did not happen largely because politicisation undermined the overall governance of the event. In the last two decades, ECoC was one of many projects and initiatives that brought about a process of Valletta's regeneration. There are concerns, however, that excessive commercialisation has reduced liveability.

Evaluation Cultural Tourism using Ideology-Utopia Theory (Case Study in Bali)

“…From the promise of authentic cultural life to customized spectacle, the purpose of the Balinese CT products was adjusted, with Picard (2008) criticizing this shift as a custom having a paid prospect. This indicated the closeness to the tourism model in Europe, which is based on historical buildings and museums (Ebejer et al, 2021).…”

Participant-oriented evaluation through participatory action research: a case study of a community engagement approach

“…While the ECoC programme requires a dedicated “European vision” from the candidate cities, Malta's cultural and political landscape is shaped by its colonial past (Xuereb, 2018). In line with the understanding of coloniality, the social orders and forms of knowledge established under colonial rule remain embedded in the socio-political landscape, and intertwined with party politics, religious institutions and family ties (Baldacchino, 2002; Ebejer et al ., 2021; Fischer, 2013; Cremona, 2018). The ECoC programme of Valletta 2018 aimed to address some of these structural aspects through capacity building and infrastructural projects, as well as to focus on civic participation and internationalisation, as already highlighted in Malta's first national cultural policy in 2011 (Xuereb, 2018; Parliamentary Secretariat for Tourism, Culture and the Environment, 2011).…”

Valletta: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Residents that expected more costs would be less supportive of the event while those who expected benefits would be more supportive, which is in line with ECoC literature (Van der Steen & Richards, 2019). Additionally, the programme was hailed as being diverse and provided a platform for Maltese artists to collaborate with international artists and gain experience on the international stage (Ebejer et., 2021), while stimulating greater participation in cultural activities amongst the Maltese population (Georgieva, 2018) Conversely, the ECoC event was criticized for ignoring one of the goals of the event, namely the concept of 'Europeanness' (Clopot&Strani, 2019), a lack of vision and consistency in the artistic program, lack of inclusion of the non-Maltese identities residing within Valletta and for diverging from the original themes of the initial bidbook. (Ebejeret., 2021).…”

“…(2021) claim that the ECoC event was a missed opportunity to generate new areas of cultural tourism and reinforce the cultural infrastructure of the island. The event was severely condemned when the V18's Chairperson, Jason Micallef, posted comments on social media appearing to mock the murder of investigative journalist Daphne CaruanaGalizia (Ebejer et., 2021). The situation escalated with the City of Leeuwarden-Friesland (the other ECoC titleholder in 2018) deciding that it would not send any official representatives to V18 celebrations (Leone Ganado, 2018) in addition to the chairperson of the V18 Monitoring and Advisory Panel not attending any ECoC event in Malta (Ebejer, et.…”

“…The event was severely condemned when the V18's Chairperson, Jason Micallef, posted comments on social media appearing to mock the murder of investigative journalist Daphne CaruanaGalizia (Ebejer et., 2021). The situation escalated with the City of Leeuwarden-Friesland (the other ECoC titleholder in 2018) deciding that it would not send any official representatives to V18 celebrations (Leone Ganado, 2018) in addition to the chairperson of the V18 Monitoring and Advisory Panel not attending any ECoC event in Malta (Ebejer, et. 2021) Other effects that were registered but that will be explored in greater depth in other sections of this paper include gentrification due to rising costs of property, issues of livability for residents due to the greater commercialization of Valletta, with a noted transformation from a residential to a catering destination (Zammit&Aldeiri, 2018).…”