A nation preserved in stone and spirit

Owen Bonnici (Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government.) 

A few days away from Holy Week, I had the pleasure of announcing a restoration project that is close to my heart: The restoration of the historical Parish Church of Zurrieq, dedicated tl St. Catherine of Alexandria.

Initiatives like this breathe new life into our village cores. In an era where we must balance urban development and modernization with safeguarding historical landscapes, such projects ensure that progress does not come at the expense of identity.

This restoration project is more than just stone and mortar. The Żurrieq parish church, with origins dating back to medieval times and later redesigned in the 17th century by renowned architect Lorenzo Gafà, stands as a testament to centuries of faith, craftsmanship, and communal life. Preserving such a structure is, therefore, about safeguarding memory as much as it is about maintaining stone and mortar. It is, above all, a clear statement about how Malta values its cultural and spiritual identity.

This restoration does not stand alone. It forms part of a wider nationwide effort that has already seen works carried out on landmarks such as the Jesuits' Church in Valletta and the Trinity Church in Marsa.

Exhibitions

 A lot of work goes into the Good Friday exhibitions, held across Malta and Gozo, often the works of private individuals, with many of these collections dating back generations. As the Minister for Culture and the Arts, I have the pleasure of attending many of these exhibitions, and I can see for myself the dedication and hard work that such exhibitions demand. These, too, are an intrinsic part of our national identity, and as a government, we are committed to keep supporting them. 

People first

Manoel Island and Fort Tigne are one step closer to returning to public ownership after Parliament, unanimously, approved a resolution last week to partially terminate its concession to MIDI, following earlier approval by the national audit committee.

In presenting the resolution, I explained that the government will reimburse MIDI for verified restoration expenses but will not pay for the value of the land. The arrangement ensures that the sites will eventually be transformed for public use for everyone to enjoy  whilesafeguarding cultural and historical heritage.

The process is an exercise in "restitutio in integrum," reimbursing expenses (in this case slightly more than half which was requested by Midi) rather than purchasing the property. Once the process is fully completed and endorsed by MIDI shareholders, Manoel Island and Fort Tigné will revert to public ownership. This is an unprecedented decision that puts a large tract of historical land back into public ownership.

St Edward's College

Last week, at St Edward's College, Prime Minister Robert Abela and I presided over the signing of an agreement granting the College a 65-year temporary emphyteusis for the land on which it stands.

It was more than just the signing of an agreement, significant as that occasion truly was; at its core, it was a demonstration of confidence by the Labour government to an educational institution that has, over decades, shaped the future of thousands of students and, for that matter, Malta's too.

St Edward's College, in Birgu, has an interesting story. It started in 1878, as the CottoneraMilitary Hospital, and it had an important role during the First World War when Malta earned the title "Nurse of the Mediterranean."

Since those early days, the foundations of discipline, service, and care have been embedded in the College's identity. In 1929, the building was transformed into a school, and although its mission had now evolved, its essence remained intact: nurturing young people and preparing them for the challenges of their time.

What truly distinguishes St Edward's College is its ethos, captured in its motto, "Virtus et Honour." These are not just words, but they represent a philosophy of education that prioritises character as much as achievement.

The decision to grant long-term land security to this college enables it to plan better and more coherently for the long term, developing facilities, expanding programmes, and responding to the evolving needs of students.

There are many challenges facing today's students - the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, geopolitical uncertainty, climate change, and social inequality - that require more than traditional academic preparation. They demand critical thinking and a strong ethical compass.

A 65-year horizon is both an opportunity and a responsibility. It offers the college space to grow but also challenges it to remain true to the values that earned it this trust in the first place.

Institutions like St Edward's College are uniquely positioned to respond to these demands.

SportArti

Recently, together with Dr. Luke Dalli, Executive Chairman at Arts Council Malta, we launched "SportArti," an important step forward in rethinking how young people in Malta experience both sport and culture. This national framework seeks to integrate artistic and cultural activities into football nurseries across Malta and Gozo. At its core, the initiative recognises a simple but powerful idea: children are not just athletes in the making but individuals with creative, emotional, and social potential.

Through this programme, a yearly fund of €50,000 will support nurseries in implementing cultural projects, ranging from creative workshops to collaborations with artists and community-based initiatives. This investment signals a shift away from narrowly focusing on physical performance towards a more holistic model of development. By embedding creativity within sport, SportArti challenges the traditional separation between disciplines that are often treated as unrelated.

SaqWI

SaqWI is a project we recently launched to strengthen the Maltese language in the digital world. It highlights a pressing national reality: language survival today depends not only on tradition but on technology. During the launch, I said that the Maltese language must evolve beyond books and classrooms if it is to remain relevant in a rapidly digitalising society. At the heart of this initiative is the recognition that the biggest challenge facing Maltese today is their limited online presence. SaqWI aims to address this gap by investing in tools, research, and innovation that promote the use of Maltese in digital environments.

Han Kang 

Malta's participation in the South Korean Gwangju Art Biennale later this year reminded me that in 2024, Han Kang, a Gwangju native, had won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Recently, I read her novel, We Do Not Part. It tells the story of Kyungha, who travels to Jeju Island on behalf of her friend Inseon. It is a novel steeped in the 1948 Jeju Massacre, which left more than 20,000 people dead when a communist-led rebellion against the US-backed interim government was countered with severe atrocities by South Korean police.