Carnival

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

This weekend and up until the 17th of February, Valletta, our capital city, will be buzzing with activity for Carnival weekend.

Carnival in Malta has become a household name within the European continent and the Mediterranean region, as thousands of people travel to Malta to witness the splendour of the Maltese carnival. The Carnival floats are getting better every year, showcasing the extraordinary talent of the local artists and creatives.

I had the pleasure of meeting various carnival enthusiasts in the past days as they were putting the final touches on their colourful floats. The passion they have is simply amazing.

At the same time we have financed the holding of 50 carnival events throughout the various localities in Malta and Gozo. I have already visited the events taking place in Imqabba and Żejtun and I really enjoyed myself.

Also we inaugurated a monument in remembrance of the famed artist Pawlu Curmi l-Pampalun in Valletta. The Mayor Olaf McKay and I were both humbled at the opportunity to unveil this monument in front of relatives and friends of this great persona.

We are committed to keep investing in this amazing celebration and part of our heritage.

The Jesuit Church

Following extensive restoration works, a €5-million investment project from national funds, the iconic Jesuit Church in Valletta will open its doors to the public.

 This church is widely regarded as one of the finest treasures of Malta's cultural and religious heritage. I am proud to say that we gave new life to this Church of historic and priceless value, which, before the restoration, had been in a very poor state, and therefore, through this restoration, we revived this historic heritage that is so important for the Maltese and Gozitans.

The restoration was indeed a labour of love and it took a whole generation to slowly but carefully transform it from the state it was in to the beauty it is today.

I cannot help but wonder why this outstanding monument was left to decay for so much time before we came in and changed things round.

90 years

Last year marked 90 years since the beginning of public broadcasting on Malta and Gozo. 1935 saw the beginning of Rediffusion Malta, and in 1981, there was the first tv colour transmission.

I had the pleasure of presiding over an interesting event that launched a well-researched publication by one of Malta's foremost authors, Sergio Grech, about PBS 90-year anniversary. The book is "90 Sena Vuċijiet u Identita': Memorji tax-Xandir Pubbliku", (90 years of voices and identities: Memories of Public Broadcasting). It relates the evolution of local broadcasting from 1935 to today's digital technology. Sergio pays tribute to the personalities to whom PBS owes its success over nine decades of challenges and opportunities.

We have invested and shall continue to invest heavily in our national broadcaster. It is our duty to do so, and we do it with pride and pleasure.

Ġnien Brejġu

Last week, together with my colleague Parliamentary Secretary Alison Zerafa Civelli, we inaugurated Ġnien Brejġu in Żejtun, a €180,000 investment that includes a children's play area and the upgrading of other areas within the garden, including the planting of trees and shrubs. The Zejtun Local Council did an excellent job in implementing this project that shall greatly benefit the Zejtun community.

The Ġnien Brejġu initiative demonstrates how local councils can be instrumental in improving public spaces and strengthening the social and environmental life of a locality.

The beautiful bastions in Cottonera

I am very pleased at the successful completion of extensive restoration works on the Santa Liena Bastion and its surrounding ditch within the Santa Margherita Fortifications.

This important project was undertaken by the Department of Restoration and Preservation through an investment of nearly €1.7 million, with the clear aim of safeguarding and strengthening this significant component of Malta's tangible cultural heritage. It is a part of a wholesome effort to restore all the Cottonera bastions for the first time in our country's history.

The project on Santa Liena bastions was extensive in scope, covering approximately 460 metres of fortifications and 340 metres of ditch walls, spanning a total area of nearly 10,000 square metres. The works required meticulous attention to detail and respect for the original fabric of the structure.

Interventions included the careful cleaning of stone surfaces while preserving their original patina wherever possible, the removal of inappropriate cement-based repairs carried out in previous decades, and the consolidation and repointing of masonry using traditional hydraulic lime mixtures.

Damaged sections of the ditch walls were reconstructed using original stone where viable, while rock-cut areas were reinforced with specialised anchoring techniques to ensure long-term structural stability.

Importantly, during the course of the works, previously undiscovered countermines were identified within the ditch walls, providing valuable new insight into the military engineering of the site. The project also included the restoration of a historic curved ramp, British-period modified embrasures, and surviving sections of water cisterns once used by stationed troops.

This project stands as another concrete example of our determination to invest responsibly in Malta's heritage and to pass it on strengthened and protected for generations to come.

Another beautiful work being done is the Extensive restoration that has begun on the San Nikola Bastions in Bormla. It is a €700,000 investment on a historical site that forms part of one of the most significant defence systems in Malta.

The Labour Government will remain committed to protecting and strengthening our country's historical heritage in order to preserve structures of historical value that also keep Maltese identity alive. We have already committed to restoring all of the Cottonera fortifications, including the Margherita Lines. These fortifications were built in the late 17th century, during the time of the Order of the Knights of St. John, to protect the Grand Harbour and now it is our turn to protect them.

The works on San Nikola bastions include the restoration of the rear façades, including the wall at the lower level and the façades of the vaults and rooms in the upper section.

Helen

A few days ago, Malta lost one of its best musical talents. Helen Micallef was Malta's first female singer at the Eurovision Song Contest - aged 21. She represented Malta, together with Joe Cutajar, at the 1972 festival with their song L-Imħabba. Two years before that, at the young age of 18, Helen placed first in the Malta Song Festival. She began her career as a solo artist at the young age of 16. My deepest condolences to her family, which includes the singer Renato, himself, one of Malta's best singers of all time.