WATCH | Mario Vella: ‘We’ve never really had a good culture minister’

Brikkuni’s frontman, Mario Vella is surprised by the culture minister’s controversial comments on the sector he oversees. But it isn’t because he expects any better. His surprise comes from the fact that a politician seemed to be speaking honestly. 

Vella believes Malta’s culture sector never really had a good culture minister. Commenting about the culture minister’s belief that art should exist “within norms”, Vella notes that norms change every decade or so, and artistic movements are often the drivers of that change. 

Vella finds it ironic that it was a Labour Party minister who made those statements, given that his party played a key role in removing certain forms of censorship. 

When asked what makes someone qualified for the role of culture minister, Vella says enthusiasm for arts and being reasonably cultured are the minimum qualifications, adding that being surrounded by people who are reasonably capable also helps. 

Clarifying that he doesn’t speak for the art sector as a whole, Vella believes Malta doesn’t genuinely love the arts, especially art that provokes and makes people uncomfortable. 

The following is an excerpt of the interview. Some parts have been edited for clarity and brevity.  

This week we heard those controversial comments from the culture minister. What do you think about what he said? 

I had some strange and conflicting reactions because, on the one hand, this was one of those extremely rare occasions when I felt that a politician was being genuinely honest. 

Unfortunately, despite that honesty, some of the questions he raised were, in my opinion, somewhat problematic. I wouldn't restrict those questions to his comments about the cultural sector. I find it alarming, for example, if a doctor were to declare that there is no room for creativity in their profession… 

Dr Malcolm, if I ever have a health problem, I won’t be coming to you. On his comments on the cultural sector, let me be realistic. We’ve never really had a good culture minister, and I don’t think we’re likely to have one anytime soon. The Culture Ministry is something of the Cinderella of government ministries. Nobody wants it. It’s like that drunk uncle you have to invite to the Christmas party, even though nobody likes having him around. 

So, from that perspective, I can understand his frustration at essentially being thrown into a sector with which he evidently has no affinity… 

The most problematic thing I found in his comments was that he seemed to believe he should act as a referee over what gets produced, even on moral grounds… 

You used the word ‘referee’. Can the arts sector have a referee, or is that impossible and counterintuitive? 

Look, it is difficult for someone in an administrative role not to push things in a particular direction. Everyone has their own vision. 

But you cannot be categorical about that vision. You have to respect the fact that different realities and different tastes exist, including tastes that differ from your own… 

I think people were understandably offended by this idiotic notion that artists should conform to the norm. It is quite the opposite. And by “the norm”, I think he was implying some kind of definitive morality. Norms and morality change every decade or two. Very often, they change because of the pressure exerted by artistic movements. 

It is no secret that many people involved in the arts are also involved in NGOs and are activists. There is a clear connection between changes in social values and the instrumental role that culture and the arts play in bringing about those changes. 

Do you think the minister’s comments were isolated, or do they reflect a particular attitude that exists outside the artistic sector? 

There was enormous pushback. But I’m still quite concerned that we operate in something of an echo chamber. 

I think that, generally speaking, this is not a country that genuinely loves the arts. Recently, it hasn’t even shown much love for justice. There is a certain convergence there, because a country that is culturally ignorant will create the conditions for a great deal of injustice… 

The majority of people seem not to like art that makes one uncomfortable. Why do you think that is? 

I don’t want to get lost in discussions about postcolonial mentality and the trauma of a country that has always been ruled by others and has never ruled others. But my impression is that we’re somewhat of a nation of bullies and ruffians. 

In what sense? 

Bullies and opportunists. We’re self-serving. We’re interested primarily in our own personal advancement, even at the expense of others. We have no interest in challenging authority if that authority is serving our own selfish interests… 

There are many colleagues, some of whom are my own friends, who don’t necessarily approve of my attitude or the way I sometimes speak. They talk about the need to survive. 

And to a certain extent, I understand that too. You cannot spend your entire life being a rebel, especially when you sometimes have a family and children to support. There are circumstances in which you have to compromise. 

Nevertheless, I still feel that certain attitudes and a certain idea that I should just get on with things and keep quiet are problematic. 

You certainly aren’t someone who keeps quiet. You speak in a certain way that is perhaps a little less diplomatic… 

Vulgar. 

Do you see any reluctance from the art sector, not just to be vulgar, but to be a voice of opposition? 

I don’t think that reluctance is limited to the arts sector. In my own work, for example, I encounter a great deal of resistance… 

Conflict makes people very uncomfortable, and even if it is expressed in the most eloquent way, there is always a chance that it will develop into something aggressive, particularly when there is disagreement on both sides. 

So, I imagine these are some of the reasons, together with a certain opportunism that is ingrained in our culture. I’m talking about our own families, starting with my own family. There are all these little sayings that parents implant in their children’s minds. 

“Nobody is going to wash your face to make you better than them”; “You mind your own business and let everyone else do what they want”; “Do whatever benefits you”. 

“Be evil (Kun ħażin).” In Maltese, we literally say, ħażin, I suppose “cunning” is the closest English equivalent, but the expression is literally “be bad”. And they succeeded, because I think we’ve grown up to be a rather unpleasant society… 

Let me ask you an unpleasant question. What makes someone an artist? 

I think I can answer it better in terms of what an artist does not do. If someone’s considerations are exclusively economic, and they are constantly trying to please people and appeal to the widest possible audience, I don’t think they can really be much of an artist with that attitude. 

Nor can you constantly expect a return on everything you produce, or constantly seek some form of consensus. 

I think an artist creates for the pleasure and privilege of creating. Whether the work is considered valuable or not, or where it sits within cultural hierarchies, is a separate discussion. It is something over which you have very little control.