Valletta 2018 as an opportunity for Gozitans was discussed during a seminar organised by the Valletta 2018 Foundation together with Kumitat Celebrazzjonijiet Festi Nazzjonali u Regjonali at the Citadella Cultural Centre in Gozo.

The seminar also addressed the subject of Valletta 2018’s legacy on the island after the European Capital of Culture year is over.

The Chairman of the Valletta 2018 Foundation Jason Micallef said, “the European Capital of Culture title is not reserved for Valletta alone, but it is an opportunity for all localities in the Maltese islands to come together to participate through cultural activities included in the Valletta 2018 cultural programme. In the last two years, the Gozo regional office has functioned as a reference point between the Valletta 2018 Foundation and the Gozo community thanks to our regional coordinator who has maintained constant contact throughout.”

The seminar also included addresses by the president of the National and Regional Celebrations Committee Gozo Mons Joe Vella Gauci, Minister for Gozo Anton Refalo, Parliamentary Secretary for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing Justyne Caruana, Arts Council Malta Chairman Albert Marshall, artist and art teacher Mario Cassar and artist and drama teacher Gordon Grech.

Projects currently ongoing in Gozo include Valletta 2018’s Artist in Residence programme with Fondazzjoni Kreattivit in which international artists come for a residency based in Gharb where they develop their project and carry out research while also engaging with the local community.

The intergenerational Darba Wahda project is also starting in Xaghra as from the 1st of March. Elderly individuals over the age of 60 may register at the Xaghra Local Council.

Other projects which took place in Gozo include Qatt Ma Ninsa which included an exhibition, a memory gathering activity and a dance performance by Gozitan group Naupaca Dance Factory, and the Windrose Project (Il-Warda tar-Rih) in which the Rubberbodies Collective gathered stories related to wind lore from Gharb residents, resulting in the construction of a wind vane which will be erected in Gharb later this year.

Valletta 2018 Chairman Jason Micallef speaking at the Citadella Cultural Centre in Gozo. Photo: MGOZ/George Scerri

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