Campaign Launches To Celebrate Artistic Freedom And Cultural Access For All In Malta
The Minister for Culture, the Arts and Local Government, Owen Bonnici, announced the launch of a national awareness campaign focused on promoting the Right to Culture. The initiative, led by the Malta Arts Council, celebrates artistic freedom of expression and cultural access for all, emphasising the importance of participation and cultural accessibility.
The campaign kicks off with a public installation designed to create a shared cultural experience. Three large cubes were set up near the Triton Fountain, close to the entrance of Valletta, with each cube illuminating a different creative discipline.
During the launch, live performances took place inside and around the cubes, encouraging interaction, artistic freedom and deeper connections among those present.
Audiences will be able to move around the installation, immersing themselves in the vibrant energy of real-time creation.
“This campaign reflects the government’s ongoing commitment to placing culture at the heart of national development. Through sustained investment and targeted support, we are not only fulfilling our electoral promise to strengthen the cultural sector but also ensuring that no artist or community is left behind. The Right to Culture is not just a slogan, it is a pledge we are actively delivering,” Minister Bonnici stated.
“The Right to Culture lies at the core of our 2025 Strategy because we believe cultural participation should never be a privilege, it is a fundamental human right. For us, this is not just a buzzword, it is a call to action. This campaign is another step towards making this belief tangible by creating concrete pathways for artists to develop and thrive, while utilising a range of funding schemes that support access, inclusion and participation. Our aim is to ensure that every artist, regardless of background or discipline, can access the support they need to contribute meaningfully to Malta’s cultural life,” The Executive Chairman of the Malta Arts Council, Luke Dalli, said.
The campaign will be visible across Malta, with promotional materials displayed on public transport services in key urban areas. These visuals aim to spark curiosity and encourage engagement with the Right to Culture as guiding principles in cultural policy and practice.
A wealth of relevant materials will be published online and in public spaces to further enhance accessibility to the initiative, alongside a series of testimonies.
The testimonies are intended to encourage artists to better understand the Right to Culture and explore how they can actively exercise this right in their practice, becoming more aware of available support systems and how to benefit from such opportunities.
As part of this broader effort to translate principle into practice, the campaign also highlights the Right to Culture Resource Pack, a free toolkit available in print, online and audiobook formats, in both Maltese and English. The campaign guides creatives on how to use it as a tangible tool to make their work more inclusive, accessible and relevant to the communities they collaborate with.
For more information, visit the Arts Council Malta website.