Replace Queen Victoria With Statue Of A Maltese Intellectual, Book Council Chairman Says
Certain statues should be moved to less prominent positions, with more space given to Maltese historical figures, the Malta Book Council chairman has said.
“I don’t think that the statue of Queen Victoria should be removed altogether, but I am in favour of replacing the statue of Queen Victoria with something else,” Mark Camilleri told Lovin Malta.
“The statue of Queen Victoria is in a very prominent location in front of the National Library,” he continued. “I would prefer to place a statue of a Maltese intellectual in that place such as ?wann Nikol Muscat or Mikiel Anton Vassalli given the proximity of the National Library.”
His comments come after a number of Maltese artists and a former V18 artistic director called for the removal of the Queen Victoria statue in the heart of Valletta. The call comes in the wake of protests and calls for the removals of statues of controversial figures in the UK and the USA which were sparked off by the public murder of black man George Floyd at the hands of a white US police officer.
“Slavery in the US has caused structural problems of inequality and racism which exist until today, so protesters are in a way appropriating history and giving it a different interpretation with their actions by explicitly delivering the message that slave-owners should not be celebrated,” Camilleri said.
Mikiel Anton Vassalli, Credit: Hamelin de Guettelet
Camilleri points out that this is not the first time protestors have taken aim at Queen Victoria.
“The statue of Queen Victoria in Valletta used to be the target of socialists in the 1960s who would usually drab it in red paint,” he said. “Later on, few ever brought up the issue of the statue and I doubt whether it offends anyone.”
“However, it also shows that we are rather complacent about our history which may also reflect how we think about politics.”
Indeed, Camilleri said it’s actually a bad thing that no one is offended by the statue “except for some academics who are engaged intensely with history and politics, of course”.
“It is only a matter of understanding our history and being engaged with it. We Maltese have yet to critically engage with our history,” he said.
Places of public prominence should be reserved for important Maltese figures, and moving statues of foreign rulers into a less prominent place, like a museum, he argued.
“We should consider moving colonial monuments to a location which is not so central because keeping them in a central location implies their historical importance in a positive way. On the other hand we should not forget our colonial past so it is only a matter of finding the right location for these monuments,” he said.
However, he wanted us to be aware of the benefits that some foreign rulers brought the island.
“Let’s keep in mind that although the Order of Saint John practised slavery it is only because the Order was in Malta that Maltese society could actually grow and flourish. It is a different matter with British colonialism which brought a lot of economic and social damage,” he said.
Cover photo centre: RK3AUU
Cover photo left: Hamelin de Guettelet
Should the Queen of England’s statue in Valletta be replaced by a Maltese intellectual’s? Let us know in the comments below.
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