19 - 25 April 2001

Mnajdra: the financial consequences

Last week’s attack on the oldest free-standing temples at Mnajdra has been condemned by everyone, and rightly so. The extensive damage to the temple’s structure and the numerous stone slabs is not only tragic and irreparable, as Culture Minister Louis Galea said, but it will have serious consequences over the coming months, if not years.
Various theories will be put forward as to what led to this act of vandalism. It could have been the work of a group of Satanists or just some sick individuals who used occult symbols as a decoy. Some have blamed the hunters or trappers in the area or it could be someone who has a grudge against the government. While any attack on Malta’s cultural heritage is deplorable and the culprits should be severely punished, the authorities should take a long look in the mirror and reflect on their lack of action. We read in the media that the government will be raising the issue in Parliament. Excellent, but sorry, it is a little bit late in the day.
The Mnajdra temples and all the other archaeological sites found in Malta are priceless not only to us Maltese but to the world at large. They are the remains of a civilisation that disappeared thousands of years ago. Unfortunately, what was free-standing for 5,000 years was badly damaged in a few hours. What the Barbarians did not do, the Maltese did. What a shame.
Anger and disgust following such events is expected but there are a number of questions that must be asked. Whether the answers will be forthcoming is another matter.
How much will it cost the government to “repair” the temples? Where is the government going to get the money from? After this incident, one would have serious doubts as to Unesco’s “willingness” to help out considering that very little has been done to protect the temples over the years – both from nature and from man. It would not be surprising to discover that the cost of repairing the temples will be much higher than if a state-of-the-art security system was set up a few years ago.
The government has reiterated its commitment to protect Malta’s heritage but only on paper. How much money has been devoted to safeguard Malta’s temples? Very little, in fact in the last budget only Lm500,000 was allocated for museums, cultural and archaeological sites. Lm500,000 is the bare minimum required to keep each temple intact and protected all year round. Yet the government does not find any problem in spending Lm40m on the City Gate project. We are not against such a project but surely the entrance to the capital city could be rebuilt at a much lower cost. The money saved could easily be channelled to a fund to protect Malta’s heritage.
What about the impact this incident will have on tourism? The Malta Tourism Authority has trained its efforts on attracting more cultural tourists to Malta. When they see the state of our “world heritage” sites, they will start thinking twice about coming to Malta. Foreigners will not blame those who vandalised Mnajdra but the authorities who failed to heed warnings and clear signs that the temples were in danger.
The Malta Independent on Sunday last year held a campaign to save Malta’s neolithic temples. While it raised awareness outside our shores, the local authorities hardly responded.
Ray Bondin, chairman of the National Committee of Unesco’s International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) said the attack showed how vulnerable Malta’s prehistoric sites are, “... there is no security at all in such sites”. How true, Mr Bondin. Try getting close to Stonehenge in the UK with your car or else approach the famous site after dark. The chances are you will be arrested before you even enter the site’s perimeter. But not here in little Malta. If you are a bit more daring, you could always help yourself to a night-time picnic on one of the 5,000-year-old slabs. This is the reality facing our priceless heritage.
Now, everybody in Malta is concerned. Everybody wants to have his or her say on the matter, condemning the culprits. However, where were you 12 months ago when the situation was clearly going from bad to worse? We are all to blame for what happened last Saturday. The Minister for Culture, Dr Louis Galea, should come forward and give a
few answers. He is morally bound to say why, as Minister for Culture, so little has been done over the past years. Excuses that the money does not exist do not count any longer, Mr Minister. Tangible changes do. And the country has not witnessed many of those. Let one be judged by one’s actions, or lack thereof!