“Folklore is a reflection of our nation. Both its tangible and intangible aspects shape our country’s identity and they contribute to ‘Product Malta,’ to what our nation offers. Continuing investing in resources to research folklore and safeguarding it are important for our country and will help in keeping alive significant traditions.”

This was stated by Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information, Chris Said while addressing a conference as part of the Qala International Folk Festival organised this weekend by the Qala Local Council.

This is the fourth edition of the festival which has become an annual appointment in Gozo’s cultural calendar.

The conference which was attended by the participants of the folk festival aimed at discussing the role played by folklore in the social and cultural life of a nation and delved into a number of topics including the relationship between folklore and tourism.

Chris Said stated Qala Local Council’s initiative is not just striving to keep our traditions and folklore alive, but also maximising their potential as a tourist attraction. “Government strongly believes in the potential of our history, identity and traditions as tourist attractions. We believe that every locality enjoys this potential and its up to us to work together and make sure that we take full advantage of it,” he stated.

“Through the Local Councils Reform, Government is passing the responsibility of maintaining and nurturing the historical and cultural heritage of our localities to local councils. Local councils are also being encouraged to work with local organisations specialising in particular fields in order to safeguard our historic and cultural inheritance. The Qala local council is setting an example of how this collaboration between local authorities and local specialised organisations brings out the best results,” continued saying the Parliamentary Secretary.

“The ‘Qala International Folk Festival’ has benefitted from the Cultural Activities Scheme launched by the Parliamentary Secretariat this year. This is a scheme which is injecting numerous cultural activities in almost all localities in Malta and Gozo during the shoulder months. Due to the success obtained this year, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Public Dialogue and Information for 2010 teamed up with the Parliamentary Secretariat for Tourism and MTA to double next year’s budget to 250,000 Euros for this purpose,” said Chris Said.

Other speakers at the conference included folklore researchers Charles Coleiro, Anton F. Attard and Joe Zammit Ciantar.

Photograph: DOI/Lorne Cremona