Malta/ 4.2 Specific policy issues and recent debates  

4.2.7 Intercultural dialogue: actors, strategies, programmes

Policy measures addressing aspects of intercultural dialogue have mainly been developed by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment and the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity. The National Cultural Policy contextualises intercultural dialogue as a contemporary communicative process between people who do not seek to suppress identity, homogenise identities or impose a dominant culture. The democratisation of intercultural dialogue calls for a knowledgeable understanding of one's culture and that of other cultures through creative projects which reach out to, and are developed within, different communities.

Although there is no national authority or agency exclusively responsible for intercultural matters the issue of intercultural dialogue does not specifically constitute a primary focus of the remit of the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity, yet the Ministry has been an active contributor on the issue through the development of a number of measures (including legal, policy focused and service-delivery initiatives) that have been or are being adopted to enhance social cohesion, increase the social inclusion prospects of vulnerable groups and promote social solidarity between people of divergent cultural backgrounds. Therefore, although the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity has not endorsed specific policies and legal frameworks on the particular topic of Intercultural Dialogue, it has been pivotal in the development of inclusion and integration policies as well as in the enactment of a number of legal frameworks (described in more detail below) that concern measures to target racism, combat discrimination and advance the welfare of third country nationals.

In 2007, the Ministry for Tourism and Culture also introduced intercultural dialogue as part of its political agenda.

The Ministry's National Strategy outlining Malta's contribution for the 2008 European Year for Intercultural Dialogue stated that the year was to be a unique opportunity for Malta to include intercultural dialogue as one of its key policy measures in order to:

• raise awareness of the intercultural dimension of the country by reaching out to the wider community through culture and the arts; and
• focus on education as a means of introducing intercultural concepts and the value of intercultural dialogue into the curriculum.

Policy must ensure that these challenges offer an opportunity for growth and development to:

• promote dialogue between cultures, both on a local level as well as on an international level;
• discover the roots of European culture and observe similarities and diversities of these cultures;
• facilitate the diffusion of information on intercultural dialogue;
• support initiatives which extend intercultural opportunities available to individuals and groups;
• stimulate society towards an appreciation of the arts and culture in its different forms and relating to the different communities residing in Malta;
• assist primary and secondary schools to develop appreciation and learning among students of the different cultures interacting in their daily life;
• create intersections between the community and the artists in order to increase awareness of cultural diversity among the local population;
• facilitate and support initiatives by creative individuals and groups in order to foster social transformation for an inclusive culture which, through sharing values, can thrive and progress;
• promote studies and allocate resources towards the safeguarding of ethnic minorities;
• give artists the necessary tools to empower them in their role as active ambassadors of intercultural dialogue; and
• create an international platform for artists to engage in dialogue and exchange.

The 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue in Malta, held under the distinguished patronage of H.E Dr Edward Fenech Adami, President of Malta, was developed mainly through creative experiences that facilitated debates, encounters and engaging intercultural processes and coordinated by the St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity.

The objective of this project was to increase the awareness of Maltese people, particularly the younger generation, about the cultures that played their part throughout the history of our country in the moulding of the Maltese culture making it what it is today, alongside these considering those influences that are playing a new role in the inevitable continuation of this living process.

During the year, more than 50 events developed by various organisations such as the National Coordinating Body, European Institutions, Local Councils, NGOs and individual artists presented an extensive intercultural programme that reached thousands of people and generated great media interest. Above all, the projects presented an ideal platform for dialogue during which people could share their personal intercultural experiences and normalise intercultural dialogue as a way of life.

The European Union Programmes Agency (EUPA) in the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family has been delegated the task to administer the European Fund for the Integration of Third-country Nationals.

Relevant Culture Policy Actions:

• develop intercultural competences and multilingualism, both in educational programmes addressed to children and young people and in the training of education and culture professionals which are of direct relevance to the social and demographic changes taking place today in Maltese and international society;
• support the development of a civil society platform for the screening of policies and the promotion of initiatives for intercultural dialogue; and
• channels shall be sought to further develop creative writing courses, as well as provide support for journalists and broadcasters in the field of cultural journalism, independent journalism, and sensitivity and awareness of intercultural issues.

Additional Resources:

Government's overall approach to intercultural dialogue

Database of Good Practice on Intercultural Dialogue

Key Resources

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