On Fridaythe 13th of January, in the Church of Bir Miftuh in Gudja, the official opening ceremony of the Cultural Region for the year 2023 which will be the Southern region took place.
This year, the southern regional council with the collaboration of 12 local councils within it will stage a cultural program that celebrates the unique cultural heritage of these twelve localities.
The Minister for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici and the Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Alison Zerafa Civelli launched the official logo which is a symbol representing the unity between the 12 localities together as a region.
Minister Bonnici claimed that apart from the initiative of the cultural region, each council and region should be committed to strengthening culture in the locality and respective region, as defined in the regional cultural strategies already announced and which are based on the -the principles and objectives of the national policy of culture.
“This program will help to have the participation of many practitioners in the cultural and artistic sector and leave an appropriate legacy in our communities, because we are committed to continuing to spur culture,” concluded Dr. Bonnici.
The southern region was given €250,000 by the Directorate for Local Government, Strategy and Policy Implementation, as funding for the implementation of the cultural program of this year’s cultural region.
For its part, the region will contribute €25,000 for the same purpose. The Parliamentary Secretary Zerafa Civelli said that through this cultural program, the southern localities will have the opportunity to strengthen their identity not only in the cultural field, but also in the economic field and in the tourism sector.
“The Local Government Division this year will continue to invest in additional cultural and social activities beyond the activities planned for the cultural region of the South,” stressed the Parliamentary Secretary. She ended her speech by wishing every success for the implementation of this cultural program and encouraged the public to attend and participate in the activities and initiatives that the region has prepared.
The President of the Region Mr. Jesmond Aquilina explained that the main objective of the cultural program is to expose the beauty of each town and village within the region.
“This year will involve collective work so that our culture not only has more knowledge but continues to strengthen and flourish, through artists, tradespeople and everyone who has something to offer to our culture,” he concluded.
The twelve localities that are part of this region include the locality of Gudja, Żejtun, Qormi, Birżebbuġa, Għaxaq, Hamrun, Luqa, Marsa, Marsaskala, Marsaxlokk, Santa Lucia and Saint Venus.
The Director General and the Directors of the Local Government Division, the mayors, the councilors and the executive secretaries of the local councils within the Southern region were also present at the news conference.
For more information on the cultural program, visit the site regjunjudes.org.
