The Ministry for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government has definitively concluded the process of purchasing the headquarters of the San Gejtanu AD 1906 Music Association in Hamrun, with an investment of € 2.8 million making the number of band clubs the government has purchased eleven.
This property joins ten other buildings occupied by various musical societies, which are the headquarters of the Marija Regina Marsa A.D.1977 Musical Society, the headquarters of the Stella Levantina Musical Association of H’Attard, the headquarters of -Circolo San Giuseppe Sacred Filarmonic Family of Kalkara, the headquarters of the Society Santa Liena Club Duke of Connaught’s Own Band of Birkirkara, the headquarters of the Antoine de Paule Musical Society of Paola, the headquarters of the Society Musical Stella Maris of Tas-Sliema, the headquarters of the San Pietru Musical Association in Chains of Birżebbuġa, the headquarters of the Anici Socio-Musical Association of Qormi, the Santa Marija Mosta Philharmonic Society and the socjeta` Sant`Andrija of Lija, that now the government is the owner of the main building from which these societies work. At the same time there is another property that the ministry, through the Maltese Council for the Arts, is in an agreement with its private owners. All these twelve societies were at serious risk of eviction due to the legal situation linked to the pre-1995 rent laws.
The Minister for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici said that musical societies in our towns and cities play a crucial role in fostering cultural development and social progress among families. He said that often the activist people within the musical societies spur the initiatives that promote art, education, environmental conservation, and social welfare in the various communities.
“These organizations depend a lot on the spaces they occupy to carry out their work effectively in the heart of the communities and therefore an eviction would not only seriously endanger their operation but also threaten their existence. The musical societies are a crucial element in the organization and the main work of the respective festival”, continued Minister Owen Bonnici. “Therefore, it was essential that we take proactive measures to protect clubs such as the seat of the one we acquired today. Our job is not only to safeguard the capacity and talent of these people, but we must continue to uphold the fundamental values of diversity and cultural expression for a future with more culture in it”, concluded the minister.
Eric Fenech Sevasta, Director for Corporate Affairs within the Maltese Council for the Arts said, “Thanks to initiatives of this kind, as a Council we are continuing to implement our strategy in a way that it helps to define the cultural development and traditions that make us Maltese, always in a sustainable way.”
In total the government is expected to invest a total of €19 million considering the amount that has already been invested in the acquisition of the eleven mentioned properties and the amount that must be released considering that there another property for which a final contract has yet to be made.
