On 9 November 2026, MEIA responded publicly to remarks made by the Minister for Arts, Culture and National Heritage, Malcolm Paul Agius Galea, at the Festival of Ideas, as reported by Times of Malta.
The Minister described his first months in office as “traumatic”. He said that, to him, being creative means being presumptuous and dangerous, and that creativity must keep within set norms of right and wrong. He also questioned why productions should need public funding when ticket sales should be enough.
These were not isolated remarks. Throughout his time in this role, MEIA has faced a lack of communication and a lack of respect from the Minister towards the association and the professionals it represents, and members have raised concerns with us about other speeches he has given.
A Minister for culture must understand the sector he leads, defend freedom of expression without conditions, and champion public investment in the arts. These remarks show the opposite.
MEIA is calling on the Prime Minister to request the Minister’s resignation and reassign the culture portfolio, and we are inviting artists, cultural workers, organisations and anyone who values culture in Malta to add their name to the open letter below.
You can sign as an individual or on behalf of an organisation. Signing takes under a minute, and only your name, and your organisation if you add one, will be published with the letter.
The open letter
Dear Prime Minister,
We, the undersigned artists, cultural workers, and organisations, are writing to ask you to request the immediate resignation of the Minister for Arts, Culture and National Heritage, Hon. Dr Malcolm Paul Agius Galea, and to reassign the culture portfolio.
At the Festival of Ideas, in remarks reported by Times of Malta, the Minister described his four months in office as “traumatic”. He said that finding creativity to be “the order of the day” was one of his main traumas, and that, to him, being creative means being presumptuous and dangerous.
He questioned why productions should need public funding when ticket sales should be enough. He argued that creativity must keep within set norms of right and wrong, and warned that artists with misguided ideas could influence the minds of their audiences.
These were not isolated remarks. Artists have raised concerns to MEIA about other speeches by the Minister, including one in which he reportedly said that artists remind him of his time working at Mount Carmel Hospital.
A Minister for culture must understand the sector he leads, defend freedom of expression without conditions, and champion public investment in the arts. These remarks show the opposite.
Creativity is not a danger to be contained or a trauma to be endured. It is the work of thousands of trained professionals in music, theatre, dance, film, visual arts, literature and arts education, and it should not be made to conform to a Minister’s personal sense of right and wrong.
Creativity is also not reserved for the arts. It drives progress in business, science, technology, education and public service, and a Minister who calls it presumptuous and dangerous sends the wrong message to every sector of the country.
A Minister who sees the creative sector as a burden cannot represent it, defend it or build its future. Artists deserve respect and encouragement, not to be belittled by the person entrusted with their portfolio.
We therefore request the Minister’s resignation and the reassignment of the culture portfolio to someone who has basic respect towards the sector being represented.
The sector does not need flattery from its Minister. It needs to be taken seriously.
Yours sincerely,
The undersigned
How you can help
1. Sign the letter. It takes under a minute: sign here.
2. Pass it on. Send the link to colleagues, collaborators and your audiences: forms.gle/MMzPGsTtPzfYYc9HA
3. Share our posts. Repost MEIA’s posts on Instagram and Facebook.
The more names the letter carries, the harder it is to ignore. The sector does not need flattery from its Minister. It needs to be taken seriously.