Who Gets to Represent the Past and Why Should They Bother? Maltese Political Theatre in the 1980s
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Abstract
This chapter analyses the context leading up to and the reactions to Ġużè Chetcuti’s 1919, a political play written and performed in Malta in 1987 and commissioned directly by the government to commemorate an important historical event, as well as to establish an authoritative version of history. The political and cultural contexts of its genesis are examined in order to shed light on the meanings intended for and attributed to the text and the performance. At the centre of the argument is a discussion of the close relationship that exists in many postcolonial societies between theatre-makers and political decision-makers. Through the example of Malta in the 1980s, the chapter questions whether it is possible for political theatre-makers to acquire an autonomous voice in situations where their practice is watched over by politicians, policy-makers and distributers of funding, who can be in turn affected by the theatre-makers’ activity.