The Phoenician Cultural Route as a Framework for Intercultural Dialogue in Today’s Mediterranean: a Focus on Malta

Abstract

This paper examines how the Phoenicians’ Route acts as a framework for intercultural dialogue in today’s Mediterranean. Particular reference is made to tourism in the region, with a focus on Malta. The paper refers to recent aspects of the route’s development in the field of intangible heritage. It focuses on those elements of intangible heritage that accompany, reveal and highlight the social relevance of heritage by highlighting the appreciation accorded by Mediterranean communities to artefacts, sites and monuments that are part of the route. It emphasises the educational and social elements of the actions supported by the route in relation to intercultural dialogue, looking at how this practice relates to other cultural manifestations. This paper pays special attention to the inter-relation between tourism activities and cultural expression in Malta, a recent member of the route. Furthermore, special attention is given to the annual Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival, in order to study the way the approach towards research about the Phoenicians supported by the route is applied in the framework of the Festival. The paper notes how the Festival links past and present by seeking inspiration from historical episodes of intercultural dialogue in the Mediterranean and applying them to the contemporary needs of artistic, cultural, political and social exchange within the Mediterranean space.