Impenji / Events

2007

Paper and Poem published in Cyprus (November)

Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb 2007 (Novembru)

Crossing Places - Arezzo, Novembru 2007

"The Mediterranean as Segregation" on ZNET (February)

Review of Rakkmu by Paul Xuereb in The Sunday Times (January)

ZNET publishes "Controlling Civil Society" (January)

NGOs slam voluntary organisations bill as Big Brother paternalism (January)

Malta generosa e altre poesie - Lo Straniero (dic. 06 - gen 07) (Jannar)

"L-Edukazzjoni u l-Kultura ta’ l-Imbarazz" f'Illum (Jannar)

Literature as Provocateur

The 'LiteratureSphere' section of the December issue (# 11-12) of the Ukrainian world literature magazine VSESVIT includes messages by Maltese writer Adrian Grima and other writers, including the Basque writer Laura Mintegi, English writer David Lodge, and Ilya Kaminsky and Geoff Brock from the US.

In its June 2007 issue, VSESVIT carried a 4-page interview with Adrian Grima and a number of his poems translated into Ukrainian. The interview was conducted by Dmytro Drozdovskyi. The message which the Maltese writer was asked to write for the December 2007 issue is this:

At a time when profiteers of all kinds in many parts of the world continue to break people's lives and destroy the environment, and self-congratulatory pundits continue to justify this state of affairs as if there were no other way of going about our business of being human beings, the Ukrainian magazine of world literature VSESVIT continues to go against the grain by bringing people together to discuss what goes on around and within us, and to restore to literature its role as "provocateur," seducer, creator.

Long live VSESVIT and those who make it happen!

Adrian Grima
21 September, 2007, Independence Day (Malta)
 

The two pages in Ukrainian which include the writers' messages appear below:

Just Peace on www.babelmed.net

This was meant to be a Forum for a Just Peace in the Middle East but the uncomfortable, divisive word “Just” sitting next to camera-pretty “Peace” must have set many alarm bells ringing a long time ago.

Then there was the much more irritating issue of all participants having to endorse a Reference Document of Principles that made the whole forum sound like something that actually meant business and wasn’t just some kind of Annapolis-style photo opportunity or joy ride to stylish Madrid. (Photo: Golan Heights from peace centre © Adrian Grima) [Read on] [Version en français - Une paix juste - ici sur www.babelmed.net]

Pensée et pratiques des échanges dans l'espace culturel euro-méditerranéen

F'Diċembru 2007 kont mistieden biex nieħu sehem f'laqgħa internazzjonali ta' tlitt ijiem f'Marsilja, Franza, dwar l-iskambji fi ħdan l-ispjazju kulturali Ewro-Mediterranju. Dan il-Forum laqqa' flimkien il-membri tan-network Franċiża tal-Fondazzjoni Anna Lindh u għadd ta' attivisti u operaturi kulturali minn artijiet differenti tal-Mediterran u ta' l-Ewropa. 

Fost il-kelliema ewlenin kien hemm Thierry Fabre, awtur ta' bosta kotba dwar il-Mediterran u editur, fost l-oħrajn, ta' La Pensée de Midi; Khadija El Bennaoui, koordinatriċi tal-proġetti Young Arab Theatre Fund; Giovanna Tanzarella, li tmexxi l-Fondazzjoni René Seydoux li organizzaw il-Forum; Alessandro Stillo u France Irrmann mill-Għaqda tal-Bjennali ta' l-Artisti Żgħażagħ mill-Ewropa u l-Mediterran; u Nathalie Galesne, Yassin Temlali u Catherine Cornet mill-websajt dwar il-kultura fil-Mediterran, babelmed.net.

Fl-intervent qasir tiegħi f'workshop li sar il-Ġimgħa, 7 ta' Diċembru, fil-Fakultà tal-Liġi ta' l-Università ta' Aix-Marseille III, tkellimt dwar il-Mediterran bħala "proġett" iktar milli bħala realtà fissa. Dan il-proġett Mediterranju jista' jissaħħaħ biss b'dak li Yassin Temlali sejjaħlu "connaissance," għarfien. F'dan is-sens, il-letteratura tista' tagħti kontribut kbir biex il-bnedmin fil-Mediterran isiru jafu lil xulxin. Wara kollox, huwa bl-għarfien biss li nistgħu nkissru l-preġudizzji li kapaċi jħarbtu s-soċjetajiet tagħna, speċjalment f'reġjuni importanti bħall-Mediterran.

Thématique générale

L'idée de cette rencontre est donc de mettre en dialogue les pratiques de l'échange culturel avec une réflexion plus théorique et politique sur ce qui est en jeu entre nos sociétés de part et d'autre de la Méditerranée.

Il s'agit d'une part d'interroger nos pratiques, nos méthodes, nos partenariats pour en tirer des constats, des connaissances, des exigences, utiles à l'action des acteurs eux-mêmes mais également utiles à l'action publique.

D'autre part, il est question de mettre au travail le thème de l'échange à partir d'une interrogation sur ses conditions réelles, ses impasses, ses potentialités,  dans un contexte fortement marqué par les rapports de force géopolitiques dans la zone euromed.

Concrètement, ce qui est recherché est une fertilisation réciproque entre les "pratiques" de l'échange et la "pensée" de l'échange. Sachant que chacun est porteur des deux aspects dans l'expérience des projets culturels.

En arrière plan, le rôle des institutions et des politiques publiques dans les relations entre l'Europe et la Méditerranée sera discuté et cela en rapport avec la raison d'être de la Fondation Anna Lindh et plus généralement avec l'évolution du cadre politique des relations euro-méditerranéennes.

Enfin, ce qui sous-tend ce travail critique est la conscience de l'urgence de la reconstruction d'un espace humain euro-méditerranéen fondé sur la connaissance, la confiance, la solidarité. Mais aussi le sentiment partagé de notre responsabilité en tant qu'acteurs des sociétés civiles pour contrecarrer les tendances vers des relations indifférentes ou conflictuelles entre les deux rives de la Méditerranée.

Paper and Poem published in Cyprus

The University of Nicosia Press, in collaboration with the School of Humanities, University of Cyprus, has just published a volume entitled Cultures of Memory / Memories of Culture (Nicosia 2007) edited by Professor Stephanos Stephanides that includes an academic paper by Adrian Grima and his poem "Fifteen Minutes Away" ("Kwarta 'l Bogħod," translated by Maria Grech Ganado). It is the only poem by a non-Cypriot writer in the volume.

Dr. Grima's paper is entitled "Savage Boys and the Predatory Woman in Holland's Garden." It argues that the poetic world that emerges from Henry Holland’s poem “Il-Ġnien” (The Garden) (1998) is shaped both by the personal experiences of the poet as he reads and writes them and by the Maltese macho culture and colonial education that has forged his personality. The poem itself is an attempt by the writer to come to grips with what he perceives as his failures in life, expecially with regard to his relationship with what he perceives as “the Woman.” This paper concludes that while it is in and through writing that Holland’s memory constructs itself as inevitably “belated,” it is through writing that its “immediacy” is also re-created, making “Il-Ġnien” a poem that is dealing with the present rather than the past. 

"Cultures of Memory / Memories of Culture is an interdisciplinary approach to Memory Studies. Beginning with the premise that culture and memory are coterminous, the collection of essays by scholars from around the world articulates perspectives on the complexities of this inter-relationship. They highlight how memory is situated in time and place, in historical and social experience, in unconscious fantasies and in the personal, and how it is articulated in modes of artistic and cultural expression, in legal and political systems. A section of the book brings together reflections of memory in prose and poetry by Cypriot creative writers."

Also on The Sunday Times (9 and 16 Dec 2007), News on Campus and www.di-ve.com

Diskors waqt it-tnedija ta' Eklissi Perpetwi ta' Achille Mizzi

Nhar il-Ħadd 18 ta' Novembru, 2007, fuq stedina ta' Achille Mizzi, għamilt diskors fit-tnedija tal-ġabra ta' poeżiji tiegħu Eklissi Perpetwi (Malta: Klabb Kotba Maltin, 2007) li saret waqt il-Fiera tal-Ktieb, f'Sala Temi Zammit, Dar il-Mediterran, il-Belt Valletta. Il-kelliema l-oħrajn kien Fr. Norbert Ellul Vincenti, Pawlu Mizzi (KKM), u Achille Mizzi. Mexxiet Joyce Guillaumier. Din hija silta mid-diskors tiegħi:

"Il-poeżija ta’ Achille Mizzi taffaxxinani meta taqbad il-mument, meta tinġarr minnu, meta ma tħossx il-ħtieġa li tħaddnu, jew tfissru, jew tgħallem permezz tiegħu. Meta fil-kliem frisk, fis-sintassi bħallikieku improvizzata, ixxomm ir-riħa tal-porvli, jew ittiegħem, kważi, ir-riħa tad-demm fuq il-ħwejjeġ tal-missier li għadu ġej lura mill-kaċċa; jew meta tisma’ l-ġojjini fl-eċitament ta’ ħuh Ċali. (“Fil-Mewt ta’ Ħija Ċali” Achille Mizzi, Poeżiji) Jew meta l-konz, u x-xbieki, u n-nases “iqattru l-fidda,” u l-alka titla’ miegħu, tagħraxlu subgħajh. Jew meta fl-aħħar it-tunnaġġ “matnazz” jaqa’ ċatt, kważi tisimgħu jagħmel plaħħ, “jistabat fuq it-twavel imxarrba tal-gverta,” “stendut,” “mirbuħ.” (“Sajjied”); jew “ħaddejja qishom nar ivvampjati / biex ir-riħ / iberridhom” fejn Ġanni ta’ Kantra ġab is-saħta” għax “Meta sebaħ qabad ħabel / u mar tgħallaq ma’ siġra” (“O Żmien Ħelu...”)"

Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb 2007

Tħabbru r-rebbieħa tal-Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb 2007. Clare Azzopardi rebħet it-taqsima tal-proża letterarja bin-novelli Il-Linja l-Ħadra (Merlin Library). Dan il-ktieb għandu daħla tiegħi dwar "Il-Linja l-Ħadra, jew il-Konfini tar-Rakkont Tagħna." Dan il-ktieb, iddisinjat minn Pierre Portelli, rebaħ ukoll it-taqsima ta' l-aħjar produzzjoni. (Ara r-rebbieħa kollha)

F'diskors qasir waqt it-tnedija tal-ktieb f'Lulju ta' l-2006 kont għedt, fost l-oħrajn: "Il-Linja l-Ħadra huwa xogħol straordinarju. Clare Azzopardi qed tikteb il-lingwa letterarja bil-Malti mill-ġdid. U proprju għaliex il-letteratura Maltija tafha sew, u tirrispettaha u tħobbha, ix-xogħlijiet tagħha mhumiex riproduzzjoni ta’ l-aħjar kitbiet li għandna, jew ritorn lejn letteratura li għadda żmienha mitt sena ilu, imma kontribut intelliġenti u frisk, minkejja li jista’ jidher irreverenti. Ma tirrispettax tradizzjoni billi tikkupjaha; tirrispettaha billi tagħniha b’xogħol ġdid li, għax ġdid, jagħti ġieħ ukoll lil dak li nkiteb qabel."

Fl-aħħar tkellimt dwar il-produzzjoni tal-ktieb: "Ħafna mill-aspetti tal-produzzjoni mill-aqwa ta’ dan il-ktieb jirriflettu l-ansjetajiet u l-emozzjonijiet li hemm ġo fih: il-passjoni, il-lingwaġġ qawwi, l-ismijiet kważi moħbija, l-irreverenza, is-serjetà tal-ġrajjiet, il-fraġilità tal-karattri u l-mumenti, il-fil tal-memorja li tiżloq minn idejna. Pierre Portelli, Clare Azzopardi, Chris Gruppetta u l-ħaddiema ta’ l-istamperija Gutenberg għamlu xogħol mill-aqwa li jagħmel ġieħ lil dawn l-istejjer u l-karattri li hemm jissaraw ġo fihom, u lil-letteratura Maltija." (Ara wkoll din il-paġna)

Fl-istess kategorija tal-proża letterarja ġie t-tieni l-ktieb Storja Tinkiteb (KKM, 2006), ġabra ta' novelli li ġew ippreżentati fil-Festival Internazzjonali tan-Novelli li sar mill-Kunsill Nazzjonali ta' l-Ilsien Malti fl-2006. L-organizzazzjoni kienet f'idejn il-Kumitat Tekniku tal-Letteratura li nikkoordina jien.

Crossing Places - Arezzo, Novembru 2007

Dancer and choreographer Sandra Mifsud and writer Adrian Grima were in Arezzo in November to represent Malta and Inizjamed in the final act of the Crossing Places international project. Percussionist Renzo Spiteri and writer Simone Inguanez were also involved in the Crossing Places project but could not join the group in Arezzo because of commitments in the US.

In July 2007 Inizjamed coordinated the Valletta SENSI one-week multi-sensorial workshop as part of the Crossing Places artistic project part-funded by the Culture 2000 programme of the EU. The Malta workshop and Arezzo conference and performances included artists, some of whom are visually impaired, from Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia. The Maltese artists also took part in events in Thessaloniki and Catania. [Read more here]

The two Maltese artists took part in the performances/multi-sensory experiences held in Arezzo which included two poems in Maltese written for the project by Simone Inguanez and Adrian Grima.

Festival tal-Poeżija fil-Fiera tal-Ktieb 2007

Nhar l-Erbgħa, 14 ta’ Novembru, 2007, mill-5.15pm sad-8.45pm, waqt il-Fiera tal-Ktieb 2007 organizzata mill-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb f'Dar il-Mediterran, il-Belt Valletta, se jsir Festival tal-Poezija Maltija bis-sehem ta' bosta poeti Maltin, li jinkludu, Mario Azzopardi, Louis Briffa, John Buttigieg, Joseph Buttigieg, , Vince Fabri, Victor Fenech, Joe Friggieri, Claudia Gauci, Maria Grech Ganado, Adrian Grima, Walter Micallef, Ġorġ Peresso, Karl Schembri, u Trevor Żahra.

Jien se nippreżenta x-xogħol tiegħi mal-kitarrist Steve Delia, id-Delli li jdoqq maz-Zizza Ensemble. Din se tkun l-ewwel darba li Steve u jien se naħdmu flimkien fuq proġett simili. Il-preżentazzjoni tagħna tibda fit-8.15pm. Ara l-programm sħiħ tal-Fiera u l-Festival tal-Poeżija Maltija.

A Moment of Rebellion on Friday at the University

The Maltese-Australian novelist Dr. Lou Drofenik will be speaking about "A Moment of Rebellion. Writing Fiction from an Immigrant Perspective" at the University of Malta, MA Vassalli Conference Centre (Gateway), Hall C, on Friday, 26th October, 2007, at 7.00pm.

This public event is being organised by the Department of Maltese at the University and will be introduced by Dr. Adrian Grima. Dr. Drofenik’s lecture in English will be followed by a discussion. Entrance is free and students, lecturers and the general public are invited to attend. [Read on]

Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival and Translation Workshop

On Sunday 30 September I performed with the Maltese funk band Zizza Ensemble at the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival at Couvre Porte in Birgu organized by Inizjamed in collaboration with the Birgu Local Council as part of the Literature Across Frontiers project part-financed by the Culture 2000 programme of the EU. This two-day festival and the weeklong International Translation Workshop that preceded it were supported by the Maltese Ministry of Tourism and Culture. The poems I read were "Mediterran," "Qamar?" "Il-Lingwa ta' l-Għajnejn," and "Joseph u Jean." At the end I also read "Illejla, Jekk Trid" with five other writers to the tune of Zizza Ensemble's "Do Re Mi Funk." The Festival was a great experience. (Photo by Alexandra Büchler taken during rehearsal with Zizza Ensemble)

According to Turkish writer İpek Seyalıoğlu: "The Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival was one of its kind. There was a lively atmosphere in which poetry, prose and music came together. Different voices became one for a moment in all their integrity and then dispersed again like the colours of the earth the next moment. It was such a unique experience that I don't think I can ever forget it. And I want to participate in it again as soon as possible"

The other writers who read at the Festival were Clare Azzopardi, Antoine Cassar, Valerio Cruciani (Italy), Samira Negrouche (Algeria), Biel Mesquida (Catalonia), Fatena al-Ghorra (Gaza, Palestine, whose works were read in her absence), Maria Grech Ganado, Immanuel Mifsud, Robert Minhinnick (Wales), Walid Nabhan, and İpek Seyalıoğlu (Turkey).

On Sunday I also read my Maltese version of a poetic prose piece in French by Samira Negrouche with the poet herself. See also the Festival page

A Depleted World - Adrian Grima interviews Robert Minhinnick

On 23 Sept 2007 The Sunday Times (Malta) has published my interview with leading Welsh writer Robert Minhinnick.

In “Burning Season” Robert Minhinnick writes with self-conscious ambiguity about Europe and national identity. “Blissfully, in that garden, I seemed to grow up with no sense of national identity whatever. Nobody talked of countries. Ideas were more interesting. Maybe that’s the first step to freedom. Or the ultimate stage of oppression.” However he seems to reconnect with his blissful years when, in the next sentence (at the start of a new paragraph), he points out that “The fires run on across Europe and no border stops them.” Are not the real dangers to life today transnational, from poverty to environmental degradation, from global injustice to existential malaise? Should we really be fighting over national borders rather than getting together to tackle real global threats like the business of war and global warming? [Read the article]

Stejjer għat-Tfal ippubblikati fis-Senduq Kuluri - Aħmar

Żewġ stejjer tiegħi għat-tfal ta' madwar għaxar snin ġew ippubblikati fil-ktieb Aħmar tas-sensiela ta' kotba tal-qari għall-iskejjel tal-primarja Senduq Kuluri. L-editriċi tas-sensiela hija Clare Azzopardi u l-pubblikaturi huma l-Merlin Library. It-tpinġijiet f'dan il-ktieb, li jinkludi stejjer ta' bosta kittieba, saru minn Marisa Attard. Il-konsulent tas-sensiela huwa Trevor Żahra.

Iż-żewġ rakkonti tiegħi huma "Marlene qed Ittir" u "Lilek Min Kellmek, Sieħbi?" rakkonti li kelli l-opportunità naqrahom lil gruppi differenti ta' tfal u grupp ta' għalliema matul din is-sena. Fost il-kittieba li x-xogħol tagħhom jidher f'dan il-ktieb hemm Pierre J.Mejlak, Carmel G. Cauchi, Joseph Sciberras, Stanley Borg, Mary Meilak, Anton Buttigieg, Oliver Friggieri, Joe Friggieri, u Anna Pullicino.

Valletta SENSI in Malta and Catania

I recently coordinated the Valletta SENSI one-week international workshop of the multi-sensorial artistic Culture 2000 project called Crossing Places - Al Buio, together with writer Simone Inguanez of Inizjamed, dancer and choreographer Sandra Mifsud and percussionist Renzo Spiteri. We collaborated with artists, some of whom are visually impaired, from Thessaloniki in Greece and from Catania. [Read more here] 

On Tuesday 17 July, the Maltese, Greek and Italian participants in the Valletta SENSI workshops and performances held in Malta moved to Catania where they presented a slightly altered version of their multi-sensory artistic experience for audiences at the Mercati Generali countryside cultural venue just outside the city of Catania.

The new version of the "experience in the dark" included a touch of irony with a performance by visually impaired musician Dimitrios Tsakiridis who recited a well-known traditional Greek poem in the tone of a political speech, followed by a rhetorical applause. This new element highlighted the emptiness that characterizes much of the public discourse that fills "globalized" modern urban spaces in places such as Thessaloniki, Valletta and Catania.

The performance also included the recitation of a new poem of mine inspired by one of the Valletta SENSI workshops held at Hastings gardens in Valletta in which the various participants experienced, for a few moments, what it was like to explore a public space without the use of sight. Simone Inguanez's poem "Dan l-Ilma," inspired by the sights and sounds of the project, was also read during the performances in Catania.

Ħamdi Żidan u Adrian Grima fil-Berġa ta' l-Italja fid-9 ta' Awwissu

Nhar il-Ħamis, 9 ta' Awwissu, fid-9.00pm, fil-bitħa tal-Berġa ta' l-Italja, fi Triq il-Merkanti l-Belt Valletta (Ministeru tat-Turiżmu u l-Kultura). Dħul b'xejn.

Il-poeta minn Lixandra Ħamdi Żidan u l-poeta Malti Adrian Grima se jaqraw ix-xogħol tagħhom flimkien f'lejla li fiha se jiltaqgħu żewġ tradizzjonijiet letterarji, żewġ lingwi simili, żewġ poeti li sikwit jiktbu dwar dak li jgħaddu minnu bnedmin oħra.

Il-lejla se tkun ir-riżultat ta' proġett ta' kollaborazzjoni li l-moħħ warajh huwa l-artist Malti Jimmy Grima li għal dawn l-aħħar disa' xhur kien qed jgħix fil-belt Eġizzjana ta' Lixandra u jaħdem ma' artisti f'oqsma differenti.

Il-lejla ta' poeżija (u arti) bl-isem ta' "Marsiet" hija parti mill-Festival ta' l-Arti għas-sajf organizzat mill-Kunsill Malti għall-Kultura u l-Arti. Jimmy Grima qed jipproponi 18-il artist u artista minn Lixandra għal dan il-Festival. Dawn l-artisti jħalltu l-mużika orjentali klassika u l-arti popolari u folkloristika ma' forom kontemporanji ta' l-avangwardja, bħall-mużika elettronika u l-arti fuq il-video. Il-posters ta' l-attivitajiet kollha jinsabu hawnhekk.

Il-kollaborazzjoni bejn il-poeti Ħamdi Żidan u Adrian Grima se ssir ukoll fl-isfond tal-kuntatti antiki li jeżistu bejn Malta u Lixandra, kuntatti li laħqu l-qofol tagħhom fl-aħħar tas-seklu 19 u l-bidu tas-seklu 20 bil-preżenza ta' għadd ta' emigranti u intellettwali Maltin f'Lixandra.

Jidher li fl-1926 kien hemm kważi 20,000 Malti u Maltija jgħixu fl-Eġittu, u kien hemm komunitajiet kbar f'Lixandra, il-Kajr, Cairo, is-Swejż u Port Said. [Aktar tagħrif]

F'Lixandra miet eżiljat il-patrijott Malti Manwel Dimech fl-1921. Dimech (1860-1921) kien intbagħat Lixandra mill-Gven Kolonjali Ingliż fl-1914 minħabba l-pożizzjonijiet politiċi li ħa favur il-poplu Malti, speċjalment il-ħaddiema ta' l-id u n-nies bla xogħol, u minħabba li kisirha mal-Knisja Kattolika ta' Malta. Wieħed mill-aħħar nies li rawh fil-kamp tal-konċentrament Ingliż fejn miet kien il-kittieb Malti Juan Mamo (1886–1941) li wkoll għex u ħadem għal għadd ta' snin f'Lixandra u fil-bqija ta' l-Eġittu. [Aktar tagħrif]

Figura Maltija prominenti oħra f'Lixandra kienet il-prokuratur legali u kittieb Ivo Muscat Azzopardi (18.12.1893-13.12.1965). Minkejja li fl-1919 ġie elett fl-Assemblea Nazzjonali li rat it-twelid ta' l-ewwel gvern responsabbli Malti fl-1921, fl-1919 stess Muscat Azzopardi emigra lejn Lixandra fejn ħatruh kap tad-dipartiment ta' l-istatistika fil-kumpanija Shell fl-Eġittu. Ħadem ukoll għal xi żmien fil-qasam tal-liġi u fi żmien it-Tieni Gwerra Dinjija kien segretarju tat-taqsima Maltija tal-prekawzjonijiet għall-ħbit bl-ajru mwaqqfa mill-Ingliżi. 

Ivo Muscat Azzopardi (hawnhekk fir-ritratt ma' bintu Vera) kien is-segretarju jew il-president ta' bosta għaqdiet Maltin f'Lixandra u waqqaf għaqda għall-promozzjoni tal-qari Malti. Kien korrispondent ta' l-Għaqda tal-Kittieba tal-Malti, II-Berqa, The Maltese Journal of New York, Melita ta' Susa, and Qari Malti ta' Port Said. Kien l-ewwel wieħed li xandar bil-Malti mix-xandir ta' l-istat Eġizzjan.

Muscat Azzopardi reġa' lura Malta fl-1946 u kompla l-ħidma tiegħu fit-teatru u fil-promozzjoni ta' l-ilsien Malti. [Aktar tagħrif] Ara dan l-artiklu f'The Times (Showtime).

Adrian Grima in the Ukrainian magazine VSESVIT

The Ukrainian magazine of world literature VSESVIT has a 4-page interview with me and a number of my poems translated into Ukrainian in its June 07 issue. The interview was conducted by Dmytro Drozdovskyi. The poems that appear in translation in the Ukrainian magazine are: "The Tragedy of the Elephant Who Dreamed of Entering a Bird's Cage," "If I Had a Motorboat," "The Cemetery at Arlington, Virginia," "The Shape of your Love," "Moon?" "Seas Swimming in Your Eyes," and "Dormant Existence."

"In today’s Mediterranean, writers are needed more than ever before to tell the stories that don’t get reported in the mainstream media controlled by a handful of powerful business corporations that only supply what they think sells well. Writers in the Mediterranean are called on to act, to react, to propose, to contest, to provoke; they are called on to seduce with the beauty of their language, to give back to this region the beauty that economic injustices, authoritarianism, corruption, environmental degradation and manipulation by the media have taken away. It is not true that the Mediterranean is only a locus of conflict and death; there is also a great deal of energy and hope, of willingness to collaborate and work together. But these stories don’t get told."

The text in Ukrainian appears here.

Two poems published in Ireland

Two of Adrian Grima's "Irish" poems, "They Don't Come to Snog on the Walls" and "Your Lips Deciphered," written during a 5-week visit to Ireland which included a 3-week writer's residency, were published in the June 26, 2007 issue of Verbal. All About Books, a literary magazine published by the Verbal Arts Centre of Derry and supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

The editor of Verbal is the well-known journalist and fiction writer Garbhan Downey. Adrian Grima's poems were translated by Irish writer Catherine McGrotty. [See the whole issue and the poems here]

(Malta: Edizzjoni Skarta, 2007)

Edizzjoni Skarta għadha kemm ippubblikat ktejjeb ta' 32 faċċata bil-poeżiji ta' ħames poeti li jitkellmu dwar it-tfulija jew dwar temi ta' ġustizzja. Il-ktieb jismu "Tibża’ Xejn Jekk Tibda x-Xita" u fih "13-il poeżija, għanja, u riklam." Il-ħames poeti huma Mario Cardona, Simone Inguanez, Adrian Grima, Immanuel Mifsud, u Walid Nabhan.

Din il-pubblikazzjoni, editjata minn Adrian Grima u b'qoxra ddisinjata minn Immanuel Mifsud, tħejjiet għall-kunċert "Made in Fair Trade" li sar waqt il-festival tal-kummerċ ġust bl-isem ta' WorldFest organizzat mill-Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust nhar il-Ħadd, 24 ta' Ottubru, 2007. It-tema ta' din is-sitt edizzjoni tal-WorldFest kienet "It-Tfal u l-Kummerċ Ġust."

Il-ktieb fih daħla ta' Adrian Grima dwar "Rijayatu Razak, il-Ħaddiema Tfal u l-Kummerċ Ġust." "Il-kaġun ewlieni ta’ l-isfruttament tat-tfal fix-xogħol huwa l-faqar. Peress li ħafna drabi l-paga li jaqilgħu l-ġenituri mhix biżżejjed biex tipprovdi dar, ikel u ħwejjeġ għall-familja, it-tfal ikollhom joħorġu jaħdmu. L-akbar sfruttament tal-ħaddiema tfal jinsab fil-produzzjoni ta’ l-ikel, l-aktar fil-qasam tal-kafè, il-kawkaw, il-banana, il-larinġ u z-zokkor."

Ħafna mill-poeżiji li hemm fil-ktieb inqraw mill-awturi nfushom waqt il-kunċert tal-Worldfest. It-titlu huwa vers meħud minn "Taħniniet Fuq Stil Tradizzjonali" ta' Immanuel Mifsud, li għandu poeżija oħra, bl-isem ta' "Il-Gaġġa," li hija maħsuba għat-tfal. Bħal "Joseph u Jean" ta' Adrian Grima, din il-poeżija tirrakkonta l-esperjenzi trawmatiċi tan-nies li jaħarbu minn pajjiżhom minħabba l-persekuzzjoni jew l-għaks. Simone Inguanez tesplora t-traġedja u l-ħolm tat-tfal maqbudin fil-gwerra fil-poeżiji "Epitaffju għal Tifel Żgħir" u "Kulma Rrid," waqt li fil-poeżija "Fl-Isfar Fjakk" tirrakkonta kuluri u l-irwejjaħ mit-tfulija tagħha fl-ambjent urban ta' Bormla: "il-kunċizzjoni biss rat u l-ħmara ħamra ta’ konrad / (joseph għandu bħalha oranġjo)."
 

Hemm ton kritiku qawwi fil-poeżija ta' Immanuel Mifsud, "Nikol Mifsud, Ċittadin Malti" u f'"Sara, Oħolmilna Ħolma Ġdida" ta' Mario Cardona, it-tnejn indirizzati lil uliedhom. Il-poeżija "Ir-Riżultat" ta' Cardona taqbad lil tifel u ommu fil-mument meta, fl-isfond ta' l-indifferenza tas-sistema edukattiva, jirċievi r-riżultat ta' l-iskola li jħabbar il-falliment tiegħu li jirrifletti wkoll il-"falliment" tal-familja. "Il-Leġġenda ta’ l-Għalliem Li Ħatfuh mill-Maqjel" ta' l-istess poeta hija wkoll kritika ħarxa tas-sistema edukattiva li xxejjen il-personalità u l-individwalità tat-tfal. Il-protagonist ta' din il-poeżija jirreaġixxi billi jirkupra d-djalett u l-irwejjaħ li hu jorbot ma' tfulitu hienja.

"Il-Lingwa ta’ l-Għajnejn" ta' Adrian Grima (ippubblikata bit-titlu "Ma Nistax Ninsieh" f'It-Trumbettier ta' l-1999) tesplora s-seħer ta' raġel quddiem il-ħajja "tixxala" fl-għajnejn u r-riġlejn ta' tifel ta' sentejn, waqt li "Minn Wara l-Għolja" hija għanja li tirrakkonta l-istejjer ta' tfal maħqura fid-dinja tax-xogħol u fl-iskejjel f'Malta. "Fwd: midnight invasion" ta' Adrian Grima wkoll tirrakkonta l-istorja vera ta' għadd ta' familji fi blokk ta' appartamenti fil-Palestina li f'lejl kiesaħ fi Frar ta' l-2007 ġew attakkati minn għadd ta' suldati Iżraeljani li qalu li kienu qed ifittxu terrorista. It-tieni parti tal-poeżija hija rrakkontata ftit jew wisq mill-perspettiva ta' żewġ ibniet li jidħlu lura fl-appartament wara r-rejd tas-suldati u jsibu kollox imfarrak.
 

Il-poeta Palestinjan Walid Nabhan, li jikteb poeżiji u novelli bl-Għarbi u bil-Malti u ilu jgħix Malta għal dawn l-aħħar 17-il sena bħala rifuġjat, huwa rrappreżentat f'dan il-ktieb bil-poeżija f'żewġ taqsimiet, "Il-G8." Il-poeżija hija mnebbħa mil-laqgħa li saret taħt sigurtà kbira fil-Ġermanja f'Ġunju ta' l-2007 u tikkritika bl-aħrax l-ordni fid-dinja ddominat minn ftit pajjiżi sinjuri u b'saħħithom li jimponu r-rieda skwilibrata tagħhom fuq il-bqija tad-dinja: "Sirna nafu kif il-balal jsiru gażaża/ Fi ħluq it-trabi ta’ Gaża."

Il-ktieb jagħlaq b'poeżija bil-vers ottonarju ta' Adrian Grima "Biex Timbarka" li tħabbar bla mistħija li hija "riklam" għall-kummerċ ġust (u għall-ħanut L-Arka). Din il-poeżija, flimkien ma' "Il-Lingwa ta’ l-Għajnejn," "Joseph u Jean" u "Qamar?" (li mhix inkluża f'dan il-ktieb), ġiet ippreżentata minn Adrian Grima fil-kunċert Made in Fair Trade flimkien mal-mużika funk tal-grupp Zizza Ensemble.

Il-ktieb huwa ddedikat "Lit-tfal li jafu biss il-qiegħ tal-Mediterran."
 

It-28 ta' Ġunju 2007

Poeżija u Funk - Kollaborazzjoni ma' Zizza Ensemble

Fil-kunċert li sar waqt il-festival tal-kummerċ ġust WorldFest fil-Barrakka ta' Fuq nhar il-Ħadd, 24 ta’ Ġunju, 2007, organizzat mill-Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust, kelli l-opportunità nippreżenta erbgħa mill-poeżiji tiegħi mal-grupp Malti ta' mużika funk, Zizza Ensemble. It-tema tal-festival kienet "It-Tfal u l-Kummerċ Ġust."

Dakinhar ippubblikajna wkoll il-ktejjeb Tibża' Xejn Jekk Tibda x-Xita (Edizzjoni Skarta).

Kienet esperjenza importanti għalija. Fil-ġimgħat ta' qabel il-kunċert iltqajna biex nagħżlu l-poeżiji u l-l-biċċiet tal-mużika u nagħmlu l-provi flimkien u mill-ewwel ħassejna li l-esperiment kien se jirnexxi. Jien ħassejt, b'mod speċjali, li kien hemm potenzjal kbir fil-djalogu/konfront bejn il-kliem ħafna drabi serju u l-mużika sikwit ironika imma b'element ta' emozzjoni u dejjem sinċiera. Il-mużiċisti ta' Zizza Ensemble huma mużiċisti mill-aqwa li dejjem ifittxu li jesperimentaw u jesploraw ħsejjes u melodiji ġodda. Il-grupp huwa magħmlu minn Ruth Abela (sassofonu), Mark Abela z-Zizza (drums), Charlie Cassar (bass), u Steve Delia, id-Delli (kitarra).

Iddeċidejna mill-ewwel li din kienet se tkun kollaborazzjoni bejn żewġ ġeneri ta' l-arti, u mhux ġeneru fl-isfond ta' l-ieħor. Għaldaqstant l-istruttura u l-elementi kostituttivi tal-biċċiet tal-mużika u l-poeżiji baqgħu essenzjament kif kienu iżda addattaw ruħhom ftit għal xulxin. Ċerti partijiet tal-mużika twalu ftit biex ikun hemm spazju għall-kliem, imma mill-bqija baqgħu kif kienu. U waħda mill-poeżiji nqrat fi tliet biċċiet biex tidħol fi tliet partijiet differenti tal-mużika: Bdejna bil-poeżija "Qamar," li nqrat mal-mużika ta' "Zizzska;" "Joseph u Jean," poeżija għat-tfal, għamilnieha mal-mużika ta' "Slightly Cool;" imbagħad qrajt "Il-Lingwa ta' l-Għajnejn" mal-mużika ta' "Straw;" u spiċċajt bil-poeżija "Biex Timbarka" (reklam) mal-mużika ta' "Do-Re-Mi-Funk."

Mir-reazzjoni tan-nies li kellmuni wara l-kunċert, jidher li kien hemm bosta nies fl-udjenza li laqgħu dan l-esperiment tajjeb. Għalija kien il-bidu ta' ħoss ġdid, ta' esperjenza ġdida.

Festival tal-Kummerċ Ġust fil-Barrakka ta’ Fuq

Fl-edizzjoni ta’ din is-sena tal-festival tal-kummerċ ġust WorldFest li se ssir nhar il-Ħadd 24 ta’ Ġunju fil-Barrakka ta’ Fuq bejn l-10am u l-10pm, se jkun hemm għadd ta’ attivitajiet għat-tfal u għall-kbar mifruxin fuq il-ġurnata kollha. It-tema tal-WorldFest 2007 hija “It-Tfal u l-Kummerċ Ġust u l-attivitajiet kollha se jkunu marbutin magħha. Id-dħul għall-festival u għall-attivitajiet kollha, fosthom il-kunċert li jibda fit-8.00pm, huwa b’xejn.

Minbarra l-bejgħ ta’ mijiet ta’ prodotti differenti ta’ ikel u l-artiġjanat mill-Asja, l-Amerika Latina u l-Afrika u l-kunċert, se jkun hemm forum pubbliku dwar it-tfal u x-xogħol (6.00pm); film ta’ tmien minuti dwar tfal li jaħdmu fil-ġbir tal-qoton (9.00pm); ikel u xorb minn bosta pajjiżi, fosthom birra tal-kummerċ ġust, inbid mill-Manikata, u frott minn Malta (7.00pm); tpinġija fuq il-wiċċ għat-tfal (11.00am– 12.00, 5pm – 7pm); ħaxix u frott organiku frisk u ppreservat minn Malta; kwizzis il-ġurnata kollha għat-tfal u l-kbar (premjijiet jittellgħu fis-7.30pm); u s-sehem ta’ ħames poeti Maltin fil-kunċert ta’ filgħaxija.

Il-Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust li torganizza hija l-koperattiva soċjali ta’ voluntiera li tmexxi l-ħanut L-Arka li jinsab fi Triq San Pawl il-Belt.

Il-kunċert Made in Fair Trade

Fil-kunċert Made in Fair Trade, li se jkun iddedikat lil Christina Muscat, attivista tal-kummerċ ġust u membru tal-KKĠ li ħallietna dan l-aħħar, se jdoqq il-grupp tal-mużika funk, Zizza Ensemble – fil-WorldFest se jingħaqad ma’ dan il-grupp il-poeta Adrian Grima biex jippreżenta erba’ xogħlijiet. Se jieħdu sehem ukoll il-kantawtur Walter Micallef, li dan l-aħħar ħareġ it-tieni album tiegħu, Ħamsin; il-vjolinist Simon Vella; u erba’ poeti, Immanuel Mifsud, Simone Inguanez, Walid Nabhan u Mario Cardona, li se jaqraw xogħlijiet qosra marbutin mat-tema tal-WorldFest.

Waqt il-kunċert, fid-9.00pm, se jintwera film ta’ 8min, rebbieħ ta’ premju internazzjonali, bl-isem ta’ White Gold - The True Cost of Cotton, dwar tfal li jkollhom jaħdmu fil-ġbir tal-qoton fl-Użbekistan li mbagħad jinbiegħ fl-Unjoni Ewropa.

Il-Prodotti tal-Kummerċ Ġust

Mijiet ta’ prodotti differenti tal-kummerċ ġust, maħdumin bl-idejn u b’sengħa kbira li ħafna drabi hija ispirata minn tradizzjonijiet li għandhom mijiet ta’ snin, se jkunu għall-bejgħ fuq għadd ta’ mwejjed differenti li jirrappreżentaw l-Afrika, l-Asja, u l-Amerika Latina. Se jkun hemm stands apposta għall-ikel u x-xorb, għall-artiġjanat, u għall-istrumenti mużikali etniċi u s-cds tal-mużika dinjija.

Għall-ewwel darba fil-WorldFest se jkun hemm stand apposta għal prodotti tal-kummerċ ġust, l-aktar artiġjanat, mill-Eġittu. Barra minn hekk, se jkun hemm ukoll El Diablo, il-Gaia Foundation bil-prodotti organiċi tagħhom, u l-Kumitat għall-Ħarsien Rurali ta’ Għajntuffieħa li se jkun qed ibigħ inbid u frott Malti frisk u ppreservat tal-bdiewa tal-lokal.

Forum Pubbliku, Tfal ix-Xogħol

Il-mistiedna ewlenija se tkun il-Kummissarju għat-Tfal, Ms. Carmen Zammit, li se titkellem f’forum pubbliku fis-6.00pm dwar “Tfal ix-Xogħol.” Il-kelliema l-oħrajn se jkunu l-attivista Żvediża tal-Clean Clothes Campaign Nina Zita; l-istudenti Beverly Tonna u Nicole Chetcuti mil-Liċeo tal-Bniet Carlo Diacono taż-Żejtun, li huma involuti fil-proġett internazzjonali Global Action Schools; John Axiak, il-president tal-Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust; u Julian Micallef mill-Forum Malta fl-Ewropa.

Se tmexxi l-forum is-soċjologa Angele Deguara, awtriċi tal-ktieb Life on the Line. A Sociological Investigation of Women Working in a Clothing Factory in Malta, ippubblikat mill-Università ta’ Malta (2002). Il-pubbliku preżenti jkun jista’ jistaqsi l-mistoqsjiet u jagħmel il-kummenti tiegħu.

Fl-Isfond: It-Tfal u l-Kummerċ Ġust

Din is-sitt edizzjoni tal-WorldFest se tiffoka fuq It-Tfal u x-Xogħol. Il-Kummerċ Ġust jgħin lin-nies li għandhom dħul baxx biex itejbu l-qagħda tagħhom u jgħixu ħajja diċenti, u b’dan il-mod ma jkollhomx għalfejn jibagħtu ’l uliedhom jaħdmu. Peress li jtejjeb ir-riżorsi u jagħraf is-sehem tan-nies fil-familja u fil-komunità, il-kummerċ ġust jagħmilha possibbli li t-tfal ikollhom aċċess għal ilma nadif, servizzi sanitarji, edukazzjoni u kura medika. Dawk il-konsumaturi li jixtru l-prodotti tal-kummerċ ġust ikunu qegħdin iserrħu rashom li ma kien hemm ebda sfruttament tat-tfal (jew tal-kbar) fil-produzzjoni ta’ l-ikel, l-artiġjanat u l-ħwejjeġ li jixtru.

Fl-2004, 246 miljun tifel u tifla bejn il-5 u s-17-il sena kienu qed jaħdmu; 73 minnhom kellhom inqas minn 10 snin. 180 miljun tifel u tifla kienu qed jaħdmu f’kundizzjonijiet “estremament perikolużi,” u 6.4 miljun tifel u tifla kienu vittmi ta’ skjavitù, traffikar, nuqqas ta’ libertà minħabba d-dejn, prostituzzjoni, pornografija, u attivitajiet illeċiti oħra. Proġetti u inizjattivi biex jinqered ix-xogħol tat-tfal ma jkunu xejn għajr bżar fl-għajnejn jekk ma tingħelibx il-problema tal-faqar li hija l-kaġun ewlieni ta’ din il-pjaga dinjija.

Barra minn hekk, il-kundizzjonijiet inġusti fil-kummerċ dinji tal-materja prima, it-tariffi għoljin li jxekklu l-importazzjoni fil-pajjiżi s-sinjuri, u s-sussidji li jagħtu vantaġġ inġust lill-prodotti maħdumin fin-Naħa ta’ Fuq tad-dinja, qed jaqtgħu saqajn il-produtturi l-fqar u jemarġinaw miljuni ta’ nies fl-irħula rurali tan-Naħa t’Isfel tad-dinja. Il-Kummerċ Ġust jgħin b’mod konkret biex inaqqas dan il-faqar inġust u b’hekk jaffronta waħda mill-kawżi ewlenin tax-xogħol tat-tfal.

Bl-għajnuna ta’

Il-festival WorldFest 2007, organizzat mill-Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust, qed jittella’ bil-għajnuna tal-proġett internazzjonali Global Action Schools iffinanzjat parzjalment mill-Kummissjoni Ewropea. Dal-proġett, li f’Malta qed jitmexxa minn Kopin, jagħti l-appoġġ lill-iskejjel biex jintegraw kwistjonijiet globali fil-programm edukattiv tal-klassi, joħolqu kuntatti bejn skejjel madwar id-dinja u jfittxu modi kif jgħinu biex ikun hawn żvilupp verament sostenibbli.

www.l-arka.org

Fil-website tal-Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust, www.l-arka.org, hemm aktar tagħrif dwar WorldFest 2007. KKĠ hija membri attiv ta’ l-IFAT, in-network globali ta’ l-organizzazzjonijiet tal-Kummer Ġust.

Reading in Prague - Bookworld, May 2007
 

At the beginning of May I was in Prague to read my poetry and chair a session on Literature off the Page at the annual Prague international book fair. I was invited to Prague by Literature Across Frontiers, a project that promotes small literatures in Europe. Malta is represented in this project part-funded by the Culture 2000 programme of the EU by Inizjamed. Malta and Inizjamed were also represented by Maria Grech Ganado. My poetry was read in Maltese, English (translated by Antoine Cassar and Maria Grech Ganado) and Czech (translated by Alexandra Büchler).

My first reading was on Friday, 4 May 2007 at 18.00-19.00 at the Literary Café of the Bookfair venue. The other poets who read their work during this session of "Poetry from the Mediterranean" were With Metin Celal (Turkey), Miquel Desclot (Catalonia), Maria Grech Ganado, and Vassilis Rouvalis (Greece). We all read again on Saturday, 5 May 2007, between 20.00–22.00, at the Viola Theatre in the centre of Prague. The event was called "Mediterraneo - An Evening of Mediterranean Poetry and Music."

The session between 15:30–17:00 on Thursday 3 May which I chaired as part of the Literature in Interaction programme was about "Literature off the Page. Literature and Performance, Art, Music, Film." The other speakers were Jiří Dědeček (CR), Martin Šafránek (CR), Zoë Skoulding (Wales), Renée Gadsden (Austria/USA), and Eduard Escoffet (Catalonia). "What is the relationship between literature and other art forms such as music, visual arts and film? How do they re-vitalize and inspire each other and how does writing come alive off the page? What are the differences between performance or text-based art and visual or performance poetry? Do great novels make good feature films and can poetry be expressed through purely visual means? How do cross-disciplinary approaches enrich literary creation and why are many literary festivals still stuck in the groove of promoting books by means or readings?"

These events were part of the "Literature in Interaction" seminar and literary Festival Programme organized by Literature Across Frontiers and partners, Josef Škvorecký Literary Academy, European Network of Creative Writing Programmes, BookWorld Prague, Fraus Publishing, and the British Council.

The poems I read in Prague were "Dormant Existence," "The Cemetery at Arlington, Virginia," "Forsi Sabulu l-Mibegħda f'Ħobbu," part of "Ramallah," "The Tragedy of the Elephant who Dreamed of Entering a Bird's Cage," and "They Don't Come to Snog on the Walls" (with music by Rory McCarron). The music in the background was from the album Zaghareed by the Palestinian popular dance troupe El-Funoun who feature in a number of my poems published in Rakkmu (2006).

In Search of a Literature
The Times, 21 April 2007

The book infrastructure is as important in the creative process as the writer: Good editors, publishers, critics, TV presenters, school teachers, cultural officers, festival organisers, literary magazines make the book. Can we have a literature if we don't have any of that? Isn't it telling that the fate of what is arguably one of the most interesting books of Maltese poetry of the 1990s so eloquently sums up the predicament, or should we say "challenges", to choose a popular euphemism, of Maltese literature today? (Photo by James Cunningham, Derry, April 07) [Read the article]

Nhar it-Tlieta 24 ta' April kelli l-opportunità sabiħa li niltaqa' ma' grupp ta' studenti minn tliet skejjel sekondarji ta' l-istat fis-sala tal-Mużika tal-Kavallier ta' San Ġakbu biex naqra xi xogħlijiet tiegħi. Kien hemm subien mil-Liċeo ta' Tas-Sliema, tfajliet mill-iskola Lily of the Valley tal-Mosta u Luigi Preziosi ta' St. Andrews. Qrajtilhom żewġ poeżiji minn Rakkmu, fosthom "Rajtni Kif Kont Għaddej?" u storja bl-isem ta' "Lilek min Kellmek, Sieħbi?" Din kienet waħda minn sensiela ta' laqgħat bl-isem ta' Meet the Author bħala parti mill-attivitajiet organizzati mill-Kavallier ta' San Ġakbu għall-Jum Dinji tal-Ktieb 2007.

Prospects for Fairer Trade in the Mediterranean

ZNET has published my article about promoting fair trade in the Mediterranean. "In 2010 a free trade area will be established within the so-called Euromed zone that will make matters worse for poorer communities in the Mediterranean region. The renowned academic and activist Tonino Perna anticipates that some four million small farmers with less than three hectares of land and small fishermen will be swamped out of business by big companies with big money." [Read the article here]

Ħarġet it-Tieni Edizzjoni ta' Rakkmu

Il-Klabb Kotba Maltin għadu kemm ippubblika t-tieni edizzjoni tal-ktieb Rakkmu, b'għażla ta' poeżiji ta' Adrian Grima miktubin bejn l-1995 u l-2005. Din il-ġabra tnidiet fl-1 ta' Marzu ta' l-2006 fit-Teatru tal-Kavallier ta' San Ġakbu u wara ftit ġimgħat ħafna mill-kopji kienu diġà nbiegħu. Għaldaqstant mill-ewwel inħasset il-ħtieġa li l-ktieb jiġi stampat mill-ġdid.

Il-kontenut ta' din it-tieni edizzjoni huwa identiku għal ta' l-ewwel iżda l-ktieb inħadem fl-Istamperija Gutenberg f'Ħal Tarxien li tagħmel xogħol ta' l-aqwa kwalità.

Dawk li jixtiequ jiksbu kopja ta' din it-tieni edizzjoni jistgħu jistaqsu għaliha għand il-ħwienet tal-kotba ewlenin (Lm3.95), inkella jikkuntattjaw lill-Klabb Kotba Maltin (sales@midseabooks.com) jew lid-distributuri (info@sierra-books.com, tel. 9947 6410, 2137 4822, 2137 8576), jew lil Adrian Grima fuq adrian@maltaforum.org (għall-prezz speċjali ta' Lm3.50). 

Inkontru letterarju ma' l-istudenti taż-Żejtun
 

Lejn l-aħħar ta' Marzu kelli x-xorti niltaqa' ma' grupp ta' studenti tas-sitt klassi fil-primarja taż-Żejtun. Qrajtilhom l-istejjer "Lilek Min Kellmek, Sieħbi?" u "Marlene Qed Ittir" u l-poeżija "Jiena Ħiter Fortunata," ilkoll ippubblikati minn Merlin Library fis-sensiela tas-Senduq Kuluri u s-Senduq Buffuri editjata minn Clare Azzopardi.

Il-laqgħa ma' l-istudenti tas-sitt klassi kienet interessanti ħafna. Wara li qrajt l-istejjer l-istudenti tkellmu dwar dak li ftakru minnhom u laqtuni mhux biss l-emozzjonijiet u l-episodji li ftakru imma anki l-użu tal-lingwa. Dawn l-istudenti kkonfermawli kemm mhuwiex minnu li t-tfal isibu l-letteratura diffiċli, jew ifittxu lingwa u stejjer sempliċi. Bil-maqlub, ħafna drabi t-tfal ifittxu xogħlijiet li jistimulaw mhux biss l-emozzjonijiet tagħhom imma anki l-interess tagħhom fl-użu tal-lingwa. Il-lingwa għandha l-ħila tirrakkonta u tqalleb l-imħuħ, imma kapaċi wkoll issaħħar...

A “Prophetic Call” for Fair Trade

On April 5, Babelmed published my article about fair trade and religion in the Mediterranean. "The Church in Malta and elsewhere can play a vital role in promoting fair trade and ethical consumption, and when individual priests do speak out their communities respond enthusiastically, but for the Maltese Catholic Church as an institution these issues are not a priority and they get none of the attention that is afforded to issues such as divorce and sexual behaviour. The same applies to the other dominant institutions in Malta, the traditional political parties and, increasingly, private media organizations, for whom issues such as fair trade and ethical consumption are non-starters." [Read the article]

Tnedija ta' l-album Ħamsin ta' Walter Micallef

Il-kantawtur Walter Micallef nieda t-tieni album tiegħu, Ħamsin, nhar il-Ġimgħa 23 ta' Marzu, fit-teatru tal-Magna tad-Dawl l-antika fix-Xatt ta' Pinto. L-album fih 12-il kanzunetta li nkitbu fuq medda ta' żmien, għalkemm ħafna minnhom huma xogħlijiet riċenti. Bħal fil-każ ta' l-ewwel album tiegħu, M'Jien Xejn (2003), f'din is-cd hemm kumment tiegħi dwar il-lirika. Ma' Walter Micallef (leħen u kitarra) idoqqu Renzo Spiteri (perkussjoni); Jes Psaila (kitarra akustika, semi-akustika u elettrika); Pawlu Camilleri l-Bibi (orgni tal-ħalq); Eric Wadge (baxx u leħen fl-isfond); u Albert Garzia (argunett u pjanu). [Aqra l-kumment]

DIESER VERWUNDETE FRÜHLING
Dir-Rebbiegħa Midruba
 

Fil-21 ta' Marzu 2007 ħarġet l-ewwel edizzjoni tal-ktieb tiegħi ta' sittax-il poeżija bil-Malti tradotti għall-Ġermaniż bl-isem ta' Dieser verwundete Frühling - Dir-Rebbiegħa Midruba (Edizzjoni Skarta). It-traduzzjonijiet mill-Malti saru minn Dr. Ray Fabri u Dominik Kalweit u d-disinn tal-qoxra huwa ta' Pierre Portelli.

Il-ktieb jinkludi poeżiji minn It-Trumbettier (1999) u Rakkmu (2006) u tliet poeżiji ġodda miktubin fl-2006, "Bull Park" u "Xufftejk Spjegati," it-tnejn miktubin l-Irlanda, u "Kif Jikber is-Sardinell f'dir-Rebbiegħa Midruba," u minnha ttieħed l-isem ta' din il-ġabra.

Din il-ġabra ġdida ġiet ippreżentata għall-ewwel darba fil-pubbliku waqt lejla ta' qari li għamilt fil-Buchhändlerkeller ("il-kantina tal-bejjiegħ tal-kotba") f'Berlin nhar il-Ħamis 22 ta' Marzu. It-traduzzjonijiet inqraw minn Kornelia Klenner. Dan huwa post, li nfetaħ fl-1967, huwa magħruf għall-qari li jsir kull ġimgħa minn kittieba rinomati. Fost il-kittieba li qraw f'dan il-post hemm Günter Grass, Robert Gernhardt u Max Frisch. F'dan il-post isiru diskussjonijiet, jiġu ppreżentati kotba ġodda, u jingħata tagħrif dwar il-ħajja letterarja f'Berlin (www.buchhaendlerkeller-berlin.de). il-ktieb ippreżentajtu wkoll waqt sessjoni ta' qari fil-Fiera tal-Ktieb ta' Leipzig u fil-Mużew Grassi ta' Leipzig nhar il-Ġimgħa, 23 ta' Marzu. 2007. Iż-żjara tiegħi fil-Ġermanja saret fuq stedina tal-Kunsill Malti tal-Kultura u l-Arti u bl-għajnuna ta' l-Ambaxxata Maltija f'Berlin.

Readings in Berlin and Leipzig
 

Adrian Grima was recently invited to Berlin and Leipzig to read his poetry at different venues. These readings were organized by Kornelia Klenner (in picture), who is in charge of cultural affairs at the Maltese Embassy in Berlin, and supported by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts.

On Thursday 22 March, Dr. Grima read from his new collection of poems in Maltese with German translations by Ray Fabri and Dominik Kalweit and published on 21 March called Dieser  verwundete Frühling - Dir-Rebbiegħa Midruba (Edizzjoni Skarta) at the so called Buchhändlerkeller (book seller's cellar). This is a renowned location for readings in Berlin, established in 1967, which organizes weekly readings, discussions and information on new publications and the literary life in Berlin. Very famous writers, including Günter Grass, Robert Gernhardt and Max Frisch, have read there since its establishment (www.buchhaendlerkeller-berlin.de).

On Friday 23 March, Adrian Grima read his poetry at one of the forums held during the Leipzig Book Festival together with Cypriot poet and academic Zelia Gregoriou. The session was chaired by academic Dr. Michaela Prinzinger and was part of a series of literary encounters called Small Languages, Great Literatures. And later on, at the Grassi Museum in Leizig, Adrian Grima, once again accompanied by Kornelia Klenner who read the German translations, was one of the ten writers who read their work in front of an audience of 100 people. This session was chaired by Alida Bremer.

A record 127,000 people visited this year's Leipzig Book Fair which brought together 2,348 exhibitors from 36 countries. The fair, held in modern buildings outside the eastern German city of Leipzig, has emerged as Europe's largest literary festival for author readings and events. In the evenings, readings are offered around town in bookshops, cafes or at City Hall. There are appearances by famous authors such as Nobel-prize winning German author Günter Grass. The reading at the Grassi Museum in which Dr. Grima read some of his poems was one such event.

Leipzig has a long tradition of printing and book trade. After World War II and the division of Germany, Leipzig became a focal point for East-West publishers. After German reunification in 1990, many publishing houses in the former East Germany shut down or integrated into West German ones. A year later, the Leipzig Book Fair started.

On Saturday 24 March, as part of the festivities marking the 50th anniversary of the birth of the EU, Adrian Grima recited his poem  "It-Trumbettier" in Maltese and in an English translation by Antoine Cassar during a "language installation" at the New National Museum (of Modern Art) in Berlin together with actors representing the other 26 member states of the EU. This event was part of the "Night of the Museums," organized by the German Foreign Office and the State Museums of Berlin with cultural activities taking place in the most important museums in Berlin. These events were held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome that gave birth to what is today the EU. The installation started with the recital of the ironical poem "Europa" by the satirical Berlin-born essayist, poet, and critic Kurt Tucholsky (1890-1935). The poems were recited to the unsuspecting visitors of the Museum who seem to have received the event in a very positive way. Read more

Ramallaħ f'Saviano u Napli
 

Nhar il-21 ta' Marzo, waqt il-Festa tal-Merlo f'Saviano, l-Italja, il-poeta Taljan Mimmo Grasso qara traduzzjoni tiegħu tal-poeżija tiegħi "Ramallaħ." Dan ix-xogħol qrah ukoll nhar l-Erbgħa 28 ta' Marzu waqt inkontru mad-direttur Mohammed Bekri organizzat mill-komunità Palestinjana ta' Napli.
 

"L’associazione nazionale per la liberazione del merlo maschio invece, è nata nove anni fa e si è occupata da sempre di pace e libertà in modo singolare e unico: attraverso il linguaggio comune dell’arte. Intorno ad essa è stata costruita una serie di eventi-arte molto singolari come la realizzazione, tra l’altro, di oggetti esclusivi dell’artigianato artistico locale (cartapesta e ferro battuto): merlionario (salvadanaio, lumieri (lume) ecc. o come appunto la mostra merletti d’autore. L’infaticabile attività dell’associazione si concretizza con l’ingresso della Primavera con la festa della liberazione del merlo maschio." 

Fair Trade in the Mediterranean

Questioning Corporate Gloss and the Monopolies of Free Trade
 

On 2 April 2007, the European Documentation and Research Centre (and Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence) of the University of Malta launched its book on Business Ethics and Religious Values in the European Union and Malta - For a Moral Level Playing Field, edited by Professor Peter G. Xuereb who coordinated the 2007 Civil Society project that produced this collection of papers. This publication includes my paper on "Fair Trade in the Mediterranean. Questioning Corporate Gloss and the Monopolies of Free Trade."

"In 2010 a free trade area will be established within the so-called Euromed zone that will make matters worse for poorer communities in the Mediterranean region. The renowned academic and activist Tonino Perna anticipates that some four million small farmers with less than three hectares of land and small fishermen will be swamped out of business by big companies with big money.

The establishment of this new, so-called “free” trade area coincides in a rather uncanny way with the extraordinary success of the European fair trade movement which has not only made significant inroads in its efforts to place its products and its principles on the shelves of big supermarket chains but has successfully lobbied for and obtained a detailed report on fair trade followed by a Resolution adopted by the Parliament of the European Union. This paper argues that both civil society and institutions in the Mediterranean should look at fair trade as an alternative to the myths and monopolies of “free” trade. It also argues that checks and balances that come with fair trade are a credible antidote to the window dressing of Corporate Social Responsibility."

Poetry and Interview published in Hungary

A translation into Hungarian of "Ramallah" by Adrian Grima and an interview he gave to Karsten Xuereb about his book of poetry Rakkmu have been published in the February issue of the Hungarian literary journal Ex Symposion (26.2.07).

"The Mediterranean as Segregation" on ZNET

Over one hundred civil society activists from all over the Mediterranean and beyond met in Rome to renew their commitment against war and colonialism and to discuss ways of working towards peace, democracy, human and civil rights, justice, peaceful coexistence, and freedom. Adrian Grima joined the fray. [Read the article]

"Breaking" the language

Authors often ‘break’ the language to create a literary experience. When I experimented with broken syntax in poems like Ramalla I was pleasantly surprised to find that readers appreciated this tortured language. Of course, such literature assumes that readers know that the syntax and vocabulary is ‘broken’, otherwise the effect is lost. So they certainly cannot be used as examples of standard Maltese: that’s not why they were written.  [Read "Lost for loan words" by Stanley Borg and "The final chapter on variants?" by Trevor Żahra, Immanuel Mifsud, Adrian Grima, and Marco Galea in The Times, 27/01/2007]

"Controlling Civil Society" on ZNET
 

ZNET, "a community of people committed to social change," has published my article on NGO legislation in Malta called "Controlling Civil Society" (24 January 2007). "Perhaps it is no coincidence that in 'the year of civil society,' the embattled government of Malta presented Parliament with an “over-regulatory” Voluntary Organizations Act that, according to an international expert, 'is likely to hinder development of civil society.'" You can read it here.

Review of Rakkmu by Paul Xuereb

(The Sunday Times, Malta, 21 January 2007)

‘LOOK IN THY HEART, AND WRITE’

Adrian Grima:  Rakkmu (poeżiji 1995-2005) Klabb Kotba Maltin. 

ISBN 99932-7-072-5  93p.

We have much to be grateful to Adrian Grima for his continual efforts to bring to our attention the achievements of Malta’s New Wave writers, and at the same time making connections with writers in other countries, both in the Mediterranean region and beyond.  One of his principal collaborators in Inizjamed, Clare Azzopardi (whose Il-Linja l-Ħadra I reviewed in these columns last month) has very recently reminded readers of this paper’s sister paper about how much more this country can do to help its authors to become known well beyond our tiny shores such as by subsidizing translations into foreign languages and bringing our literature to the knowledge of international conferences and book fairs.  I have little doubt that authors like Grima and Azzopardi, and a number of others associated or not with Inizjamed, including a number of fine older writers, could create a foreign readership if they were represented in good translations, of which at the moment there are far too few, and if such translations were distributed and marketed professionally abroad.

Grima’s poems in the present volume, which cover ten years of his literary activity, show him developing from the young man newly in love with his wife and enchanted by the intellectual curiosity of his infant children to a maturer man forced by his country’s environmental horrors on the one hand and that same country’s often disturbing behaviour towards illegal immigrants on the other hand, to adopt a political stance and to speak up against the greed of the money-makers and brutal breaches of human rights.

Throughout the poems we have here, however, Grima manifests his talent for the concrete, his ability to make the reader see a person, whether a child or a political activist in Palestine, or capture an emotion in material terms.  In the love poems occupying the first section, there are particularly felicitous lines, such as “Ħallejt ġenbejk fuq ruħi”, said by his lover after love-making, in which the concrete and the spiritual fuse admirably together, while in one of the “political” poems, an African immigrant is depicted graphically as he tries to speak Maltese: “Jitlaqlaq fil-konsonanti ż-żgħar, Joseph, / bil-vojt marsus bejniethom jidwi f’rasu,/ U jistħi mill-ħsejjes li jlissen, jgħidli / qishom platti jċekċku f’daqqa f’lejl ħati.”

It is this loving depiction of humans and things, this constant attempt to capture the spirit through appearance, that make his poetry, and more especially his poems about suffering foreigners, so moving.

This vividness, sometimes a piling of vivid imagery,  puts his love poetry, despite its simplicity and frequent directness, apart from traditional love poetry. Short pieces like “Jekk tridni” and “Spazji oħra” hit the reader’s emotions hard as they summon up a moment that would have disappeared for ever had it not been crystallized so well in the writer’s images.

Grima empathises not just with the lot of the clandestine immigrants but also with those of his countrymen who live on the periphery of society, like the sick and the drug-takers who queue up daily for their pills at the hospital dispensary, while cars drive desperately round the nearby roundabout unlike the night which seems to dominate that area, “roundabout bit-toroq magħluqa.”  His heart even goes out to the lonely people waiting longingly for the postman to deliver a letter “to break the morning’s monotony”, and do not stop waiting even when they know the postman has already gone past.

A number of Grima’s pieces are written in a poetic, but never sickly, prose.  “Possibilitajiet ikkumplikati” is one of the most successful of this group with its lyrical evocation of himself and his young sons blowing soap bubbles, magical worlds they create only to see them travel swiftly away and disappear.  The first paragraph is especially good with its subtle use of rhyme to bind the prose together.

Of the poems inspired by experiences in other lands, “Dubrovnik” is most memorable.  Those who have visited that enchanting city will remember the swallows flying low and swooping down in the narrow streets.  For Grima, they are frantic spirits that never cease to commemorate the hideous damage wrought by the Serbs to the famous walls of the city, a lament that never ceases for wounds that will forever be felt, despite the excellent restoration the walls have received.

As a lover of his country, he is appalled at the way in which politicians have forgotten the fervour of yesteryear and allowed the country to submit to creeping destruction.  In one of his bitterest poems, “B’idejna”, he depicts his embarrassment when the national anthem is being played.  What is he to do with his hands as he stands to attention?  Perhaps, he says, he should cover his eyes and block his ears at the same time.

Grima is becoming an adept in the writing of epigrammatic verse of a sarcastic nature, such as “Djalogu” and “Mhux vera.”  In the former he writes “Id-djalogu ġo Malta jsir bil-gaffa /  u jdum sakemm ilestu mit-tħaffir / id-diskussjoni ssir bis-safety helmet / biex ħadd ma jisma’ l-beraq tat-tkissir.”  Truly a memorable comment not just on discussion about the building industry in Malta, but also about public discussion in general.

Grima closes the collection with a fine collection of poems about his experiences in Palestine and his relationship with people from that country who have visited Malta.  “Look in thy heart, and write” wrote a great English poet [Philip Sidney], and in many of the verses in this section, Grima’s emotional as well as his intellectual engagement shines brightly.

Malta generosa e altre poesie

Fil-ħarġa ta' Diċembru 2006 - Jannar 2007 (Numero 78/79) tar-rivista Lo Straniero li toħroġ Ruma hemm grupp ta' poeżiji tiegħi bl-isem, "Malta generosa e altre poesie." Il-poeżiji ttraduċejniehom flimkien Damiano Abeni u jien. L-editur ta' Lo Straniero huwa Goffredo Fofi. Fost il-kontributuri f'din il-ħarġa hemm Stefano Benni ("Mi manca Totò"), Omri Evron ("Lettera di un refusenik israeliano"), Neliana Tersigni ("Libano, estate 2006. Un diario"), u Luisa Orelli ("Ricordo di Naghib Mahfuz").

Il-poeżiji tiegħi tradotti għat-Taljan li ntgħażlu biex jidhru f'Lo Straniero huma: "Malta generosa," "Si sparavano addosso," "La cancellazione della storia," "Cigni," u "Cosa farai quando la notte finirà?"

Lo straniero è una rivista mensile nata a Roma nel 1997, dapprima con uscita trimestrale, fondata da Goffredo Fofi. Si occupa di "arte cultura scienza e società", e ha privilegiato e continuerà a privilegiare settori decisivi di esse. Le sue sezioni fondamentali riguardano:

• Gli Educatori: una ridiscussione a più voci, tra teorie e pratiche, dei modi in cui avviene oggi la trasmissione di conoscenze e valori, fuori e dentro le istituzioni scolastiche;

• I Nord e i Sud del mondo: nuovi assetti politici e geografici, mutazioni economiche e antropologiche, flussi migratori e loro costi;

• Le "zone calde" del nostro paese (per esempio, con grande attenzione, la fascia adriatica, la Sicilia, la frontiera veneta...); la rivista verrà presentata in pubblico nelle zone via via analizzate sulle sue pagine;

• Le Arti e la loro "necessità", con particolare attenzione al teatro, al cinema, al fumetto, alla letteratura eccetera, con interviste ai maggiori artisti contemporanei e note critiche e interventi saggistici.

Tra gli artisti che hanno collaborato alla rivista ricordiamo, alla rinfusa: Carlo Cecchi, Terry Gilliam, Romeo Castellucci, Norman Manea, Derek Mahon, Seamus Heaney, José Saramago, John Cage, Atom Egoyan, Paolo Rosa, Thomas Richards, Otar Iosseliani, David Cronenberg, Joyce Carol Oates, J. M. Coetzee, Goran Paskaljevic, Assia Djebar, Nuruddin Farah, Wole Soyinka, José Munoz, Igort, Lorenzo Mattotti, Emilio Tadini, Danio Manfredini, John Berger, Anne Michaels, Almamegretta, Czeslaw Milosz, Sebastiao Salgado, Wong Kar-way.

"Abbiamo voglia di rompere, nei limiti del possibile, la cappa di conformismo che pesa sulla vita culturale italiana; di contribuire a dare risposta al nostro bisogno, e di tanti, di corretta e motivata informazione, di riflessione, di teoria, di giudizio; di affermare con chiarezza le nostre predilizioni - ciò che consideriamo vitale e necessario nella cultura contemporanea, in Italia come altrove - e le nostre ripulse - ciò che consideriamo inutile e mortale; di confrontare con quanto di meglio si pensa e produce in altri luoghi del pianeta dove le contraddizioni sono più forti (ma non necessariamente) delle nostre e soprattutto vengono vissute con più attenzione, vi si cerca davvero una risposta."
 

NGOs slam voluntary organisations bill as Big Brother paternalism

The Voluntary Organisations Bill may prove to become a boomerang for Maltese non-governmental organisations. After being the first to call for a law to regulate the voluntary sector, they are now up in arms against a bill they fear will stifle their independence.

The coordinator of cultural NGO Inizjamed, Adrian Grima, denounced the proposed legislation as an exercise in big brother paternalism. And Lino Bugeja, the president of the Ramblers Association said his organisation will not apply for enrolment in the proposed register for recognised NGOs.

The Voluntary Organisations Bill is in its second reading in parliament but so far the government has ignored recommendations made by the NGO legislation working group back in November to change the law. [Read this article by James Debono in Malta Today, 14 January 2007]

L-Edukazzjoni u l-Kultura ta’ l-Imbarazz

Meta skola, li hi istituzzjoni mwaqqfa apposta biex tgħallem, tagħżel li torganizza party fi stabbiliment li huwa simbolu tal-konsumiżmu u tan-nuqqas ta’ rispett lejn l-ambjent, tibda tiddubita jekk l-iskola temminx tassew f’dak li tgħallem u x’messaġġi moħbijin qed tgħaddi lill-istudenti.

Fi żmien il-Milied, xi skejjel, fosthom skejjel tal-Knisja Kattolika, organizzaw parties għall-istudenti tagħhom fi ħwienet tal-McDonald’s, mingħalihom qed jagħtu xi rigal speċjali lit-tfal f’dan iż-żmien ta’ tama u solidarjetà.
Wara li għamlu x-xhur jippromwovu stili ta’ ħajja u valuri pożittivi, għażlu li jidentifikaw ruħhom, bħala istituzzjoni li suppost teduka, ma’ kumpannija bħall-McDonald’s li hi waħda mis-simboli globali ewlenin tal-faqar kulturali. [Ara l-artiklu fl-Illum] Verżjoni iktar dettaljata tidher hawnhekk.

Il-Letteratura Maltija u r-Razziżmu

Is-Sibt, 3 ta’ Frar, Sala Erin Serracino Inglott, l-Università,  09.00 - 13.00

Ara l-programm sħiħ   |   Read the report by Mark Micallef (The Sunday Times, 4 Feb 2007) 

L-Akkademja tal-Malti, li hija l-organizzazzjoni li tirrappreżenta l-kittieba Maltin, qed torganizza seminar bit-titlu “(Ta’) Barra Minn Hawn: Ir-Razza u r-Radika fil-Letteratura Maltija.” L-għan ta’ dan is-seminar huwa li jiġu esplorati l-fenomeni tar-razziżmu u tal-ksenofobija fil-letteratura tagħna.

Ħafna nies jaħsbu li l-letteratura tagħna dejjem tippreżenta valuri tajbin, jew li għallinqas li hija newtrali. Madankollu, jekk niflu l-aktar testi magħrufa tal-letteratura tagħna, anki l-kotba li kienu jagħtuna biex naqraw meta konna żgħar, insibu ħafna eżempji ta’ diskors dwar il-barranin, jew ċerti kategoriji ta’ barranin, li huwa dispreġjattiv. It-Torok, l-Għarab u s-Suwed kważi dejjem jintwerew f’dawl ikrah.

Dan is-seminar se jipprova jifhem ir-raġunijiet li welldu dawn il-preġudizzji, speċjalment fid-dawl tar-rwol tal-letteratura tagħna fid-diskors dwar l-identità nazzjonali. Dawn il-preġudizzji ntirtu minn kulturi oħra, inħolqu minħabba ġrajjiet storiċi li ġabu lill-Maltin f’kuntatt ma’ dawn il-“barranin” f’ċirkustanzi koroh, jew żviluppaw fil-kitba ta’ awturi li kellhom konvinzjonijiet partikulari dwar min aħna aħna u min huma l-oħrajn?

Fis-seminar se jiġu diskussi awturi magħrufa bħal Ġużè Aquilina, Ġuże Muscat Azzopardi, Ġananton Vassallo u Manwel Dimech. Is-seminar se jiddiskuti wkoll il-viżjoni li l-Maltin kellhom tat-Torok fiż-żmien meta ż-żewġ popli l-aktar li ġew f’kuntatt ma’ xulxin, is-sekli sittax u sbatax, ħafna qabel bdiet il-letteratura bil-Malti, kif ukoll il-mod kif il-Maltin jaraw lilhom infushom fl-Arti.

Il-kelliema fis-seminar jinkludu nies li ġejjin mill-Kritika Letterarja, mill-Filosofija, l-Istorja, l-Arti, is-Soċjoloġija u l-Etika. Għalhekk bl-għajnuna tal-pubbliku s-seminar għandu joħloq diskussjoni interessanti dwar temi li jolqtu kemm lil-letteratura kif ukoll lis-soċjetà li ngħixu fiha.

Is-seminar, li qed jittella’ bl-għajnuna tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti ta’ l-Università ta’ Malta, se jsir nhar is-Sibt 3 ta’ Frar fis-Sala Erin Serracino Inglott ta’ l-Università, bejn id-09.00 u s-13.00. Kulħadd huwa mistieden u d-dħul huwa b’xejn.

Racism and Xenophobia in Maltese Literature

This Saturday, 3^rd February at University – 9.00am – 1.00pm

Read the report by Mark Micallef (The Sunday Times, 4 Feb 2007) 

The name Akkademja tal-Malti, for most of us, is associated with pedantic issues relating to grammar and orthography. In reality, this is only a minor part of what the Akkademja does. The organization’s original name was “Maltese Writers’ Union”, a name which was never completely discarded because it portrays exactly what the Akkademja is all about.

In recent years the Akkademja has made an effort to overhaul its image and change the way it is perceived by both writers and the general public. Recent editions of its journal, Il-Malti, have included striking works by well-known writers as well as younger ones, whether it be creative writing or research.

During the last few months the Akkademja has organized a series of public lectures on different issues relating to language and literature, as well as a very well-attended seminar on oral culture in Malta. More of these activities are planned for the near future.

On Saturday the 3^rd of February, the Akkademja, with the co-operation of the Department of Maltese is organizing a half-day seminar to discuss racism and xenophobia in Maltese literature. Literary critics, historians, sociologists, philosophers, writers and artists will come together to try to explain this phenomenon which is quite evident in many canonical texts of Maltese literature and yet hardly ever discussed. The seminar will also focus on contemporary manifestations of these prejudices and suggest ways how they can be overcome.

The seminar is being held at the Erin Serracino Inglott Hall of the University of Malta and starts at 9.00. Entrance is free and everyone is invited to attend.