Is-suq

Fejn issib massa ta nies, difficli li issib lili. Dik is-rassa kulhadd jaghfas fuq xulxin ma nistax ghaliha. Il-mara tghid li jien anti-socjali. Jien nghidilha li jien minhiex kontra is-socjeta (ghall-anqas mhux dejjem), sempliciment massa ta nies f’post wiehed iddejjaqni.

Ghadni ma fhimtx meta l-individwi isiru merhla. Persuna wahdu huwa individwu, anki tnejn u anki tlieta, izda fejn ikollok numru kbir ta nies l-individwalita tispicca. Meta tara massa ta nies mill-boghod kull sembjanza umana qisa tisparixxi. L-ezempju car huwa fl-isport jew f’xi mass meeting. Mhux ghax qatt ma attendejt f’xi wiehed minnhom. Zmieni inxejjer il-bandieri ghamiltu. Izda dak ghadda, kullhadd ifieq fl-ahhar.

Biss illum, ma nafx kif, sibt ruhi nghid iva biex immur is-suq ta Marsaxlokk. Kont ili snin ma mmur. Bejn ghax il-Hadd filghodu, bejn ghax mhux daqshekk vicin, bejn ghax xoppink idejjaqni, l-ahhar li mort nahseb ilu ghaxar snin. Nies kien hemm, u bil-bosta, izda kollha rajthom individwi, igorru l-istorja taghhom maghhom f’dik ix-xemx tizreg ta gurnata kwazi sajfija. Nies kbar, zghar, qosra, twal, hoxnin, irqaq, sbieh u koroh. Kien hemm Ewropej, Mediterraneji, Afrikani, Nord-Amerikani, Sud-Amerikani u Asjatici. F’dan ir-rahal ckejken, fuq blata f’nofs il-mediterran stajt issib xempju ta kull razza. Min jixtri u min ibiegh.

Koz, il-Malti kif inhu. Fejn hemm cans li jaqla lira razzismu ma jezistix.....

Viva r-Razza??!!!?

Wara li qrajt sensiela ta bloggs fuq kwistjonijiet razzjali, fuq l-emigranti minghajr timbru, fuq lowell u fuq balla Kazzati ohra, qrajt zewg bloggs, wiehed ta gybexi u l-iehor ta Sandro Zerafa li ispirawni.

Din il-kwistjoni ta razza pura iddejjaqli ftit il-bubu. U nghid ghalfejn. Familti tahlita shiha ta razez u kuluri. Mela ejja nibdew. Jien twelidt Malta, u anki l-genituri tieghi, biss ommijiethom u missierijiethom storja ohra. Missier ommi Skocciz, omm ommi ghandha nannuha Spanjol, omm missieri Taljana imwielda Tunez u missier missieri, Malti, biss emigra Tunez ta sentejn. Ghal skerz tad-destin kulhadd spicca fuq din il-bicca blata f’nofs il-Mediterran. Il-klassi tal-familja tvarja minn nobbli li harab mill-Italja biex jghix hajja ta sinjur f’Tunez, bahhri Skocciz li halla z-zerriegha warajh Malta, illitterat Malti f’Tunez li spicca kellu jigi Malta wara li xeba’ ipappiha u sar mastrudaxxa (wiehed tas-sena ukoll) u Maltija dixxendenti ta Spanjol li kienet thossha Ingliza aktar mir-Regina.

Ghad ghandi familjari jghixu Tunez, Franza, l-Amerka, l-Italja, l-Ingilterra, Skozja u ovvjament Malta. Biex taxxaqha, il-mara tieghi Maltija tal-Kanada. E, ghandi s-suspett li jien gejt konceput il-Germanja.

F’kull generazzjoni tal-familja tieghi li nistghu niftakru, dejjem issib lil xi immigrant sejjer jew gej lejn naha jew ohra tad-dinja. Dejjem kulhadd ghamel minn kollox biex itejjeb il-livell tal-ghixien tieghu ta familtu, hafna drabi billi jemigraw fejn hemm il-gid.

Ghalhekk, min jigi jitkellem mieghi fuq razza u il-biza li ir-razez jithalltu ikun sab il-persuna zbaljata. Min jahseb li ghax gejjin xi nord Afrikani bla timbru, ir-razza pura taghna tithallat ma jafx x’inhu jghid. Ahna il-Maltin, jekk jien nista nikwalifika tali, kollha bawla jew ta xi kavallier, jew ta xi suldat, jew ta xi bahri u jekk le, dixxendenti diretti ta dawk it-Tunezini li kienu invadew Sqallija xi elf sena ilu.

U Viva r-razza pura!

Catching Up

Another busy week and not enough time to blogg! There were a few things that I wanted to blogg about, so I’ll try to post short comments on.

Firstly there was the creation of the new (?) MLP B team. I think that alternative views and different opinions are healthy for a democracy, but why do the left always have to create new movements and organisations. Front Maltin Iqumu, CNI, and now the My Little Ponies team (copyrights to Hazevi). Another Mintoff’s creation? probably. Just another suicide squad? definitely. Will they achieve anything? I doubt it. Those of you who remember the (A)ssocjazzjoni (S)portiva (T)igne created by (A)lex (S)ciberras (T)rigona back in the 1980’s would probably guess who invented the name of the new movement.

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Another piece of news that really caught my attention was the proposed embellishment of the road from Castille to MIA. Why was it reported that the works will be done from Castille and not from Valletta? Is the office of the prime minister more important than our capital city? I would have understood if someone proposed to embellish the roads from MIA to our main tourists’ destinations. But why give such importance to Castille? Is it such a rarity that we embellish roads, that when we do they are news worthy? Ninu Zammit looked so proud on NET TV explaining the works that need to be done. Could not decide if he was the works manager or a policy maker.
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On a lighter note, this week I had a conversation with a person that came to the opening of the exhibition last month. The conversation went something like this

M: hawn Ru kif int? Kif mortu l-exhibition?
R: mhux hazin.
M: jien vera hadt gost dak inhar tal-party ghalkemm ix-xoghol li kien hemm mhux it-tip tieghi.
R: Ma nippretedix li kollox joghogob lil kulhadd, thabbilx rasek.
M: Nispera li ma tiehux ghalik imma jien naqsam il-pittura fi tnejn. Ghandek l-arti, dik li insibu fil-knejjes, taf liem? xoghol figurattiv, imbaghad ghandek id-dekorazzjoni. Taghkhom ghalija dekorazzjoni mhux arti.
R: mitt bniedem mitt fhema. Biss ma tahsibx li wara r-rinaxximent u il-barokk graw hafna affarijiet fid-dinja tal-pittura li tista tiddiskrivihom bhala arti? Ma tahsibx li wara l-invenzjoni tal-kamera, l-artist bhala ritrattista sar qisu annimal fil-periklu tal-estinzjoni? Ma tahsibx li l-arti illum saret mod kif l-artist jesprimi ruhu u ihalli hafna aktar spazju lil osservatur li jaghti interpretazzjoni tieghu? U b’hekk jinvolvieh aktar.
M: eh?
R: il-mara u t-tfal kif inhuma?..........

History repeating?

Lately I have noticed that there is a certain politico-religious fervour in the air. Is it just me or does anybody else feel the same thing? This made me think……..

In 1979 Mintoff achieved his political target, that of Malta being a free country. He won the next general election (though with a minority of votes) and a couple of years later resigned. Mintoff chose his successor, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici resulting in one of Malta’s worst political periods in recent history.

After achieving his political target, that of joining EU and winning the subsequent general election, Fenech Adami resigned (though still very active as President of the Republic). He chose his successor, Lawrence Gonzi. Let’s just hope that he doesn’t lead us through KMB’s path.

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Back in 1987, when the Labour leadership had to convince its supporters that there was a need for a change in the constitution, resulting in a sure defeat in the next general election, Mintoff and KMB came up with the idea that neutrality will be entrenched in the constitution; we give you power you give us neutrality!

Today, once again there is talk about changes in our electoral system. The party that will benefit from such change will be Labour (and maybe (?) Alternattiva). So the nationalist party came up with the idea to entrench anti-abortion law in the constitution. Apart from the fact that the Prime Minister did not guarantee that the current issue on abortion will not be used as electoral ammunition in the next general election, there again seems to be a political blackmail in the making.

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Is it just a coincidence that as soon as this country has a Gonzi in high office, fundamentalism takes the upper hand? In the 1960s when Sir Michael Gonzi was Archbishop of Malta, it was a mortal sin to vote Labour and Labour supporters were buried in the Mizbla (the rubbish dump -an area just outside the consecrated area of the Addolorata cemetery), all this under the silent blessing of the Nationalist party in Government.

Just a year after joining EU, in the year 2005 (yes, the 21st century not the middle ages), whoever is opposing the entrenchment of the anti-abortion clause in the constitution, is being dubbed a Liberal Elite. Though being liberal I understand, elite no. I have my doubts if the elite of this country are liberal in thought.

Tonio Borg knows who the elite of this country are…

Where is my Nemesis?

I don’t know if it was in Cavemen (1981) starring Ringo Starr (yes former Beatle), or History of the World part 1 (1981) by Mel Brooks that after describing the first artist, then obviously introduces the first art critic, the artist’s nemesis; a caveman on top of a rock pees on the paintings.

That kind of criticism in Malta does not exist; our art critics are usually full of praise. Personally, I have never read any articles that beat the hell out of an artist. In this country no one dares to make enemies, so no one offends anyone. But why should anyone be offended? Why do we take everything so personally?

What I even find more disturbing is the fact that arts journalism is nearly non existent. For my exhibition all newspapers were contacted and most of them published something but none published their own stuff. All that was published was material that the three artists together with write-ups from Ganna were prepared for the occasion. Some were not even capable to reproduce correctly the material we supplied. Quite a few journalists were invited for the opening night, none turned up. Ok, maybe it was not worth the hassle, you’d say, but other fellow artist complain of the same thing. (For those of you interested have a look at the Artissa Forum.)

So where can we start? I don’t know. Being a painter myself maybe I am too biased to offer good criticism, my perspective may be too limited. But there again even limited views are better than nothing. What I have learnt so far is the following;

I am my own best (and worst) critic. Not everyone likes my work. Some people have ulterior motives when they express their views (though not necessarily bad). Not all people are honest and when they are they are usually apologetic. None of my work is either all good or all bad and my own tastes are very different from the public’s.

At least, exhibiting my work was a learning experience.

Moviment -2

To keep up with the fundamentalist tendencies that are currently taking over Malta I am proposing to start a campaign to entrench (it seems to be the new buzzword) in our constitution the law prohibiting topless sunbathing. I already know that I have a supporter; well actually he came up with the idea. I think we should call the campaign “Moviment -2”.

Summer is coming soon so we better act fast. All these foreigners exposing their mammaries on our shores are to be deported back to their countries. If they are Maltese they should be locked up in jail.

Another issue should be the covering up of children's eyes while they are being breast fed. Maybe the midwives association could give a helping hand.

Anyone interested to help in this campaign – like spending Sundays running around beaches covering up zizzies - is welcome, (on second thoughts I don't think my wife will let me).

Any other ideas are welcome too.