Life is full of ironies. And possibly this is what keeps humanity going.

As the Maghreb region struggles with uprisings, with thousands of people fleeing their jobs and homes, and others losing their life, here in Malta and in other parts of the world we start celebrating Carnival.

As the government machine is overstretched with the logistical, humanitarian and administrative problems it has had to deal with to take care of the thousands of Maltese and foreigners who are being rescued from Libya and brought over to our shores, a section of the population is preparing itself to wear masks, colourful costumes and heavy make-up for the season of fun and frolic.

The two extremes come together this weekend – on the one hand, we have the struggle for freedom, and the violence that has erupted in our North African neighbouring countries, and on the other hand we have the jokes, pranks and the enjoyment of Carnival.

On the one hand, people are spending days and nights in Grand Harbour to see to the needs of all those who are arriving from Tripoli and Benghazi, giving them medical attention, food and drink, before they are then driven to Malta International Airport from where they catch a plane back home.

On the other hand we have other people who are planning a weekend of fun during which they will let their hair down and, under the guise of “someone else”, behave differently. The “protection” of their mask and costume allows them to act abnormally, and even people who are usually composed and well-behaved often end up doing things they will never dream of doing when wearing normal clothes.

While those escaping from Libya will be praying for calm weather that will enable them to cross over to Malta with the least possible trouble, others will be hoping for calm weather so as not to spoil their fun.