Over the last six years, the public service has seen a significant improvement, both in its procedures and the way it serves the public. The ceremony with the theme, ‘Towards a Service of Excellence’, saw civil servants and Ministries receive awards and recognition for improvements made in the respective services they provide.

I am proud that my Ministry was recognized and awarded for the most simplification measures implemented during 2018, and also as the ministry which planned its work in the best possible manner but also optimally conducted these plans.  A result of collective team work done by numerous public officers guided by Permanent Secretary Johan Galea.

I publically thank Mr Galea and all public officers working in our Ministry not only for obtaining this recognition, but for their arduous work. It’s this team work that is getting things done, and which is giving these excellent results in all sectors.

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This Government believes in teamwork and this is giving results.

This week several Ministries and Parliamentary Secretariats teamed up to announce a major clean up and maintenance project which will see the family picnic area in Ta’ Qali given a much needed major revamp. This is being done in time for the upcoming winter months, during which Maltese families typically visit the site as a leisure time activity, and so to ensure that they find a suitable environment for this purpose. This is in line with the Government’s strategy to have more open spaces for the general public and also part of the works going on at the Malta National Park.

Aware that we need more open spaces, the Government has planned a regeneration project of the Ta’ Qali National Park, with 80,000 trees which will be planted in line with the Government’s vision to  continue working towards improving the current situation of public and open spaces.

This is a €20 million investment, leading to an open space of not less than 450,000 square metres, including recreational spaces, camping spaces, concert spaces, walking and cycling facilities, a platform for art and the national archives, facilities for farmers, and an extension of the dog park.

During the event I highlighted the importance of raising more awareness on the maintenance and cleaning of public spaces. Through this major clean up, we are creating safer and cleaner spaces for our community to spend time in, whilst also imparting more knowledge on the importance of public cleanliness. It is thanks to such initiatives that we can ensure a better environment to our young ones and future generations. I again take the opportunity to thank the Cleansing and Maintenance Division for the work done all year round, from the maintenance of beaches to the cleaning of arterial roads, and in making sure that these public locations are well kept for the benefit of society.

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Another collaboration which is resulting in an interesting and also a first is Heritage Malta’s Storja Animalta, a new animated docufiction TV series produced by Reciprocal, in collaboration with Arts Council Malta.

This series will present Maltese history in such an innovative way that it will certainly entice viewers to learn more about the rich heritage of the Maltese islands - another feather in the cap for Heritage Malta added with several other achievements in making our history and heritage more available to the public, thanks to inventive ways such as the senior and student passports, amongst others. 

This government is investing directly in the culture sector, and that this project will hold an intrinsic role in bringing our history into our homes.

Based on seven short episodes of around 25 minutes, each episode of this animated docufiction provides the viewer with a self-containing narrative focused on a particular character, group of people, or period. These episodes will recount six stories spanning from the building of the prehistoric temples more than 5,000 years ago to the occupation of Malta by the French during the years 1798-1800 – 7,000 years of history; temple builders; Phoenician merchants; St Paul’s shipwreck; Norman masters; Ottoman attacks; and the French blockade.

The main aim of this series is to entice young and old viewers alike to learn more about the rich heritage of the Maltese islands. Supplementary information will be shown to complement the story and further illustrate the context of the characters.

To complement this TV series, Heritage Malta has published a colouring book entitled: Colouring history – Malta and Gozo through the ages. Apart from having fun colouring, the book includes also a short description about the history of the six stories recounted in Storja Animalta. This colouring book can be bought from Heritage Malta’s museum shops.

Storja Animalta will be aired at 8.30pm every Monday on One TV, starting from 30th September.

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Festivities like Żejt iż-Żejtun are essential to uphold our traditions and customs, and this annual celebration has increased in popularity and is sought after by various members of the public. Such initiatives offer a great opportunity to make our cultural heritage more accessible, especially since the latter forms an intrinsic part of our identity. As a Government we are committed to further invest in this sector, in order to make it more accessible and sustainable.

The Żejt iż-Żejtun festival celebrates the start of the olive-picking season, and honours a revived rural heritage closely associated with this part of Malta. Each year, an olive-carrying parade is held from St Angelo Road to the Church’s square. The crowd then gathers on the church’s parvis for the pressing and blessing of the olives. Activities during the night include għana, singing, and dancing in various parts of Żejtun.

This year’s edition will have an international festival of folk dancing, with 12 foreign companies taking part, and the parish church’s museum will be open. A Maltese version of the Commedia del Arte will be held outside Tas-Salvatur Chapel. Both band clubs will be open, and an organ recital by organist Joe Caruana will take place in the parish church. Renowned traditional singers will be animating the audience, whilst folk will be at the open space in front of St Mary’s Chapel.

 

 

Żejt iż-Żejtun will be held tomorrow the 28th of September, starting from 19:30. The festivities continue on the 29th of September, including the traditional blessing of animals. The Sunday morning programme also includes a parade of carts, karozzini, serkini and horses, which will depart from Madonna tal-Ħniena Square to San Girgor Square, where the blessing takes place. Traditional children’s games, dances, arts, handicrafts, and a musical programme by the Beland Band and Żejtun Band will follow.