The five senses took centre stage when Malta officially launched the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue on Friday.

The evening presented a variety of activities such as food tasting, dance, music, children’s activities, readings films, exhibitions and theatre. The intercultural feast was free of charge and held at St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity in Valletta. Visitors were able to participate in a sundry mix of short performances and events taking place in different spaces around the centre.

The Maltese year-long project is being held under the patronage of President Edward Fenech Adami. All visitors were able to savour tasteful food from the four corners of the world, which was prepared by members from the diverse communities living in Malta. The evening attracted a large crowd of people who seemed to be satisfied with the turnout of the event and enjoyed Festa F.I.V.E. till the very end. It was rounded off with a DJ set of electronic and ethnic sounds from around the world.

The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue is an initiative of the European Union and coordinated in Malta by St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity together with a number of partners helping out in this project, with Media Consulta being the Media partner.

Many other events are lined up for this year and a full programme is available on www.sjcav.org or www. dialogue2008.eu.