As part of the activities the Mqabba Our Lady of Lilies Musical Society is organising throughout the current year, the Centenary Commission thought of placing particular emphasis on activities of a cultural nature. The aim is to convey a firm message that the Maltese traditional festa contains a strong element of culture and identity related to the Maltese lifestyle. One of these activities is a national seminar entitled Il-Festi: Kultura u Identita, to be held on Thursday, 31 March at the MonteKristo Estates in Hal Farrug. Registration opens at 8.30am with talks commencing at 9am.

The aim of this seminar is to bring together academic speakers who have previously worked on the subject treating Maltese festas. Of special mention are Dr Mark Anthony Falzon, director of the Department of Sociology at the University of Malta and Christine Cassar, anthropology student at the Cambridge University, Her Excellency Dr Vicki Ann Cremona, Maltese Ambassador for Tunisia, expert in Theatrical Studies, and Professor Jeremy Boissevain, Professor Emeritus in Social Anthropology in the University of Amsterdam. The latter is the person who acquired great international fame with Anthropological Studies about Maltese festas and published works such as Hal Farrug: A Village in Malta and Saints and Fireworks. Charles J. Farrugia, national archivist and Graduate in History with specialisation in the subject, will chair the discussion.

This amalgamation of speakers will certainly assure a well-informed discussion that honours Maltese festas in their various aspects. Discussions will treat the following subjects:

M’hemmx Festa bla Nar (There’s no Feast without Fireworks) – by Dr Mark Anthony Falzon and Christine Cassar

Theatrical Aspects in the Maltese Festa – by Dr Vicki Ann Cremona

Festi, Saints and Fireworks in Perspective: 1960 – 2010 – by Professor Jeremy Boissevain

Pre-booking for this seminar is recommended on 2164 0041, 7985 3044. For more information visit www.talgilju.com

Jeremy Boissevain (1928) is Emeritus Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Amsterdam. From 1953-58 he directed the Care aid programmes in the Philippines, Japan, India and Malta. In 1962 he was awarded a PhD in social anthropology by the London School of Economics. He subsequently taught at the universities of Montreal, Sussex and Amsterdam. His field research in Malta, Sicily, Montreal and Amsterdam examined local politics, ethnic relations, small entrepreneurs, ritual change, and the impact of tourism and environmentalist protest. His books include Saints and Fireworks: Religion and Politics in Rural Malta (1965, 1993); The Italians of Montreal: Social Adjustment in a Plural Society (1970); Friends of Friends: Networks, Manipulators and Coalitions (1974); and Hal Kirkop: A Maltese Village (2006). He (co)edited Beyond the Community: Social Process in Europe (1975); Revitalizing European Rituals (1992); Coping with Tourists: European Reactions to Mass Tourism (1996); and Contesting the Foreshore. Tourism, Society, and Politics on the Coast (2004). Translations of his work have appeared in Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, Maltese, Polish and Japanese.

In 2003 the Maltese Council for Culture and Art awarded him the Premju Gharfien Kulturali for Pioneering work in the field of cultural anthropology and Maltese society at the local level, and in 2009 the Kirkop Local Council honoured him with the Merit of Kirkop for Voluntary work among Kirkop residents.

Vicki Ann Cremona is Associate Professor in the Theatres Studies Division of the Mediterranean Institute at the University of Malta. Up to 2004, she was Academic Coordinator for the Theatre Studies Programme. Since 2005, she has been Ambassador for Malta to France and currently, is serving as Ambassador in Tunisia. She has contributed to the National Cultural Policy that was published in February 2010. She is a former member of the National UNESCO Commission, and of the National Folklore Commission. She is particularly interested in the relations between power and society as expressed through theatre and theatrical events. She has written extensively about public celebration in Malta, in particular about carnival, political theatre, and commedia dell’arte in the 17th century.