As part of the celebrations in connection with the 60th anniversary of Malta's Independence, a celebration of Maltese art, music and culture will be held at the historic Prince Taz Palace in Cairo. Organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Malta in Cairo with the support of Investia, Marmonil, Methode Electronics, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Culture of the Arab Republic of Egypt, this event will take place on 17 September.
The programme includes an exhibition featuring 22 photographs by Maltese amateur photographer Guido Stilon. This exhibition was curated by Magna Żmien, a grassroots project dedicated to preserving and digitising Maltese analogue memories with a particular focus on the 20th century. The exhibition showcases a series of stills that were scanned and digitally restored by Magna Żmien archivists, and which forms part of their archive that became popular during Valletta's tenure as the European Capital of Culture in 2018.
This event also features a screening of a short film directed by Maltese anthropologist Adrian Camilleri that includes content from the same archive. Bejn is-Sema u l-Art, which was originally commissioned by the Ritmu Roots Festival and produced by Festivals Malta, reflects upon the life and legacy of one of the island's most prominent folk singers: Frans Baldacchino known as il-Budaj. The film shows previously unreleased footage of the għannej (folk singer), reflecting upon Malta's indigenous music heritage post-Independence.
The programme's highlight will be a performance by one of Malta's most renowned bands, *etnika. Founded in 2000, the band has followed a trail of fascinating archival and field research, unearthing and rescuing long forgotten instruments, local melodies and genres from the verge of extinction. Having toured extensively while representing Malta, they performed internationally in over 15 countries and prestigious venues in Europe and North Africa, including the Montreux Jazz festival. Their current performance is an arrangement of songs from their last album combined with their latest production, The Arrow of Time (2022).
During this event, the public is invited to experience the vibrance of Maltese culture and have a glimpse of the changing fabric of Maltese society, taking place in the 1950s and 1960s during Malta's journey to independence.
More information is available on the official pages of the Embassy of Malta in Cairo on Facebook and X