fejn se mmur magazine

1NOVEMBER 2012

2 FEJN SE MMUR MAGAZINE | ISSUE 13

3NOVEMBER 2012

December’s finally here! Love it or hate it, this month brings about one of the most expected times of the year, and with it, literally hundreds of opportunities for you to discover and enjoy. Our island, though be-ing small, boasts with a cultural diversity that grows even more colourful as soon as the festive season ap-proaches, with an air of festive celebration taking over our thoughts and spirits. This is what we seek to con-vey in this month’s edition, where we shall be taking a look at Christmas in Gozo from a very interesting, yet rare perspective. In our main feature in fact, we shall be taking a look at the preparations involved in turning Gozo into a festive island! With a surprisingly large amount of people involved, our readers can see how even the way we prepare for the holidays is a col-laborative effort!

This month’s Character of the Month is coincidentally another Frank, yet this is where all similarities with last month’s feature end. Catherine Cutajar interviewed Mr. Cassar, and discovered that indeed, our protagonist is at the forefront of a movement aiming at preserv-ing our traditional style and heritage from imminent oblivion.

Another Cassar in this issue is Mr. Mario Cassar, a name which definitely requires no introduction whatsoever with art students in Gozo. Through his work, Mario seek s to remind us that art is supposed to be an ex-perience for all of us- something Mariliana Debrincat delved deep into.

Finally, Manuel Xuereb explores yet another hidden gem on our is-land, this time focusing on Xagħra’s privately-owned Museum of Toys (how appropriate, right?) I urge you to read his review, and set out on a journey of your own which will hopefully lead you to answering the question of whether toys have actu-ally been stripped of their playful in-nocence...

Also special this month is the Ultimate Guide to Christ-mas in Gozo. We’re bestowing the name “ultimate” with a sense of great responsibility, as we believe that we have done our utmost to include the best cultural events occurring around Gozo in this joyous period; packed up nicely for you to unravel!

I don’t want to bore you with any other needless de-scriptions. Here’s our (early) Christmas present, and it’s up to you to explore what’s inside. May I remind you to tell us what you think by sending us an email or contacting us through our Facebook page!

On behalf of the team I wish you all a blessed Christ-mas and a very special New Year! See you in 2013 with more projects!

Joseph

THE FEJN SE MMUR MAGAZINE EDITOR: JOSEPHMASINIFACEBOOK.COM/FEJNSEMMMUR WRITERS: JOSEPHMASINI,MARILIANADEBRINCATTWITTER.COM/FEJNSEMMUR CATHERINECUTAJAR,MANUELXUEREB PHOTOGRAPHY: ANTHONYGRECH [email protected] ARTISTIC CONSULTANT: PAULCASSAR

COPYRIGHT©THEFEJNSEMMURTEAM.ALLRIGHTSRESERVED.PHOTOCOPYRIGHT©ANTHONYGRECHPHOTOGRAPHY(ANDTHERESPECTIVEPHOTOGRAPHERS).NOPARTOFTHISMAGAZINEMAYBEREPRODUCEDWITHOUTPERMISSION.

5NOVEMBER 2012

inside06 Behind the scenes of Christmas

JOSEPH MASINI uncovers the true meaning of Christmas in Gozo, revealing it for the strongly collaborative, and deeply communitarian act it truly is. Get to know why you have an important role in shaping the future of this festiv-ity on our island.

10 Restoring our glorious CATHERINE CUTAJAR interviews Frankie Cassar, whose brave work is conserving the rich artistic her-itage from imminent oblivion.

13 Seriously... funny!With a year full of political contro-versy, the team at “Bla Kondixin” is geared up for another spectacular show set to get our island roaring with laughter!

15 The destruction of toysMANUEL XUEREB in his second feature sets out to study the way toys are devel-oping in our times, questioning whether this development is actually resulting in a progress or a downright destruction of toys.

20 Teaching a PassionMARILIANA DEBRINCAT gets to better under-stand the true meaning of art in an interview she conducted with local artist Mario Cassar whose work shows what Art truly stands for.

24 Cultural CalendarDiscover what’s on for this month on our island.


JOSEPH MASINI takes on a rather rare approach to Christmas and the way it’s celebrated in Gozo, examin-ing the role each and every one of us plays in the preparations for this most wonderful time of the year in such a small, communitarian island.

BehindChristmas

the scenes

of in Gozo

7NOVEMBER 2012

As the weather turns bleaker, the hours of sunlight get shorter, and the atmosphere becomes darker than ever, it’s a good thing that we’re busy preparing for one of the busiest, jolliest times of the year. Christ-mas time comes about as a blessing for most of us, and though some tend to shrug it off, or even confess to de-test one single moment of it, this period is definitely looked forward to by most of our island’s communi-ties.

For us, Christmas is more than just a mere commemo-ration or festivity; over the centuries, it has developed into a celebration of belief, which when joined with ages-old traditions and amazingly profound customs becomes one of the highest expressions of our iden-tity. Though seemingly small and irrelevant, every symbol and habitual action performed during this pe-riod by our people- young or old, tells a story of a na-tion which today holds a unique experience of festive celebrations.

Yet this year, our team sought to tackle Christmas from a quite rare point of view. Personally, I’ve always looked at the way we celebrate Christmas as a collab-orative act; an embodiment of the communitarian spirit which has always dominated everything we do

as Gozitans. However Christmas is different from the rest of the year, and one can feel that despite this con-stant recurrence, one can see that this month brings about an entire movement of people from across the island, who work in a seamlessly coordinated man-ner to transform the island and instill the festive sprit across every street, church, and square.

This is the secret ingredient which makes Gozo’s Christmas so unique. If America has its huge Christ-mas trees, and London its endless shopping malls, we have something which none of these metropolis have: a strong feeling of neighborly love and care which does not crop up for the holiday season, but rather lingers on throughout the year, just as if the Christmas spirit never actually dies out, but simply fades away. As our team watched shop after another decorate its facades and displays to transmit the festive cheer, one could not but realize that we are a group of people that is continuously in sync. As the street decorations started being set up, followed by the traditional festive lights, it becomes clear that the connection we have between us goes much deeper than mere collaboration. When we act, we do so as one group.

The individuality however is, to a certain degree,

in Gozo

... over the cen-turies, Christmas

has developed into one of the highest ex-

pressions of our identity


preserved in these preparations. A ten-minute walk around our villages tells a lot about this particular aspect. The way we decorate our homes reveal our characters, experiences, and perspectives. But most importantly, they stand witness to the variety which has become almost a custom of itself, and an element which is utterly indispensable, as it gives a touch of personality to our Christmas.

Finally there are all of us: you and me, with our own views on Christmas. As our island gears up for the

final decorations and the annual rush for holiday shopping, we must all remember that it’s our particu-lar ideas of this time of the year which have led us to where we are today, and that subsequently, its future continuation is up to us. Whether we celebrate long-standing traditions, or practice new influences that have recently hit our shores, we are not only crewmen behind the scenes, but rather main actors on the fes-tive stage of this jolly island of ours!

The Banca Giuratale at the heart of Victoria’s historical and com-mercial centre is also a main attraction dur-ing the holiday season, with numerous events being coordinated by the Gozo Culture De-partment within the

Ministry for Gozo.

9NOVEMBER 2012


It has become normal and acceptable for today’s generation to forego the beauty of Art. We live in a world where Art is changing rapidly all the time, and this may lead us into taking Classical

Art for granted and appreciate only the contemporary forms of Art that we know now. On this issue, I inter-viewed a very talented artist: Frankie Cassar.

As I entered his studio, I instantly realized how talented this person was. The place was simply dotted with his work s. Frankie warmly welcomed me, and right away I noticed how much of a straight-to-the-point person he is. I could predict that this interview was not only going to be just that, but also a very educational and learning experience.

From his early days, Frankie was very much interested

In her second feature, CATHERINE CUTAJAR interviews Frankie Cas-sar, an artist whose work can be described as nothing short of cora-geous, preserving the Baroque her-itage from imminent oblivion whilst creating new forms of art for us to enjoy.

restoringourglorious PAST-----------------------------------------------------------------------

11NOVEMBER 2012

in restoration work s. He attributes much of this in-terview with his birthplace: Victoria, where there was always an activity going on, and therefore a lot of craftsmen who practiced such work. This continued to influence him in practicing this kind of work. He explained to us how he used to go home and practice over and over again.

Throughout the years, Frankie had a lot of close friends, who in several ways helped him in further developing his talent. Giuseppe Sagona was one of these, helping him to correct and refine his work, and improve his talent. Frankie was also very proud to mention one of his friends: Tony Saliba, who helped him a lot as well. He recalled how he used to go to the latter’s house, where he was taught an array of techniques on the restoration of paintings. Frank was very much determined to learn this kind of profession in Art, and recalls how he used to scribble notes on a notepad of his in order to remember every single word he was told.

This brave artist has been doing restoration work s for about forty years now, and he has never looked back or regretted anything. Frank also stated how sometimes he would go to his studio at eight in the morning and work tirelessly till six in the evening! There, he feels peaceful and relaxed, surrounded by his amazing work s of art.

I asked Frank about the methods and techniques he uses in order to create a particular work, and he re-plied by saying that “it depends on whether it’s sculp-ture or a painting.” Although the methods may be dif-ferent, there is a common ground between the two, as

one must start with an initial sketch, be it physically drawn or simply portrayed in one’s mind. To support this statement of his, Frank showed me a design he was working on before I came in.

I questioned Frankie on what is the most satisfying element when doing this kind of job. He answered that

the fact that he starts something from scratch and has the ability to finish it gives him a lot of satisfaction. He proudly stated that Art in itself give you the sat-isfaction. On the other hand, the only thing that he doesn’t really enjoy would be the substantial amount of time taken to finish a work. He continued by saying that in such type of work, one must possess patience and time: two important qualities which one has to take into consideration when doing this particular job. Apart from considering it a work, Frankie explains that he doesn’t let this talent of his become constrained; he also enjoys it as a personal hobby.

As our tour through the jam-packed studio continued, I couldn’t help but notice a set of religious figures in different shapes and sizes arranged in numerous scen-eries. When I asked about them, Frankie recalled how he was asked by Rev. Benedict Camilleri to produce a set of statues representing the luminous mysteries, which when finished were transported to Austria, just after Pope John Paul II first introduced them. He of-ten transported his work s not only to Malta, but also abroad, with countries such as England, Italy, America, Australia, Greece, and Canada being among these. He was also commissioned a bronze wreath which was put


on the monument of Christ the King on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.

Frankie even took the time to show us some photos of his past work s. Amongst others were: a photo of the crown previously mentioned, and also the photo of the first large painting that he had produced in 1984. By the way that Frank talk s about his work s, it is clear that Frank is thoroughly proud and pleased with his work s.

I was curious to know, if maybe later in the future, someone in his family would take up his work. He replied by saying that both his sons like to paint. They are both interested in Art, so who knows… maybe in the future, they will end up like their father!

My last question to Frankie was whether he agrees that an artist has to be born one to be one. He nods in agreement and states that he truly believes an artist has to be born one, not bred.

I really enjoyed this interview. Mr. Cassar is a remarkable artist with a lot of talent. Our team enjoyed his company, and wishes him a bright, beautiful future. It is truly incredible how Art can take a lot of forms, and how astonishing Frankie Cassar brought this out through his work s.

13NOVEMBER 2012

It’s been a fairly hectic year for all of us living in this small nation, with political tension rising to unprecedented levels, and everyone slowly gear-

ing up to the ‘most anticipated’ (spot the irony) time in our existence: the election period. While many were forced to give up watching the news for fear of a nerv-ous breakdown or political overload, one team’s been having the time of its life, feasting upon controversy to prepare another show which will definitely prove to be as surprisingly fun as the previous years’. That’s right: this year’s Bla Kondixin is truly going to be a se-rious treat for all the family!

If you’ve been to one of the past shows, you’ll be de-lighted to learn that most of the (in)famous characters will be back, including the absolute king of the night Johnny l-Kajboj, whose presence on stage will make you crackle with laughter. Also back are Mario Snits Spiteri, interpreting the role of iċ-ċiklist (the cyclist), together with Tanya Scicluna, whose depiction of Lucy Cacciattolo has become an absolutely integral part of the whole package.

One very popular element is the music, once again pro-vided by the versatile band whose campaigning dur-ing last year’s edition was reason enough for Arriva to deliver on its promise of a perfect service. A range of well-known songs, de-livered in their typical tongue-in-cheek style, will tackle very current is-sues. The song lyrics will this year be projected on the giant screen, so that those members of the audience who are musically inclined can join in, and those who are musically-challenged can at least read and under-stand what their neighbours are bawling!

The Production team of Bla Kondixin would like to thank the Government, the Opposition and that other party for providing it with such a wealth of material for this year’s evening of fun and frol-ics.

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”Bla Kondixin” shall be held in Gozo on Satur-day, 8th December 2012, at 20.00 hrs.

More information on www.teatruaurora.com----------------------------------------------------------------

Seriously...Funny!

Thisyear’s“BlaKondixin”istrulyanunmissabletreatforallthefamily.JosephMasinifindsoutmore.


GOZO SHOW AT TEATRU AURORA, RABAT

ON THE 8TH DECEMBER, 2012

AT 8.00PM

15NOVEMBER 2012

This month, MANUEL XUEREB takes on the daunting task of exam-ining how toys developed from being a symbol of social status to a mass-produced collection of plastics which we easily find today. How is this af-fecting the art of toy making? toysDESTRUCTION

----------------------------------the

of --------------------


The second issue of “MoM” continues its se-rial ravaging run in this month’s Fejn se

Mmur Magazine. Let us remind everyone that the term of this article stands for ‘Museum of the Month’. Every thirty days, give or take a day, a museum is picked which has its address ending with the title of Gozo. I will do the ‘tango’ with this museum and elaborate on its main features. However before I com-mence, every month, I will define what a museum is.

Right now the image that comes to mind is that of an American yellow school bus. The class of secondary teens are coming out of the bus one by one to enter a particular museum. I can imagine the teacher; a fe-male, tall figure, slim, with a heavy inexpensive coat, lining the kids up and counting them to see if some-one’s missing, left behind or has skipped school. I would very much like to assume the words she would say. The same words every teacher would preach be-fore they make way in any museum is pretty much universal. “Look and do not touch”, “whatever you break you will have to pay, either you or your parents”, “pay attention to that particular exhibit because....” Therefore a museum through this imagery I portrayed can be viewed as a place which stores exhibits that are breakable, expensive and one ought only to look at. Why only look, one might question? It is because the essential purpose of the museum is that of storing things to be enjoyed by the many over a long period of time.The museum chosen for this month is very attractive, not only because of the genre of exhibits it has, but

also because of the month it is associated with. De-cember is the month which businesses generally antic-ipate; it is described as the ‘high season’ for business. Obviously besides summer, it is the time when the economy rotates its chains and allows for more fluid exchange of money. This is a period when the major sellers are those who sell toys for Christmas. Nowa-days Christmas is increasingly becoming centred on the gifts, even if anyone begs to differ. The museum of this month has toys as its only exhibits. However these toys are completely different from any Christmas gift a child would get this time around.

The Museum’s name is ‘Pomskizillious’, which was chosen from a description taken from Edward Lear’s private diary, when he visited Gozo in 1866 from Eng-land. The description was aimed to describe Gozo’s beautiful coast that obviously captivated Edward’s heart. When someone invents a new word to describe something it could only mean that the existing pre-vious word used is not sufficient enough to describe the thing. This museum was originally started in 1965 by Susan Lowe. However it was set up in Barnstaple, England, which makes part of the county of Devon. In 1992 the collection migrated out of England to Gozo

-----------------------------------------------This year marks the 200th anniversary from

Edward Lear’s birth in 1812.-----------------------------------------------

17NOVEMBER 2012

and Xagħra, after that the couple owning the museum fell in love with Gozo’s character.

Back then around the beginning and middle of the twentieth century the children did not have the same luxury as today. After beating the odds of death and escaping the many diseases that took many young-lings, being a child was nothing compared to today. Back then, especially in Gozo which was an agrarian and fishing community for the majority of inhabit-ants, children were expected to help out around in the family. If it’s a ten year old girl, she might be asked to take care of her younger siblings, while if it’s a ten year old boy, he might be asked to go to work with his fa-ther. Moreover, any child who wanted a toy could not go to their parents like today. The normal child nowa-days would utter a big sigh, gets asked by the parents about what they want, and the child replies revealing his wishes. So what did they do? Well, they had to cre-ate the toys themselves. They sneaked in their father’s tool room and used the leftovers and their creativity to do things. That is what my father replied when I asked him for the second time what toys he had, following a first time at which he laughed sarcastically at me.

This museum’s exhibits reveal this creativity of the children who made the toys. There is one exhibit called the ‘Pixie Villa’ which is made from a little girl, in the year 1930, in England. Another interesting ex-hibit came from a donation in 2000 of model Swed-ish Soldiers in 1756 made by Jan Ohlsson of Kalmar, Sweden in the 1970’s.The museums receives many ex-

hibits from donations by people who have probably visited before and seen the unique collection, leaving such an impression on them that they felt the need to contribute to such an exquisite selection.

Other exhibits that deserve a shout out are the toy of the English Bulldogn, which was made in France by “Roulett and Decamps”. Also the museum has many dolls which are nothing like the plastic ‘Barbies’ of today. “Jumeau” and “Parian” really ought not to be missed since both are one of a kind doll. “Parian’s” eyes are made from real glass, and her clothes from Dresden around the 1870s. “Jumeau” is a doll from a French collection. The museum also has Italian dolls and even Maltese ones, which were donated by Mal-tese folks themselves. Another eye catching exhibit is the large metal ship that was used for technologi-cal experiments prior to World War I, most probably handmade.

Another important fact one should keep in mind when entering this museum is that the toys exhibited are different from the concept of toys we have today. Nowadays, toys are produced in the fullest extent of a capitalist society, in a fully globalized society and with technologies that were not dreamt of back in the day. Back then, around fifty years ago, toys were mass produced like today, but the line of production was different. Nowadays raw materials are put into a ma-chine which assembles the toy. Back then, the toys had to pass from several employees’ hands. One person specialized on the head, the other on the feet, and the other the hands, for example. This change alters the artistic element of the toy, which is now technologi-cally controlled.

The mass-produced toys back then were only afford-


able for the rich. If the poor wanted any toys they had to build them themselves. This allowed for the kids back then to use their creativity and reason through how to create such a thing. Obviously they needed materials which were not expensive, and which they took from garbage, such as pieces of wood, pieces of metals that were used. For example my father (and probably many Gozitans did the same), took the used milk metal bottles. He filled it with sand and ham-mered it with a hammer to make in the form of a ball. Then used the metal-sand balls to play the famous traditional game of Boċċi. These metal created balls did not have a long durability like modern toys. After wear and tear they lose the sand inside. This was the same situation for all the handmade toys. When they got broken from playing with they were fixed not put away. Again, the creativity of how to fix it came en-lightened about.

Furthermore those kids who had the coolest toys in the neighbourhood where the most popular kids from the block. Nowadays you rarely see a mass of children running around with their toys. Back in the day, dis-playing the toys was how one would get friends in the first place. Today, children’s lives are dominated by the television, gaming industry and the computer. We play a game that is created by pressing a button, no exercise necessary. This change of the games for our young generation could also explain the phenomena of obesity which is growing exponentially in even our island of Gozo.

Moving on, this museum reveals this period when kids expressed creativity and gained social ties with

the use of toys. The main focus for anyone is to look for the small details of the toys when attending this museum. One should ask, is the toy is handmade or mass produced? What resources is the toy made of? What year it was made in? Who made it? Asking these questions and keeping in mind that our parents had these toys, as did their parents before them, would al-low us to really appreciate this museum.

The museum will be open from 10.30 to 1.00 only on Saturdays, for the period of December, February and March. For January it will be closed. Also groups of people coming with the bus are advised to park down the street and not in front of the museum since the street is too narrow, so to avoid any accident.

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“That is what my father replied when I asked him for the second time what toys he had, following a first time at which he laughed sar-

castically at me.”

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19NOVEMBER 2012


For this month the Fejn se Mmur team inter-viewed the same artist that two years ago curat-ed an art event which included 17 young Gozi-

tan artists, who exhibited their works in 13 different locations in Victoria Gozo. In November 2010, he or-ganised VISTA – THE VICTORIA CONTEMPORARY ART TOUR, which gave the opportunity to those that visited the sites to tour round Gozo’s ancient town and encounter various contemporary art works. Mario Cassar, a well accomplished academic man of 37 who is not only an artist but also a deputy mayor and a re-searcher. And when I say artist , I do not only mean the artist who uses paint as a main medium but also the artist that engages himself in artistic research. How-ever at the Gozo Sixth Form, known as Sir M. A. Refalo Centre, Cassar , who has been teaching Art & Design for the last fourteen years is only known as “is-sir ta’ l-Art” (the art teacher).

After welcoming our team in his art room, where he delivers most of his art lessons to students who opt for

the subject at both advanced and intermediate level, our team delved into asking him the big question of how he discovered his talent. From a very young age Mario Cassar had always shown a great interest in art. He had always loved painting and he recalls that his Grade 1 copybooks show clear evidence that he had al-ways shown an extra interest in art and creativity.

Mr Cassar explained to us that it took him a long time to actually figure out that he can pursue his studies in Art. At the time when he was in secondary school he was advised by the school’s guidance unit to opt for subjects like accounts and economics rather than art and design, a subject which was deemed unappropri-ate for academically successful students. It was during his SOK lessons that he finally realised his passion for Art. This was back in 1991. It was the time SOK stu-dents had to read the book “The History of Art” by E.H Gombridge. Cassar continued by saying : “Some-times I think that if I had started from the ordinary level it would have been better as I would have been

Our writer MARILIANA DEBRIN-CAT interviewed one of our island’s leading artists, Mr. Mario Cassar, whose work s of art reflect his aim of bringing art closer than ever to the people, helping them to experience a refreshing cultural infusion and eye-opening experience. Teaching

APassion

21NOVEMBER 2012

introduced earlier on to the amazing world of art.” He continued by saying that today in our society there are misunderstandings about opting for art in schools and these wrong ideas might lure away a student from pursuing the path of creativity.

Cassar obtained an A-level grade in art by pursuing private studies and later on he was faced by a dilem-ma. Although he had his wishes to pursue the teach-ing career he wanted more than just to equip himself with teaching skills , because he thought that as an art-ist he would want to have an boost in the knowledge of culture, technique and philosophy , hence his choice of reading for Bachelor of Arts in Art. He then pur-sued the PGCE which certified him in Art teaching. “I have always had a parallelism between being a teacher and being an artist, however these two aspects fossil-ized themselves together in my latest studies: Master of Art Education.” This course now focused on devel-oping Cassar’s identity as art teacher, practicing artist and artistic researcher.

Cassar has also managed to touch the younger genera-tion by his works. Together with his students he has managed to successfully embark on projects both lo-cally and on European level. Some projects involved the partnership with other countries. These projects produced on an international level, aimed in proving that although Gozo is a small island in the Mediter-ranean, it is still capable of keeping up with things that are taking place both on the European level and also on the international level. One of the projects in-

volved the painting of the hand of different students, where they then were to stamp it on a big black board! The money raised from just an event went to a worthy cause. Cassar told our team that if one needs to inter-act with the younger generation, one has to adapt its aspirations and needs. “Teenagers love direct involve-ment with things, especially when they are creating something with their own hands. In fact the hands are symbolic of one’s identity. It is through their hands that these younger generations love expressing them-selves the most.”

Continuing with the interview, Cassar explained to our team how it is not an easy thing for one to identify his genre especially when it comes to contemporary art , the art that features the most in Cassar’s works. Contemporary art means using media that might not be conventional and also the treating of unusual sub-jects. “We are a result of history. Every artist both Maltese and Gozitan has an art historic background he cannot ignore.” He furthers on by saying that he started his studies by studying works by Inglott and Emvin Cremona amongst others and he has studied the works that other modern artists have started.

Mr Cassar explains how the fact that artistic move-ments which happen in Europe and globally only touch Malta half a century later, Maltese artists face this reality as a major obstacle in their artistic produc-tion. He felt that he was not keeping enough contact with the artistic developments that had taken place around the world since the 60’s. This fact brought Cassar to what he considers as an important stage in his artistic life, that he could no longer produce art that was anachronistic, hence his engagement with contemporary art . “I went to lots of exhibitions, read a lot and even went abroad in order to find out exactly what contemporary art is . It does not mean that there is one complete definition of what it is , but I learnt a lot about what different artists are presently produc-ing.”

At the end of our interview, the team asked Mario Cas-sar whether there is a particular detail or characteris-tic that immediately identifies his works. Mr Cassar told us that the public who acquires his work always recognise something personal pertaining to him in his works, however he argues that his works contain a lot of variety , and that in his opinion his work is al-

“...the hands are symbolic of one’s

identity. It is through their

hands that these younger gen-erations love

expressing themselves the

most...”


ways engaged in a process of change and develop-ment. He thinks that there are no such recurrent characteristics; “I still haven’t found out that particular aspect which distinguishes me from other artists,” he added. His works is mainly con-ceptual, giving lesser importance to aspects such as traditional techniques and themes. Since the moment that he started producing art, he was al-ways interested in the philosophical aspect of art.

Recently Cassar has been shortlisted to produce a sculpture as part of the Public Art scheme is-sued by the Gozo Ministry. His work, a stainless sculpture entitled “Some things never change”, is to be installed at Fortunato Mizzi Street, in Vic-toria. This sculpture was inspired by the French philosopher Nicholas Bourriaud who published the Altermodern manifesto at Tate Modern, London. For the future Cassar plans to continue engaging himself in artistic research and also en-joying his first experience as a part-time lecturer in Art at the University of Malta! As a closing note he states that “the more you study about art , the more you realise how little you know about the subject”

-----------------------------------------------------Above: Workers setting up Cassar’s latest work: Some Things Never Change, at the heart of Vic-

toria’s commercial area.-----------------------------------------------------

23NOVEMBER 2012

REMEMBRANCE DAYThe Gozo Culture Department organised another com-memoration marking Armistrice Day on November 11th. This year’s ceremony consisted in a parade by the Police Band, followed by the traditional laying of wreaths by the Hon. Giovanna Debono, Minister for Gozo, on behalf of the Gozitan population.

Minster Giovanna Debono laying a commemorative wreath on the war monument. Photo Credit: DOI

HONORING BISHOP CAUCHIThe Diocese of Gozo, together with the Cathedral Chap-ter, honoured late Bishop Nicholas J. Cauchi with a new monument being installed at the Gozo Cathedral, and unveiled by H.L. Bishop Mario Grech following a com-memorative mass.

Our photographer Anthony Grech cap-tured a rare moment with workers setting

up the monument.

THE DEATH OF SNOW WHITENaupaca Dance Factory never seizes to amaze us, and with “The Death of Snow White” performed at the Aurora Opera House on December 1st, it set the bar even higher for our island’s contemporary dance sec-tor. Dance will never be seen in the same way again after a show so bursting with emotion and raw feel-ing which completely shattered the border with the audience, taking it on a grim exploration of life, death, time, and pain.

Photos by Kris Micallef capture the intense emotion during the show.

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Static CribsBanca Giuratale, Independence Sqr.VictoriaGozo Culture & Information Office------------------------------------------------------59, Capuchins StreetVictoriaCarmel Grech------------------------------------------------------Ministry for Gozo, St. Francis Sqr.VictoriaMinistry for Gozo------------------------------------------------------‘Corfu’ Enrico Mizzi StreetVictoriaAnthony Sillato------------------------------------------------------Oratorju Don Bosco, St. Augustine Sqr.VictoriaJoseph Buhagiar------------------------------------------------------85, St. George’s StreetVictoriaGianluca Mizzi------------------------------------------------------

Parochial Center, Mt. Carmel StreetMunxarRev. Michael Said------------------------------------------------------

Parochial Centre, St. John’s Sqr.XewkijaShawn Azzopardi & Robert Farrugia------------------------------------------------------Xewkija Tigers, St. John’s Sqr.XewkijaJeffrey Farurgia------------------------------------------------------

‘Malverno’, Our Lady of Loreto Sqr.GhajnsielemHerman Mifsud------------------------------------------------------

‘Radju Lauretana’, J.F. Chambrai StreetGhajnsielemPaul Stellini------------------------------------------------------Wied Biljun StreetQalaPatrick Tabone------------------------------------------------------‘Buttigieg’, Temple StreetQalaClayton Buttigieg------------------------------------------------------

MUSEUM, St. George Preca StreetNadurJoe Camilleri------------------------------------------------------Mnarja Band Club, St. George Preca StreetNadurJohn Paul Azzopardi------------------------------------------------------

St. Anthony the Abbot AreaXaghraRev. John Sultana------------------------------------------------------Vocations Centre, Joseph Rapa StreetXaghraRev. Michael Galea------------------------------------------------------‘Coronation Court’, 8th Sep. AvenueXaghraAaron Agius------------------------------------------------------‘Victory’ Band Club, Marija Bambina StrXaghraEzechiel Grima------------------------------------------------------MUSEUM, St. George Preca StreetXaghraJoseph Attard------------------------------------------------------

Cribs-------------------

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Centru Gesu Nazzarenu, Gnien Xibla Str.XaghraJoe Theuma------------------------------------------------------24, Qasam ta’ Dun AntonXaghraFrancesco Bonello c/o Raymond Bonello------------------------------------------------------

‘Arjuza’, Ghajn MhelhelZebbugDavid/Justin/Josephine Xuereb------------------------------------------------------

Gennazaret Vocations CentreSan LawrenzAndrew Grima------------------------------------------------------

Mechanical Cribs‘Insieme’, Saghtar StreetVictoriaJoseph Attard------------------------------------------------------‘La Colomba’, Belliegha StreetVictoriaJohn M. Cassar------------------------------------------------------St. Francis Sqr. (next to Church)VictoriaDomenic Bajada------------------------------------------------------

‘Prekursur’ Philharmonic SocietyXewkijaFrankie Grima------------------------------------------------------3, Ganni Vella StreetQalaAnthony Bajada------------------------------------------------------St. Anthony the Abbot AreaXaghraRev. John Sultana

Ggantija Art Gallery, John Otto Bayer Str.XaghraMario Agius

Window Cribs‘Ta’ Kelinu’, St. Albert StreetXewkijaIvan Xerri------------------------------------------------------

‘Centru Sant’Antnin’, St. Anthony Street GhajnsielemJean Paul Portelli/ Fra Lorrie Zerafa OFM------------------------------------------------------

55, St. John StreetNadurSilvan Theuma------------------------------------------------------

68, January StreetXaghraRev. John Sultana------------------------------------------------------‘Sol’, 8th September AvenueXaghraJohn Agius------------------------------------------------------‘La Nativita’, 8th September AvenueXaghraCharlie Farrugia------------------------------------------------------‘Marion’, Frangisk Camilleri StreetXaghraPaul Bartolo------------------------------------------------------

‘Maria Bambina’, Kaccaturi StreetZebbugAnna Marie Mifsud------------------------------------------------------

31NOVEMBER 2012

Christmas VillageFood and beverages stands, entertainment, crafts, Christmas gifts, children’s corner, a photo with Santa amongst others by the Xewkija local council.

1/12 - 23/12 | Weekends only8.00 p.m. onwards

St John’s Square, Xewkija

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Christmas Floral ShowAn arrangement of dried flowers and hand-made Christmas decorations, by the Agrar-ian, Industrial and cultural society of Gozo.

3/12 – 8/128.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. (weekdays) 9.00 a.m. till noon

Ministry for Gozo, Victoria------------------------------------------------------

Hlewwiet tal-MiliedSale of genuine local home made delicacies and Christmas treats including ‘Qaghaq ta’ l- Ghasel and many other items, organised by Ghaqda Milied Xaghra.

7/12 – 9/12 8.00 a.m. – 7.00 p.m.

Victory Square, Xaghra------------------------------------------------------

Il-Fiera tad-DundjaniA traditional fair where turkeys, chocolates and Christmas delights are raffled, along with organized games for children.

9/12Noon onwards

Church Square, San Lawrenz------------------------------------------------------

Il-Presepju tal-BancaAn original crib depicting the nativity of Christ by John &Paul Cassar.

13/12/2012 - 1/01/2013Office hours

Banca Giuratale, Victoria

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Memories of ChristmasA collection of old fashioned Christmas Cards in watercolour by George Apap.

13/12/2012 – 1/01/2013 Office hours

Banca Giuratale, Victoria

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A Taste of Christmas in GozoCitrus festival with displays of citrus prod-ucts.

15/12 & 16/12 16.30 & 8.00 – 18.00

St. Peter & St. Paul Square & Archpriest Martin Camilleri Square, Nadur

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Gozo’s Yesteryear ChristmasA celebration of the past methods with which Christmas was celebrated in Gozo

16/1217.00

Cittadella Centre for Culture & Arts, Victoria

Exhibitions----------------------------------

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Carols by CandlelightThe tenth edition of the much-anticipated Christmas concert by the Schola Cantorum Jubilate.

14/12 & 15/1219.30 onwards

St. Augustine’s Priory, Victoria------------------------------------------------------

Arco String Ensemble in GozoA Christmas music concert by the Arco String Ensemble: a group of young talented individuals from Gozo.

15/12 18.30 onwards

Church of Our Lady of Graces, Victoria------------------------------------------------------

Il-Kuncert tal-MiliedThe fifteenth edition of the Christmas Concert by the Chorus Urbanus, under the direction of Mro. John Galea.

16/12 20.00

St. George’s Basilica, Victoria------------------------------------------------------

Setting up of the Christmas TreeWatch as young children from Gharb’s Pri-mary School set up a Christmas Tree in the main square of Gharb.

19/12Morning

Visitation Square, Gharb------------------------------------------------------

Staghnew meta qasmu gidhomA musical with a sincere Christmas message for all of us.

22/1219.30 onwards

MBC Theatre, Nadur------------------------------------------------------

Cordia String Quartet in GozoA festive concert by the much-acclaimed Cordia String Quartet with musicians from Gozo and Hungary.

22/1219.30 onwards

Sta. Domenica Chapel, Manresa Retreat Centre, Victoria------------------------------------------------------

Il-Purcissjoni bil-BambinRelive the timeless tradition which is part of our festive heritage, with this yearly proces-sion with the statue of baby Jesus.

23/1216.00 onwards

Main streets & squre of Zebbug------------------------------------------------------

Venite in BetlehemA Christmas Concert aimed to bring together people from all walks of life, nations and creed to celebrate Christmas in unity.

23/1218.30 onwards

St. Margaret’s Parish Church, Sannat------------------------------------------------------

33NOVEMBER 2012

Twieled fi DjarnaThe 43rd edition of the Annual Christmas Pegeant organised by the Dramatic Group of San Lawrenz, together with the Parish.

23/12 & 24/1218.30 & 19.30 (respectively)

Main streets of San Lawrenz------------------------------------------------------

A Holy Night with AnimeA spectacular concert by the Anime Gospel Choir with a musical outburst like no other!

23/1219.30 onwards

Church of the Good Shephard, Victoria------------------------------------------------------


24/12 19.00 onwards

Main streets and square of Nadur------------------------------------------------------

Christmas Eve CelebrationCarol singing, followed by the traditional Midnight Mass.

24/1223.00 onwards

Nativity of Our Lady Basilica, Xaghra------------------------------------------------------

The Christmas ConcertConcert organised by the members of the MUSEUM Nadur Branch.

25/1219.00 onwards

St. Peter and Paul’s Basilica, Nadur------------------------------------------------------

L-Istrina from Gozo! Gozo joins in with the outburst of solidari-ety shown on this day, every year!

26/12All day

Aurora Opera House, Victoria------------------------------------------------------


26/1216.00 onwards

Main streets & squre of Gharb------------------------------------------------------

The Grand Christmas Concert A Christmas concert featuring the Voci Angeliche choir directed by Mrs Grace Vella and accompanied by an orchestra under the direction of Mro John Galea.

28/1219.00 onwards

Nativity of Our Lady Basilica, Xaghra------------------------------------------------------

Events-----------------------

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Christmas JoysA Christmas musical concert together with Christmas literary excerpts.

28/1220.00 onwards

Parish Church, San Lawrenz------------------------------------------------------

Dèjá Vu Christmas ShowA Christmas show by TV personalities from the Déjà Vu program.

29/1219.30 onwards

Parish Church, Gharb------------------------------------------------------

Staghnew Meta Qasmu GidhomA musical play in Maltese related to the spirit of Christmas by MUSEUM Nadur branch.

30/12 19.30 onwards

Oratory Don Bosco, Victoria------------------------------------------------------

Christmas Concert - Dreams of ViennaAn annual Christmas Concert by the Ghaqda Vizitazzjoni of Gharb.

30/1220.00 onwards

Kempinski Hotel, San Lawrenz------------------------------------------------------

New Year’s Eve in the City!Kick off 2013 in style with numerous bands, including Winter Moods!

31/12All nightIndependence Square, Victoria------------------------------------------------------

A New Year ToastA festive concert featuring the Gaulitanus choir, directed by Mro. Colin Attard.

1/01/201319.30 onwards

Ministry for Gozo, Victoria------------------------------------------------------

35NOVEMBER 2012

fejn se mmur magazine - issue 13

Documents

festive island

mario cassar

months feature end

months character

months edition

true meaning of christmas

blessed christmas