San Andrea School in Berlin international cultural festival

Eleven students from San Andrea Senior School, accompanied by two teachers, Ms Louise Abela and Ms Daniela Bonnici, participated in a cultural festival in Berlin between June 19 and 26. The festival was held at Königin-Luise-Stiftung (Queen Louise Foundation) which is a boarding school on the outskirts of Berlin.

The aim behind the festival was to promote tolerance and friendship among peoples. Other participating schools came from Yemen, Slovenia, Latvia, Hungary, Namibia, Iran, and Jordan.

At the inauguration of the festival, two students from each country greeted the visitors. Kyra Vassallo and Mark Morales welcomed the guests in Maltese.

The San Andrea group, in collaboration with the Embassy of Malta in Berlin, exhibited several items to give a general overview of the Maltese Islands. These included the Maltese flag, posters, pictures and photos of Maltese landscapes, cultural and historical sites. These were enhanced by folkloristic material such as Maltese lace, ganutell, filigree and other Maltese heritage souvenirs.

A variety of traditional Maltese food was displayed and tasting panels were held. The specialities included pastizzi, bigilla, mqaret, prinjolata, qubbajt and hobz biz-zejt. Complementing the food, the refreshing Maltese soft drink Kinnie, provided by the Embassy, was served to the visitors. Leaflets about Malta, the Evolution of the Maltese Language and Traditional Maltese Recipe booklets were also distributed.

Ms Abela and Ms Bonnici gave a short introduction about Malta and their stay in Berlin. The Maltese group then danced II~Maltija wearing traditional costumes.

Ambassador William Spiteri concluded the presentation by speaking about Malta. He mentioned the hospitality of the Maltese, the island's climate and history. He also referred to San Andrea School and the exhibition organised by the students.

During the week-long visit, the San Andrea School group had the opportunity to integrate with the school boarders and tour the school buildings. They also had the chance to visit the Maltese Embassy in Berlin, historical museums, castles, the Parliament building, a zoo, parks, and gardens and took a sightseeing boat trip. A special feature of their stay was a visit to the Berlin Wall.

"Special thanks go to Mr E. DeBrincat, the headmaster of San Andrea Senior School who gave us the opportunity to participate in this event; Mr Manfred Gruter, the organiser of this cultural festival, who welcomed and hosted the group at Königin-Luise-Stiftung; the staff working at the school. Furthermore, Ambassador Spiteri and Embassy officials Mr Edwin Abela and Ms K. Klenner were of great help to make the visit a successful one and a fruitful experience for all students," Ms Abela and Ms Bonnici said on their return.