A runaway village

Paul Aquilina's latest book Hawn Twieldet u Tibqa' thabbat Qalbi is a detailed study in social anthropology based on his native village of Siggiewi. Its purpose is to interpret the radical transformation of a traditional Maltese village society during these last 40 years or so.

However, Siggiewi is not the only 'runaway' village. Readers who hail from other villages or towns will also say: "Yes, that's how it was."

Lumped together under the heading 'pre-change', Aquilina writes with wistful memory of an earlier time: the 'lost' old village square together with its beauty and peace, the intimate relationship of unsophisticated villagers not yet conceited by imported high-flown social attitudes, their deep religious sentiments which united them as one big family around the yearly rituals of their parish church.

The 'post-change' means the radical transformation which not only Siggiewi but all Maltese villages and towns went through after the war. It's a process which society is powerless to halt.

Aquilina reminds me of Dr Jonathan Mitchell, who came to Malta about 13 years ago to conduct research on Maltese society for his Ph.D. thesis in social anthropology.

Jon, or better known as Johnny l-Ingliz at San Pawl Nawfragu coffee shop, corner with St Paul Street, Valletta, which he frequented daily, based his research on the then fast-fading society in and around the small district known as l-Arcipierku.

He spoke Maltese like a native, and with such a linguistic asset he could easily conduct first-hand social research, which was oriented around politics, history, religious experience and identity.

In his introduction to Aquilina's book, Professor Mario Vassallo makes a thoughtful remark about the outstanding features of similar research studies of Maltese social anthropology because they could throw a significant light on the identity of Maltese society.

Such books should not be put aside as sentimental yearnings of past history with no connection to contemporary society. On the contrary, they could be a mine of information for future university students in social anthropology.

Besides, Aquilina's book is a beaming lamp post of the Maltese language as it should be spoken and written. Traditionalist by nature, Aquilina rightly remains anchored to Ninu Cremona's Taghrif fuq il-Kitba Maltija. He showed us where our language should be moored so that it would not also run away with time.