Diversity of families in a display of unity

A photographic exhibition called 1,000 Families opens at the Upper Barrakka Gardens on Friday, one of the local activities in the international campaign Building Unity Through Diversity.

The aim of the project, coordinated by an international consortium of organizations and also taking place in Ireland and Kenya, is to create awareness on diversity as a determining factor in the wholesome development of people.

The campaign focuses mainly on the opportunities that emerge from diversity, which is not a cause for fear, said local project coordinator William Grech.

"Diversity as an enriching experience is a widely accepted notion in the educational field and European civil society," he said, adding that the activities would seek to help people look at Maltese society and determine whether it is open to diversity.

The consortium works to create international solidarity and raise public awareness on relations between North and South, and discover Africa in terms of its creativity and potential.

Managed locally by Kopin, Kooperazzjoni Internazzjonali - Malta, a voluntary organisation that works on North-South cooperation, the local activities are being partly funded by the EU Commission and go under the slogan Billion Faces: One Family, in keeping with the theme of the photographic exhibition.

The 1,000 Families display is based on the work of internationally renowned German photographer Uwe Ommer, whose publication, The Family Album of Planet Earth, captures over 1,000 families photographed on his trips to 150 countries over four years.

The background of the images has been removed to free them of their geo-political context, keep a common setting and show that everyone is the same wherever you go. Despite their diversity and irrespective of different cultures and creeds, they are part of one global family, Mr Grech said.

The exhibition, which moves to the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta for two weeks from October 4 during the Voices concert, and on to the Valletta Waterfront for the last two weeks of October, includes 66 large photos, also featuring two Maltese families.

Apart from the exhibition, eight seminars and workshops are being organised for teachers, NGO members and journalists, as well as for businesses on adopting a diversity policy.

Between February and May, the plan is to take the concept of diversity as a factor of development round schools and put it into practice, Mr Grech said.

The Building Unity Through Diversity activities are being held under the patronage of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Family and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina, Labour spokesman for tourism Evarist Bartolo, Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Harry Vassallo, Ira Losco and Renzo Spiteri.