Maltese and EU traditions, typical products displayed

An exhibition of Maltese and European traditions and typical products was recently organised in the school hall of Vincenzo Borg Brared Boys' Secondary School, Birkirkara, as part of a project entitled "Celebrating Malta with the European countries" that the school is involved in.

The Maltese exhibition stands featured Maltese lace worked by Ms Galea, folklore models lent by Mr Lanfranco, typical Maltese food and sweets, sponsored by Foster Clarks, Consolidated Biscuits and Farsons, and glass creations by Mdina Glass.

There was also a Gozitan stall, ably collated by Mary Carm Meilaq, where traditional Gozitan tools and crafts were displayed. The stalls covered Maltese history, geography, food and drink, well-known personalities, folklore and tourism.

The other European stalls exhibited a wide range of informative charts, typical food items, and IT presentations regarding the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Bulgaria and Romania. Various embassies also lent a lot of information, posters and even traditional costumes for the exhibition.

Visitors who packed the hall included students and their families, Education Division officials, MPs and Birkirkara residents.

Geraldine Vella, who has been teaching Maltese at this school for the past six years, successfully co-ordinated this three-year project, which started during the 2004-5 scholastic year. During each year of the project an exhibition was organised to display Malta's and various other EU countries' traditions and typical products.

The project achieved its aims of raising awareness among students and parents about these traditions and products of all EU countries, besides Maltese culture. Through this enjoyable experience, the students learnt and consolidated the skill of conducting research using the Internet, printed resources, and other media.

The exhibitions of the students' works encouraged their creativity and boosted their self-esteem. The parents appreciated their children's work proficiency, diligence and expertise, and recognised the importance of achievements in areas beyond the boundaries of examination results.

In the project's first year, the focus of the students' exhibition was on Malta, France, Greece and Portugal, while in the second year it covered ten other European countries, apart from Malta.