Five aces at St James

The five senses took centre stage as Malta officially launched the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue on Friday night.

The evening, themed 'Five', presented a variety of activities such as food tasting, dance, music, children's activities, readings, films, exhibitions and theatre. The intercultural feast was held at St James Cavalier in Valletta.

Visitors were able to participate in a sundry mix of short performances and events taking place in different spaces around the centre. All visitors had the opportunity to savour food from the four corners of the world, which was prepared by members from the different communities living in Malta. The evening, which attracted a large crowd, was rounded off with a DJ set of electronic and ethnic sounds from around the world.

The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue is an initiative of the European Union and co-ordinated in Malta by St James Cavalier together with a number of partners. The national project is co-funded in Malta by the Culture Ministry with the support of the National Lottery Good Causes Fund.

Many other events are lined up for this year and a full programme is available on www.sjcav.org or www.dialogue2008.eu.

The Maltese year-long project is being held under the patronage of President Eddie Fenech Adami.

For more information e-mail euproject@sjcav.org or s.dalli@media-consulta.com.