David Schembri
Maltese abroad 'even more Maltese'
Delegates at the Convention for Maltese Living Abroad share a light moment. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier
Maltese people living abroad are no less Maltese than those residing on the islands and, at times, they are even more Maltese, according to Maltese Studies Institute director Henry Frendo.
Speaking at the Convention for Maltese Living Abroad meeting in Valletta, Prof. Frendo cited scholar Alfred Zimmern who had said that, without nationality, without the "past and from the immemorial traditions, affections and restraints which bind them to their kin and country" there would be nothing left to work on.
To preserve and promote Maltese culture, identity and language, Prof. Frendo recommended founding a Maltese institute, which would be what the Dante Alighieri and the Alliance Francaise were to Italy and France.
The institute, he added, "should not be aimed only at the lowest common denominator, as happens in local broadcasting". Significant funding should be made available for this "living monument to migration and an investment in us, our nation and the countries where Maltese live in".
The convention opened on Sunday and ends on Saturday.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, opening the convention on Sunday, addressed the gathering in Maltese and said he was proud of the good reputation emigrants had garnered for the country over the years.
Speaking on his visits to Canada and Australia, known for their strong Maltese communities, Dr Gonzi said Maltese living abroad had two distinct but complementary emotions: their love for Malta and its traditions as well as the fondness shown towards the countries they had moved to.
He spoke of the impact a globalised world had on Malta, where "what happens in Sydney, New York, London or Beijing has an impact on us too". This did not only affect the country's economy but it also had the potential to affect Maltese identity and this situation had to be addressed, Dr Gonzi said.
"We know that various Maltese communities living abroad have managed to export a 'little Malta' wherever they went; all this has meant to us to see part of our spiritual and cultural territory in other countries.
"Malta as a whole is the one that is spread across all the continents, not the one confined to our archipelago," Dr Gonzi said.
Labour leader Joseph Muscat spoke of the importance of the Maltese language in giving the Maltese their identity and said it was important that second, third and fourth generation islanders were given the opportunity to learn the language in Malta itself.
Education Minister Dolores Cristina said her ministry planned to offer five scholarships every year to first, second and third generation Maltese living abroad to follow a course at the University of Malta, which would lead to an education degree with a specialisation in Maltese language.
The ministry was also encouraging teachers of Maltese to teach the language in countries where expatriates were living and where adequate structures were available.
Mrs Cristina said her ministry was also proposing to make better use of IT for distance learning so as to further assist the language's teaching abroad.
The aid extended also to Maltese publishers who wanted their books to be distributed to Maltese communities overseas.
Culture Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco said the Draft Cultural Policy, launched recently, included expatriates and he encouraged the Maltese living abroad to read the document online and give their comments about it.
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Anthony Agius
Mar 17th 2010, 08:46
I totally agree that the Maltese from abroad are more Maltese then the Maltese in the Malta , It comes from pride and hard work trying to make a living in a forgein country , raising a family and pass on our old values and traditions that we bought with us from the old country .I have been in Australia for the last 35 years so i can talk with some experience, what hurts the most is that when i was back there not so long ago, i pionted a matter that had to be fixed to a tradesman , i was told in no uncertain terms .. "Int min int gej min barra u tighidli kif naghmel xogholi . mur lura min fejn gejt" mind you the job which was in my trade , was under code , not licenced and a death trap .. so please listen to people that have been there done it properly to specs and maybe we might be competive with the rest of the world .. Mhux u iva , nirrangaw .. ghax dalwaqt nofs -in-nhar u irid imur id-dar niekol.
John Azzopardi
Mar 17th 2010, 02:06
Giancarlo, very well said. It's when one is not in Malta that he misses it the most and some of the good things it has to offer, the family, friends, etc. Of course as time goes on, the nostaglia lives on. As for younger generations, I know a lot of young maltese abroad who all they talk about is returning to Malta. Of course, second, third generations are different, but in their majority I find that they are proud to be of Maltese heritage. When in the states, Canada, UK, Australia, people are still identified by ethnic groups and that goes for every citizen. You may be an american, canadian, australian, but the first question people always ask when they get to know someone is "what is your origin, where are your parents/grandparents from, etc etc, and that is a FACT in the year 2010.
JE Abela
Mar 17th 2010, 01:32
Great picture - laughter all around,house is full, lots of veterans too and hardly any youngsters. An interesting convention I'm sure...I honestly regret not even knowing about it. Who organised it? Was it advertised and how? I think a little more effort will go a long way to inject some new blood next time.
Giancarlo Refalo
Mar 16th 2010, 21:17
I live in Latvia and I miss twistees, pastizzi... galletti.. pretty much everything. And I also found that living abroad has made me appreciate Malta that much more. Take care of it!
smifsud
Mar 16th 2010, 18:08
i think being away from Malta for so many years and visiting the immigrants are seeing Malta from the eyes of the past which was not bad and actually better then today ...Malta is still one of the most beautiful places on earth an we want to keep the simplicity of the past intact but we are losing it to PROGRESS !! ....which sometimes is not for the best for Malta .
Denis Catania
Mar 16th 2010, 14:50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9j8UkDSIks&feature=related
Christian Sciberras
Mar 16th 2010, 16:55
Yet residents in Malta tend to fend of other fellow Maltese with different aspirations or opinions.
Perhaps the international Maltese community have created what could have been done in Malta.
Anyone ready to point fingers?
Denis Catania
Mar 16th 2010, 19:00
Christian did you enjoy the song ? What are you upset about ?
Claire Mangion
Mar 16th 2010, 14:29
I am Maltese, in my 30's and I have been living in England for the past 6 years. I do miss Malta and my family. I keep in touch with them regularly and during my lunch break at work I always visit this site just to check out what is going on in Malta.
And I might not be too old but I do get nostalgic about my childhood in Malta, going to the sea, playing with my cousins etc...
Take care of such a wonderful country...sometimes I feel that we Maltese can be our own worst enemy...
Alexander Morana
Mar 16th 2010, 14:21
Mr. Franco Farrugia, you only see veterans in the picture, because the younger or second and third generation Maltese has nothing to associate them with the language, culture and country of their parents, case in point - my own son.
Jesmond Micallef
Mar 16th 2010, 14:13
"Even more Maltese", I tend to agree with that, as I think most Maltese living on the islands having got a clue what Malta is all about !!! Most feel cosy cosy within their comfort zones in Malta and never want to venture out !!! Hopefully this concept of Greater Malta will promote even further Maltese spending time away from Malta, and not just in commonwealth countries but also in countries like Germany, which is not a commonwealth country and not an ex-British colony neither. !!!
I am living in Germany, and proud of it, too, ALLES KLAR .... !!!!
Franco Farrugia
Mar 16th 2010, 10:55
Sorry: I disagree. It is not a question of being 'even more Maltese'. It's a question of NOSTALGIA! And why is it that in the picture, only 'veterans' are seen? No new blood! Understandable.
Raymond Sammut
Mar 16th 2010, 13:18
You are mistaken in thinking that Maltese living abroad suffer from nostalgia. Nostalgia implies that one is more concerned about their personal past rather than about Malta today. The truth is that Maltese abroad always want to know what's going on in Malta now. When we meet --shopping, train, work-place-- one of the first things we ask is: "Smajt xejn minn Malta? Kif baqagħw?" We call relatives regularly. Sometimes I tell them things that are happening in Malta that they wouldn't know about, and I surprise them. The reason that people in the picture are veterans is because speakers, like Prof. Frendo, Prof. De Marco, and so on, are veterans themselves. They all share the same knowledge, and are tuning in on the same channel. One could organize a similar meeting for a younger generation, and you will get the same crowd size. However, Maltese are in general the same everywhere. The only difference, maybe, lies in the fact that emigrants remained insular from contemporary influences on Malta, and remained more faithful to things like traditional cooking, porochial sentiments, upbringing, and so on --that continued to rely solely on past knowledge and experiences that remained pretty much fossilized.
amifsud
Mar 16th 2010, 13:47
Did it ever cross your mind that these people are probably all retired? I wish I could be there but I have a job I have to be at and kids who I cant take out of school. I am "young" and still extremely proud of being Maltese, no matter how far I am from Malta. And maybe it is the nostalgia that adds to the strong emotional link with Malta. But isn't it good that we have happy memories of where we grew up?
Jesmond Micallef
Mar 16th 2010, 13:54
Dear Franco Farrugia, I see what you are saying. Its about alot of factors, nostalgia, national pride, sense of identity and belonging, recognition, psychology, but also about good old politics too !!!
I find this dual citizenship principle very intriguing actually, and I think you can understand why, Mr. Farrugia. Being Canadian or American when in Malta, and Maltese when in Canada or America. It is this "psychology" which dual citizenship should seek to address.
John Azzopardi
Mar 16th 2010, 10:33
Totally agree with the comment "maltese abroad"even more Maltese'". The love that Maltese and Gozitans have for their motherland is the same way a child love his parents. It's because of that that maltese and gozitan emigrants return so often to Malta and it's loved ones. It's something that remains in our genes forever. A lot of Maltese and Gozitan emigrants remain so close to Malta that at times the speed of change that takes place in Malta takes them by surprise if they they visit often. It's like when they left, the time stays imprinted on their minds forever. Of course Malta has changed dramatically over the past 40, 30, 20 years and today very few Maltese and Gozitan leave for economic reasons. Of course, we now have a new generation who are spending more time abroad in various Europe countries and those maltese and gozitans are probably experiening some of the same life situations emigrants in the past experiened.