Vince Fabri.

Vince Fabri was born to parents who were both from Valletta. He was born at home, as were his brother and sister in a house at the far end of Republic Street, right opposite Fort St Elmo.

When Fabri was growing up, Valletta was both a commercial as well as an entertainment centre. It was a time when one of the most important social activities for the Maltese was to walk along Strada Rjali, today Republic Street, and then stay there till it was time for them to catch the last bus home.

The cinemas – the Embassy, Savoy and Coliseum – used to show the first run of films. People would have to book beforehand in order to secure a seat during the weekend.

“I remember when Saturday Night Fever came out and the city was full of dance halls,” Fabri says. “The most popular discos in the 1970s and 1980s were in Valletta. Then there were the Over Seas Sports Club, the Civil Servants Sports Club and the Sixth Form and its courtyard at the Old University.”

Fabri as a young boy in Valletta.

Fabri cannot but mention Pjazza Regina, with its stage set up for live music, and the hall under Regency House where Freddie Portelli used to play with his group The Black Train. He also remembers the live music at Brittania Restaurant in St Lucy Street, corner with Republic Street.

As a resident of Republic Street, Fabri could not but notice the enormous contrast with the street parallel to it, that is, Strait Street. The difference in culture and the way of life was apparent in the clothes and make-up. He remembers the rough men, sporting tattoos, who would spend the night drinking or getting into arguments. The fighting would often spill over to other streets in the city.

“We used to hear the jukeboxes playing in Strait Street, when in the evening we would rush past the crossing between Old Bakery Street and Republic Street. We would only go there when we absolutely needed to. It wasn’t acceptable for the Beltin from different parts of Valletta to go anywhere near Strait Street, even though the business there was practically all run by the Beltin.”

Fabri says that primarily, what defines the people from Valletta is their pride in having been born in the capital city. This is manifest in the fact that there is no strong rivalry between the parishes, during feasts and in band clubs, as happens in other places in Malta.

What defines the people from Valletta is their pride in having been born in the capital city

“The Beltin have strong communal ties. This is evident especially during festivities such as carnival, when the people from Valletta dominate the scene with their participation, as well as in their grand celebrations when the Valletta football team does well.”

Fabri loves to walk along the streets on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, when the city calms down from the rushed life. His favourite haunts include the areas by the sea, under the bastions of St Elmo, and the breakwater, where you can walk from Marsamxett to the Mediterranean Conference Centre.

We discuss the immense changes that Valletta is undergoing.

“After many years of abandon, Valletta has come to life again, as every capital city deserves,” Fabri says.

This was possible after the great amount of restoration of the bastions, squares, historical buildings, Fort St Elmo and, without doubt, says Fabri, the Renzo Piano project at the entrance of Valletta.

“These works, together with being chosen to be the European Capital of Culture in 2018, have reignited the desire and love of the Maltese for their capital city.”

On his part, Fabri is happy that he is making his contribution as a councillor. He has led meetings with food establishment owners in the commercial parts of Valletta so that they would remain open in the evenings, and has started organising live performances with musicians in these areas.

“It wasn’t easy to convince certain owners who had given up that Valletta would come to life again in the evenings,” he says.

Fabri points out how there are currently some 15 weekly musical performances at various restaurants every Friday during the long summer months. These, Fabri says, have helped make Valletta livelier in the evening.

“I’m sure that these activities have had a huge effect on commercial activity, as well the unexpected commercial resurgence in Strait Street,” he says. “The local council will continue to support these ongoing live musical performances, but we’re very cautious because we have to maintain the standards in entertainment and also make sure that these activities don’t disturb those living nearby.”

Fabri also underlines how now so many high-level festivals and events are being organised in the city, including the Valletta International Baroque Festival, Classical Contemporary Music Festival, Jazz Festival, Film Festival, International Literature Festival, Poeżijaplus literary gatherings, Kelma Kelma concerts, VIVA arts festival, International Arts Festival, children’s festival Żigużajg, and many more. He also notes how events like Notte Bianca, Science in the City and the New Year’s Day celebrations attract thousands of Maltese into the city.

Fabri also looks to the future, to the Muża project which will see the transfer of the Museum of Arts to a bigger and more accessible location as well as the creation of the Valletta Design Cluster in the Biċċerija area. These initiatives, he says, complement all that is taking place at the Manoel Theatre, St James Cavalier, the Mediterranean Conference Centre, and other buildings in Valletta.

“I hope that these activities continue to receive supportfrom the authorities, as well as the appreciation of the Maltese public.”