A group of guardians will be regenerating cemeteries in danger of decay. The group’s founder Ruth Bezzina tells Simonne Pace it is the determination to do good and give reverence to our dead that has spurred her to set up this NGO.

After many days and nights of brainstorming, a new NGO working on bringing cemeteries back to life is up and running.

Encouraged by a lack of social and environmental conscience towards such places, members of Braxia and Addolorata army come from different backgrounds and work or study in similarly different spheres.

“This is what enriches the whole experience,” said the NGO’s founder and president Ruth Bezzina, who is reading for a BA in English and psychology.

“Cemeteries have always been a personal interest of mine, possibly because of the beauty in their stillness or the story behind every tombstone. Cemeteries are our past. We need to preserve them for ourselves and for future generations. It is simply a matter of respect and care, of understanding and recognition of our responsibilities towards each other in society. I feel a voluntary group will be of great importance and influence.”

The idea originated out of an ideal – a renewed image of cemeteries in Malta.

“I would like cemeteries to be places anyone can visit, not only to honour their departed but also to find peace, to think or to stop thinking for a while and meditate.

“Renovating and maintaining these sites will support and strengthen our personal identity and that of our families and community. Besides, cemeteries are rich in history, culture and art, making it a different way for students to learn things on their curriculum on site. It is an opportunity to latch on to our own personal histories and to know where we come from. Therefore, while the original idea was a project of restoration and maintenance, we are glad to see it turn into so much more,” said Ms Bezzina, who has been working wholeheartedly on the project together with secretary Simone Azzopardi and vice president Miriam Mallia.

Apart from working on the landscape and restoration of the graves and monuments, the NGO will also work to increase public interest. Its members are very enthusiastic and dedicated to this cause and hope to conjure an emotional aspect by hosting literary evenings, concerts, tours of the cemetery and exhibitions.

“By holding public talks and increasing awareness of the historical and cultural worth of such places, both our members and the community will benefit hugely. There is life and energy. We’re just increasing the amplitude, creating larger ripples so that more people are affected and open their eyes to the precious gems around them,” Ms Bezzina said.

The NGO has created links with historical, cultural and educational entities to be truly inclusive. This gives it a purpose and possibilities of expanding its mission while also offering members various sources of personal and professional fulfilment.

Seeing the abandoned state cemeteries are in, how can one not be spurred to action?

“The Friends of Ta’ Braxia are truly inspirational and spurred us on to set up this NGO. Bighi and Heritage Malta will be organising tours, which will help increase awareness and promote volunteering. The university is a source of volunteers but also gives students the opportunity to delve into something different and give something back to society.

“The Mcast restoration students will be coming in to help us and work on the restoration projects at Ta’ Braxia. Junior College will be opening its voluntary work for students to join as part of their Systems of Knowledge project and we will be contacting other sixth forms too along these lines.”

Furthermore, with the President’s Social Wellbeing Foundation, the NGO will be introducing itself via the inter-religious forum. “This will connect us with people of different religions and be a way for us to understand other traditions connected with life and death.”

Ms Bezzina admitted she wouldn’t have started this project unless she had a certain love for cemeteries.

“But seeing the abandoned state they’re in, how can one not be spurred to action? Some people feel there is a barrier between the living and the dead. Yet it is only modern society that has created this boundary. Individualism and private ownership have only fuelled these attitudes towards death. It is time to dissolve these boundaries and allow for dialogue between living and dead once more. It is the determination to do good, to be of service and give reverence to our dead that has encouraged us to set up our NGO.”

The cemetery guardians have come up with a conservation plan and preventative maintenance scheme. Digitising records is also a big step the NGO has undertaken at Ta’ Braxia.

“This will help to find living relatives and make them aware of our work in the cemeteries, as well as for future reference regarding burials. Our method of work at Ta’ Braxia cemetery will be applied to the Addolorata and other cemeteries around Malta and Gozo in need of care. The mission in its totality is to instil the hubris of staying true to our values in both our personal and professional lives. Therefore, our success is measured by how many lives we touch and inspire through our actions and words.”

The aim of the NGO is to restore cemeteries in general, but the Addolorata is included in the NGO’s name for a clear reason.

“We will be helping the administration there by implementing similar tasks undertaken at Ta’ Braxia and keeping the place clean and landscaped. It has to be appreciated that the Addolorata project implies a huge amount of dedication and resources. One of our objectives is also to re-engage the Franciscan Capuchins.

“We are not deterred by such an overwhelming project. Ta’ Braxia will give us encouragement, the group can see what it is actually capable of and this will act as a platform point for greater things,” said Ms Bezzina, who believes our lack of social conscience has a lot to do with hectic lifestyles.

“However, one doesn’t need to be working on site to show support. Landscaping and restoration are a big part of our aesthetic movement, yet updating records, generating interest, creating fundraising events and so much more can happen from home or when meeting up with people.”

The NGO’s calendar of events for next year includes a public talk by the Bighi conservation team, a literary evening during March or April and a surprise event in September held over a number of days. Cemetery tours will also be held on weekends.

Until the end of this year, the NGO hopes to be able to focus its energy on the maintenance and landscaping of cemeteries. In November, it will be helping out with an Inspire fundraising event at the Addolorata cemetery.

The NGO, which is turning to various organisations and programmes for support, would like to create a volunteer and work/internship scheme with potentially interested companies, where a voluntary group of employees could help out members with their work. The idea behind this scheme is for companies to have links with the NGO and to offer job or internship opportunities to its members.

“Different people imply different skills and interests. All these can be used to achieve the same goals. This project is still in its infancy, yet we believe in what we’re doing and this makes us hopeful of the interesting and exciting times ahead.”

To find out more, call 7928 1400 or e-mail Ruth Bezzina at http://badarmymalta.com .

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