Discover the untold story of the luzzu, Malta’s traditional boats, as researched by world-famous anthropologist Desmond Morris at a talk this Thursday in Valletta.

Organised by Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Anthony Aquilina and Fiona Vella will cover the subject of the art of Maltese boats as well as the way of life of their fishermen. Malta’s colourful luzzus are well-known, but a number of facets may escape the public, such as the fact that the colours depicted are associated with different harbours, that there are different types of boats – the kajjik, dgħajsa and firilla – and that the death of a member of a fishing family is marked on their boat.

All these facts and much more will be revealed in Aquilina’s talk based on the research of anthropologist Desmond Morris, who lived in Malta for six years. Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar is proud to present his long-hidden study, which has finally been published after being lost for decades.

Morris visited every single fishing village in Malta for his study. He wrote that “to visit a Maltese fishing village is like entering a huge, open-air art exhibition”. His detailed comparison of Malta’s fishing boats with those of other countries highlighted how the local ones are truly masterpieces and are incomparable.

Vella, author of Disappearing Malta, will talk about Maltese traditional boat-building, bridging Morris’ study on boats with the real-life experiences of Malta’s fishermen and their way of life.

■ The talk is being held on Thursday at Palazzo de la Salle at 6.30pm. The public is requested to be seated by 6.15pm. Bookings can be made at new.faa.org.mt. For more information, call 2010 6428 or e-mail culture@faa.org.mt.