More than seven decades after he first dressed up for carnival and 60 years after he set up his own troupe, George Zahra speaks of the festival with boyish enthusiasm.

Born during the carnival of 1935, this annual celebration of colours, laughter and fun is Mr Zahra’s “life”.

The 78-year-old believes his mother, Franġiska, now 99, “injected” her love of carnival in him when she first dressed him up with “whatever she found lying about” when he was seven years old.

He recalls the spontaneous carnivals of the past that gave way to a more organised celebration with elaborate floats.

His wife, Agnes, wears a bemused smile and hints it is high time he retired from the carnival scene.

Mr Zahra’s story dates back to when he joined a dancing troupe at 16. Two years later, he set up his own “company” with a dance and float based on the theme Flirting Kangaroos. He placed last.

However, it was not long before he got his breakthrough. In 1957, his float, costumes and dance won.

In 1971, he joined the organising committee, which had been set up in 1925, and still sits on it. He served as chairman between 1996 and 2000 and then again from 2005 until 2008.

Reminiscing on past carnivals, he speaks of the time when it used to be held in May and when the enclosure used to be set up in St George’s Square.

“In 1975, it was then transferred to Freedom Square, where it stayed for a number of years. Nowadays, we’re like gypsies. I remember the launch of the carnival anthem in 1972 and the emblem in 1974,” he adds.

Mr Zahra, who has been a member of the Federation of European Carnival Cities for 27 years and is its auditor, admits that today’s floats are better but he would like to see less mechanised movement.

“The skills of those that build triumphal floats should shine through the papier mâché work and, sometimes, this is hindered by dancers on floats.

“Dancing should take place around and not on triumphal floats. It should also happen more on the streets rather than just squares.

“I’d also like to see a more merry and spontaneous carnival, just like we had in the 1950s and 1960s. We have bigger carnival celebrations but rendered it more organised.”

In his opinion, carnival should have more satire, which would instil curiosity among people.

Last year, politicians welcomed the surprising news that political satire was never really banned by Maltese law, despite an 80-year-old myth.

In February, Culture Minister Mario de Marco said that the Attorney General’s office researched the law only to find there was nothing that prevented political satire during carnival, as had long been believed.

A police notice banning satire on foreign political issues was issued in 1935 but had stopped being republished.

Along the years, this ended up being interpreted as prohibiting all political issues.

As chairman of the organising committee, Mr Zahra wrote to then Prime Minister Alfred Sant in 1996 pointing out that Malta was one of the few European countries without political satire in its carnival celebrations.

Dr Sant replied that, even though the argument was valid, he believed the Maltese were not yet ready for such type of satire.

The committee subsequently wrote to then Culture Minister Louis Galea, who reiterated Dr Sant’s stand, Mr Zahra said.

Yet, despite Dr de Marco’s announcement last year, participants still seem reluctant and there will not be any political satire this year.

Mr Zahra argued that since participants enter the competitions to win, they fear political jibes would not go down well with the jury.

Others had already started working on this year’s float when Dr De Marco’s statement made headlines.

The committee wanted to introduce political satire in an “organised and civil way”, he noted.

“And carnival should not remain something from the Maltese to the Maltese but could grow in a self-sustaining small industry.

“It could be partially sponsored by companies that could also benefit from the event and attract foreigners because we don’t get a lot of tourists in February.

“Another option is to hold carnival over two weekends so tourists who can’t make it on one weekend could come over the following week,” Mr Zahra said, his enthusiasm still very much evident.