Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca speaking at the launch of her newly set-up research hub yesterday. Photo: Chris Sant FournierWhat do the Maltese, their gardens and the well-being of plants have in common?
That further exploration of the use of gardens and plants in Malta and Gozo helps enhance the well-being of people, according to the President’s newly set-up hub for ethnobotanical research.
President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca yesterday defined the hub as a project of bringing people together through an appreciation of the environment.
It will help create new spaces for intercultural, intergenerational and interreligious dialogue revolving around gardening, horticulture and farming practices.
By way of example, she mentioned that, to her mind, the use of fennel was intrinsically associated with roast potatoes.
“However, a person from North Africa can point out that in his country, fennel is also used with lamb, for instance. We will therefore be looking at ways of facilitating communication among communities.”
Coordinator Mario Gerada said the exploration of Maltese and Gozitan identities would be undertaken through formal and informal research on the cultural and ecological contexts of trees, vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs.
“We talk a lot about valorisation. The hub will be valorising human interaction with plants and looking at how this feeds into culture, folklore and history.”
The hub will be valorising human interaction with plants
In the coming months, the hub will be initiating transcultural and interfaith roundtables around the use of the garden, both as a utilitarian space and as a metaphor fertile with profound spiritual and theological meaning.
“The pattern we will be adopting is listening and consulting, which will ultimately give us the direction of our research,” Mr Gerada said.
Ms Coleiro Preca added that, in the past months, she met a number of young people qualified in agriculture as well as NGOs and cooperatives.
“These organisations alerted me to their apprehensions on the future of Maltese agriculture. Tourism is important but it must be sustainable.”
The hub will be initiating a farmers’ and architects’ roundtable for conversations, which are more practical, focusing on the here-and-now of basic needs, of food and shelter.
Ms Coleiro Preca rolled out the calendar of activities for the President’s Foundation for the Well-being of Society, which was launched in June.
The foundation aims to enhance the well-being of society through meaningful engagement with all individuals, families and communities to promote a culture of solidarity, respect for the dignity of each person, peace and unity.
It also comprises a series of fora focusing on specific issues of social relevance, mainly: the community, children, people with disability, interfaith, family, art and culture, environment and transculturalism.