Peter Farrugia talks with Joe Friggieri, whose new play L-Għanja taċ-Ċinju opens the Manoel Theatre’s much anticipated drama season.

“Sancte Socrate, ora pro nobis!” While we may not all share Erasmus’ peculiar enthusiasm, it’s difficult to imagine the debt of gratitude Western philosophy owes Socrates.

These days the means which people in power have to obscure the truth is far greater than it ever was- Friggieri

An enigmatic figure whose contribution to ethics and learning stands in stark contrast to the treatment he received at the hands of his own people, culminating in execution by his own hand.

It is this inexorable chain of events that finds new life in JoeFriggieri’s latest play, L-Għanja taċ-Ċinju. Awarded first prize in last year’s Francis Ebejer national playwriting competition, the two-act performance looks set to provoke as many questions as it answers about morality, conviction and intellectual freedom in Malta.

The play, directed by AlbertMarshall, will also feature several stylised dances by choreographer Mavin Khoo. It’s a second look at an old story, revitalised by its bearing on the current social climate.

How can a man stay true to himself when the whole world threatens to turn upside down? And where should we find the strength to endure, with dignity, in the most hopeless situations?

The interview begins with talk of relevance – the importance of characters like Socrates today. Friggieri draws a common thread of honourable dissent from Thomas More to Oscar Romero, other isolated champions of interior truth at odds with the people around them.

“In the words of MartinLuther King,” says Friggieri,“‘academic freedom is a reality today because Socrates practised disobedience’”.

The play weaves sequences from Aristophanes’ satire The Clouds around the trial narrative. Aristophanes, Socrates’ contemporary, presented him as a fraudulent sophist, “a tricky knave, a thorough rattle, a subtle speaker”.

Throughout The Clouds he pinpoints principles of Socratic philosophy (asceticism, disciplined thinking and conversational dialectic) while lampooning them mercilessly.

Ultimately, Plato considered the satire a contributing factor in Socrates’ trial and execution. The trial of Socrates followed Athens’ crushing defeat by Sparta, many years after the performance of the play.

Suspicions ran rife and the dominant political faction of the time distrusted Socrates for his association with the old order, first among them his beloved friend Alcibiades. Yet the character assassination worked by Aristophanes was still fresh in everyone’s mind.

Is it too much to suggest that Aristophanes’ poison pen had its part to play in the death of Socrates? The power of literature in shaping public opinion (for better or for worse) preys on Friggieri’s mind.

“What we urgently need in this country is an intellectual circle that can give honest advice. These days,” warns Friggieri, “the means which people in power have to obscure the truth is far greater than it ever was.

“This is why the importance of being watchful, asking pertinent questions, fostering investigative journalism and keeping an eye on institutions and organisations is vital. There’s a greater chance of true freedom in a democratic society, but there’s no guarantee that this won’t ever be challenged.”

The conversation turns to another element of the play, religion. It was a charge of atheism that stood at the centre of Socrates’ antagonism with the Athenian state.

“The Church might stop playing Ms Morality Police and talk about the very simple but fundamental rules of proper conduct in a civilised society,” suggests Friggieri.

“There are so many things that are making life unbearable for many people because of the selfish behaviour that has become so common among a wide cross-section of the population – noise pollution, macho driving, greedy over-development with irreparable harm to the environment and utter disregard for the rights of others. Why spend so much time talking about bio-ethics when the basic rules of ethical behaviour – what makes life worth living – are constantly being flouted or ignored?”

The results of the divorce referendum were “a shock to the system”, destabilising an ingrained sensibility in Maltese society.

Moving on from that, and rectifying the damaging blunders which Friggieri apportions to both the government and Church establishment, is of paramount importance.

However, it would be a mistake to see the play as essentially local in purpose. Its messages are universal and indeed, challenge-received wisdom on all fronts.

Xanthippe, Socrates’ much maligned wife, is transformed into a formidable Mediterranean woman deeply concerned for her family, and new light is shone on the relationship between Socrates and Alcibiades.

Future projects we can expect from Friggieri include a performance based around Aesop’s fables, written in Maltese. The idea grew from concerns he had over the lack of creative encouragement offered in schools. This theme of liberating imagination is close to the playwright’s heart.

“Teachers should stimulate imagination, encourage it always,” says Friggieri. And it is this freedom to imagine lives and realties beyond our own that provides the basic ground for fruitful discourse, and the hope of better things to come.

Performances on Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m.; tickets available online and from the Manoel Theatre booking office. www.teatrumanoel.com.mt