Sunday, 13th July, 4.00pm-11.00pm, entrance free 

A festival celebrating the richness of different cultures will be held at the Argotti Gardens in Floriana on Sunday, 13th July from 4.00pm till 11.00pm.  

The main attraction of Collage will be a concert held by several bands but also features art exhibitions, drum workshops and traditional Maltese and African food. A discussion forum will be held and thirteen Maltese non-governmental organisations will be promoting their work.

Collage, whilst displaying aspects of different cultures, also aims to offer a glimpse into how a number of global issues such as migration, racism, free trade and war are affecting, directly and indirectly, countries the world-over, including Malta. 

This festival is being organised by Third World Group with the help of several other NGOs. Entrance will be free but donations in support of social projects run by the TWG mainly in Malta will be greatly appreciated. 

Collage kicks off at 4.00pm where a number of artists will be exhibiting their work and some others will be performing live art sessions. At 5.30pm a series of drum workshops on traditional African djembes will be led by Mark Abela from Zizza Ensemble and Peter Paul from Tribali. These are open for all ages and drums will be provided.  

A public forum will be held at 6.30pm and is inspired by the poem called “Biljett Miftuħ” by journalist and writer Karl Schembri, which suggests the fact that due to the frequent interaction between persons from different cultures and ways of life, a person has almost become a ‘citizen of the world’, adopting traditions and practices from more than one culture. The theme of the forum draws from the poem but will also focus on what kind of impact the presence of other ethnicities is having on Malta.   

The speakers at the forum come from different academic backgrounds and work in different fields, guaranteeing a stimulating discussion. Anthropologist Dr Mark-Anthony Falzon lectures in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Sociology at the University of Malta; lawyer Dr Katrine Camilleri is an expert on refugee law and works closely with asylum seekers; journalist and writer Karl Schembri, and Mr. Michael Grech who teaches Philosophy at the University of Malta Junior College and edited the book Knisja tat-Triq, who will be chairing the forum.  

For those who might be peckish during the evening, a variety of traditional foods will be prepared. Eritrean and Somali foods will provide that spicy touch and complement Maltese platters with home made ingredients. There will also be a stall of Fair Traded products from around the world by Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust of the world shop L-Arka, and Koperattiva Rurali Manikata will be selling organic, locally grown fruit and wine. 

During the evening at the Argotti Gardens, an exhibition by local and foreign artists, including Rupert Cefai and CS Lawrence, will give more colour to the event.

The concert starts at 8.00pm and will be presented by Norma Saliba and Mark Caruana. The bands performing include the Big Band Brothers, with their eclectic mix of jazz and funk music; Walter Micallef, with his engaging lyrics; Shilloo’s Tree, a young band playing original funk rock songs; and Mark Galea with an interlude of instrumental guitar music. The concert will also feature powerful short movies from “media that matters” that provide insight about ongoing issues of strife and injustice happening around the world that are far away, yet too close for comfort. 
 

The Third World Group, set up in 1974, is a national voluntary non-governmental and not-for-profit organization based in Malta that is active on a regular basis among communities in Malta and abroad, mainly organizing educational and recreational programmes for children. In 1997, the Government of Malta awarded the Third World Group first prize in its “National Recognition: Youth in Society.”  

The Group has also done voluntary work in Tunisia, and with the Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa in Palermo, Naples, Noto, Vittoria, Reggio Calabria, and London; and more recently in Cairo, Alexandria and Moquattam in Egypt, and in Jimma and Alamatta in Ethiopia.