Qari fil-Festival Mediterranju tal-Letteratura ta’ Malta 2022

Din is-sena kont mistieden biex naqra fil-Festival Mediterranju tal-Letteratura ta’ Malta. Fil-prattika, minħabba r-rwol tiegħi bħala koordinatur ta’ Inizjamed u tal-Festival sal-2018, qatt ma ħadt sehem fih bħala awtur, ħlief darba, f’waħda mill-ewwel edizzjonijiet li kienet sar f’Couvre Porte, il-Birgu. Dakinhar kont qtajtha li jekk se nieħu ħsieb l-organizzazzjoni tal-Festival, ma nistax nieħu sehem bħala awtur.

Għalhekk din is-sena verament gawdejt il-letteratura tal-Festival. Il-laboratorju tat-traduzzjoni kien okkażjoni mill-aqwa biex nirfina t-traduzzjonijiet li kont diġà għamilt tal-awturi l-oħrajn qabel ma waslu Malta. Għamilna tliet nofstanhari twali u intensi ta’ diskussjonijiet dwar il-letteratura u dak kollu li jqanqal il-kitba.

Fiż-żewġ lejliet tal-Festival qrajt traduzzjoni ta’ poeżija ta’ Claudio Pozzani u oħra ta’ Lamis Saidi. Tnejn mill-poeżiji ta’ Julia Musakovska li ttraduċejt instemgħu fl-ispettaklu li tellgħet fit-tieni lejla tal-Festival, is-Sibt, u oħrajn, “Metafori,” qrajtha wara d-diskussjoni fuq il-kunflitt fil-letteratura fi Spazju Kreattiv.

Ritratti ta’ Virginia Monteforte għal Inizjamed.

Is-Sibt, waqt il-preżentazzjoni tax-xogħol tiegħi, bdejt b'”L-Imħabba l-Kapriċċ” bil-Malti u Claudio Pozzani qara l-verżjoni tiegħu bit-Taljan, “L’amore è capriccio.” Imbagħad qrajt “Jaqgħu s-Swaba’ f’Id Xulxin” bil-Malti. Warajja, Julia Musakovska bl-Ukren u Jacobo Bergareche bl-Ispanjol. It-tielet xogħol li qrajt kien xogħol ġdid dwar missieri bl-isem ta’ “Ħlewwa ta’ Qalb” miktub fl-2017 u warajja Albert Gatt qara t-traduzzjoni tiegħu ta’ “Inkontinenza” bl-Ingliż u Lamis Saidi qratha bl-Għarbi. Qabel qrajt l-aħħar xogħol tiegħi, “Aħna l-Meħlusin,” qrajt din in-nota:

So two love poems, two poems about my dad, and now, to keep it all in the family, a poem inspired by my younger son Rafel. In 2021, the year Rafel turned 21, jazz composer Dominic Galea asked me to write a cycle of poems to commemorate the first Maltese government formed in 1921. I wrote Skizzi għal Ibni, Sketches for my Son, in which I talk to him about our nation’s past and present. In the last poem, “We are the Freed,” it is he who talks to me. Here’s an excerpt from the English version by the brilliant Albert Gatt. I’d like to dedicate this last poem to Yuliya and to the people of Ukraine.”

We are the Freed

You told me you’re the son of ’21

and this, the land of light and of the freed.

You told me you didn’t want queens and kings,

for this land is no fiefdom ruled by lesser gods and we –

we are not grubs and flies.

You told me pedestals are built for saints

and towers for the detained and confined,

You told me there’s no room for oligarchs and patriarchs.

That the sun will sing its song for North

and South.



This, you told me,

is a free land.

And we –

we are the freed.

Fl-encore qrajt il-poeżija “Il-Ħlewwa ta’ din l-Art,” li ddedikajtha lill-poeta ħabib tiegħi Murad Shubert.