Ir-rok opra Gensna
Just in time to mark the feast of the resurrection, they’re bringing back from the dead the ‘rok opra’ Gensna, after 27 deserved years in its tomb.
Gensna was staged for the first time in 1982, and it was a joke, a symbol of the hugely unpopular Labour government in its prolonged death-throes, and the various obsessions and neuroses of that regime.
They’re still at it. The website set up to promote the show, www.gensna.com, reminds us that the “musical takes the audience through the history of Malta and the hardships endured by the Maltese people as they struggled for the country’s freedom.” Oh, please.
And to give you even more of an eerie feeling that we’re stepping back into the past, the cast includes those who performed in the original 1982 spettaklu, including the ubiquitous Renato, except that in the current show he’s wearing a two-piece baggy ‘syoot’ rather than the loin-cloth he sports in this 1982 promo-shot. The others are – so help us God – Paul Giordmaina, Bayzo, Catherine Vigar, Joe Cutajar and Mary Rose Mallia.
Try telling them that it’s time to move on.
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Ah, Daphne, you’re so passé. At least two eras have passed since then but for you it’s as if it were just yesterday. We’re not “stepping back into the past” just because a few interested people paid tribute to a rock opera that’s over a quarter of a century old.
It’s not that you disparage it. It’s the way you go about it – creating an “eerie feeling” that some people do indeed live in the past. You ask them to move on. But they have. And 28 years on they are paying tribute to history.
What’s wrong with Renato, anyway? Arah fir-ritratt, qisu Tarzan xi hlew…
[Daphne – They’re not paying tribute, cheesecake. They’re reliving the past, and wishing it were still the present. Renato never looked like Tarzan. God knows how much styling he needed for that picture. And 1982 to 2009 is 27 years, not 28, unless you’re using Chrysander’s abacus.]
Well then you’re both reliving the past. You’re in good company, but most of us live in the present and some live in the future.
Was it 1982? I was in Moscow at the time. December 1982, then. So it’s not that old, just 27.
Kemm int bassa! mahmuga inkallata
[Daphne – Another dissenting view, I see.]
Daphne, jien ser niktiblek bil-Malti, nittama li tifhem. Bhas-soltu int dejjem tkun fuq quddiem biex tmaqdar dak kollu li hu Malti. Jiena nistiednek biex la kull ma hu marbut ma dan il-pajjiz u mal-ilsien li bih dan il-gens jithaddet iqabbdek id-dardir, tithajjar titbieghed minn hawn illum qabel ghada.u forsi temigra. Nizgurak li hamsa u ghoxrin sena ohra, “Gensna” terga’ titfakkar u tittella’. Min-naha l-ohra int tkun ilek li intesejt u tghattejt taht l-ghanqbut tal-medjokrita u t-tmaqdir.
[Daphne – Nifhem, nitkellem u nikteb bil-Malti hafna ahjar milli int tifhem, titkellem u tikteb bl-Ingliz, m’hemmx dubju. Nies bhalek ma jistghux inizzluha li naf sew iz-zewg lingwi, meta int u huma jafu biss wahda minnhom u ghalhekk thossukom inferjuri. L-anqas ma tistghu tnizzluha li jien mhux Malta u affarijiet Maltin ma nhobbx, imma nies ta’ mentalita miskina bhalek u mbarrazz bhal Gensa li m’ghandiex pacenzja ghalihom. Il-problema hi li int u dawk in-nies li jahsbuha bhalek – il-Jade Goodys ta’ Malta – jemmnu li Malta hija huma u huma biss, bil-hamallagni kollha taghkom. Kemm mortu zmerc, jahasra.]
Daphne,
Mill-kumment li ghadek kif hallejt lil N.Schembri urejt kemm int mara baxxa u tahseb li int l-aqwa u l-ahjar u li bhalek, Alla ghad irid johloq ohra.
Ahna nafu li inti brava HAFNA u taf titkellem hafna kemm bil-Malti u kemm bl-Ingliz. Nafu ukoll li ahna nies ta mentalita miskina u mbarazz li m’ghandekx hin ghalina imma safrattant, bil-hamallagni kollha taghna, u mmorru zmerc kemm immorru zmerc, xorta ssib hin tirrispondina.
Insomma, ha nhallik halli nilhaq noqghod naqra wicci mal-hajt fil-kantuniera nhossni inferjuri waqt li nara c-certifikati li ghandi ta l-ingliz…
What chances of a little addendum on Malta joining the EU?
Daphne is it only me who can’t access this site properly? I’ve been trying for the last 15 minutes or so! I hope that if it is a problem form my or your end it will be solved asap.
[Daphne – It would have been when the site was being worked on.]
Ma nafx ghaliex qed titmejjel bil-kostumi, Defni. Fi “Grajjet Malta” l-istampi juru car li l-gens Malti minn dejjem kien jilbes loincloth, inkella leotard, imbaghad lejn il-Medju Evu beda jilbes pedal pushers u headband. Kollox huwa storikament korrett.
Don’t you mean ‘pedil puxers u hedbend’
Sori, ghamilt spelink mistejk.
I bet kev too wishes he is still living in Moscow reliving the past!
And guess what? Way back in ’82 Robert Mugabe was Mintoff’s guest of honour.
I meant Mugabe was a guest of honour for the gala opening of Gensna.
I scrolled through the website – methinks Sander wrote the damned thing… ‘Preliminary auditions have already been held last year’, ‘it is of utmost important’… sigh!
Dockyard workers in leotards and what look like vinyl skirts:
[Daphne – High camp without humour or irony.]
Speaking of camp performances, read this excellent piece:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090329/opinion/the-bishop-and-the-king
I had got really worked up about the prosecutions, but this article puts things into perspective. Mark Anthony Falzon’s “Let me through, I’m a priest” column (8 March) was pretty good, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfaMRbdMxcE
Dear Daphnie, I can feel your jealousy from here. Why don’t you write the reason why freedom day was achieved. If you know why!
[Daphne – You’re right. My lifelong ambition has been to wear a satin mini with a yellow safety helmet and twirl about in a kitsch performance for the delectation of a really naff audience. Mind you, I would love to go along with a couple of friends who, like me, just LOVE this kind of thing.]
STX – A fitting way to celebrate Freedom Day 30 years on would be to put Mintoff on that awful monument with a rocket beneath his seat. The even brighter side is that we’d be able to watch the celebrations on colour TV.
Muscat’s all set to light the rocket …
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090330/local/muscat-heralds-new-awakening-for-malta-at-freedom-day-commemoration
Ser, nista’ nwiegeb jien, Ser? Ghax il-kuntratt kien ghalaq fil-31 ta’ Marzu 1979.
“The reason why Freedom day was achieved” is because the British told Mintoff to bugger off – they didn’t think the rent was worth paying any more.
are you talking about you and your website audiance becuase it sure sounds like it…
Haqq Ghax ha nidghi wahda bl-ingliz ghax qieghed L-ingilterra. Jien gej lura Malta biex nisma dawn iz-Z***ati? Hsibt li hlisna darba ghal dejjem minn din id-dizopra tal-arti li mhi xejn hlief kantata bass li ma fissret xejn ghal hadd, hlief ghal meskini li hadmu fiha. Niftakar kienu reghduna z-zurrieq meta ghamluha Hagar Qim. Uzaw l-ikbar spijkers possibbli. Kienu qazzuh l-Alla li halaqhom, u l-mejtin ta got tempji kienu qamu jittappaw widnejhom .
U kemm domna nisimghu din l-Ghatuna x-xoghol fuq Xandir Malta. Konna xbajna nisimghu l-istess haga u naraw lil tad-drajdoks bil-leotards vjola u lil Renato bil-kodpijs jikkummiedja fuq l-istage, flimkien ma siehbu Ray. U issa ha jergghu iqajjmu l-mejtin mill-qabar, mejtin li nitnu, spiccaw jintnu, u tmermru l-hemm. Propju fi zmien l-Irxoxt. U ha nerghu naraw dan il-gieh lejn il-hamallagni u l-karnivalesk fuq xi stejg.
Ira, Ira, Tifla minn tas-Sliema. Ijwa hadd ma spjegalek kemm batew widnejna jisimghu dan l-insult lejn l-istorja Maltija? Kemm batiet il-generazzjoni taghna b’dawn l-iskuzi atturi u kantanti, u kemm gawdew a spejjez ta min verament kellu talent? Ma dawn il-boloh mort tithallat?
B’Renato qisu Gwanni l-Battista Fid-desert jiekol il-gurati, jaghmilha tal-iblah ghal tlett sighat shah, u b’kast ta medjokrita liema bhala jaghtu gieh lil tal-Lejber talli helsuna minn l-iskjavitu tal-Inglizi biex tefghuna fl-infern tal-iktar denominatur baxx li qatt kella s-s-cjeta taghna, meta ma stajtx tisma xejn ghajr dak li jtik il-Gvern?
Ara dal-pajjiz waqa wahda sew ghal tintu!
U jekk joghgbok, Daphne, Ippublikahieli din! Ghax dawn iridu jergghu iwaqqawna ghaz-zuffjett!
Mario Debono is back in shape, I see.
Impressive, DeBono. Your review is 27 years late. But your reliving of the only dissent you ever felt in your boxed-up lives comes out as pretty sad in 2009. You would not grasp what I’m telling you, Marju, but your types are the butt of many jokes in circles you don’t even know exist.
And you still have not realised what dissent is made of – that it is felt only by the few; by those who experience episodes in life that cause them to dissent. Look at you now. Deriding present dissent, yet wholly immersed in your dissenting past. Perhaps one of Mintoff’s greatest accomplishments was to cause the hitherto cocooned establishment to dissent, including the Church and thier tal-Muzew retinue. But since dissent does not come natural to you, you still reel with bitter feelings – feelings which less than 5% of the population actually felt – the rest being the PN party herd of the time.
I would write more, but Daphne has become a heavy-handed censor of late.
[Daphne – Editor, not censor. Some of you really run on and on.]
“Ira Losco made a guest appearance during the opening performance, of which a total of nine will be held.”
Nine opening performances. Yep, Chrysander Agius must be their advisor.
Miskin Int Mario, Miskin nerga nghidlek, hawnhekk qed turi vera kemm in- nazzjonalisti vera waqajtu fil-baxx, nies hamalli INT u l-miskina tal-Bidnija li toqghod gharwiena d-dar, biex tasal tikteb hamallata bhal din u taqra blog bhal din qeghdin vera turu il-gelosija taghkom lejn kapolavur li QATT in-nazzjonalisti ma kienu kapaci jaghmlu u jiddispjacini nghid dan, ghax fil fatt din lanqas ma hi tal-Laburisti imma tal-maltin kollha, u kun ghaf li tant hu hekk li din id-darba jahdmu fil-produzzjoni u jaghtu l-almu taghhom hemm nazzjonalisti ferventi, to understand me dear Daphne this is utter plain JEALOUSY, this dirty blog thrown at the face of two true composers of the likes of Maestro Paul Abela and the Poet Raymond Mahoney I’m sure must really hurt them. Please do continue with these blogs as this is one thing that turns me a true Nationalist and I know quite a few others into a Labouite because this type of writing and insults were done in Labour’s heyday of the early 80’s. As they say HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF and unfortunately now it’s coming from the supposed most educated party, what???? Well we’re all maltese aren’t we, so aren’t we all HAMALLI. MMaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa wicc ta’ daqqiet ta ha(r)ta ghandha,Daph mmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!!!!!!!!
[Daphne – Le, Reginald. Id-dar nilbes ta’ soru, ghax barra mid-dar muhiex permess.]
Reginald Flores Martin, I am oh so jealous of Renato, could you not tell?
Oh, come on! Each to his own, as they say. Some people think that, for example, Mintoff is the cat’s whiskers; likewise Joseph Muscat. It takes all sorts to make a world, doesn’t it?
Let’s just say that people who are crass and common will never see Gensna for what it really is, will they?
min qallek tersaq l-hawn hamallu u bassa!
Dejjem laqa kontu intom tal blu, bla demm !
Oqghodu hemm u araw, dan is alib li qlajna min ghand dawn!
U vera slaleb ghadna ta. Tista tghidi kemm trid siehbi, hawn is sahhara tiehu gost bik, ja bewwiela .
Tara wicc Gonzi qisu il qamar, saqajn is sahhara il bastun tan nannu.
Mur arak bil mini x, riha ta bewl tohrog!!!!!
[Daphne – Mank kelli saqqajja qishom il-bastun tan-nannu. Kemm kont nilbes thigh-boots suwed kieku.]
Bwietz, Def, bwietz
I wonder why Ira took part. She must have been paid well, because she once said that she never took part in political concerts.
Anyway, what I cannot fathom is how come the president-in-waiting was sitting koxxa ma’ koxxa ma‘ Joseph Muscat. Not the least bit ethical on his part.
[Daphne – I hope he’s not going to let the prime minister down by behaving in a manner that doesn’t befit his role. I agree that he shouldn’t have been there. Gensna is not a political-party production as such, but it is indelibly linked to the hideous government of 1982.]
That’s why I think that Dr Gonzi should never have suggested Dr Abela as the next President of Malta. But I wouldn’t go into that again. Gensna is a politcal production, as Mario pointed out. It was Lejber lejber lejber dak iz-zmien.
Amanda……I am at present in a wholly sane world where prat art such as Gensna does not exist.
As for Kev, what do you expect of a Labour person? I can assure you that people who love fare such as Gensna are the butt of jokes in circles that really exist, our generation’s circle. We suffered too much under Mintoff and his supposedly cultural excesses to forget. We dissented in those days by deriding such obtuse crap. Gensna is a harking-back to the days when Wistin wanted to use TVM to beget a Generazzjoni Socjalista. [Daphne – Wistin copulating with a television station and begetting a monster; now there’s a thought.] The proof that he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams is that Kevin and Sharon and Joseph exist.
So make me the butt of your jokes all you want, Kev. My skin is thicker than a whale’s. What do I care? But its not thick enough to stop me cringing in embarrassment and shame when with morbid fascination I watched the Youtube “siltiet” just now.
The fact that someone has resurrected this dead piece of drivel for the delectation of the great unwashed, who apparently went in their droves to relive it, points to only one thing. Labour of old is still alive and well. And while it exists, its head must be repeatedly cut off, metaphorically speaking.
But I dream. That will never happen. Not while Labour is led by nincompoops, who are trying to resurrect the spirit of the party by staging Gensna.
Mario DeBono – “My skin is thicker than a whale’s.”
Prosit. Is a whale thicker than an elifint? Just curious. Thought you would know.
“We suffered too much under Mintoff…”
True. You 2-5% did. And it was about time you tasted what suffering is. Pity that history will honour you with just a footnote.
“The proof that he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams is that Kevin and Sharon and Joseph exist.”
Indeed. You should truly be gutted, poor thing.
As for “the great unwashed” – at least they are not all frustrated wannabes, DeBono.
“But I dream.” – Indeed you do, Marju. Try waking up, it could help.
ieqaf aqa an-nejk u ara kif int ed tejx f dal-lussu…Familtek hija ghib ghal-poplu Malti…Malta kolla tfahhar gensna mbarra int u xi tnejn ohra bhalek li minalijom li jinsabu f dan li qedin illum ax dan waqa bhal manna mis-sema…Le mhux hekk, hoss naqa ghal pajjizek, iz-zewg partiti kkontribixxew bix inkunu fix edin illum bil-kbir jasal f jum il-Helsien u dan li jaghmilni kburi li Laburist imma fuq kollox malti,,,,,Sahha ghalik ja sahhara tal-bidnija
[Daphne – Qisek bicca hamallu – fis-sens veru tal-kelma – taht il-gillotina, jeqred u jghajjat kontra min hu ahjar minnu. Ghaddew izjed minn mitejn sena minn dak iz-zmien u xorta int u nies bhalek baqghu bl-istess mentalita miskina – anzi, ferm izjed miskina ghax dawk ta’ mitejn sena ilu kellhom ghalfejn jeqirdu u int m’ghandekx. Ma nghix go lussu, imma nassigurak li l-familja tieghi kienet komda minn hafna qabel tfaccaw il-partiti politici. Dejjem nghid li nies bhalek m’huma kapaci jaghmlu xejn hlief jghiru ghal haddiehor u jahsbu li jekk jaghdsu l-isfel dawk li huma ahjar minnhom, qisu b’xi miraklu huma jitilghu fis-socjeta u jibdew ifuru bil-flus. Kemm intkom msieken u ma tafu xejn.]
Is-soltu ghira bazwija u hdura Laburista! Kif insertaw kollha (jew kwazi kollha) l-istess il-Laburisti?
Kev
“Was it 1982? I was in Moscow at the time.”
Ah. You’ve been trained by the Soviets, I should have guessed. Always better than the North Koreans I suppose.
[Daphne – U ejja, Antoine. You mean you didn’t know?]
There’s a lot Antoine does not know, even if he thinks he knows everything.
Wisq nibza illi hawn element ta’ passat f’din is-site. Nahseb illi wasal iz-zmien illi ilkoll kemm intom titghallmu naqra l-istorja sewwa. Il-fatti juru cari illi kif dhalna fl-Ewropa, ergajna gejna skjavi ta’ Brussel. Forsi intom kollha ddottorati u qeghsin taqalghu eluf ta’ euro, imma jien haddiem ta’ l-id. Jekk joghla il-perzut jien inhossu. U jekk Brussels tghidilkom illi gensna tan-ne*k, ikollkom tghidu hekk. Pacenzja. Elezzjoni ohra tasal, l-ewwel tal- MEPs u wara l-elezzjoni generali. Nahseb illi veru li qed naqblu lkoll illi Gonzi PN huwa passat. B’hekk tridu taghmlu l-gieh lil min miet fis-sette gunio? Patrijotti ukoll, komplu ilghaqu l-barrani. Mulej ahfrihom ghax ma jafux x’inhuma jghidu!
[Daphne – Anke jiena haddiema tal-id. Ma nittajpjax b’saqqajja.]
Iehor minghalih li bid-dottorati taqla’ l-eluf tal-euro. U m’ghandniex bzonn Brussels biex jghidilna li Gensna tan-nejk. Nafu naqghu ghan-nejk wahedna.
Jimporta tghidli fejn nista naqla dawn l-eluf ta’ liri (insomma Ewro)? Jahasra, qatt ma stajtu tnehhu dawk ic-cips min fuq spallejkhom. Din il-paranoia kollha ta’ Malta mahkuma – x’tahseb li ser jigri wara l-elezzjoni li jmiss, xi terrimot fl-EU?
Zeus – Kieku id-“dottorati” kienu jsarrfu xi haga, ma jkunx hawn daqqsekk nies cwiec li ghandhom ittri wara isimhom minghajr ma’ jafu biss jisspellu jew jaghmlu sentenza wahda sura b’lingwa li suppost imdorrijin biha.
Ms. Caruana Galizia, that comment’s the stuff of legend.
Zeus, fejn sejjer b’mohhok, gej bid-dottorati. Hawnhekk qatta silla ssib, izda minghalihom li intellettwali u allura jridu jmaqdru l-gens li hargu minnu biex jikkonfermaw is-saggezza li jhossu. Li kieku jifhmu x’inhu ghaddej fid-dinja, tghid fiha u ma fihiex, imma dawn nies zghar li fic-cokon taghhom jisthu mill-Maltin l-ohra ghax jarawhom illitterati, injoranti, u psataz, filwaqt li huma edukati, intelligenti u puliti.
Hekk jigri meta bniedem ikollu mohhu dejjaq u jinsab incert minn nnifsu: iqabbel ruhu ma’ ohrajn “tal-klassi l-baxxa” biex jafferma li hu mhux bhalhom.
[Daphne – And yet you can’t get enough of us.]
I admit it’s highly addictive. I’ve even listed it as one of my vices. Imma x’taghmel? Working on the net can be quite boring, even if the whole world is at your fingertips.
Ara veru m’hawnx min jiflah jaqa ghan-nejk iktar. Dan x’ haseb? Li l-istorja ta’ Malta tispjega ruha b’ din il-hnizrija ta’ taparsi opra baxxa.? Jien kburi li Malti u kburi bl-istorja vera ta’ pajjizi, imma meta tara lir-Renato jizzuffjetta u skoss haddiema tad-drajdoks bil-parti maskili spjegata sew minn gol- leotard vjola jinterpretaw l-istorja ta’ Malta x’ jibqa go fik, ghidli? Isthu! Jew veru ma tafux kif?
kev
“We’re not “stepping back into the past” just because a few interested people paid tribute to a rock opera. . . .”
The tv spot posted by Daphne starts with the exciting words “lura għal ftit inqas minn 30 sena ilu” (back to a little less than 30 years ago).
No, I didn’t know you were trained by the Russians. I bet you miss Brezhnev.
Anyway, to go back to high culture, taking Gensna out of mothballs is in line with the present PL policy. As Evarist said, the more things appear to change, the more they remain constant in the PL. By the way, how can a musical be “in concert”? I thought it was only artists who performed in concert.
How can a musical be “in concert”? They even said that “the opening performance, of which a total of nine will be held …”. ( http://www.maltastar.com/pages/ms09dart.asp?a=707 )
Mur ifhem.
That’s a Maltese translation from Italian: opera in concerto meaning a concert version of the opera.
malti u kburi,
Li kont veru kburi li int Malti kont titgħallem tikteb il-lingwa ta’ pajjiżek.
ma ninsewx li hadn l indipendenza u xorta biex iccelebrajna l furjana ridna l permess ta l inglizi.gensna wasal li hu llum ghax kien il partit laburista.ma ninsewx ukoll illi biex dhallna fl ewropa ,edwin vasallo kien qal dan:JEKK L EWROPA TRID HEKK MELA JKUN HEKK. jigifieri ghaza daphne ilsienek ghalhekk twil ghax tappogga partit LAQI
[Daphne – Dejjem nistghageb kif Laburisti tat-tip tieghek dejjem iridu jitkellmu bla ma jafu kif jifformaw argument.]
L-aqwa l-lejber, hux? Mhemmx ghalfejn ikunu jafu xejn izjed, basta jirrepetu l-affarijiet li jisimghu.
Oh, and another thing. Is this blog not in English? Aren’t the elves capable of constructing a decent sentence in English, or do they simply need to post comments in Maltese to be patriotic? (Though, given their poor level of Maltese and Maltese spelling, their English must be absolutely horrendous.)
@ Amanda
You’re asking too much. They can’t even write in Maltese let alone in English.
Even the title of the musical is an exaggeration and a lie. The Maltese were never a “ġens”, i.e. a distinct racial or ethnic group separate from neighbouring peoples.
jien malti u ha nerga nirrispondik bil-malti u kburi li jien malti ghax fl- istorja u bil-fatti kien fil -WIEHED U TLETIN TA MARZU ,ELF DISGHA MIJA U DISGHA U SEBGHIN li verament u bil-FATTI li ttajjret il-bandiera Maltija u baqghet bla ma nizzlet..Kapaci nirrispondiek anke bl-ingliz ghax bis-sahha tal-partit laburista jien kont go l-aqwa skola li qatt rat Malta ;LICEO VASSALLI TAL-HANDAQ .U int tal -muzew oqghod saffar xi suffara ghax ghalhekk kontu tajbin fis-sittinijiet.Ninfurmak ukoll li jekk trid niltaqghu u nghallmek lilek u shabek x inhi politika maltija,grazzi
[Daphne – Ma tantx nahseb li kienet l-aqwa skola jekk ipproduciet lilek, qalbi.]
Veru ma tafux x’ inhi l-Indipendenza, biex tghidu hekk. Jiena ha nghidilkom ghaliex niccelebraw Jum il-Helsien. Mintoff tant kemm kien frustrat u irrabjat illi ma kienx kapaci jaghmel xi haga illi tibqa’ tigi celebrata f’ Malta bhal Jum l-Indipendenza illi waqaf jiccelebra l-Indipendenza u holom b’Jum il-Helsien. Dik hija l-unika vera raguni illi ghandna Jum il-Helsien. Izda Mintoff ma felahx ma jkollux xi festa illi “gab huwa” u allura holom b’ Jum il-Helsien.
Jum il-Helsien m’hija xejn ghajr it-tluq tal-bastimenti Nglizi minn Malta u certament, kif jaf kulhadd, it-tluq tal-bastimenti kienet ser tigri fi kwalunkwe kaz, galadarba ghalaq il-kuntratt.
Madankollu, nghiduha kif inhi, kien il-Partit Nazzjonalista, taht mexxejja kbar bhal George Borg Olivier u Eddie Fenech Adami illi ghamel kisbiet illi tabilhaqq sawru l-istorja ta’ dan il-pajjiz. Jekk xejn, permezz ta’ dawn in-nies, Malta tpoggiet fuq il-mappa internazzjonali bhala Stat sovran rikonoxxut mill-komunita’ internazzjonali fl-1964 u bhala Membru ta’ l-Unjoni Ewropeja fl-2004.
Meta ssiefier u titkellem fuq Malta, hadd ma jsaqsik meta hadt il-Helsien, imma meta sirt indipendenti u, recentement, jekk Malta kenitx fit-tkabbir ta’ l-2004 (jekk l-interlokutur tieghek) ma kienx jaf.
Ejja nieqfu nghawgu l-istorja ta’ dan il-pajjiz kif jaqblilna u nghidu l-affarijiet kif inhuma, nudi e crudi.
Ma nafx kemm ghandek ragun hawnhekk Lorna, ghax fuq l-aqwa kotba ta’ ricerka, li facli tista taqbad wiehed minnhom jekk ma ghandekx minn xi librerija, fil kolonni tal-persuni maghrufa dejjem issib DOM MINTOFF – STATESMAN u paragrafu shih fuqhu, l-ismijiet li int semmejt fuq, siegha tal-Prim ministru Gorg Borg Olivier (Alla jaghtih il-Glorja tal-Genna) u tal-President Eddie Fenech Adami ma jidhru qatt sal-gurnata tal-lum. Issa dawn il-pubblikazzjonijiet la l-aqwa Laburist u l-ebda Nazzjonalist ma pubblikhom, allura possibbli li dan l-imsemmi DOM MINTOFF possibbli ma ghamel xejn tajjeb u hu mnizzel f’dawn il-kotba hekk ‘just for fun’. [Daphne – Isem Mintoff tnizzel bhala wiehed li qala xeba’ inkwiet u ‘trouble, u mhux ghal ‘achievements’ pozittivi tieghu. Perezempju, taht ‘H’ issib l-isem ta’ Adolf Hitler, u taht ‘K’ ta’ Kim Il Sung. Imbaghad, jekk trmur taht ‘C’, issib lil Ceacescu. Barra minn Malta Mintoff ma’ kienx maghruf bhala bniedem kbir imma bhala bniedem ahdar u skifuz.]
Komplu b’din il-hdura u gideb halli nmompli nikkonferma li jien dawn is-snin kollha, allura jien kont naghmel parti minn partit ghajjur ghal partit iehor? [Daphne – Hekk nahseb, tghidx. Ghalhekk ghandek daqshekk ammirazzjoni lejn Mintoff, ghax kont Nazzjonalist. U mur ghamel zewg pirouettes f’Gensna, f’gieh kemm hemm.] u ghal daqsxejn ta musical jew Rock Opera li mid dehra ghax hija verita, tant tghat gewwa lil hafna nazzjonalisti li issa wkoll qed naqaw ghal bassezzi u qed nghidu li wara 30 sena il festa ta’ 31 ta’ Marzu ma tezistix. ‘Oh come on please, let’s stop being ridiculous and bringing on shame to the nationalist party with such petit accusations, is it this that brought the PN to a fourth electoral win, just, of course with things looking such, it won’t be far off in seeing Dr L Gonzi in resigning from power with such people around him who are doing more harm to him and the party than any good!!!!! WAKE UP [Daphne – Insejt il-SMEL DI KOFI, jew jaqaw bidlulek id-diska d-diretturi tal-grotto?] and realise whats hapening Daphne, Antoine, Lorna Amanda……………….. I know what I’m saying I was there in the 80’s when Malta needed a change for the better, those times are upon us again.’ [Daphne – Jahasra, keem hawn min ghandu bzonn xeba’ Prozac.]
Agreed – but how would poor Ruben know that? That’s what he was told and ‘Napoleon is always right’.
Mr “Flores Martin” my left toe – I see the elves are trying to create names they think sound credible.
The only Flores Martin I knew (a language teacher, a good two decades ago) was far more cultured than you come across as. A bit on the eccentric side, true, but certainly more cultured, and he could certainly speak proper Englisht and Maltese, and no doubt write them correctly, too.
DO YOU GET MY POINT????????!!!!!!!!!!
taf li kont qed nahsebl l-istess fuqek DAPHNE ghax meta naqra l-artikli tieghek bil-qzizati li tikteb fihom ninduna li primarja int kont l-ammieri u sekondarja kont kemmuna ,good night qalbi u sweet dreams
What a childish twit!
Frankly, I find the words: mietna ta’ xejn, mietna ghal barrani, insulting and disconcerting.
It might have been felt like that by our grandparents at the time. However, truth is that had we not been a British colony at the time, we would have been hotly contended by the Axis forces, as indeed we were, even with the British forces here in Malta. Malta’s position was so alluring that it would not have survived the war unconquered and then, we would have certainly died for nothing – conquered and broken by some of the most evil forces which ever walked the earth.
So all this talk of “mietna ghal barrani” is only an insult to our forefathers who had to withstand hunger and deprivation because they knew that Malta depended on it (not the “barrani”) and who had to cohabit with death on a daily basis. Why not ask the Maltese gunners who were stationed on the bastions at Cottonera (like my grandfather)?
At the end of the day, the courage shown by Malta and her people was an ingredient in the victory of the allies, and which, ultimately, saved Malta from surrendering to the enemy. And that is why the George cross should be on the Maltese flag – because it is thanks to that courage that we are who we are today: a sovereign state part of the Union of the most powerful and stable countries in the world.
‘mietna ta’ xejn, mietna ghal barrani’: the quest for a National Identity involves the creation of many myths and the distortion of facts.
[Daphne – Well, now we know why while the whole of the western world marked the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day – including his hero Obama, whose parents came from Hawaii and Kenya – he was at home eating hamburgers with Michelle and sent Joe Debono Grech instead (ghax ‘veteran’).]
ghaziza lorna,INDIPENDENTI tfisser li tfendi ghal rasek .jekk ma tafx wara li hadna l indipendenza l-aktar 2 entitajiet vulnerabbli il-pulizija u l- armata baqghu bill kuruna tal -bronz ,tar-regina ingliza mwahhla mal -berrita.issa stat sovran jekk ma tafx ,jigi rikonoxxut meta specjalment l-armata jikkmanda il -gvern tal-pajjiz.kaz tipiku huwa l-PALESTINA ghax armata m ghandiex u ghalhekk ghadha mhix stat.jekk tfittex ritratti aniki ta barracks tas -suldati ta bejn 1964 u 1974 ssib illi mal- arblu fil-parade grounds kien ghad hemm il-bandiera ingliza u s-suldati maltin jihdu l-paga mill -kolonja inliza..kun ghaf ukoll li meta lord Carrington staqsewh fuq il- helsien ,dan wiegeb li MINTOFF kien l-aktar bniedem iebes biex tiddilja ghax xtaqu li MALTA tibqa taghhom.Dawn issibhom fl-arkivji tal PBS .Nghidlek ukoll li sentejn ilu ma kien hemmx interpretu malti waqt xi laqghat go brussels
Ruben, x’naghmbuha l-armata jekk mal-Helsien sirna newtrali u ghodda tal-paci.
U taqbadlix fuq indipendenza u repubblika. Dazgur li baqghet ittir il-bandiera Britannika fuq il-barracks, ghax il-kap tal-istat kien is-sovran Britanniku. Imbaghad Malta saret repubblika. Jekk baqghu jiehdu l-paga mill-“kolonja Ingliza” (deh?), kien fuq talba tal-gvern Malti, ghax ma riedx jiehu l-piz finanzjarju fuqu, u sabha komda.
Allura skond l-gherf tieghek, pajjizi bhall-Awstralja, Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica (iva, gheziez Graffitti), etc, mhumhiex sovrani. Wow.
Xi gmiel hux, sirna indipendenti u minflok ir-regina, saru jikmandaw nies bhalek.
H.P. Baxxter, your comment in the second last paragraph simply MUST be challenged – “Allura skond l-gherf tieghek, pajjizi bhall-Awstralja, Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica (iva, gheziez Graffitti), etc, mhumhiex sovrani”
Having lived in Australia since 1956 let me remind you that on the 11th of November 1975, the Queens representative in Australia, Governor General Sir John Kerr, dismissed the democratically elected Labour government of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam half way through its term following a constitutional crises brought on by the opposition.
The Australian constitution in 1975 – as it still does today, stated that the queen through her representative the Governor General as the Head of State of the Commonwealth of Australia was therefore legally entitled to take that course of action.
I will not dispute your comment about the other countries mentioned because I don’t know all the facts but as far as Australia is concerned it is definitely still NOT a sovereign state.
Ifisser ukoll li taf tifhem b’mohhok, mhux temmen kollox li taqra jew li jghidulek.
Ruben, nista’ nassigurak illi naf sew x’ inhija indipendenza pero’ nissuggerilek taqra ftit kotba fuq l-istorja kostituzzjonali ta’ pajjizna (nissuggerilek “The Maltese constitution and constitutional history since 1813”; J.J. Cremona; 1994; Publishing Enterprises Group) u x’ inhuma r-rekwiziti biex stat jigi rikonoxxut bhala tali (Principles of Public International Law ta’ Ian Brownlie). U qabel ma tirrepeti dak illi tisma’ mill-politici, aqra kemm tiflah. Il-Librerija ta’ l-Universita’ ghandhom zgur.
Lanqas biss ha nwiegeb il-kumment fuq Brussels – li kien ghall-Partit Laburista (jew, dak iz-zmien, l-MLP), lanqas biss ahna rapprezentati fi Brussels ahseb u ara kemm kien ha jkollna interpretu. Bhal Sharon Ellul Bonici gejja tghid ghax fl-International School ma jghallmux il-Malti. Lanqas tisthi – qalet tant kontra l-UE.
Ruben,
First of all, Canada, New Zealand and Australia all have the Queen as their head of state and she is represented by a non-elected governor. Their armed forces are proud to carry the “royal” title and have a crown as a badge on their uniforms. Would you say they are not independent sovereign states?
Secondly, you are mixing things up because the issue of whether we should be a monarchy or republic is relevant to that other non-event of December 13. March 31 is about the closing down of a NATO military base to be replaced by a Libyan one, though Labourites prefer to ignore this little detail.
By the way, I have taken the liberty of addressing you in English since this is an English language blog. I hope you find someone to translate for you.
I don’t know about December 13 being a “non-event”. It is an important CONSTITUTIONAL milestone which Nationalist heavyweights of the time, such as U. Mifsud Bonnici, G. Demarco and L. Galea (and subsequent ones like E. Fenech Adami) will tell you that opposition to it was the one big mistake of Borg Olivier’s career. It was a natural constitutional development. What’s the sense in having a foreign national as head of state? I recall it caused a bit of a problem some years ago in Australia – where it remains a divisive issue. Maltese presidents have generally done us proud.
I’m not one to usually comment about articles which portray a different opinion to mine but this time I cannot refrain from doing so. Daphne, it seems that whatever you write about has to be negative and insulting to others. Is that really all you can do? You speak about Gensna when it seems you don’t even know the concept of it. Maybe if you went to watch before commenting you would have realised that Gensna is a ‘great’ musical which simply shows our local history, from the Arabs to Freedon Day and including Independence Day.
[Daphne – Fleur, I was 17 in 1982, not five. I know exactly what Gensna is about. It was a running joke.]
The artists are extremely talented and if you had an ear for music you would realise how great a musical this is and all involved, musicians, singers are doing it for the love of music and the history of our country. [Daphne – Yes, that’s why Cameron Mackintosh, who’s half Maltese, is knocking on your door.]
So what if originally it was produced by the then Labour government. [Daphne – So what? Try this: it was hard-line socialist propaganda, the sort they got in the Soviet Union.]
That is past and we are the ignorant ones if we don’t look at any party and recognise the good and the bad of each party. I too would have loved to see the ‘present’ president attending this great event but then one has to see why he was not present before insulting the organisation. [Daphne – Had he attended, it would have been the ultimate in hypocrisy, and that isn’t one of his hallmark qualities. Gensna was produced at a time when I and my contemporaries spent our weekends demonstrating against the government that produced it. Quite aside from the socialist propaganda, there’s another reason we laughed at it: it was so damn naff, and still is. Naff, naff, naff, naff. You just can’t do that kind of thing without humour and irony, I’m sorry. Dockyard workers in vinyl miniskirts – bring on The Village People.]
I am not coming from a Labour background. [Daphne – Yes, I know. I think your sister was in my class at school.] On the contrary, I have a similar background to yours [Daphne – Not really, but I’ll let that pass.], same school (which you hated and I loved), and same bad memories about the 1980s, but I love good music [Daphne – !?] and cannot understand why we cannot appreciate our culture and our artists without bringing in politics.
And to you, Mario Debono, you are so thick and it’s because of people like you that our politicians are too big for their boots. They know that you will still vote for them no matter what they do. [Daphne – Well yes, Fleur, and you are the perfect example of that mentality. Somebody puts on a show you like, featuring your co-lyricist Paul Giordmaina, and you roll over and pant.] No different to all the Labourites you referred to in your comments.
[Daphne – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oP7HMKIwOA ]
thank you antione for your reply but on military it seems you don t have any idea .i write in my language cause i m proud to do so .after all you pn is in your bue blood to put aside whats maltese .
John,
Becoming a republic might have been a theoretical constitutional change but it does not deserve to be a national holiday. Sir Anthony Mamo began to be called president instead of governor and we were saddled with that horrible coat-of-arms, complete with luzzu, pitch-fork and prickly pear. What else changed?
Likewise, the closure of the NATO base might have presented an interesting challenge for the Maltese economy but it most definitely wasn’t “Freedom Day”. We did not become free in 1979; quite the contrary. The Mintoffjani caused more hardship and bloodshed in 16 years than the British did in century and a half. If you’re thinking of the Sette Giugno riot, remember that the SMU opened unprovoked fire on Maltese civilians at Rabat and it was by pure chance that they didn’t kill anybody. There were several occasions when the Mintoffjani used firearms against other Maltese.
Antoine,
You’ve gone completely off point – just as you accused Ruben of doing. NATO bases, whether we became “free” or not in 1979, Mintoffiani, SMU and firearms at Rabat have absolutely nothing to do with with December 13 1974. All this would equally have happened had Lizzie still been waving her sceptre over us.
The point is we took a constitutional step forward and joined the rest of independent European states, and practically the rest of the world, in establishing that our head of state would henceforth be a co-national. Why call it a “non-event”? I’ve never heard anybody else do so.
ruben,
I don’t know what you mean when you say I have no idea about the armed forces – the facts are as I stated them.
More to the point, are you also proud of being unable to spell and punctuate properly, both in English and Maltese? Quite apart from the ideas you express, your writing is an embarrassment to the Maltese language. You are the living embodiment that our education system has not performed as it should have done.
Well where I come from we have a king who can’t bloody write any better than that – in any languague. Then again, I never voted for him.
Fleur Balzan
The political connotations of Gensna by far transcend its musical qualities, which are subjective anyway.
Would you go to a concert where Nazi hymns were being played? You might like the melodies and admire the abilities of the musicians but I hope you realise that attending such a performance would be a political statement not a cultural one.
Just for the record, do you have any personal agenda that makes you sympathetic towards Gensna? Nothing wrong with friendship but, before pontificating to others you should perhaps come clean about your own interests in the subject.
Yes, they could have brought Gensna forward and added the struggles between 1979 and 1987, when at last Malta got its real freedom.
Zeus/Ruben
Ma tifilhux taqaw ghan-nejk ticcelebraw il-gurnata li-Mintoff qata’ l-bajd biex jinki l-mara? Mela tajjeb, il-purcinell prima (ghax issa gibtu r-raba’ wiehed – it-tarbija) mar jinnegozja mal-Inglizi, hej…. Ipprova jbiegh bil-gholi wisq fin-1974 u baghtuh jitnejjek – qalulu mela issa naghmlu kuntratt ta’ l-ahhar u imbaghad ndabbru rasna lejn bazi banda ohra fis-79.
U biex ma’ jkomplix jaqa ghan-nejk ghamel festa u qal li keccihom. Imma ghal kul min mhux imbeccilli xorta waqa ghan-nejk – u kaxkarna mieghu, il-purcinell.
Ha toqghodu tghidu fuq l-indipendenza, ghalfejn tahseb li ddecidew li jitilqu minn hawn l-Inglizi?
Ghax kellhom bazi Cipru. Ghax meta c-Ciprijoti gabu l-indipendenza mill-inglizi, mhux kuntratt bil-kera rnexxielhom jinnegozjaw, kif irrexxilu jinnegozja Borg Olivier, imma tilfu bicca mil-art taghhom ghal-dejjem f’forma ta’ zewg bazijiet li bejniethom fihom daqs il-gzira ta’ Malta kollha.U ser tghiduli l-indipendenza ma kienet tiswa xejn? Saqsu lic-Ciprijoti xi swietilhom.
U tletin sena wara ghadkom tibilghu u tmexxu l-propaganda tal-purcinell…. Mhux ta b’xejn tellajtu purcinell iehor.
MikeC, f’hames paragrafi spjegajt dak li l-istorici Maltin ma fehmux f’hamsin sena.
The cross Maltese or the Maltese cross? Does this feature in Gensna?
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,905363,00.html
Daphne…do us all a favour and shut up or rather…get a life???
What do you call a manifestation like Festival Indipendenza, where every year it is turning out to be a festival to choose the next song for the PN’s electoral campaign????
I prefer Renato and all the klikka rather than a sorry excuse of a political festival with a hidden agenda!
No use crying over spilt milk now, Gensna is sold out.
[Daphne – Jahasra, biex ma ksibtx biljett!]
Yet you didn’t answer my question about Festival Indipendenza.
I just appreciate Gensna as a good piece of Music. I hope you have nothing to say against the genius behind the music who is Mro Paul Abela. OK The Lyrics might have been biased for that time but if you think about it well, some of them are still valid for this very day and age
Example:
Aghtuna Ix-Xoghol, Aghtuna il-Hidma, Aghtuna dak li iggilidna ghalih (it can be easily said for the MANY workers who have or will be sacked, and for those working on forced 4 day weeks)
On a more relaxed note, it would be cool, to remove all political ties, to have Gensna 2 – with the road from Freedom Day to EU accession, that way we can include songs like IVA Ghalina Ghal Uliedna Ghal Pajjizna, remixed with Partnership l-Ahjar Ghazla since both had said that they had won :)
You’re joking, aren’t you?
Jien nahseb li il-muzika ta Gensna hija wahda mill-isbah li qatt inkitbet lokalment, Dan kien ukoll kliem li qal Clyde Puli meta gie intervistat wara li kien prezenti din il-gimgha.
Hawn kullhadd ghandu punt bhal kollox li jigri f`dan il-pajjiz, ghaliex kollox ghandu jkun hekk ?
Kullhadd ghamel tajjeb u hazin pero hemm bzonn naccettaw li kullhadd ghamel ghal gid kif jaf hu, kull partit fid-dinja kellu it-tajjeb u il-hazin, izda hadd ma ghandu kollox tajjeb jew kollox hazin, ghaddejna min hafna affarjiet u kien hemm zminijiet koroh bhal dejjem.
Daphne ma nistax immeri l-oppinjoni tieghek ghax ghandek kull dritt tghid li thoss, pero musikalment ma naqbilx li Gensna hija fqiira, anzi kienet favorita ma hafna u minn kull naha.
Ma nixtieqx nidhol f`meriti etc etc ,,, qed nitkellem biss minn naha muzikali u ta xi hadd li jhobb il-muzika ,, jien nahseb li kull event li jissemma f`Gensna, fosthom L-Indipendenza kienu importanti ghal Malta, kolla huma parti minn storja kbira.
Grazzi
The problem with Gensna is that it’s still all a bit too much in the face. Many people are still repulsed by the Mintoff years so probably Gensna will be judged for it’s own merits in 20 years’ time. Let’s face it, it’s quite a decent piece of music.
Daphne:
Naff or not naff..well that’s a bit of a problem linked to the genre. One could argue that Joseph and Phantom are naff; so are operettas; so is Cavalleria Rusticana and dozens of Italian operas…but there is one indisputable thing: the music saves them.
Re political contents, links, symbolism, and partisan elements:this is not unusual in music. We just tend to ignore it! Otherwise we’ll have to let go of Wagner, Respighi, Orff, Shostakovich, Elgar… Let’s see things in perspective!
I should thank you Daphne, for thinking I’m so young. I was far from 5 when you were 17 and I know and lived the same uneasy years you did and probably even worse. [Daphne – I didn’t think you were five, Fleur. I was referring to Muscat. And people who were five at the time aren’t young now. They’re 35, which is the official first year of middle age. I know exactly how old you are because you were in the same class as one of my sisters.]
Cameron Mackintosh might not be knocking on my door but you don’t know who is and it is more than writing for an audience of no more than 5000 readers. [Daphne – Actually, Fleur, it’s several thousands more than that, added to a few more thousands on this blog, to say nothing of the thousands who’ve never read anything I’ve written but to whom I am a household name thanks to my big fans at the Labour Party. But even if it were 600 it wouldn’t make a difference to me as I’ve always done it for fun. Not to be mean or anything, but given that you haven’t made it in the song-writing business by the age of 40, you should stick to the day job.]
You are right about the background, I was being modest and when it comes to panting, it’s you that’s doing it not I. I have a mind and I use it!! [Daphne – Sorry, didn’t get you there.]
No agenda here but with your thinking we should do without the malta experience as gensna is nothing more than that put to music. [Daphne – Again, not to be mean or anything, but what exactly do you know about political semantics, or about how messages are communicated? All you see is the face-value music.] What’s wrong with putting culture before politics? [Daphne – Everything. It is politicians who run the country and shape our present and our future, not the producers of rock ‘opras’ and all those who take part in them. Gensna as culture, that’s an interesting idea – and to think that these people are the ones agitating for an ‘opra’ house, halli itellghu Gensna f’stil xieraq.] My point was, you should watch it before judging, people change and, unless you’ve noticed, times has changed too.
Not interested in saying any more! [Daphne – Well, it doesn’t take much to see why you’ve thrown in your lot with the Renatos and Paul Giordmainas of this world, but never mind. At least it’s not with Norman Lowell, like someone else I knew at school.]
I agree with Fleur Totally!!!!!!!!
I honestly can’t stand the negativity of these posts!! Horrendous name calling, absolute superiority complex… I very seldomly read anything you write daphne, but when I actually do you make me wanna throw up. I don’t mean this to be personal (most probably, you’re decent enough in real life), but I always end up siding with the people putting their arguments against you, even if it’s just because of your attitude. The hamalli, as you call them are less nauseating.
Even worse, it seems as though your attitude is infectious…. (I’m referring to amanda mallia, antoine vella, and their likes).
[Daphne – Sigh. Looks like you lot feel about Gensna the way that Gift of Life feel about foetuses.]
D Camilleri – I too think she is quite decent in life – I mean, even if she compares this site to her living room, I’m sure she would not speak like that to any guests at home. But I need to defend Daphne here, for being frank can NEVER be vilified. Being frank to the extent of revealing one’s true sentiments is something to commend, more so when those sentiments betray feelings others would prefer to hide. Is she cutting-edge in politics? Not really – very disappointing when it comes to real politics on the world stage. But she is cutting-edge in the way she presents her political discourse within local confines. Personally, I prefer this rash and abrasive way – it gives it punch. Otherwise you might just read the ultra-cautious bull that others write, especially bandwagon politicians… puke, puke… not to mention Salvu Balzam, of course, who plays the maverick but is so confused he might as well wear his shoes around his ears.
[Daphne – Thanks for the love letter.]
Please, Daphne, don’t embarrass me. I ‘m anything but a flatterer.
[Daphne – Tell your wife that I’m with her all the way on this Gift of Life business, if on nothing else. I see that Paul Vincenti reported her to the surmast.]
Paul Vincenti will soon be taught a major lesson in political backfire. Bad move, Paul – and you had been warned.
[Daphne – So this is what you were talking about the other day.]
Was it really that vague? I thought it was too explicit.
Debate: Ayattollah Vincenti vs Sharon tan-No2EU – Tuesday, 7 April, at 8.30 p.m. on Favourite Channel.
Update: Debate cancelled by order of a higher authority.
Taf xnaf?
Li if it wasn’t for Mintoff none of us would have had a stipend, none of us would have had a pension as well all the other social services.
[Daphne – Not only did we not have a stipend, but we didn’t even have access to a university. Those who did succeed in getting in didn’t get a stipend. They got a slave wage for the ‘worker’ period of what was then a student-worker scheme.]
Li if it wasn’t for Mintoff we would have never had a Maltese Airline, a Maltese Communications Company, a Maltese Gas Company, a Maltese bank, a Maltese lighting company to mention a few. [Daphne – The Maltese bank on which Mintoff stage-managed a run and then seized was a Maltese bank already. I should know, given that my father’s family were shareholders and my grandfather was its president at the time. Mintoff did not create. He destroyed. The past 22 years should have taught you how a country’s economy is built up.]
Now all of these are Sold to foreigners…so all the troubles that our people went through to create all of these are for naught now as it is all controlled by the foreigners [Daphne – Better foreigners than Denis Sammut.]
So Hell Yeah…Mittna Ghal Xejn, Mittna ghal Barrani!!!!
To be frank Mr. Mintoff did a few stupid and ugly things but you simply cannot ignore the above. Laburist jew Nazzjonalist we all got e.g. Stipend thanks to Mintoff, we all have free healthcare. (this is the same stipend that the SDM-run KSU of 1998 chained itself for in front of Castille) [Daphne – You’re clueless. No wonder you vote Labour.]
Think of these things. [Daphne – Believe me, I do.]
Re: Gensna, honestly, it should only be seen as a representation of what the Labourites of the 1970s believed in. Apart from that it is a beautiful piece of music written by one of our finest composers, Mro Paul Abela and penned by a genius of a poet Raymond Mahoney. Ok they might have worn leotards and done a few pirhouettes, and so is the Alison White company doing such a thing, but hey no one can’t ignore the huge Pirhouette that Dr. Gonzi is doing with this tiny island…Anyone bought gas today? Have you seen those prices???? [Daphne – Perhaps you could connect Muscat’s anus to your cooker. That should keep you going for a couple of months, particularly if he keeps up his burger habit.] Just when governments all around the world are helping their people, what does our government (for which I have voted) do? Make our life more miserable by increasing the price of anything within his power.
I have been to Gensna, even though I am an avid Nazzjonalist [Daphne – Don’t forget that I am Chief Elf Monitor and the first to take note of the latest messages posted up on the grotto wall for repetition in the public domain. Here’s your latest one, popping up everywhere I look: ‘Even though I am a Nationalist, I still think it’s time for a change. It’s time for a change like it was time for a change in the 1980s.’ Sorry folks, but the general election is four years away. How long are you going to keep this up? You’re going to wear yourselves out and, in campaign terms, you’re peaking already, four years before the event.] but I enjoy good music when i hear it. Well Done to the organisers, to Renato, to Joe Cutajar, to Mary Rose Mallia, Mary Spiteri, to Catherine Vigar, to Paul Giordimaina, to Ryan Abela, to Ira Losco, to Bayzo and to the choir and musicians. Well Done for bringing back such a beautiful musical. Daph, if you have a witty comment ready doubting the fact of me being a Nazzjonalist, spare me the small talk please. [Daphne – Another Nazzjonalist who admires Mintoff. A likely story, indeed.]
Obviously you do not care about the people with low income who need to buy gas at a very expensive price. You’re heartless with no emotions whatsoever, a trait that is transmitted via this excuse of a blog. L-aqwa li twaqqa lil Joseph Muscat ghan-nejk. and all people who pose a different opinion than yourself!!!
[Daphne – The difference between you and me is that I don’t believe the lot of ‘people with low income’ is bettered by worsening the lot of those with a higher income, who create the jobs in the first place, and pay the wages and salaries of others. I don’t mind at all if people have a different opinion to mine. I don’t have the personality of a Dom Mintoff or an Alfred Sant. What I do mind is somebody of limited intelligence and a career composed of filing Super One documents, reporting for a partisan newsroom, ‘telling people what to do with their money’ and faffing around as an MEP for four years positing himself as more fit and able to run the country than the present prime minister.]
My comment about the gas was purely innocent, and actually based on fact, as was stated on the paper on which you write. You didn’t have to put in Dr. Muscat and the whole BBQ saga! [Daphne – Exactly how much gas do ‘people with low income’ use? There are four people in our household, we cook all the time using gas, and one cylinder lasts forever. Gas is probably the biggest bargain in any household.]
But then again, all your arguments are built around the same kind of topic always with one objective, to ridicule. No wonder your son ridiculed himself in front of the TV cameras by f**king the camera persons off! We all know where he gets it from.
[Daphne – You should be so lucky to have a son like him. But it’s unlikely, because as you pointed out, children are the product of their parents and of those who raise them.]
I have to say, ara kem i have been saying things, that this last comment posted by you Daph, I have to agree with it, ha nejdlek, thank god you are not Mintoff or Sant (or even Joseph for that matter) because I wouldn’t even want to waste any of my time talking to you :)….you see, I do not talk to nuisance people!!!!
And the comment about the Gas I have to say it made me smile ta!!!
But anyways…joking and arguments apart….if i were you I would try and go to Gensna in disguise and see it for yourself…Ha nghidlek it would be nice to read your comments after the show, honestly ta….
Take Care Daph x
X’esterizmu.
Gerald Fenech ilu ma jitfacca. Bhala connoisseur tal-muzika, min jaf x’jahseb fuq ‘Gensna’.
Maybe he’s morphed into Eric
Keep them coming, Daph! Ignore these ignorant shenanigans! Love reading your blog….ever thought of a book? PLEASE PLEASE write one!
I don’t know which one is the funniest. Daphne’s article (to cause a commotion) or her replies to her victims.
[Daphne – I had absolutely no idea that people would debate Gensna like they debate abortion. It’s been a revelation. To me, Gensna is just a naff joke.]
All this time on your hands you lot? wow, I gave up even trying to read all this when I saw the dimensions of the scroll bar cursor…
ma titfawx il-koment tiji ja qahba kem noboduwk liba kollok…
l NITILU KEM NITFAWLEK ZEBA MAL-FACCATA
…RIDU SAHHARA AX MA MORTX….
[Daphne – Typical. I delete most of these comments, but since somebody the other day remarked that this blog is ‘too one-sided’, I’ll begin letting the opposing view through so that he can see for himself what it’s like. People like this wish they had a guillotine and permission to use it. DAQXEJN DIFFICLI TILHAQ IL-FACCATA MINDU TAW IN-NAR ID-DAR, HABIB, GHALIEX HEMM MASTIFF LI JAGHMEL GHAN-NIES BHALEK FIN-NOFS. MALGHAJR JAGHMLEK RAHAD.]
“tiji”, as in “tieghi”, b’accent ta’ Burmarrad?
Ok. Now that’s just vile, scary and very inhuman.
Imbaghad hemm “nitilu”, b’accent Bormliz….Conspiracy! Fejn hu kev?
dak izzejjahlu kumment?
@Eric
For someone who claims to be a PN supporter (yeah, right!) you are spouting the usual Labourite, revisionist, blind, ignorant propaganda – otherwise known as a load of bloody bollocks.
My grandfather was receiving a pension in the 1960s and receiving care at St. Lukes for free. Although there were occasions when they chose to go private…… but then Mintoff forced the private hospital to close by expelling the owners – and refusing to grant licences to anybody else, in good communist-state monopoly tradition.
The medical students were not protesting against the stipends, but against the ruin of the medical school as proposed and carried out by Mintoff. In short, the net effect of the student-worker system was that medical students would have a longer course, fewer holidays, but notwithstanding that, and most importantly, much less supervised hands-on time in the wards, (presumably spent cleaning toilets instead – a leaf take out of the books of the Khmer Rouge, and the Communist party of the Peoples’ Republic of China under chairman Mao)
As a result, they graduated with much less experience and effectively (a) putting patients’ lives at risk (b) costing more because of effectively having to extend their training after graduation. I suspect there was a lot more of (a) going on.
Those who could leave did so, many never to return – our loss. Thanks Dom.
They were also protesting against the kind of NHS the incompetent, pig-headed clown was proposing, more akin to communist Russia rather than the Labour-governed UK.
Why do you think we used to call him a purcinell? For fun? Of all insults, why choose that one? Because it was factual – he WAS an incompentent clown, period.
The “Maltese companies” you mention already existed anyway – some of them as private companies taken over abusively or illegally and others simply changed from government departments to para-statal companies so ministers could sell votes (and lose elections anyway – ’81, ’87). Those companies ‘sold to foreigners’ (in part by your PL heros) are now producing value, paying taxes and employing people in productive jobs, rather than turning messengers into managers, paying people to sit around doing nothing, and acting as honey-pots for Labour bazuzli.
Any good Labour did happened before Mintoff took the party away from Boffa. For Labour, its been downhill ever since, especially in terms of leaders, and we can only say Mintoff was the worst one of them because he’s the only one who spent a reasonable amount of time in office
With some luck, and a lot of his own gaffes, the current clown won’t get there, as long as he keeps tripping himself up. The question is, whose Manchurian candidate is he? Or is he the PN’s mole? :)
It is utterly disgusting how the venom that runs in your DNA the nationalists, comes out when you can’t reach the peaks that the performers (singers ) acchieved in this concert.
These are the singers that have been the top performers during the past 30 years. It must have been anhonour for IRA to take part in this opera.
[Daphne – D’ you mean this one? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3130149.stm ]
You never sieze to amaze me! I didn’t know you had a sense of humour. Ira Losco and all the the Maltese singers would give anything to be able to take part in this Opera. And I;m including all the Nationalist singers.
Any singer would cease the chance, and never sieze.
Seeing that there’s not much else going on musically …
Oh yes, I forget we’ve got something wrong with our DNA. You keep saying that. No problem, it won us votes the first time, and it will continue to do so.
Please note that the Real IRA and Continuity Ira are different entities than the Provisional IRA.
If Gensna is all about entertainment, people who enjoy it need not defend their view. Some people enjoy that sort of thing, some people don’t.
If, on the other hand, Gensna is the expression of a political worldview, then criticism is inevitable as that worldview is not universal.
It is not only elves and those who see themselves as the historical underdog who can lay claim to being Maltese. It follows that there are differing views on Malta’s history (as opposed to Maltese history) and the meaning of that difficult construct ‘Maltese identity’.
In the view of the elves and self-proclaimed historical underdogs, no one else’s opinion counts. But that is something we knew already. We didn’t need a Gensna revival to remind us, much less the defensive tantrums and self-righteous indignation with which any criticism is greeted.
Hey guys, doll and daphne! Well at least we can really celebrate freedom day coz we were free from all. As for independence day – have my doubts! oh well we were not really independant were we? Considering that what we call state companies (even though we are privatising most) were still being run by the ENGLISH! I saw a picture of borg olivier and guess who was standing next to him whilst claiming OUR independance? AN ENGLISH soldier! And then you say we live in fantasy world! Think again ladies, gentleman and daphne! as for the comments about Renato and the rest – I hope that before you commented you took a look at yourself in the mirror!! With regards to those who found it funny – taf meta tidhak meta thallas dak il-kont tad – dawl jew meta jigi gonzi bil – hames bozoz!!
[Daphne – Dawn ta’ Gensna kollha b’nofs mohh.]
Hey guys, doll and daphne and Lara, when the english flag came down during the Independece celebrations it came up again the next morning At the St andrews Baracks, luqa airport, Mtarfa, Siggiewi and a lot of other places held by the British around Malta. On the other hand when it came down on Jum il Helsien, it only came up again only At the british Embassy, and the residence of the English Ambassador in Villa Degiorgio in Sanpawl tat-targa.
*English* flag?
Well said anthony :)
And the Libyan flag went up on the Main Guard in Valletta……
Inti taf li kullhadd nofs mohh ihaddem jew Gonzi qallek li thadmu kollu hu ghemintu???
Daphne, one thing you fail to realise is the symbolism surrounding Gensna. Gensna is not just ‘the first Maltese rock opera’ and ‘tas-socjalisti’, but also the culmination of a long era. Love it or hate it, Gensna marks a very significant episode in the history of these islands, when, for the very first time ever, we were free from any foreign presence. The significance of this is that while for centuries Malta could only ‘prosper’ through its military function, 1979 marked a turning point towards peace and productivity. Gensna celebrates this event with drama and patriotism (not as bad as its American counterpart, though)
The music was, at the time, above the standards of the time. It still is good music, and if anything it matured by time and history. Only the fact that you lived in a parallel Malta could explain your indifference – indeed disdain – towards Gensna. I can clearly understand why you describe it as ‘naff’. But history will not refer to it as naff. In this case, Gensna – 1, Daphne – 0.
[Daphne – You are so wrong. “1979 marked a turning point towards peace and productivity.” Peace and prosperity began in 1987, Kevin, and that’s what historians will acknowledge. I think you forget that I lived here 1979-1987.]
The word ‘symbolism’ was there for a reason, Daphne, but you missed it. The turning point did not occur at midnight on 31 March 1979. Three years later, Gensna symbolised the end of an era of military service. Now if you want to start counting from 1987, please do, but you’re missing the point – as usual in matters concerning Mintoff, is-Socjalisti and their manifestations.
[Daphne – Am I missing this point? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEvOLb8VE_g ]
Yes you are. That video wasn’t made for you, remember. You think you can read the population, but it’s only half a world.
[Daphne – Actually, Kevin, that was professional advice.]
Also, this is the first time Mintoff attended Jum il-Helsien celebrations in a long time. It holds significance – but as I said, you wouldn’t get it.
[Daphne – Yes, because this is the first time in 17 years that he hasn’t had to contend with Alfred Sant, who he despised even more than I did. If you can attach significance to ‘ah, the coast is clear’, then feel free to do so. On the other hand, he appears to be oblivious to the significance of Joseph Muscat.]
No, Daphne, you got it so wrong I’m all smiles. It does not work like that. I cannot have an open conversation here, but suffice to say that this is all symbolism. Mintoff is today very old – he’s close to the end, actually. But don’t try to understand the mindset we’re dealing with here – that’s beyond you. All I can say about that video is that I wish the editor did a better job.
[Daphne- Understanding the mindset is part of what I do for a living. I’m not the amateur here.]
Daphne, don’t claim to know the mindset of your ‘enemies’ because you don’t. You don’t even know your history, so there. I would agree that that video did not need the campaign labels, but for heaven’s sake it’s just a video showing the return of old Dom after a long absence. Return to what? Return to nothing, it’s all symbolic. Mintoff haters like you are not exactly SEB voters, so stop being so ‘preoccupied’ and thanks for posting the video for all the wrong people to watch.
[Daphne – The medium is the message. And yes, I do understand the mentality of my political enemies – perfectly. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t know how to be effective when I need to be.]
Do you know, for example, the proportion of ‘Mintoff’ searches on Youtube? Of course you don’t. It only takes a Daphne to mess up with an otherwise sound tactic. You may be politically astute, but there many holes in your fabric of which you are unaware.
[Daphne – The fact that there are many of Mintoff searches on Youtube does not mean that all those doing the searching are Mintoff fans. I keep my eyes on the ball, Kevin. You should do the same.]
No, Daphne, see how ill-informed you are? The number of Mintoff youtube vids (and there are not that many) has NOTHING to do with what I’m talking about. I get to know the actual proportion of people searching ‘Mintoff” – and many other details which you cannot even imagine. You’re a rooky on the Internet, Daphne and that’s a fact no matter what you say.
[Daphne – Sigh. You’re the one who suggested that interest in Mintoff video-clips is directly correlated to political support for Mintoff, not me. I’m the one who pointed out that it has nothing to do with it, and that the search for Mintoff videos might actually have more to do with morbid fascination. Don’t forget that the last election was won on the internet – and not by rookies.]
Okay, I read your comment again. So what you’re saying is – forget the voter base and try to appease the Daphne look-alikes?
[Daphne – No, what I’m saying is that in 20 years’ time, no EP candidate is going to win votes by releasing Youtube videos showing her or him hanging round a 90+ Fenech Adami’s butt. And Fenech Adami is respected. Your wife was onto something with her Gift of Life quarrel. She kind of undermined all that by gazing adoringly at the ghost of Christmas Past.
And what in heaven’s name was she thinking of with that full-page advert in the newspapers today? I quote: “LET’S CHERISH OUR FREEDOM WHILE WE STILL HAVE IT. The 30th anniversary of Freedom Day was celebrated in style by the Labour Party last week. And this time, to the joy of thousands of Labour supporters gathered to honour this day, DOM MINTOFF himself attended the commemoration after many years of absence. It was a cold, wintry day, reminiscent of Freedom Day 1979, especially for those among us who 30 years ago stood witness to this UNIQUE EVENT in our country’s long and chequered history – a day when, for the very first time, Malta was FREE FROM SERVING OTHER NATION’S MILITARY INTERESTS, and free to secure the people livelihood through PEACE AND PRODUCTIVITY. But the passage of time induces people to forget what should otherwise be remembered, leading them to be placidly content without asking the questions that need to be asked. Yet the less we ask, the less we will know. And the less we know, the more we will forget and the less we will act.”
For crying out loud – “celebrated in style”? “To the joy of thousands of Labour supporters”? I suppose you mean the ones who were yelling ‘traditur’ 11 years ago. “The passage of time induces people to forget what should otherwise be remembered”? That’s not why the post Ir-Rok Opra Gensna attracted the highest number of comments since this blog started out a year ago. Celebrated in style….Jesus.]
Sure, she should change course mid-campaign and proceed on an anti-Gift of Life campaign to earn an applause and kudos from the europhiles who love her so.
[Daphne – I repeat, look at the Labour MEPS who were elected last time. No traditionalists there. The traditionalists won’t be voting in an EP election. There’s the ones Muscat is worried will stay home, because they are anti-EU. It’s a big mental leap to imagine you can persuade them to come out and vote for a candidate who is as anti-EU as they are. That’s because they’re probably consistent, unlike the anti-EU candidate in question and their Leader.]
So you too think that Eurosceptics should not vote. See where you stand? That’s what happens when you miss the whole point of Europe. But there are some 135 EU-critical MEPs elected by Eurosceptics. This is a federal parliament, Daphne. The U-turn is in your Pollyanna head.
[Daphne – Kevin, please be precise. I didn’t say they shouldn’t vote. I said they WON’T vote. The two meanings are different.]
“That’s because they’re probably consistent, unlike the anti-EU candidate in question and their Leader.”
Meaning: to be consistent one should not vote. That is what you implied and I consider you at par with those Eurosceptics who will not vote. They should know better, of course, unlike you, for I know precisely where you stand: a Europhile who is not bothered with the European Parliament elections is a superficial Europhile.
[Daphne – My chief interest in the European Union was, is and will always be an EU passport. It never was, isn’t and never will be the grand European project.]
“It never was, isn’t and never will be the grand European project.”
That says a lot about your EU knowledge – very Maltese, I would say. You have abandoned the subject for so long that today you haven’t a clue of what’s it all about. Perhaps you should interview Barroso and let him explain it to you. In return, you could give him a few tips on his wig.
[Daphne – Not interested. I’m a very focussed person. My focus was EU citizenship. The rest of it can go to hell. Non-Maltese might think differently because they have had freedom of movement and opportunity for decades – not so the Maltese.]
by the way Lara you have a nofs mohh which is much better than not having a MOHH at all. Sorry about my half Maltese/English I’m From Sliema ghal grazja ta -Alla
[Daphne – Not my part of Sliema, that’s for sure.]
coming from Sliema does not mean that you have to be nationalist. There are a lot of educated labour supporters in Sliema.
[Daphne – I didn’t mean the way you vote. AD voters happen to be concentrated in my part of Sliema.]
laraborg
It’s no use plugging your anti-PN theme. Independence came less than a decade after Mintoff tried to make us British.
Antione it is not about plugging the anti PN – I think that the independence was the first step towards Freedom day! what i can not take is people who do not acknowledge Freedom day and say that we took our total indepenence on Independence day – and this we both know is not true!! who believes this is ingnorant same goes for those who do not acknowledge Independence day…Just to make my thoughts clear….
@Kev
Free from foreign presence? What do you call the Italian, Libyan and North Korean military/police advisors?
Tourists?
It was the end of a lease, period. It could have come earlier or later, when WE decided, based on the terms of the agreement negotiated at Independence by Borg Olivier, without which, as in Cyprus, they could have stayed forever. In fact, they are stil in Cyprus today, for free, with no sign of letting go any time soon.
The fact that we chose not to ask them to leave simply means we did not think it was worth our while. Neither did Mintoff – in fact he never asked them to leave – he asked them for more money – he would have preferred them to stay and pay, but his reckless brinkmanship failed and they left. This had nothing to do with sovereignty and everything to do with commercial interests. If you price yourself too high in the midst of a world economic crisis, you lose the business. To attempt to turn that into a celebration is ludicrous.
Haha, I have to admit this is all too funny and entertaining, obviously I have my own personal views about Gensna and whatever comes with it, about those Dark Ages or Golden Ages (depending on what side of the ballot you vote), but I will not get into it.
I am going to speak as a person involved in the musical theatre sector here in Malta. When Gensna (the return) was announced I was one of the people who said “illa, how about something new????”. But then I was approached to take part, and the thought of xeba Labourites singing their heart out and getting wet over Mary Spiteri’s voice made me shiver. But I went to check it out and it looked nice, and so does the music (irrespective of the lyrics). During the shows we get obviously, mainly labour audiences who clap their hands off when Mintoff appears on screen (something which I find really funny, cos these are the same people who in 1998 called him Traditur). If only it wasn’t that partisan, it is such a piece of musical. I tend to compare it to Les Miserables (bhala element ta storja).
Issa about the story being twisted or no I am not going into it, because it doesn’t really interest me. I will leave that to the others leaving comments here, (esp those comments about throwing paint or whatever on Daphne’s house…il-Heroes nejdilom jien, li qedin jiftahru hafna bid-Destinazzjoni Success…i’m telling you, throwing paint really shows political maturity and success…keep it up).
On a last note, perhaps the PN should create a musical about the road to Europe…I think it would be such a great idea honestly. But then again, I don’t think the PN should stoop to that level, it doesn’t need musical to send messages to its electorate.
I would appreciate if you would have some sort of reply to my comment Daph. I think I was quite balanced and honest…minix bhal dawk li jahilfu li huma Nazzjonalist then they give a twisted-history lecture about Mintoff.
[Daphne – There’s nothing more to add, really. You appear to have approached the exercise in the right spirit.]
Thanks Ms. Caruana Galizia…I have to second a comment which someone wrote yesterday? Have you ever thought of a book with memoirs and stuff like that?
I hope it never occurs to the PN administration to produce a blue Ġensna. It’s bad enough that we have Kanzunetta Indipendenza. Somehow, pseudo-patriotic pop songs and musicals always bring to mind Kim Il-Sung and Mintoff.
Hi Antoine, that is why I said what I said after the idea of a blue Gensna. I think Indipendenza Festival should be scrapped actually. One person here said that it is an excuse to pick the electoral song, and quite frankly he was right.
There was something which could be considered a blue Gensna, a rock opera called Zaghzugh produced by MZPN as an alternative to Gensna, some time in the eighties. I remember it well, but it seems to have been pretty much forgotten by most people. Mentioned here:
http://www.dailymalta.com/wt/2005/08/songwriting-malaise.shtml
I seem to remember that the pn also got into the rock opera thing in 1985. I think it was called “Zaghzugh” and was by Jo Naudi and Tony Scott. However all traces of this abomination have been wiped clean except for this reference here:
http://www.dailymalta.com/wt/2005/08/songwriting-malaise.shtml
Does anyone remember anything about this “alternative” Gensna?
I think Tony Bezzina was involved in the stage production. Of course whether or not it was an abomination depends on your benchmark. If it’s Gensa……
I’m actually looking at a BASF cassette which I have dug out of a cupboard, which is labelled ZAGHZUGH but for some reason I had written on it “music by The Exit”, a band which subsequently became ‘Getting Closer’. Not sure if it’s correct. It would seem not.
I seem to remember the music was OK, but 25 years is a long time. Unfortunately I don’t even have a track listing, because it’s a bootleg.
In theory I could listen to it and tell you, but…. erm…. my cassette deck is at the bring-in site at Maghtab……And if I try to borrow one…. what excuse am I going to give? On the other hand, a little perseverance with Mr.Google and…. tada! Tony Grimaud sings MaskraBahh, from the rock opera Zaghzugh!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIVYrUTGRjU
Halluuuuuuni, mal-bahh….. mal-bahhh…. u jiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeena……
Thanks for posting the link MikeC – that’s an excellent song – as far as the genre is concerned, anyway. It truly is the flip side of Gensna, which reflects what the socialists were feeling at the time: patriotism, nationalism and optimism for the future. So while the sad overtures of Gensna are reserved for the past, it is the other way around with Zaghzugh (as far as this track goes).
We should be proud of what talent we have, whether coming from the reds or the blues. The 1980s are history, literally – a time when we had two distinct Maltas running parallel, and one cannot just blame Mintoff for it because the Establishment, after many years in control, played its part in its immediate rejection of the workers’ government. Fighting an entrenched Establishment is not easy. There were many actions and reactions in the 1970s and 80s, but Daphne only witnessed one side of this great clash.
You’d need to have the memory of an elephant to speak of the 80s as if it all happened yesterday.
Il-Madoff, hawn x’gara? Minn fejn se nibda? Ara jien ta’ hames snin missieri li kien minn dejjem Laburist (u ghadu!) kien hadna x-Xaghara tal-Furjana naraw il-helsien mill-igvernar ta’ l-Inglizi. Ma’ qal qatt li ma’ kienx pass importanti l-quddiem.
Mil-1964 sa’ l-1971 f’Malta kien hawn “boom” tal-bini, gew lukandi tajbin (Hilton u Sheraton ), u bdew industriji bhal Plessey, Shirasuna, Toko, GIE, Nylon Knitting, Phoenix Textiles li bdew ihaddmu eluf ta’ Maltin. Inbniet universita u training college ghat-teachers, inbena l-polytechnic u it-technical institute. Il-pjan kien li gradwalment sa l-1972 l-Inglizi kienu jitilqu darba ghal dejjem.
Telgha Mintoff, glied ma’ l-Inglizi, ultimatum, u kienu kwazi telqu, ried kollox u ISSA. Werwer u gerrex ‘l-kulhadd. Gab 40 miljun lira sterlina kull sena ghal-kera ta’ Malta flok xi erba miljun li kien gab Borg Olivier li ahna tal-lejber konna nghajruh barri u chicken. Fl-1972 kien hawn qaghad kbir u bdew il-korpi tax-xoghol, bdiet tinbena ir-runway il-kbira. Skarsezzi ta’ zokkor mela BULK BUYING, tal-petrol mela INNAZZJONALIZZA. Girja ghal-banek – AHTAF. Imnalla kien Willy Brandt ghal Mintoff u ghal-Malta ghax gew kocc industriji ta’ veru. U imbghad gabilna ftit industrija tajba Tito tal-Jugoslavja u gew ukoll (taparsi) industriji Cinizi tar-ratan, tal-hgieg, funderija, bini tar-Red China Dock, Spinning and Weaving (inghalqet il-Phoenix). Gew il-Libjani jghinuna allura inbiegh it-Teachers Training College, fuq il-Main Guard faccata tal-palazz bandiera hadra u board bl-Gharbi jghatti il-coat of arms Ingliza.
Fl-1976 kelli stipendju ta’ Lm0.50, l-anqas haqq tal-linja. Kellna ir-riformi ta’ l-edukazzjoni li bazikament sfrattawli l-istudji u qatghuli qalbi milli nkompli fejn xtaqt.
Wasal Jum il-Helsien: l-Inglizi telqu u gie Gaddafi jgholli idu ghax qlajnielu il-monument ta’ Hal-Luqa minn go sormu l-anqas lahqu ghaddew sitt xhur nahseb ghax waqt li Malta kienet qed thaffer ghaz-zejt gew ghas-SAIPEM DUE bil-gun boats Libjani. Issa ma’ kellna l-hadd jiddefendina min dan “l-att ta’ l-akbar ghadu”, saddilna halqna bil-monument li nehhejnielu minn go sormu.
Il-kant ta’ Gensna jghogobni hafna. Ma’ nafx ma’ min qieghed.
Ha nzid xi haga ma li ghedt int, xkembri. Il-Kuruna kienet thallas biex tuza l-bazi militari. Il-Libjani haduha b’xejn. Strument tal-paci indeed. Staqsu lic-Chad. Imbaghad il-Graffiti erba’ vapuri ta’ pajjizi fin-NATO jaghtuhom f’ghajnhom.
My youtube search for Zaghzugh also led me to Ira’s Gensa performance. And I couldn’t help noticing the footage of the riots Mintoff incited in the 1950s (a skill we subsequently became much more familiar with during the 1970s and 1980s). And it reminded me of something. During those riots they were stopping ambulances from getting to hospital. I suppose the patients must have been oppressing the poor socialist workers. Another interesting factoid is that during these riots, Mintoff was nowhere to be seen, he sent Lorry Sant and Agatha Barbara, but went and hid like the cowardly buffoon he always was.
When the going gets tough, the gifa goes running……At least his buddy Robert Mugabe can claim to have been a freedom fighter before he turned into the oppressor of his own people. Mintoff can make no such claim.
MikeC – “the riots Mintoff incited in the 1950s” – you cannot be more partisan than that. And I bet MikeC hasn’t got a clue of what he’s talking about. I can say that my father had his head fractured by a police baton in the 1960s for being in Valletta at the wrong place and time. As to Robert Mugabe, MikeC, don’t be immature. Even the British – David Owen – were dealing with Mugabe. He seemed the better one of the two (the other being Joshua Inkomo).
And to add to Mugabe aspect – these were peace talks held in Malta over the furutre of Rhodesia. Today no such talks are held in Malta because we are now considered to be a rock in the middle of nowhere.
and here’s the original Gensna:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVdVTVR-j0Q
and in English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFPw5NTi1NQ
137 comments and counting…well, Gensna must be thrilled.
The rock opera Zaghzugh was no Gensna. It was the story of angst-ridden youth. It was for those days a masterpiece, and Malta lost out when it lost Grimaud. This is one talented artist we lost, because we kicked him around and didn’t appreciate him. See the song on youtube. I dare anyone tell me if it doesn’t send a little shiver down your spine. Yes, Zaghzugh was not perfect, but artistically it had much going for it. It wasn’t a paen to Eddie like Gensna was to the Mintoff years. MikeC, thanks for finding this piece. I really appreciated it.
Mr Mike C you should really see Net Tv then…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBfv0Kj7myQ
you should be ashamed of yourself!
[Daphne – That’s Azzjonali Nazzjonali.]
I don’t see what the connection with me is and why I should be ashamed of pointing out the similarity of Gensna and Soviet propaganda displayed with the Soviet anthem. It is a factual comparison of content which I notice you do not refute. The Labour government’s behaviour was also similar to that of the other left wing police states in Europe and elsewhere ruling at the time, not just in its propaganda.
If there is anything of which I will be ashamed it is for the fact that Mintoff and his version of the MLP (to which it is apparently reverting or has never stopped being) is a product of my country. That is my biggest shame.
Actually, here’s the ‘Bella Patria’ in Italian named ‘Giovinezza’ or ‘Zghozija’ in Maltese (hence ‘Zghazugh’?). Now, that is similar!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6x9ZRlrjxw
Yes quite right, that is Azzjoni Nazzjonali.
Ha nzid bicca: hawn Malta ma’ konniex irridu ndahhlu vapuri tal-gwerra, imma nibnuhom bhala timber carriers ghal-Unjoni Sovjetika stajna. Ghal min jifhem u hadem ix-Shipbuilding jaf x’qed nghid. Dawn kellhom kabina anti-nuklejari, wajers u plakek ta’ kull tip iwasslu ghal quddiem, boldijiet ma’ l-art biex jitqieghed platform (ta’ xi missila). Spiccajna nohorgu l-flus flok indahhlu. Kien ikun ahjar li kieku il-haddiema baqghu id-dar bil-paga diehla. Biex inkun gust Alfred Sant ried isolvi l-problema …. il-kif hi haga ohra.
Haga ohra ta’ interess hi li kull min naf tampari ghandu dik ix-xi haga fid-demm kontra l-Libjani. Forsi ghax wara li telqu l-Inglizi sibna ruhna fin-nar minn got-tagen? F’Gensna (the sequel) gabu li dhalna fl-Ewropa?
Just spent about a couple of hours going through these comments and I have to say, it was the first time in my life that I actually felt ashamed to be Maltese. The ‘patrijotti’, be it the ‘intellectual’ or not, could not hold an argument without insulting each other. Worse, they became vulgar when using the Maltese language. I never expected people on this site to go so low.
Is this the ‘unity’ we are trying to promote? While the rest of the world are discussing how to solve the present issues and what way we’re going to be in ten years time, Maltese people are still arguing hot-headedly about what happened 30 and 50 years ago. Isn’t time we move on?
Yes, we are an independent, free and a republic, so what? Are we going to stop there? We joined the EU, and it’s time to start working. It seems like most people think that what happened five, 30 or 50 years ago was the end of it. Well unfortunately it is not. It is time for unification if we want to go through this hard and difficult time and get back up on our feet – times will be much harder than it ever was 5, 30 and 50 years ago.
[Daphne – I thought you live in Ireland? Then why do you find what goes on here so strange and unusual? They’re still apportioning blame for the potato famine, to the extent that Tony Blair wound up apologising for it.]
Believe me, they have moved on from the potato famine to the Celtic Tiger only to realize lately that it was only a kitten. They also forgot that there are more Irish living illegally in the USA than there are Irish at home, and that is why they feel ‘superior’ to any foreigner living on their land. They also shot down the Lisbon treaty because they forgot that it was the EU who racked in the money so that they were where they were financially.
Never heard two Irish men arguing, insulting and threatening each other just in the name of politics, the way I have seen here. You have first hand experience of how far these Maltese ‘patrijotti’ can go for their ‘partit’ that at the end of the day will condone any acts, but because they are stuck in the past, they think they can. Irish men were always united, well at least for the past 800 years. Have you ever been to a Gaelic football/hurling match? It is the best show of unification, where there are no sides and all celebrate together. We all know the meaning of Gaelic sports for the Irish.
On that note, what about a Unification Day for Malta? Scrap all the nonsense public holidays, political and religious, and create the Malta Day, where all the parties in parliament organise a one-day mass meeting together for all. That would be really historical.
How still immature many of us are. Independence was good, becoming a republic was good and so was the end of foreign troops on our soil. It should have nothing to do with what party you support. I admire Daphne a lot and try to read all she writes. She has guts and is courageous. I must admit that I am hurt sometimes that she has nothing good to say about us the ‘great unwashed’. I am sure we have a lot of good also. I am actually amazed at how low people who are supposed to be our betters can sink…I cannot understand the childish piques, jealousies and arrogance…you would think in their position they will act better..Thank you
Gensna. Yes, it was in the past, 27 years ago.And a very well put up Rock Opera.A master piece.It stings that the Nationalists never came up with a similar, patriotic idea eh? So, it’s not ancient is it?
Putting down such a piece of work is insulting to us musicians ,singers, and authors,plus stage management crews.All those who took part in Gensna put their utmost best in it all, and with PRIDE.Something the nationalists lack.
A stage performance puts every single person to the test of a lifetime. And the thrill that comes from an applauding audience is something out of this world, rewarding even. You attacked Renato…Well , in the first Performance, Renato had to sing his piece twice, not because he made any mistakes, but because the audience couldn’t stop applauding him. They wanted a repeat performance.I was there, present.You , obviously , weren’t.So stop insulting Gensna. You sound like a cracked piece of pottery.At what fraction of time/era are you living in Daph? Future Perfect maybe?
And now..Roberto..Road to Europe???? NUTS! We all know where that road is leading us! We don’t need a musical about that! Look at the state Malta is in! Now I’m off to watch The Muppets, which funnily enough, reminds me of some brilliant brainiacs on this Rock!
@Christian
Funny how when something hits home some people respond with something else instead of refuting the other person’s point. What’s your point about Giovinezza? Is that the best you can do? I’m assuming you’re referring to the PN anthem rather than Zaghzugh, which had the exact opposite theme of Giovinezza. So, an anthem written 90 years ago in a country which closely followed the cultural and musical styles of a second country resembles another one also written 90 years ago in that second country? So what? What else was taken from that second country? Any military advisors? Any crowd control techniques? Any crowd suppression weapons? Any torture tips?
Some people and parties move on. But others don’t. Gensna was written 65 years after the Bolshevik revolution but the tone, style and mood looks just like a Stalin documentary. But it’s not the main point – the main point is that it was propaganda (and circuses) for the regime it was supporting.
And what about that regime? What about its similarities and alliances with countries producing propaganda in the same style? Libya? Soviet Russia? North Korea, Romania? All Mintoff’s buddies. How’s that for taking a little more than a musical style?
Oh and another thing. Enough with the pompous offence-taking. What page of the elf manual do you find the “play the hurt sanctimonious victim” ploy on? Ashamed of being Maltese, indeed. If this discussion makes you ashamed, I shudder to think what you must have felt like under Mintoff.
@Mark
We’re not jealous of Gensa. Feel free to keep it to yourselves. It’s not patriotic. It’s the exact opposite. It’s a tool to hide the oppression of a nation and convince the people otherwise. That’s not patriotism. And who cares how hard the audience clapped? If you took an opera audience to a rap concert and they clapped wildly I’d be impressed, but if you’re playing to the converted…… what else do you expect? Did you expect any booing?
Some of us think it’s crap artistically, but that’s subjective and most importantly it’s irrelevant – the Eurovision song contest is just as bad after all (or good, depending on your preference). The point is that for many of those commenting here, Gensna represents the regime of a police state – and glorifying Gensna glorifies that police state, so reviving it and celebrating it is like reviving and celebrating that police state. That’s not something we’re prepared to allow past us without some fairly strong comment.
I never thought someone of your intelligence could turn out to be so ignorant in judging this kind of work.
Quite disappointed.
[Daphne – It’s a free country, sweetheart – which is more than could be said when the rok opra was first performed.]
Nidhaq naqra ir-review tat-tmaqdir tieghek. L-ewwel nies nixtieq nghidlek li jien nitkellem biz-zewg lingwi u ftakar li haw hafna li jitkellmu u jiktbu biz-zewg lingwi ghax kif ghamilt int qisek wahdek.
It-tieni, jien qed niehu sehem f’gensna, u nixtieqek imqar tmur u tara darba biss qabel titfa l-kummenti bla sens tieghek. It-talent li hemm minn naha tal-muzicisti u tal-kor nahseb li huwa talent li wiehed irid jghozz u japrezza. Ma niprovax nifhem xi pruvajt tiehu billi ktibt din ghax ma jirnexxilix. U jekk ma jogbukx kantanti bhal Renato, Bayzo u Pawlu Giordmaina ftakar wahda biss… li hemm xi haga jsejhula ‘oppinjoni’ …
[Daphne – Kemm hawn min hu iffissat.]
Nixtieq li l-poplu Malti japprezza din l-opra fuq bazi nazzjonali MHUX politici …..
PS: Nixtieq ukoll li l-poplu Malti jiggudika lill dawn il-kantanti ghax verament ikun japprezza l-muzika mhux sempliciment ghax ikun jaf jaqra u jitkellem bil-Malti u bl-Ingliz.
Ha nzid kumment, la ghadna ghaddejjin. “Gensna” ma kienitx opra muzikali, imma affermazzjoni politika. Mela TRID tigi iggudikata fuq bazi politika. Qisek qed tghidli biex niggudika “Triumph of the will” fuq bazi cinematografika biss. Ma taghmilx sens.
Ħalli nara kemm int brava fl-istorja ta’ pajjiżna Daphne….Għandekx il-ħila tgħidilna kif spiċċa Dr Gorg Borg Olivier (Ġorġ Borġ Olivier) u kif laħaq Eddie Fenech Adami. S’issa ħadt ma jrid jgħidilna. Forsi għax imbarazzanti!!
[Daphne- Ma nafx x’inhu l-argument tieghek. Meta spicca Borg Olivier minn mexxej tal-Partit Nazzjonalista, kelli 11-il sena u ebda interess fil-politika. Izjed jinteressani kif spicca fil-parlament Joseph Muscat, u kif il-Partit Laburista sab ruhu b’mexxej minghajr siggu fil-parlament u lanqas vot wiehed, tant li kellu jidhol mit-tieqa. ]
Ta’ Joseph kulħadd jaf u kulħadd segwa għax kienet trasparenti. Ġorġ ħadd ma jaf kif spiċċa jew tneħħa. Kumbinazzjoni kont għadek żgħira biex ma tiftakarx. Ħadt qatt ma qallek kif, come u x’fatta spiċċa jew tneħħa? Ara veru ma tistħix. Il-partit Laburista kellu mexxej mingħajr siġġu?…Gonzi kellu jissellef aktar min-nofs il-kwota biex jingħata siġġu ħalli jigverna u kien l-ewwel Prim Ministru fl-istorja li qed jigverna b’siġġu misluf lilu mill-oppożizzjoni.
[Daphne – Il-Partit Laburista ma kellux ghazla hlief li jkun ‘trasparenti’, ghax fis-sena 2009 hawn il-liberta tal-istampa u l-liberta tal-espressjoni, kontra ta’ kif kienet is-sitwazzjoni fis-sena 1976. Nahseb li ma tantx hawn nies li jghoddu l-kliem ‘Partit Laburista’ u ‘trasparenza’ flimkien – pjuttost l-oppost.]
Kemm taf iddur mal-lewża jew kif ngħidu bil-malti tinbeżaq mis-sunnara. Ma tixtax twieġeb direttament sura ta’ nies għax is-sewwa tniggeż. Problema kbira li għandek u jkollok titqanna biha tul kemm iddum tgħix hija li l-kulur aħmar tal-Labour ma taħmlux, imma f’ġismek apparti l-ħdura apparenti għandek 8lt likwidu jissejjaħ demm u dan inzerta aħmar mhux blu. U nistiednek tindaga naqra fl-istorja tas-sena partikolari 1977 la taf ħafna u fuq kollox għax ħasra qabżitlek din is-sena tant importanti fl-istorja tal-partit tiegħek.
[Daphne – Mur tmellah ma xi cercur bhalek, biex ma nghidlekx xi haga izjed specifika.]
Dario, taf kif inhi l-istorja ta’ Snow White fejn ir-riġina tistaqsi lill-mera maġika tagħha “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in the land is fairest of all?” U l-mera dejjem kienet tirrispondi “You, my queen, are fairest of all.”. Taf x’jiġrila l-mera jekk tħares lejha Daphnie!! Ara veru tara t-traba f’għajnejn ħaddieħor u ma tarax it-travu f’għajnejha. Miskina.
[Daphne – Jaqaw il-headquarters tal-fan club ta’ Gensna qieghed f’xi sptar ghan-nies li ghandhom bzonn il-kura ghal nevrastenija u fissazzjoni?]
Tafu li kien hemm taparsi Rock Opera tan-nazzjonalisti? Iva, kien jismha “Żagħżugħ”. Ħafna ma tafuhiex għax ma damitx tinstema għax indifnet mill-ewwel. Pero hemm min jaf biha u ma jsemmihix, sintendi la kienet bla ħsejjes ħadt ma jitkellem fuqha. http://www.youtube.com/user/emirand31 (din fejn issibu l-unika diska minnha). Kienu għamluha fin-1985 biex jirribattu l-“Ġensna”. L-istess, qisek qed tqabbel l-ilma ħelu mal-mielaħ. Ħulluna.
[Daphne – Domt biex qomt. Dan id-dibattitu over and out.]
Ikbru naqra nies ghax gbajt nisma blu kontra homor u vici versa. Irridu nammettu li kelna nbatu biex qomna fuq saqajna bhala poplu. Illum kapaci daqs haddiehor u aktar!! Ejjew inharsu lejn il-futur u l-passat inharsu lejh biss biex nitghalmu minnu.
Dear Daphne
Is there anything in Maltese which is not a hamallata or is not hamallagni?
What are your views re the following? Please mention any work of the mentioned person which impressed you, whether positively or negatively, and state why.
1. Dun Karm
2. Ruzar Briffa
3. Frans Sammut
4. Oliver Friggieri
5. Lino Spiteri
6. Alfred Sant
7. Charles Camilleri
8. Peter Serracino Inglott
9. Daniel Massa
10. Achille Mizzi
11. Mario Azzopardi
12. Gabriel Caruana
13. Josette Caruana
14. Antoine Camilleri
15. Antonio Sciortino
16. Guze Stagno
17. Esprit Barthet
18. Luciano Micallef
19. Ivo Muscat Azzopardi
20. Ira Losco
Very curious about your reaction.
Have a nice day
A Crowley
(Cefalu)
[Daphne – I don’t judge art and literature on the basis of whether the author is Maltese or not, nor do I group paintings, music and novels under a single heading according to the nationality of the person responsible for their creation. Your hotch-potch list of names shows clearly that this is what you do and how you think. Just because many Maltese are vulgar and the work of many Maltese artists and writers is seriously sub-standard, it does not follow that everything Maltese is bad. Everything Maltese is obviously not bad, because I’m Maltese. I could really let rip about a few of the names on your list, but I won’t, ‘Alestair Crowley’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley%5D
The worst years in Malta have begun in 1987 when the infamous government of Eddie Fenech Adami was elected to power, and will be to an end soon in 2013.
Ma nistax nifhem kif il-kummenti f’din il-pagna jispiccaw jaqghu bhala insulti u ma nistax nifhem kif nistghu inmaqdru xoghol klassiku bhal dak li jien, li ghad ghandi tmintax il sena il muzika u korjografija tieghu jagbuni. Bl-istess argument li qed iggib int Daphne allura ghandna narmu dak kollu li wasslilna tal-letteratura Griega ghax dan ilu hafna aktar minn Gensna. Pero fil-fatt nafu li mhux talli ma narmuhomx din il-letteratura, imma talli flimkien mal-Bibbja huma l-pedament tal-letteratura Mediterranja. Ma nistax nifhem l- anqas kif ikun hawn min taghddilu minn mohhu li stajna konna ahjar li kieku ma hadniex il-helsien,wisq nibza li dawn il-kummenti huma abbazi ta’ mibeghda politika.
Grazzi
Nahseb min qed jiehu l-isem tal-Muzew qed jaghmel ftit ta cucata ghax bil-mod kif qed jitkellem ma jidher li mhu tal-muzew xejn. Ghax jekk hemm socjeta fejn il-membri ma jharsux bil-lenti ta xi partit lejn xulxin nahseb li huma huma.
FUQ IS SNIN HAMSIN HADD MA JEJD XEJN?U FUQ IS SITTINIJIET LANQAS? IL HMIEG LI KIEN HAWN GO MALTA? MIN NEHHA LINJORANZA U IL GUH GO MALTA? MIN BAGHATA U HADEM SAHHA GHANKI KELLU HAJTU FIL PERIKLU BIEX GAB JEW RESSAQ IL GID LEJN MALTA?U IN NEGOZZJA MA L-GHARAB LI KONTU TEJDULHOM TAL HABBAZIEZ …ILLUM NARAW LI LINVESTIMENT IL GVERN NAZZJONALISTA JGHAMLU BISS MAL LGHARAB {SMART CITY}MHUX MA TAL LEWROPA..MIN MINDU DHALNA FIL EU HLIEF TKECCIJJA TA HADDIEMA,GHELUQ TA FABRIKI,KWISTJONO FUQ IT TRASPORT KONTIJIET TAD DAWL U LILMA ,IL GIDBA TAR REGISTRAZZJONI FUQ IL KAROZZI U HAFNA OHRAJN ….ILLUM INDUNAJNA LI L-ASSI LI KIEN GHAMEL IL GVER LABURISTA TA MONTOFF SWEWW TA HERBA MIN GVERNIJIET NAZZJONALISA U ISSA MA BAQALUX XIJBIH AKTAR U DAR FUQ IL POPLU MALTI BLISKUZA TAZ ZEJT,,,,DIN HI IR REJALTA DEPHNI MHUX TPARLA U TIZZIKA U TMAQDAR FUQ IL MALTI ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,POPLU QUM KHEMM HAD DUM TAQLA