Ikun xi jkun ir-riżultat tal-elezzjonijiet presidenzjali Amerikani, din kienet l-aktar kampanja elettorali perikoluża fl-Istati Uniti għal ġenerazzjonijiet. Esponiet u ħarrxet il-firda soċjali u politika li ġabet magħha l-globalizzazzjoni, saħansitra fil-qalba tal-aqwa mutur tagħha: L-Istati Uniti.
Quddiem din il-firda, ġew artikolati żewġ toroq: Ta’ Trump: biha l-effetti tal-globalizzazzjoni jintlaqgħu b’ħidma mħarbta fl-espressjoni tagħha, imma b’direzzjoni faxxista; u ta’ Clinton, ħafna aktar ċivili u trasparenti, f’sostenn ta’ neo liberaliżmu globali fuq sfond ta’ konfront geo-strateġiku li jista’ jikkarga.
Ma ħareġ l-ebda prospett, minn naħa jew oħra, li se tiġi mfittxija, anqas tinstab, tweġiba għal mistoqsijiet bħal:
– Il-globalizzazzjoni kif se titmexxa bi qbil politiku, u mhux titħalla tinġema’ fil-mekkanika ta’ kummerċ ħieles?
– Kif għandha titmexxa b’mod uman u ċivili, l-migrazzjoni bejn il-popli ta’ ilsna u etniċitàjiet differenti?
– Kif jista’ jinħoloq ordni ekonomiku u soċjali li tassew ikun ġust, trasparenti u stabbli?
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Dawk li mietu
Intqal li ż-żjarat fiċ-ċimiterji għall-jiem ta’ madwar l-1 ta’ Novembru qed jonqsu. Tradizzjonalment, il-Maltin u l-Għawdxin kienu mdorrija li f’dawn il-ġranet jiftakru fil-mejtin tagħhom billi jżuru l-qabar tagħhom. Bħala tifel, niftakar lil missieri jeħodna lejn iċ-ċimiterju, ġieli bil-mixi sal-Addolorata minn B’Kara.
Ma nafx kemm hu minnu li did-drawwa qed tmajna.
Fl-istess żmien, drawwa aktar ġdida donnha nfirxet bil-kbir fostna; mhijiex Maltija. Halloween qed timmobilizza bil-qawwi tfal u adulti. Il-magna kummerċjali li tippromwovi l-“festa” titqawwa minn sena għal sena.
Forsi għalhekk li kelliema tal-Knisja Kattolika jidhru irritati sew biha.
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”Western”
F’wieħed mill-binjiet rinovati tal-belt Valletta nhar il-Ġimgħa, il-pubblikaturi SKS nedew ġabra ta’ rakkonti li ktibt taħt it-titlu ta’ ”Western”. Kienet okkażjoni pjaċevoli, mhux biss għax erġajt iltqajt ma’ ħafna ħbieb li kont ili xi żmien ma nara. Ukoll għax Sean Buhagiar u martu Marilou Vella qraw b’mod eċċellenti siltiet mir-rakkonti. Albert Marshall għamel preżentazzjoni friska, mingħajr prosopoppea, tas-siltiet.
Kitba li tidher f’publikazzjoni mdaqqsa tieħu xhur, anzi snin, biex titħejja. Il-kitba ta’ rakkonti ta’ spiss tirriżulta aktar diffiċli minn dik ta’ proża oħra, kreattiva jew le. Dan għax kull storja għandha l-ħajja tagħha, jew għandu jkollha.
Ħaġa faċli li l-istil ta’ kitba, jew ix-xejra ta’ ħsieb, li ssib f’waħda tinflwuenza dik li tista’ titħaddem f’oħra. Aktar milli tinfluwenza: Tista’ tikkontaminaha.
Personalment, nipprova nżomm dan milli jiġri. Mhix ħaġa faċli. F’”Western” ir-rakkont, nitkellmu dwar il-ħajja ta’ Malti emigrant fil-Wyoming tat-tieni nofs tas-snin sittin fis-seklu 19. Ir-rakkonti l-oħra ma setgħux jiġu affettwati mill-istess perspettiva.

English Version – American Elections

No matter what the outcome of the American presidential elections, this has been the most dangerous campaign in the US for generations. It has highlighted and reinforced the social and political divide that globalisation brought in its wake, not least at the centre of its leading power house: the US.

To articulate an approach to counter this divide two options emerged: Trump’s, by which the effects of globalisation needs to be overcome by action described in terms that were expressed chaotically, but all going in a fascist direction; and Clinton’s, much more civil and transparent, which accepts the retention of a global neoliberalism, against the background of a geostrategic confrontation that could still accelerate.

No prospect emerged, from whichever which side, so that replies could be explored, even less so, discovered, to questions like:

–How might globalisation be managed according to a political agreement, rather than allow it to gather pace through the mechanics of free trade?

–How can migration among peoples having different languages and ethnicities, be run humanely and in a civil way?

–How can an economic and social order be created, that would be just, transparent and stable?

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The dead

According to reports, cemetery visits by relatives of the deceased in the period close to the 1 November, have decreased. Traditionally, Maltese and Gozitans were accustomed to visit the graves of their dear ones in this period.

I remember how, as a child, my father used to take me to visit the Addolorata cemetery, sometimes on foot there from B’Kara.

It’s not so clear that this custom is really fading away.

However, a new custom seems to be gaining ground; and for sure, it is not of Maltese origin. Halloween has been strongly mobilizing children and adults. The commercial momentum that promotes the celebration has accelerated from year to year.

Which perhaps is why it seems to have irritated the Catholic Church so much.

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Western

Last Friday, in one of the upgraded old buildings that dot Valletta, SKS publishers launched an anthology of stories in Maltese that I had written, titled WESTERN. It was a pleasant occasion because I could meet longstanding friends that I had not seen for a while. More than that, Sean Buhagiar and his wife Marilou Vella gave an excellent reading of excerpts from the stories. And Albert Marshall presented the items in a fresh, simple style.

To prepare a standard size script for publication you need months, let’s say years. Writing short stories frequently turns out to be a more difficult enterprise than delivering other prose output, creative or otherwise. This happens because every story you can think of has, or should have, its own life.

It easily happens that a writing style or a slant of thought that you find in one story could influence the narrative method being deployed in another. Or, rather than influence – it could contaminate today’s original script, which is bad.

Personally I try hard not to let this happen. It’s not easy. In WESTERN the story, we follow the experiences of a Maltese emigrant to Wyoming during the second half of the nineteenth century. The other stories did not have to be conditioned by the same persective.

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