AUG16
Issue 10
Contents
Welcome to The Insiter Monthly! August is known as the month where student organisations are drowning in work due to the RAR (for those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s basically a battle of who will get the best office). With all reports submitted, everyone can take a short break and rest their eyes until the results come out. In the meantime, just so you don’t get bored, make sure to read this month’s issue of The Insiter Monthly.
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In this month’s article series get to know all about Teatru Salesjan through Leon Xuereb’s article, make sure to get your hands on the book The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman reviewed by Sophie Claire Coudoux, and finally read Matthew Charles Zammit’s article about the state of print media, particularly newspapers in Malta. Make sure to enjoy your last month of summer - we’ll be back to the usual routine in a month!
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Nicole Borg Executive Editor
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Love Art in Yourself, and Not Yourself in Art
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The peculiar life of a lonely postman
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Newspapers: The New Standard-Bearers of Ideology?
7 Executive Committee
Writers
Johann Agius Kristina Saliba Manuel Xuereb Nicole Borg
Leon Xuereb Sophie Claire Coudoux Matthew Charles Zammit
Administrative Team
Nicole Borg Andrea Said Federico Barbaro Sant Daniel Galea St John Charles Mercieca
Jessica Arena Ciicy Delmas Charlene Arapa Matthew Debattista Sara Ezabe Matthew Charles Zammit
Media Team
Cover Photo © Siobhan Vassallo 2016
Magazine Design Siobhan Vassallo
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Culture
Love art in yourself, and not yourself in art Leon Xuereb Dario Fo believes that ‘A theatre, a literature, an artistic expression that does not speak for its own time has no relevance’. As a thespian I believe that the 108-year-old Juventutis Domus, now known as Teatru Salesjan, is a timeless gem which has more prestige than people actually give it credit for. The theatre forms part of the Salesian Oratory in Sliema, which acts as a hub of activity for people of all ages. Teatru Salesjan’s mission statement lists freedom, responsibility,
meaning and solidarity as its four core values which give essence to the activity that takes place within its walls and beyond. The space was originally designed as a proscenium arched theatre, however the new theatre board, headed by James Spiteri, saw potential in using the space in unconventional ways to suite creative needs in the modern day arts sector on both national and international levels.
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Culture Teatru Salesjan’s current day legacy is preceded with it having been used as a cinema back in the day and currently widely associated with the local drama companies Atturi Salesjani and Comedy Knights. But what does the future entail for this century old theatre? It may be ancient in structure, but it’s certainly young in spirit, especially when one looks at the theatre’s structured plan for the next 5 years. The plan intends to project the use of the theatre in a creative manner which does not limit performance to the stage and which creates opportunities through which young people are introduced to creative entrepreneurship. Teatru Salesjan’s main aim is to create opportunities for social and educational development through participation in the arts. This 5 year plan started being implemented in 2016 through the continued support for four main artistic disciplines (choir, music ensemble, dance and theatre) that operate within the Salesian Oratory of Tas-Sliema and that work in conjunction with Teatru Salesjan’s mission in collaboration with the Malta Arts Council. So whether you’re an artistic entrepreneur or just like good entertainment, come down to Gużé Howard street in Tas-Sliema and “love art in yourself, and not yourself in art”, as Stanislavski used to say. More info can be found on www.tsmalta.com.
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It may be ancient in structure, but it’s certainly young in spirit, especially when one looks at the theatre’s structured plan for the next 5 years.
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Book Review
THE PECULIAR LIFE of a lonely postman, by Denis Theriault Sophie-Claire Coudoux
The book tells the story of a postman, who goes by the name of Bilodo. Bilodo is a lonely, respectable person who has no interest in life outside his secular world. He takes his job as postman very seriously, and has been performing his tasks meticulously for over six years. The life of Bilodo is not without its drama, love, fights and, moments of great solitude. Late in the evening, cloistered in his house, he unfolds letters he intercepts during days of work and reads them. Despite the “soap opera” entertainment provided by these letters, one particular correspondence has captured his attention and his heart. Bilodo has grown a tender and rather dangerous love for Segolène, a Guadeloupean who has been corresponding in poem with Grandpé for a while.
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Book Review
Originality
Writing
Twists/Turns
Ending
Book Cover
Characters
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The powerful and delicate voice of the narrative drew me entirely into the life of Bilodo. The plot is remarkably imaginative. The fact that it is written beautifully in prose makes it difficult to put the book down. The story flew through a cross cultural universe, where Denis Theriualt “focuses on the cultures of French Canada, Japan, and Guadeloupe”. I can see the reader immerse into the Archipalego of Guadeloupe, feel the splendid rhythms of Japanese Poetry, and discovers the marble Street of “la rue des Hètres”. I was enthralled by the scrumptious Haku who enlightened the peculiar romance between Segolène and Bilodo. Bilido is presented as a man who chose to live in an imaginary world he fabricated. Part of me sympathized and empathized with him, a person who’s both “pitiful and admirable at the same time”. In the end, Bilodo is incapable of finding his voice of reason leading him to his lowest level of existence. There is however a subtle fantastic element that made me re-evaluate his mental state. The last unexpected turn put the book in the top 5 of my favorite books read in 2015. I salute Denis Theriaulh for putting together brilliantly the poignant, captivating and peculiar life of a lonely postman and making us rediscover the beauty of corresponding by letters.
Opinion
Newspapers: The New Standard-Bearers of Ideology? matthew charles zammit There are multiple bones of contention that a man on the street may have with the current political establishment as a whole. Whether it’s the absolute lack of environmental awareness of successive administrations, the constant preference of short-term attempts over longterm solutions, the culture of clientelism that seems to run roughshod over any meritocratic sentiment, or just a general feeling of “image over substance”, there is much left to be
desired as the gulf between the citizen and the representative of that citizen seems to grow wider and wider. What could be one of the worst crimes of our political system as it is, however, may be more subtler than that. On an ideological level, our parties have taken an Orwellian twist and ended up being very hard to classify, let alone differentiate. Gone are Mintoff’s August 2016 |
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Opinion fiery socialism, or EFA’s economically liberal administration that followed it. What we have ended up with is a Government with an ideological umbrella coalition of neo-liberal centrists, an Opposition that has flip-flopped on its socially conservative roots in the space of only two years, and a former radical third party which is struggling to find any ground to consolidate itself and is soon facing irrelevance. (Im ignoring Marlene Farrugia’s Democratic Party because 1) it hasn’t clarified its political locus standi as yet, and 2) it looks less of a party and more of a shoddy protest movement run by a teed-off demagogue more interested in ruffling feathers than proposing an alternative.
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And yet, political ideology remains as important in today’s hyper - connected society as it was a century ago. A principled approach to the running of the state is an intricate and essential part of not only identifying problems on certain areas, but highlighting and proposing solutions for them. Which is why we should embrace newspapers and publications taking their place as the source of knowledge and ideological thought. While it would be naive to assume that the aligning of certain proponents of the press is solely due to the goodwill and forethought of the owners without taking into consideration the
Opinion niche marketing aspect, and the consolidation of some newspapers by mega - rich structures (whether Murdochian or otherwise), the end results are there for all of us to see. Newspapers are becoming more political, more activist and more ideological as we go along. In Malta such a trend is starting to simmer in the main newspapers as well. While the usual party-bankrolled suspects (Nazzjon, Orizzont et al) are old news, the Spring Referendum of 2014 saw not only the three largest neutral newspapers editorially promoting one side over the other, but actively joining forces. In vain, you might ask? Maybe, but the fact
that newspapers became aligned in an issue, on their own free will, is an interesting step forward. Question is: where to go next? Wherever that may be, the transitioning of local media from a simple bringer of news into an ideological proponent of change should continue in an exponential manner. Be glad: if anything can hold our political class in check and condemn politicians for their use of gimmicks and sacrificing values for votes, it’s a highly-charged, highly - motivated press. Bring on the fireworks.
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