Pink (April 2019)

ISSUE174∫APRIL2019

Walk for Ron TO KEEP MY MOTHER ‘ALIVE’

WHAT WENT ON... @ THE PINK TEA GARDEN

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

WHY ARE THEY BEING LOST?

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18

INSIDE

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April 2019 FEATURES

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12 PrivateEye walk on…

Following in her mother’s footsteps for charity 18 WomensWorld a recipe for success Women in business winners 23 ArtyFacts a cinematographic triumph Meet the Limestone Cowboy director

FASHION 32 ShowStopper on the move Put a spring in your style step

REGULARS 7 EditorsNote 8 MailShot 29 WomanKind a born rebel Karen Blixen 39 Pink@TheParty The Pink Tea Garden 50 SnapShot out of hiding Michelle Gialanze

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COVER Photography Matthew B. Spiteri ∫ Styling Marisa Grima [marisagrima.com] ∫ Hair Becky Vella @ Dean Gera Salons ∫ Make-up Amanda Greaves ∫ Model Alison @ Supernova MM, wearing jumpsuit, €117.50, Karen Millen ∫ bag, €75, Charles & Keith.

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EDITORSNOTE

We’re living in an age where innocent parties and victims are constantly finding themselves on the losing end because the prevalent attitude, which trickles from the top down, is that even if something is literally staring you in the face, if you cannot actually prove it, then you may as well go home with your tail between you legs and forget about it.

The onus is always on the victim, who tends to give up – adding insult to injury – because even though one plus one makes two, if you don’t have that piece of hard evidence, you don’t have a case. But worse still, and this is the real problem, it would appear that everything sways in favour of the perpetrator.

Now, of course, I am not disputing that things do not have to be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, but common sense and logic should also play a part in leading to the correct conclusions… which can, at least, allow for a sympathetic ear to be lent to the injured party.

The other day, I left my car in the busy parking area of a shopping mall. Because the Maltese cowboys like to only think of themselves, many cars were left on double yellow lines, making manoeuvring vehicles into allotted spaces rather hard [apart from making me wonder what the point of the attendants was if they were not even controlling these blatant infringements…]

My car was parked intact, with no scratches and grazes of any sort, and I proceeded to run my errands. When I returned, I found a dent and a mark of red paint on the body. These were not there before, and lo and behold, there was now a red car parked next to me, with a mark on its side mirror.

There is no question in my mind as to who damaged my car, when, and how. I know how I left it; I know how I found it; and I know what came between these two moments. You could almost say I caught the culprit red-handed [excuse the pun].

But no, the security guy’s first reaction was to ask me whether I saw this, and if I hadn’t, then I couldn’t prove it, he smiled gleefully, like the one that got away. Of course, fair enough.

But couldn’t we, at least, take another approach, rather than fuel the injured party with anger at being so helpless in the face of a hundred suspicions…

Typical of this prevailing attitude, the next step was to happily tell me to give up – all he needed was to rub his hands – because there were no CCTV cameras on that part of the car park.

How terribly unlucky!

I proceeded to the police station… not because I thought I’d get anywhere, or because I really wanted the guy who hit my car to foot the bill. I just didn’t want to give in to injustice so fast… although I may as well have.

As I waited to file a report, I listened to the surreal conversation between a man who had been threatened by his neighbour, with whom he had a long-standing feud, and the police officer behind the desk, who was questioning him like he was the criminal and making all sorts of excuses a priori for the threatening words of the accused…

Then it was my turn, and the seemingly pubescent boys behind the desk, barely inspiring any confidence in that they would have fallen over had I sneezed, as expected by now, immediately took the side of the owner of said red car. “You can’t prove it,” I was told straightaway as though they were his lawyers, talking in his name. “But these are the glaring facts,” I said, showing my useless photographic evidence.

So, they proceeded to make the call.

In a shaky voice, while doodling in a way that gave away their nerves, they constantly reassured – unlike what they did with me – the person on the other end of the line, telling him that everything was OK and that they were just asking [whether he hit my car and they were sure he didn’t so no worries…]

And that was that!

I left the police station not only unsatisfied and incredulous, but also fearful. That’s the paranoia of people living in the real Malta – and not the superficial bling-bling version.

Moral of the story, sealed by many graver examples: do what you want as long as you leave no incriminating traces.

But really, a hundred suspicions should never be ignored. Actually, a hundred suspicions are quite a decent number. Far less should motivate someone to help a victim, rather than go straight onto the side of the aggressor.

April 28, 2019 ∫ Pink is a monthly magazine ∫ Issue 174 ∫ Executive editor Fiona Galea Debono ∫ Publisher Allied Newspapers Ltd ∫ Printing Progress Press Ltd ∫ Production Allied Newspapers Ltd ∫ Contributors Adriana Bishop, Iggy Fenech, Mary Galea Debono, Amanda Greaves, Marisa Grima, Antoinette Sinnas, Becky Vella, Rachel Zammit Cutajar ∫ Design Manuel Schembri ∫ Photography Jonathan Borg, Matthew Mirabelli, Chris Sant Fournier, Matthew B. Spiteri ∫ Advertising sales Veronica Grech Sant [2276 4333; veronica.grechsant@timesofmalta.com].

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Pink April 2019 ∫ 7

MAILSHOT

THE LETTER THAT TICKLED PINK EXISTING WITH CHRONIC PAIN Dear Pink, I simply love reading your magazine. It’s always so informative and keeps us abreast with current issues. I particularly look forward to the health and beauty section and I love the photo shoots in ShowStopper. They always inspire me as to how to upgrade my wardrobe. In January’s issue, I was touched by the PrivateEye feature Silent Battles… But Surviving, about existing with chronic pain. Trying to be a good parent is already tough in itself; let alone having to be a good parent with chronic pain. To suffer and survive, still surrounded by stigma, is certainly painful. I do have a couple of friends who have ME and they tell me that their greatest pain is people’s lack of empathy. It is important to have more awareness about ME and fibromyalgia, which are two conditions that still have no direct laboratory tests. Also, as a society we must learn to be less judgemental and more ready to lend a helping hand.

PAULINE CILIA, VIA E-MAIL

The writer of the letter of the month wins a Nina Bella fragrance

by Nina Ricci, courtesy of Ta’ Xbiex Perfumery Limited.

PASSING ON INFORMATION Dear Pink, although I am no longer a teenager, I still get away with inverting the digits when asked my age! I say this because I have a flair for clothes, and I get a thrill when leafing through the pages of Pink – so trendy and beautiful. However, what I enjoyed most was The Intellectual Actress [WomanKind, March 2019] – the story of Eleanor Druse. Once again, I have a preference for Mary Galea Debono’s contribution. She researches her work well, and through Pink, she passes on whatever information she comes across. Thus, we elderly learn about those beautiful Roaring Twenties. And what about the young? Isn’t it a blessing that they find such information at hand? Thank you Mrs Galea Debono!

ANTOINETTE BARTOLO, FROM PIETÀ

WHAT A TRULY AMAZING WOMAN Dear editor, I have to admit that I’m a huge fan of your Pink magazine, which I read avidly and wait for in anticipation every month. Even though my husband buys Times of Malta, every Sunday, he is compelled to read the articles in Pink because he finds them exhilarating. I have to say that two articles stood out for me in the February issue.

These were The Language of the Soul [InFocus] and Heroine of War [WomanKind]. The former deals with the trauma of divorce, portraying the pain and tribulations associated with it, but from a different perspective. It was a master stroke by the mother, Sharon Cusens, to shift the onus onto the parents and not make the siblings feel they were the culprits, or to blame in any way. Divorce is, unfortunately, more common nowadays and is a huge ‘ask’ from both parents and children. But it can also be the start of a new life – most probably a better one than experienced so far. The mother did not stop there, but also followed up with her three-book series, which, in a way, will provide therapy for her, her children and people facing divorce.

The other article that stood out for me was Heroine of War. I have always been fascinated by ordinary folk who commit acts of bravery and turn out to be heroes, or heroines. Pearl Witherington is such a person. Although her father was affluent, he ended up in ruin. She had to take up the reins, and at the tender age of 17, was the head of the family. It could not have happened at a worse time for her as this occurred during the war. Her story of joining the Resistance against the Germans is breathtaking, and there was even a prize on her head of a million francs for her capture. She was such an important mastermind of guerrilla manoeuvres that she was awarded the highest honours both by the French and British governments.

What a truly amazing woman! What can I say but keep up the good work Pink. Looking forward to the next issue.

MARLENE SAMMUT, FROM SWIEQI

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PRIVATEEYE Lucy Cachia Caruana

WALK ON...

One woman tells ADRIANA BISHOP how she is channelling raw grief for the loss of her mother into organising a charity walk in her honour – and to keep her ‘alive’.

“H

ilarious!” That is how Lucy Cachia Caruana describes her mother Veronica Ellul. But she’s not laughing. In fact, she’s been crying for almost an hour in the middle of a busy café. After the mascara has been wiped off her face, and she forces a smile at the photographer’s lens, I feel there is only one way to end the interview – with a hug.

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We have both been on a journey during this short time together. For me, it was just a brief interlude I was privileged to share, but for Lucy and her family, it is part of a tortuous process through loss and grief as they continue to come to terms with the death of a formidable woman who had touched the hearts of so many.

Just over a year has passed since Veronica, or Ronnie as everyone

knew her, succumbed to cancer at the age of 58, but the sense of loss is still immense. Out of that deep grief, Lucy has found the will to honour her mother through a charity walk in aid of Assocjazzjoni Volontari Lourdes, an organisation that was very much in Veronica’s heart and that saw its inception in 2001 thanks to a group of volunteers, including her brother and sisters. Veronica was actively involved in AVL as she and

PRIVATEEYE With her mother Veronica Ellul.

“IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS BLONDE, TENNIS-PLAYING, BOXERCISE-FANATIC, PICTURE OF HEALTH IS NO MORE” her siblings used to assist the sick and their families in their annual pilgrimage to Lourdes.

“My mother was a very strong woman. She was very special,” says Lucy through the tears. “She helped everybody. She had very strong faith and was loved a lot. Throughout her battle with cancer, she was always

giving words of wisdom and courage to others who were also going through the same ordeal.”

I never had the opportunity to meet Veronica, but as Lucy scrolls through photos of her beautiful mother on her smartphone, I get a sense of her joie de vivre, a vivacious woman, who was the life and soul of

any party and family gathering.

It is hard to believe that this blonde, tennis-playing, boxercise-fanatic, picture of health is no more… although she is, in a small way, with us during the interview.

Lucy has asked her father’s advice to choose her outfit for the photo shoot as she was keen to represent her mother. She arrives wearing a black and dark purple dress that used to belong to Veronica. She has teamed it with a Hermès scarf her mother had given her a few years ago. The scarf is another link to Veronica’s battle with cancer as it features the Tree of Life design that was created by Hermès in 2013 to raise funds for the cancer support centre Maggie’s at St Bart’s Hospital in London.

“My mother was super stylish,” says Lucy, breaking into a rare smile.

Veronica was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. At the time, it was deemed as low risk and the tumour was removed. However, by the end of summer 2014, she had developed fibromyalgia and had lost a lot of weight. “She felt two lumps.

The cancer had returned and had spread. This time, it was very aggressive. She spent the next twoand-a-half years going in and out of hospital undergoing chemotherapy.

Throughout that time, she tried to live as ‘normal’ a life as possible.

She kept working, she would still play tennis, go to boxercise classes.

She was very strong,” explains Lucy.

“One of the hardest things she had to come to terms with was her hair falling out. She was quite vain and losing her hair was quite a trauma for her,” continues Lucy.

Inspired by her mother’s hair loss, Lucy has since donated her beautiful black hair three times to charity. She now wears it in a short bob.

In June 2017, Veronica was dealt the harshest blow yet when she contracted a chest infection.

Doctors gave her just one per cent chance of survival. “On paper, my mother was meant to die then,” says Lucy, “but after three days, she pulled through, she got better and by July 1, she was out of hospital celebrating my birthday.”

Pink April 2019 ∫ 13

PRIVATEEYE

Remembering Ron… with a walk for charity.

“I DREAM OF HER ALL THE TIME. SHE IS CONSTANTLY IN MY HEAD. HER FACEBOOK PAGE REMAINS ACTIVE WITH FRIENDS STILL POSTING MESSAGES AND PHOTOS ON HER WALL” After enjoying a ‘normal’ Christmas, Veronica’s condition worsened once again. In February, a routine operation to remove her spleen left her in intensive care, but sadly, this time, there would be no miraculous recovery.

“On the Monday, we went to see her, and she passed away at 4am on Tuesday, February 27. She had told us she didn’t want to suffer.

“My mother and I were very close.

When she passed away, I felt a sense of peace inside me. To this day, I still feel she is there with me. I dream of her all the time. She is constantly in my head. Her Facebook page remains active with friends still posting messages and photos on her wall.

This is what gives me the strength to carry on; otherwise I couldn’t do it. I want to keep her ‘alive’.”

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And this is what spurred Lucy on to organise the charity walk in Veronica’s honour. “From the day she died, I said I wanted to organise something in her honour and for AVL. It’s hard for me, but I keep thinking about someone else out there who might also be suffering.

Why shouldn’t I help them?”

AVL organises an annual pilgrimage to Lourdes usually at the end of August with around 200 participants, although there were years when the figure was closer to 300. It is all organised by a small group of volunteers. AVL provides financial, logistical and medical support to patients and organises numerous fund-raising activities throughout the year to ensure that pilgrimage costs can be adequately covered.

The pilgrimage costs €650, including

flights and full-board accommodation, and AVL ensures that “any deserving individuals who wish to travel to Lourdes but are unable to afford it are able to do so”. Sick pilgrims and their families can often be subsidised following a basic means assessment.

“It is the association’s mission to never leave anyone behind for lack of funds,” says Lucy. “In 19 years, this has never happened. AVL charters a plane that flies directly to Lourdes, organises accommodation and, most importantly, ensures that arrangements are made with the Sanctuary of Our Lady in Lourdes to facilitate the availability of venues, wheelchairs and medical equipment.

“The idea is for patients to travel to Lourdes and forget about the burden of their condition or illness.

They pray together as a group and they also enjoy some time together, socialising and eating out,” Lucy adds. Moreover, the large number of volunteer helpers, including medical staff, who accompany the group, pay their own way and give up their time to assist the sick throughout the pilgrimage.

The 5km Walk for Ron is on Sunday, May 5, and starts at 10.30am from the Love monument in St Julian’s. The donation fee is €10. For more information, follow the Facebook page Walk for Ron. Participants must fill in the application form in advance.

WOMENSWORLD Natalie Briffa Farrugia and Amanda Xuereb.

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WOMENSWORLD

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Women in top-level management in Malta are few and far between. A statistic of five per cent when compared to the 60 per cent that graduate from university is a worrying one. RACHEL ZAMMIT CUTAJAR asks: Why are all these women being lost? Why is the country, and the economy, losing out on such potential?

T

he HSBC Women in Business Awards celebrate the working women of our society, and meeting the winners, Natalie Briffa Farrugia and Amanda Xuereb, highlights a number of core values that are giving women an edge. And they’re not entirely what you think.

When you think of high-powered businessmen, you think cutthroat men in suits, sitting around a boardroom table, doing whatever is necessary, trampling on whoever is necessary, to get the job done. But both Natalie and Amanda display very different traits, including fostering relationships with both clients and staff, creating support systems for employees, particularly working mothers, as well as for clients, and displaying a passion that is truly inspirational.

The long and short of it is that these differing management styles are not necessarily better than those adopted by men through the ages, but they are complementary.

Natalie, CEO of CareMalta, is the winner of the Businesswoman of the Year Award, while Amanda Xuereb, Chief Business Development Officer at Toly Group, took home the award for Young Businesswoman of the Year at the inaugural ceremony hosted by HSBC earlier on in the year.

“ONCE YOU HAVE AN ESTABLISHED WORKFORCE THAT IS HAPPY IN THEIR JOBS, THEN EVERYTHING ELSE FALLS INTO PLACE” Perhaps the quality that shines through the most in these two women’s management styles is the way they value relationships with both clients and staff.

Natalie’s company, CareMalta, runs nine facilities for the elderly across the island. Human resources are valuable assets to any firm, and though Natalie can see her workforce from an economic viewpoint, she is able to strip all that away and value the person behind the worker.

“I pride myself in being able to see through race and religion to get to know the person as an individual, to understand their needs and to build a support system that allows them to perform at their very best. Once you have an established workforce that is happy in their jobs, then everything else falls into place.”

Natalie spent some years working as a volunteer with Mother Teresa’s Sisters of the Poor and attributes both her decision-making skills and sensitivity towards other people to the time she spent there.

“Some of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life were at that time. When we had a couple of free beds in the facilities, we’d go out with the nuns to choose two of the poorest people to occupy them. In selecting the two, you refuse at least 20 others. This has helped me to empathise with both our residents and our employees. We are selling better quality of life to our residents, but we also believe that quality of life for our employees is of utmost importance.”

Amanda works for a multi-national organisation, Toly Group, that manufactures packaging for the international beauty industry. She works in sales and business development in countries that do not have a brick-and-mortar Toly office, including Turkey, Morocco, Pakistan, Japan, the Middle East and Sweden among others.

“I am incredibly passionate about what I do. I consider myself lucky to wake up every day to do something I love. One morning, I wake up in Dubai, and by the afternoon, I’m in the completely different world that is Sweden.”

Because she is doing business in such different cultures, Amanda has learnt to understand people and has become so much more sensitive to different cultures and religions. “People are people at the end of the day. They all expect the same things – honesty and trust and to believe that you are going to be there for them throughout the whole business process. I’m not after a quick sale, but to develop long-term relationships that benefit both parties.”

This enterprising spirit led her to create a new brand, Beauty Trill, a go-to partner for brands to create specialised beauty products. “The word ‘trill’ is American slang for true and real, and what we aim to achieve with this is to create a brand of make-up that is genderless. It won’t be marketed solely at women. Men can also wear make-up. I want the products that we create to be inclusive, and through this, we can inspire worldwide brand owners to think this way too.”

Amanda is also involved with the Malta Chamber of Commerce, where she will be spearheading a new initiative that will encourage entrepreneurship in young people. “Youngsters are our future. I feel it is important to let them know Pink April 2019 ∫ 19

WOMENSWORLD

that they can take leading roles if they have the passion and drive. It is equally important for companies to provide opportunities for the new generation as they have a different skill set that complements those of the older generation.

“I feel like this is even more important for young women. One trait women possess, which I feel aids them at becoming leaders, is emotional intelligence that most men are generally lacking.”

Childbearing is a topic that comes up when discussing an increase of women in the workforce. Natalie is first to answer, saying this should not have any bearing on whether someone is employed with the company or not.

“We employ 1,200 people in the role of carers and 80 per cent are women. We have had to make friends with pregnancy.”

Natalie took on the role of CEO of CareMalta when she herself was seven months pregnant. Though it was not the ideal situation, it was an opportunity she could not pass up.

“When my second daughter was born, I carried her in a sling, a custom I picked up in Ethiopia, and took her to work with me. She slept most of the day and I was able to fulfil my responsibilities on the job.”

“WE EMPLOY 1,200 PEOPLE IN THE ROLE OF CARERS AND 80 PER CENT ARE WOMEN. WE HAVE HAD TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH PREGNANCY” Natalie encourages her employees to have families, believing that it enriches their lives and creates a more empathic carer.

“In the grand scheme of an employee’s working life, pregnancy, and the time a mother spends at home with her young child, is only very short. If you support your employees through a time when they are vulnerable, you foster a sense of loyalty that will give the company back much more than what it lost through time away from work. It’s about looking at the big picture.

“On average we have between eight and 10 employees out on maternity leave, however, we are able to employ enough people to fill the gaps. And when these mothers return, they do so with a sense of loyalty to the firm. We have even started new contracts with nurses who were pregnant.

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“When a woman creates new life, it gives her a better understanding of people, especially those in vulnerable situations, which, in our industry is invaluable. It saddens me to hear that companies avoid employing women of childbearing age because they may decide to have a baby at a later stage. Pregnancy is not a disease and we need to stop treating it like one.

“Perhaps this is where we can close that gap between the number of women graduating from university and that of women in top management.”

Though Amanda does not have children herself, she feels it is important for companies to create a supportive environment in which women can have a family and still flourish at the workplace.

“Toly Group is an advocate of equality and it provides a working environment where women are inspired to develop their talent and reach their full potential. It allows flexible ways of working, such as flexitime, teleworking, working from home and extended parental leave. Providing a support system that allows women to pursue their careers is going to be beneficial to everyone in the long run.”

Staying at home to raise children should be something a woman decides she wants, not a situation that is imposed on her because of lack of support. “If I have children, I won’t stop working,” Amanda says.

She attributes this to growing up in an environment where the women in her family worked, so this is what she knows.

WOMENSWORLD

“My grandmother ran a factory in the 1980s and my mother also worked full time and still had food on the table for her three kids in the evening. Childbearing and advancing in a career do not have to be mutually exclusive. The gender stereotypes introduced in childhood are reinforced throughout our lives and become self-fulfilling prophesies. Most leadership positions are held by men, so women don’t expect to achieve them, and that becomes one of the reasons they don’t.”

“MOST LEADERSHIP POSITIONS ARE HELD BY MEN, SO WOMEN DON’T EXPECT TO ACHIEVE THEM, AND THAT BECOMES ONE OF THE REASONS THEY DON’T” Natalie admits that managing family life and a career is challenging, but she says that making some difficult decisions and sticking by them is fundamental to the success of both parts. “I have some rules that I follow very stringently. I don’t work weekends and I am not available between 5 and 8pm as this time is reserved for family. This means I turn down opportunities that come along at the times I am looking after my children, but other opportunities come as a result. Of course, I’m always available in an emergency, but only as a last resort.

Prioritising your responsibilities and developing a good support system is invaluable.”

For the advancement of women in the working world, both women believe that men need to take more responsibility in the raising of their own children. Amanda spends quite a lot of time in Sweden, developing a whole make-up line for a large fashion brand there. She says it is normal for fathers to take just as much time off when the children are born as women.

You are very likely to find fathers pushing prams and sharing coffee with each other while the mother is at work.

“Equality at the workplace will only be achieved where there is equality at home, and that means men need to take responsibility for raising their own children.”

Natalie has one male employee who brings his kids to work with him from 4.30pm as that is the time his wife goes out

to work. “We are very supportive of him bringing them in as it gives his wife the opportunity to pursue her own career and this is something we are in favour of.”

It is clear that these two formidable women have a lot in common in the way they manage themselves and their working environment. If the strategies they follow have been so successful for them, perhaps it is a lesson for women who are considering their place in the business world to stand up and let their virtues shine rather than conform to the traditional characteristics expected from people in top management.

THE MALTA BUSINESSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS The idea of a glass ceiling when it comes to gender at the workplace is nothing new. According to Eurostat, in 2018, only 9.5 per cent [8.4 per cent in 2017] of female board members in the largest publicly listed companies were female.

While Malta registered a slight increase, statistics are exceptionally low when compared to the EU 28 with figures as high as 26.7 per cent in 2018 [25.3 per cent in 2017]. A number of initiatives have been taken to close the gender gap, but there is still much work to be done.

The HSBC Malta Businesswoman of the Year Awards have been designed to promote women who have shown significant success in the local business world. HSBC Malta firmly believes in improving the gender balance in managerial roles, and in 2018, it became the first large organisation in Malta to have 50 per cent of its executive committee positions held by women, and all of these were appointed based on merit.

Andrew Beane, CEO of HSBC Malta, has been very vocal about the importance of promoting women in all spheres of life, particularly in business.

“I passionately believe that diversity of thought is an essential component of business success. Today, 60 per cent of graduates from the University of Malta are female, but only 9.5 per cent of all board positions in Malta’s listed companies are held by women, which is among the lowest in the EU and only ahead of Greece [9.1 per cent in 2018] and Estonia [8 per cent in 2018],” he says.

“Our economy cannot truly prosper and compete internationally over the long term unless the remarkable talent of businesswomen in Malta is truly set free.

“Beyond the simple economics, in any healthy society, there must be a fundamental moral perspective that it is talent alone that determines potential for progression and success.”

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ARTYFACTS Abigail Mallia

A Cinematographic Triumph Director Abigail Mallia sits down with IGGY FENECH to discuss the ups and downs of creating this year’s must-see, Maltese feature film, inspired by Żaren tal-Ajkla’s story: Limestone Cowboy.

B

ack in 2016, Limestone Cowboy was still a work in progress, but it was shown for the first time at the Valletta Film Festival.

I was in the audience that day and I remember that, once the particularly lengthy film came to an end, people stood still in their seats, moved by the emotional story that had just unfolded.

Nevertheless, for Abigail Mallia, Carlos Debattista and Jon Mallia, who have produced local cult-TV series like Evanġelisti, Ġiżelle and Miraklu, the film had to be absolutely perfect before it hit the silver screen. So, Limestone Cowboy, which took 58 days to film, spent many years being edited and re-edited, based on intensive focus groups, before it finally started showing exclusively at Eden Cinemas on April 13 this year.

The wait was definitely worth it, as the final cut brings even more emotion and drama to the story, which features Paul Portelli and Davide Tucci in the lead roles. Yet, what I find most fascinating about it is the story, which we’ve all probably played a part in creating – whether knowing, or unknowingly.

“THE TOUGHEST PART IN THIS MOVIE WAS TO GET THE EMOTION RIGHT” “It was just after the General Elections of 2013 that I came across a picture of Żaren Vassallo, the sole candidate for Il-Partit ta’ l-Ajkla, staring through the counting hall Perspex at a meagre amount of votes stacked

under his name,” director Abigail Mallia recounts.

“I decided to look into it, and it turned out that, following countless rallies attended by thousands of revelers all cheering his name, Żaren had obtained just 43 votes. The look of desolation and heartbreak on his face was so moving that it left a mark…

So much so, that Carlos, Jon and I began forming the story with one predominant question in our minds: ‘What would we do if the object of all this ridicule was our parent?’”

Spanning three generations, the journey audiences are taken on in Limestone Cowboy starts with a young boy named Karist, who is weaned on stories of a mythical cowboy who defends the Island from the infamous Majestic Five. As he grows older, Karist also grows increasingly delusional – no Pink April 2019 ∫ 23

ARTYFACTS

doubt a product of a childhood tragedy that stunted his mental growth – and, on top of imparting the story of the cowboy to his own son, John, Karist also ventures into politics and the public arena, where he becomes an object of ridicule.

“The toughest part in this movie was to get the emotion right,” Abigail continues. “It was vital that everything looked and felt authentic so that the audience could immerse itself into a story that felt credible.”

With her director’s hat on, Abigail started the process with a long period of workshops and rehearsals so that the actors could live and breathe the characters they were about to interpret. Abigail, in fact, was adamant that while she had to keep the bigger picture in mind, she had to give actors a lot of leeway and freedom in the way they embodied the character at hand, sometimes even changing the script to fit a sudden burst of emotion spurred on by the actor.

“Looking at the film now, I feel it worked,” she says. “The feedback has also been overwhelming, and people are leaving the cinema on an emotional high. The film stays with them for days after they watch it! That, to me, is the incredible power of storytelling.”

Locally, a film of Limestone Cowboy’s magnitude and scope is rarely seen.

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Reflecting on this, Abigail agrees that budgets are a determining factor when it comes to creating movies like this, particularly if they are to compete for the spotlight internationally.

“The country needs to invest in this industry at all levels, starting from the writing all the way up to production and post-production, if we want to make it on an international level.

With Limestone Cowboy, for example,

company behind the feature-length movie, aspires to recreate the quality of Limestone Cowboy and even go further in the future… If they can afford it.

“If we are to finally create an indigenous Maltese film industry that churns out quality movies at a steady pace, then we will need to invest in training and teaching institutions, as well as to increase the budgets allotted to quality concepts and productions.”

“THE FILM STAYS WITH THEM FOR DAYS AFTER THEY WATCH IT! THAT, TO ME, IS THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF STORYTELLING” a crucial aspect and one we repeatedly encountered was the need to feature a prominent actor or actress of international repute in the cast so that the film could have a better chance at being noticed on the world stage. When considering employing such an actor, even a second-tier name, budgets start soaring!”

To make Limestone Cowboy a reality, both cast and crew worked long, hard hours and got paid sub-industry rates, leaving more of the budget to be spent on production. It was, as Abigail calls it, “a labour of love” from everyone involved, but TAKE2, which is the production

Knowing that one of the things Abigail “can’t live without [is] telling stories”, then the chances are that she will find a way to make that happen.

In fact, on the TV side of things, she is currently working on a three-part series called Merjen, which is based on a true story about a murder that happened a century ago.

But, before that, we can continue revelling in the beautiful storytelling of Limestone Cowboy, a rare triumph for Maltese cinematography.

Limestone Cowboy is currently showing at Eden Cinemas.

WOMANKIND

A BORN REBEL

MARY GALEA DEBONO chronicles the life of author Karen Blixen out of Africa and during her time in Kenya…

“I

had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills.”

This is the opening line of Karen Blixen’s book Out of Africa. It is the same introduction that Sydney Pollock uses in his 1985 Oscarwinning film with the same title.

Meryl Streep makes this statement with the majestic scenes of an African landscape and the haunting soundtrack, composed by John Barry, in the background. The emphasis is on “had” with its implication of sadness for the loss of this ‘paradise’.

On this farm, with its 4,500 acres of land, Karen spent almost 18 years from January 1914 to July 1931. They were not years of unalloyed happiness, and

from her book, in which she avoids giving too many personal details, we do not get a clear picture of what actually happened. But when she confessed “here I am and here is where I ought to be,” it was a genuine expression of her spiritual bonding with this land that transcended all personal dilemmas.

Although the book starts as if the author is about to narrate a story, Out of Africa is not a tale like the many tales she wrote when she was young and continued writing long after her return to Denmark. Neither can it be described as a memoir of what day-to-day life was like on the farm. It is not an anthropological study, or an account of the customs and beliefs of the Kikuyu

and Masai tribes that formed the workforce on the farm and in whom she took great interest. Nor is it a critical assessment of colonialism though it does shed some light on the subject.

Yet it is all of this – and more. It is an overview of what the author considered the most important period in her life.

These were the years of discovery – not merely the discovery of a different physical reality; a different way of life; but also, and possibly above everything else, a discovery of herself. More than facts, Karen sought to communicate a feeling; a way of being.

After her return to Europe, Karen spent the following four years writing her book Seven Gothic Tales, which she also translated into Danish. It brought her fame and fortune, but when this productive phase was over, she fell into one of her periodic states of depression.

Feeling melancholic, she confided – as she often did when she was in need of some practical advice – in her brother Thomas.

She should, he told her, either find a wise Catholic priest and explain her difficulties to him, or else concentrate on writing her planned book about the Masai. Karen opted for the second suggestion and the result was this: Out of Africa.

It was a cathartic exercise; a form of closure with this 18-year-long phase of her life. She had often expressed her intention of returning “home” – home being her farm in Kenya and any surviving people who had worked for her – but after writing this book, she probably came to terms with the fact that it was difficult to recapture the past. She did travel abroad, but Africa was not part of her itinerary.

In spite of Karen’s reserve in revealing her personal relationships in her own autobiographical work, Judith Thurman has produced a brilliant biography of this complex woman by an in-depth examination of her letters, unpublished manuscripts and documents that are now kept in the archives of the Rungstedlung Foundation; by interviewing people who had known her, or written about her; as well as by carefully studying the autobiographical elements in the many tales she wrote.

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WOMANKIND Karen was born in 1885, the second of five children of Wilhelm Dinesen and Ingeborg Westenholz. The Westenholzes were rich, self-made bourgeois; straightlaced and puritanical in outlook. The Dinesens were more aristocratic and urbane and had more joie de vivre.

Tanne, as she was known to her family, was closer in temperament to her father, who shared many of his interests with her. It is he who instilled in her a love of nature, a sense of adventure and a taste for discovery.

But Wilhelm was also a restless man, and when Tanne was 10 years old, he committed suicide by hanging himself.

It was a shattering experience for the growing girl for whom adolescence became a period of “mystic melancholy”.

Her personal struggle with guilt and conflict are reflected in the tales she wrote at the time.

Karen’s obsession with her father may also have had an impact on her relationships with men in later life.

By her late 20s, she had already experienced some romantic failures.

Young men seemed to be afraid of what one of her friends termed her “intellectuality”. Karen, who considered virility a more attractive quality than kindness and tenderness, responded only to he-men by which she understood men prepared to take risks and who loved adventure to the point of recklessness.

One of the men she fell in love with was Hans Blixen, a Swedish aristocrat, whose mother was her father’s cousin.

When he remained indifferent, she changed her mind and focused her attention on his twin brother Bror, “an affable hedonist” whose main goal in life was to have as much fun as possible and who, therefore, fitted into her ideal of the perfect life companion.

When Bror told her about his intention to buy a farm in Africa, Karen had no doubt she had found the man who was capable of offering her not only the freedom and independence she craved, but also an opportunity for a life of adventure.

Realising that Karen – a born rebel – was determined to marry Bror and settle in Africa, her mother and her uncle decided to invest money in a vast estate in the Ngong Hills outside Nairobi and the Swedish-African Coffee Company 30 ∫ Pink April 2019

As Karen watched their fading figures from the deck of SS Admiral as it sailed out of harbour, she little suspected that this same scene would be re-enacted in reverse almost 18 years later.

Karen and Bror were married the day after her arrival in Mombasa in a 10-minute ceremony officiated by the district commissioner. Within months, she started suffering from repeated bouts of fever usually followed by depression; she slept badly and lost weight. At first the doctors, unable to identify the illness, thought she had contracted malaria, but a proper examination revealed that she had syphilis. She was treated with mercury tablets, but there was no cure for her illness.

The truth was that those very qualities that Karen had so admired in Bror were to be the cause not only of her illness, but also the failure of her marriage. A gregarious person by nature, Bror led a “BY HER LATE 20S, SHE HAD ALREADY dissolute life and, when not EXPERIENCED SOME ROMANTIC on safari, or some other FAILURES. YOUNG MEN SEEMED TO BE expedition, he spent many AFRAID OF WHAT ONE OF HER FRIENDS of his days and nights at TERMED HER ‘INTELLECTUALITY’” the Muthaiga Club, where the European settlers in Kenya congregated. One year into the marriage, he had already started to have extra-marital affairs and his relationships with African women became the talk of the town.

In spite of this, Karen tolerated his escapades and considered the first years of her marriage as the Karen Blixen with Kikuyu people and happiest of her life. Even wolfhounds at her farmhouse in Nairobi. when Denys Finch Hatton, a charming English aristocrat whom she had met in 1918, was set up. Later it turned out that became her lover and moved his the land was more suitable for cattle belongings to her house, which he used breeding than for growing coffee, but in between his long travels as a big-game these were problems for the future. hunter, the Blixens continued to live Bror left for Kenya in 1913. In together like two friends. It was only in December of the same year, Karen 1922 when Bror left the farm for good packed her trousseau and, on the and asked for a divorce to marry his understanding that she would marry mistress that she felt betrayed by him.

Bror on the same day she arrived at Mombasa, she said goodbye to her aunts With the divorce, Baroness Blixen also and uncles, and after an emotional lost her title – a fact that irked her. farewell to her brothers and sisters at On the farm, Karen had always had Copenhagen’s central station, she to manage on her own because Bror travelled south to Naples accompanied knew nothing about coffee growing, by her mother and her sister Elle. and during his prolonged absences, the

Karen Blixen and Denys Finch Hatton.

day-to-day running of the farm fell on her. But the repeated droughts that withered the coffee plants, poor harvests and the outbreak of World War I meant that the farm was no longer a profit-making enterprise and the lack of money and the threat of having to sell added to the uncertainty. Although left on her own to cope with the many pressing problems, she persisted in the hope of saving the farm. But the odds were against her.

Denys too eventually left the farm and went on a long safari. Karen had become too possessive and he was too independent for the relationship to survive. Soon afterwards he crashed with his plane. She had lost the two things she loved most.

She sold the farm to a developer – who named this suburb of Nairobi Karen – and concluded there was no longer any point in remaining in Africa.

This time, bidding her farewell was her new family of Somali servants, who stood at the Nairobi railway station, and travelling with her on the train to Mombasa were Farah and Tumbo, her two faithful tribesmen from the farm, who were to see her board the SS Mantola that would take her back to Europe.

But the woman leaning against the guard rail of the ship was not the same young attractive woman who had waved goodbye to her mother and sister in Naples 18 years before. She was an emaciated woman whose appearance – “like the shadow of the woman I had once known” – shocked her brother who was waiting for her on the quay when she disembarked.

Throughout her years on the farm, Karen had been very close to the African tribesmen, who lived with her and to whose welfare she had dedicated herself. From her letters, it is clear that she harboured much contempt for the white settlers for their banality and their racial prejudices. She believed that what the Africans needed was to be educated to be able to take back their country, and for this reason, she had even started a night school.

Europeans on their part were suspicious of her, and during the war, some suspected she was a German spy.

After her return to Denmark, Karen dedicated herself to writing and publishing her tales under the pseudonym Isak Dinesen. She was ably aided by Clara Svendson, who dedicated her life to her, acting as cook and maid, secretary and translator, companion and nurse, and after her death, administered the Blixen archives and Karen’s literary estate.

Karen continued to suffer from the effects of syphilis until she died in 1962 in an old people’s home.

SHOWSTOPPER Dress, €225, Karen Millen ∫ shoes, €55, Charles & Keith ∫ Celine spectacles, €260, O’hea Opticians.

On the move...

THROW IN SOME SERIOUS ANIMAL PRINT FOR GOOD MEASURE THIS SPRING.

Photography Matthew B. Spiteri Styling Marisa Grima [marisagrima.com] Hair Becky Vella @ Dean Gera Salons Make-up Amanda Greaves Model Alison @ Supernova MM

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SHOWSTOPPER Top, €21.99; jeans, €23.50, both Matalan ∫ belt, stylist’s own.

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SHOWSTOPPER

Dress, €99; cropped trousers, €79, both Oltre ∫ bag, €75; shoes, €89, both Charles & Keith.

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Jacket, €109; trousers, €59, both Marks & Spencer ∫ bag, €120, Armani Exchange ∫ top, stylist’s own.

SHOWSTOPPER

Top, €25.99; shorts, €25.99, both NOOS ∫ scarf, €39, Oltre.

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SHOWSTOPPER

Jumpsuit, €70; top, €27, both Marks & Spencer.

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Playsuit, €29.99, NOOS.

SHOWSTOPPER Skirt [worn as dress], €135; shirt [tied at the back], €125, both Armani Exchange ∫ Celine spectacles, €260, O’hea Opticians.

Pink April 2019 ∫ 37

En plein air painting by Debbie Bonello.

PINK@THEPARTY The Pink Tea Garden, a Times of Malta wellness event, the first of its kind, in collaboration with Tettiera, was held in the idyllic setting of Vincent Eco Estate in Mgarr. The event was supported by Alpro, Blooms by Daniel, Brown’s Pharmacy, Camilleri Caterers, Dical House, Dr Juice, Ellie & Carl, Farmer’s Deli, Good Earth, Honey & Zest, Jo’s Delights, Mediterranean Ceramics, Mint Health, My Melts My Remedies, Myoka Spas, Nupo, Perrier, Sanya, Saz Mifsud, Thalgo, The Health Store, Vincent’s Eco Farm and Nestlé’s Yes! Photography Jonathan Borg

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PINK@THEPARTY

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PINK@THEPARTY

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PINK@THEPARTY

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PINK@THEPARTY

Pink April 2019 ∫ 43

PINKPROMO

BALANCE AND SIMPLICITY… WITH A TWIST Artists express their imagination in Negroni’s 100th anniversary art competition.

The Campari Malta Artist 2019 winner, Gabriella Lukacs with Revive.

A

stunning pouch, bespoke jewellery, vivid digital art, striking acrylic paintings and colourful ceramics are just a few of the numerous entries submitted in the open art competition launched by Campari to celebrate it’s 100th anniversary of the iconic cocktail Negroni.

Launched earlier this year and organised in collaboration with Allura – Malta Open Art Studios, the competition called for established and up-and-coming artists to design an original, eclectic and inspired artwork, which encapsulates the spirit of Negroni – balance, simplicity, but with an original twist.

After a lengthy process, the judges – all experts in their respective fashion and art background – selected Gabriella Lukacs’ tailored pouch as the winner of the competition.

Using recycled material and aptly named Revive, the shape and colours reflect the stylish elegance and panache Negroni symbolises.

Christine Porter Lofaro scooped second place with her exquisite painting As they Flow, while JAD Jewellery came in third with their masterful neckpiece, which exhibited all the different elements that complete Negroni.

The fourth place was awarded to Jana Frost, who combined photo-collaging and digital vector illustration to present a classic yet modern take. The fifth finalist was Zack Ritchie whose digital interpretation The Dance of Negroni is a call to connect, socialise and celebrate in true Campari fashion.

The Campari Malta Artist 2019 winner together with the other finalists will have their work used for Campari Negroni promotional material throughout 2019, besides

Clockwise from top left: Christine Porter Lofaro and her painting As They Flow; JAD Jewellery with the Negroni 100 neckpiece; Zack Ritchie with The Dance of Negroni; and Jana Frost's entry.

being prominently displayed during various major art and fashion events happening in Malta during this year.

Considered to be one of the most famous Italian cocktails in the world, Negroni was invented in 1919 by Count Negroni, who asked to add a touch of gin rather than soda to his Americano, in honour of his last trip to London.

Negroni’s fascination stems from the fact that it is an equally balanced drink, made from three equal parts: 1 part Gin; 1 part Campari; and 1 part Cinzano Vermouth Rosso. Described as a “long drink in a short glass”, every Negroni created is an artwork in itself, made to be enjoyed and shared with others.

For more information, visit the Campari Malta Facebook page. Campari is marketed and distributed by Farsons Beverage Imports Co. Ltd. For trade enquiries, call on 2381 4400.

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PINKPROMO

A SNACK WITH JUST THE GOOD BITS? YES! PLEASE! If you’re looking for a satisfying, flavourful-yet-healthy snack that’s packed full of good things… you’ve found it! Fall in love with YES!

W

hether you’re trying to shift a few kilos or simply want to fuel up with good, wholesome food, finding a healthy source of protein and energy can be a challenge.

Unfortunately, products that are very healthy may not taste great, making you less likely to want to eat it.

Now, though, there is a snack bar to tickle your taste buds that is also genuinely healthy.

The new YES! range of nut bars has completely eliminated the flavour vs nutrition compromise. Invented by a team of dietary experts, the range

comprises delicious combinations of wholesome ingredients that deliver great flavour and no nasty extras.

YES! bars harness the natural qualities of nuts and dried fruits, combined with the natural sweetness of honey. Nuts are especially high in protein and each YES! bar contains over seven grams of this long-lasting energy source. The addition of dehydrated fruits means that each bar is high in fibre, which helps keep the digestive tract healthy.

Dark chocolate, with its high cacao content, antioxidants and minerals, features in all three of the YES! bar

flavours available. This decadent ingredient gives the bars that irresistible flavour and offers a host of health benefits including a reduction in blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.

What doesn’t go into your food is as important as what does and the YES! creators have taken great care to ensure that only the good stuff ends up in your bar. All the bars are completely gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians.

There are no preservatives, colourings, or artificial sweeteners and flavours.

Each bar contains only 5g of sugar.

When it comes to calories, YES! bars contain fewer than 190 each and that energy is released slowly, thanks to the snacks’ high protein content.

This makes them the perfect solution for busy days when you just don’t have the time to prepare a healthy snack in between meals.

There are three flavours to choose from: • Tempting Sea Salt, Dark Choc & Almond • Sumptuous Cranberry & Dark Choc • Delightful Coffee, Dark Choc & Cherry.

So, whether you’re nuts about almonds, can’t get enough of cranberries or prefer a cheeky cherry flavour, there’s no tastier way to keep you going throughout the day. YES! bars are available in all retail stores.

YES! bars are already making their way round Malta! The YES! team was proud to attend the recent Pink Tea Garden event at Vincent’s Eco Farm, where guests loved trying out the different flavour combinations and discovering how to add this genuinely-healthy snack to their daily diets. Next, YES! was also one of the musthave inclusions within the Run the #WaveOfChange goodie bags, with all participating runners give a scrumptious bar at the end of the event.

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SNAPSHOT

OUT OF HIDING

Despite the anxiety, Michelle Gialanze, or Mixa, is glad to have the opportunity to share her work with the public in her first solo exhibition, Hidden, opening at Palazzo Depiro in Mdina on May 3. The artist in her has finally emerged and she is eager to hear interpretations of her creations… and simply discuss art…

H

ow did you go from doing what you are doing to being an artist? Was this always brewing inside you and what made you take the plunge? I have been

painting throughout my life… hidden from public view. When I was younger, I had attended various art courses, and then life took over and I had to focus on other aspects that had priority. As soon as I had more time, I took the opportunity and made art my priority too.

How would you describe your art and what is it inspired by? What do you want to say with it? Layers of oil, a

textured medium, manipulated to create images with meaning… An example would be the painting of the hidden mirror, where a woman is looking at her own image and seeing a younger version.

Many years ago, I heard something while watching TV. The main actress said she looked in the window and saw this old lady with a heavy shopping basket. She reached out to help her and realised it was herself. I often keep processing and thinking about matters and, eventually, these come through my paintings.

I hope to share the various meanings with my audience.

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Why did you call it hidden and what got you out of hiding? Four years ago,

I faced the passing away of my mother.

It happened so quickly and was a time of turmoil. When I came out of it, I faced some serious questions, including how I was spending my time and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

I have been very passionate about it.

For the past six years, I have been working freelance. I find it very difficult to dissect who I am and believe that all the colours of my life have contributed to getting me to the place I am now.

Saying that, I am presently dedicating much more time to art.

“I FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO DISSECT WHO I AM AND BELIEVE THAT ALL THE COLOURS OF MY LIFE HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO GETTING ME TO THE PLACE I AM NOW” A first solo exhibition can be daunting.

How do you feel about it and how do you think the public will react to your work? A first solo exhibition is a great

experience, with all the sensations that it brings – pain, apprehension, tension and anxiety. But it has also been great in finding out more about myself and my art direction. I am also really glad to have the opportunity to share my work with the public, and I am eager to hear their interpretations, and simply discuss art.

How much time do you dedicate to your art? I have been very fortunate in

that what I have done for a day job in the past has been in the education world and

Do you have a favourite piece in this collection and why? All my pieces have

something that I love in them… I suppose the one that is my favourite is our mischievous dog Heidi. That is why I used her on the invitations and posters.

Do you think anyone can be an artist?

What are the criteria you go by? I think we

are all creative; if we try and access that part of us and allow it to come through, everyone will be able to find their inner artist.

Where to from here? I am currently working on three series, which are very different techniques from each other and very personal.