Pink (October 2019)

ISSUE179∫OCTOBER2019

WHEN A FAIRY-TALE MARRIAGE BRUTALLY BREAKS DOWN ONE MAN BARES HIS WRECKED SOUL, LIFE AND FUTURE

ABOUT THE FIRST PROFESSIONAL FEMALE WRITER

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WATCH THIS EXPLOSIVE POLITICAL FARCE WITH AN ALL-FEMALE CAST ABOUT A JOURNALIST WHO KNOWS ‘TOO MUCH’

Taking back the reins of shattered lives A CHARITY THAT’S OUT TO EMPOWER WOMEN

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INSIDE

October 2019

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FEATURES 14 PrivateEye the end of a love One man opens up about a soul-destroying sudden break-up 22 WomensWorld empowering the voiceless Helping women take back the reins of shattered lives 29 ArtyFacts a splash of pink Painting to raise funds for cancer research 31 InFocus it’s all in your head Why most suicides are male

FASHION 40 ShowStopper street smart Clever cuts

HEALTH & BEAUTY 54 InThePink living to tell the tale Priorities post cancer

REGULARS 11 EditorsNote 12 MailShot 36 WomanKind the first medieval feminist Christine de Pizan 47 Pink@TheParty The Pink Tea Garden and The Pink Coffee Morning 65 SnapShot Pursuing truth and justice Louiselle Vassallo

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COVER Photography Andre Gialanze ∫ Styling Marisa Grima [marisagrima.com] ∫ Make-up & hair Marlene Vassallo ∫ Model Katrina @ Supernova MM, wearing jacket, €109; shirt, €79; trousers, €79; necklace, €25, all Oltre.

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Photography Sean Mallia

EDITORSNOTE

For the last two October issues of Pink, this editorial page has been dedicated to slain investigative journalist and fellow magazine editor Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose murder remains unsolved. It has been left blank, barring an image of her, her date of birth and one question.

This time, in keeping with the more ‘upbeat’ mood of a protest march held on the second anniversary of her murder, where anti-Mafia Palermo Mayor Leoluca Orlando claimed “Daphne has won” thanks to the crowd present that evening, continuing her fight; where Italian priest Don Luigi Ciotti, an anti-Mafia campaigner, said she is not dead and did not die in vain; and where former Socialist Portuguese MEP Ana Gomes described her as “Invicta”, we move along with the wave of hope that justice and truth will prevail.

Daphne was described as “alive” and victorious because she was inspiring people to continue her work and fight corruption and impunity.

What a miscalculation and a mistake her killers made in thinking they could annihilate her and her memory even though they used the mightiest of bombs.

Instead, they sent shockwaves around the world and the fight she started carries on as she, in death, continues to discomfit her persecutors – not least through the many honours she has received globally.

So, in the spirit of the determination that is growing over despair, the plan was to list here the awards she has received posthumously… except that it was simply too long and just didn’t fit!

In Malta, her memorial was yet again cleared out right after the protest march.

Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, the lights

of the Eiffel Tower have been switched off for a minute to mark the United Nations International Day to End Impunity For Crimes Against Journalists; and prizes have been awarded in recognition, for example, of her “outstanding body of work as a freelance journalist reporting alone on Malta’s most important stories, and in acknowledgement of her extraordinary dedication and courage working under the most challenging of circumstances”; or in acknowledgment of the fact that “free and pluralistic information means guaranteeing democratic life”.

Journalists’ conventions have been dedicated to Daphne, commemorative events organised for her, and her name included in the Reporters Memorial in Bayeux, Normandy. The Libera Ragusa Presidio was dedicated to her memory this year, and her son Matthew said, on accepting the award in her name: “It reminds us not only that hope remains ours to keep, but that a large part of the world is hoping with us. It is an overwhelming and deeply emboldening thought for everyone fighting to win her justice and uphold her legacy.”

Other prizes were awarded because she “represents the highest ideals of journalism: courage, sacrifice and a firm commitment to the truth”; while the Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust in London awarded Daphne the Astor Award “for her courageous and inspiring fight against corruption”.

The Swedish National Press Club awarded her their 2018 Freedom of Speech prize, created in memory of Anna Politkovskaya; and the Newhouse School’s Tully Center for Free Speech at Syracuse University in New York awarded Daphne the 2017 Tully Award For Free Speech.

She was also the first non-Italian to receive the Nothing But the Truth prize by the Giuseppe Fava Foundation.

In 2017, author Roberto Saviano named her La Repubblica’s person of the year in the influential Italian newspaper’s front-page editorial; and the Tuscan Press Association

awarded her the 2017 Tuscan Journalists Award because “the sacrifice of Daphne must be a great example for the whole world of information”. The Swedish Göteborgs Handels & Sjöfartstidning awarded her the Holme Award, saying she had “given her life for the dignity of her profession and people” and that she would be remembered for her “outstanding fight against the crooks of our contemporary world”.

Meanwhile, the press room of the European Parliament in Strasbourg has been named after her, and artwork has been created in her name. The list goes on…

Only in Malta… are we effectively banned from even placing candles, flowers and placards at a makeshift memorial in Valletta. These are cleaned up regularly, meaning the country is ‘forbidden’ – or dissuaded – from mourning her, paying tribute to her, or fighting for her justice.

The exercise is failing miserably.

Because Daphne’s story infiltrates everything, indirectly and sometimes even unintentionally. Malta’s leading women’s magazine this month, for example, shines a spotlight on the first professional female writer in Europe, dating back to medieval times – getting readers to think about the power of the pen for personal freedom and more.

Pink also showcases the upcoming “explosive” political farce by Italian Nobel prize-winning playwright Dario Fo, with one of the characters being a journalist digging into institutionalised corruption, police brutality, cover-ups and the perverse manipulation of truth.

Behind the laughs is, in fact, a sharp, subversive sting that makes a powerful political point. It’s about the preservation of democracy, standing up to tyranny and demanding justice.

And it shows how voices can rise in various fora, reinforcing, as the actress interviewed herself states, that “theatre – like other arts disciplines – is a vital platform for social comment, criticism and protest”.

And the show will go on…

October 27, 2019 ∫ Pink is a monthly magazine ∫ Issue 179 ∫ Executive editor Fiona Galea Debono ∫ Publisher Allied Newspapers Ltd ∫ Printing Progress Press Ltd ∫ Production Allied Newspapers Ltd ∫ Contributors Adriana Bishop, Anna Marie Galea, Mary Galea Debono, Marisa Grima, Lara Sierra, Antoinette Sinnas, Marlene Vassallo ∫ Design Manuel Schembri ∫ Photography Martin Bonnici, Andre Gialanze, Matthew Mirabelli, Chris Sant Fournier ∫ Advertising sales Veronica Grech Sant [2276 4333; veronica.grechsant@timesofmalta.com].

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Pink October 2019 ∫ 11

MAILSHOT

THE LETTER THAT TICKLED PINK LEAVING A SMILE ON OUR FACES Dear Pink, I only have words of praise for your articles and the way the magazine is presented. I understand a lot of effort and work is put in to present such an amazing read. I am sure the different articles reach a lot of people out there and sometimes also touch the heart. Through the magazine, we keep updated about what is going on, learn to appreciate the little things in life and, at times, it leaves a smile on our faces. The magazine is like a kaleidoscope, with so many colourful and interesting articles, which, when presented together, give it a unique identity. So, keep them coming and keep up the excellent work. We appreciate your tips and useful information. I enjoy reading most the informative articles about health and beauty, cookery and homes. Being a Learning Support Educator, I couldn’t but not be touched by the story of the woman who had been diagnosed with autism, The Other Side of the Spectrum [PrivateEye, June 2019]. There are still people out there who lack education about inclusion and do not know what a holistic approach means. Thank you, Pink magazine and Sharon Travel Sicily, for the amazing opportunity to travel to Sicilia Outlet Village. It would have been a dream come true for my two daughters and I, who have been longing to visit it.

ROMILDA CARUANA, VIA E-MAIL

The writer of the letter of the month wins a Science of Skin Solution for Stretch Marks, courtesy of Pharma-Cos.

EXCITEMENT BETWEEN THE LINES I refer to the LifeStyle article in the June issue, Home Birth. It was so original, and I loved the way it moved from the everyday afternoon nap and ‘snuggling up’ to a three-year-old to the other extreme of: “I can feel her head; she’s crowning!” There was excitement written between the lines and it carried us forward from the very normal text message to the husband to the ambling in of her brother, with his own toddlers in tow, to the mother squatting in front of her daughter with a towel to catch the baby as it shot out into the world in the smallest space in the house! Well done!

TINA AGIUS, VIA E-MAIL

WRITE IN AND WIN

A SENSE OF DETERMINATION Congratulations to the unique team and all contributors of Pink for such an interesting monthly magazine. Reading through its pages, I was struck by a sense of great determination. Bernard Mangion of Ben Estates proves to be a real example to young entrepreneurs who want to own and start their own business venture.

I myself understand very well such determination because I also own my own business. In 2004, and at a very late stage in life, I decided to change my genre of work from a banker to a beauty therapist. The first four years were very hard as nothing comes easy, but I always believed that what I had created had to succeed, and it did! It is never too late to start. The salon is now in its 15th year, with satisfied clients always returning and recommending my services to family and friends. I think we should meet more entrepreneurs to boost such rewarding feats. A sense of determination was also detected in the article entitled Sacrifice to Succeed [SnapShot, June 2019]. From the questions and answers, I could see all the opportunities that present themselves throughout life, and it is a great pity to overlook such great ideas. What inspired designer Maria Cutajar to take up her flare for fashion took me down memory lane to 1984. As she rightly said, women used to sew for their kids as, unlike nowadays, there weren’t many clothes shops in Malta. Importation was limited due to strict Exchange Control Regulations. Therefore, my sister and I took the opportunity to get into clothing manufacturing and branched out to create kids’ and ladies’ wear in our free time. Ski pants, skirts, tops and shorts were mostly what we sewed. Every garment was professionally presented with overlocking and instruction labels. We embraced this opportunity for a couple of years until more clothes shops started opening. Determination is also evident in the feature The Other Side of the Spectrum [PrivateEye, June 2019], with young Graziella Bezzina being severely autistic and facing, with such fervour, the challenges that life has to offer. Notwithstanding these hardships, she found great support through Richmond Foundation and now looks forward to a life full of success while achieving her dreams.

Through her struggles, she has achieved much more than any other. And through this article, we learn more about the work Richmond Foundation does to support people like Graziella and help them to feel useful and face life.

Thank you, Pink, for your sterling work.

MARIA AQUILINA, FROM LIJA

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12 ∫ Pink October 2019

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PRIVATEEYE

THE END OF A LOVE

When Ġorġ Mallia’s ‘fairy-tale’ relationship came to a sudden and brutal end, he did something men rarely do: he talked about it, publicly. In five poignant blog posts, he laid bare his tortured soul as he started the long road to healing, a cathartic process that not only helped him, but also touched a nerve with many of his readers. Here, he shares excerpts of his original posts, edited by ADRIANA BISHOP.

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rof. Ġorġ Mallia, or simply Ġorġ, as he is known to many of his students and friends, is famous for his smile – a warm, infectious smile that permeates even a computer screen in his regular posts on social media and lingers in the memory of those who are fortunate to know him even if they haven’t met him in years.

An acclaimed author, poet, cartoonist and artist, Ġorġ regularly regales us with his insightful sketches and cartoons on social media, and in recent years, he had shared his happiness at finding love again in later life. We rejoiced with him as we vicariously lived the joys and highs of a long relationship that, by his own admission, had “borrowed a lot more from fairy tales than reality”.

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But then, out of the blue came the shocking news and that famous smile was obliterated. In an achingly brief and terse Facebook post, Ġorġ announced to all those who had been following this happy romance that the fairy tale was over. As Ġorġ’s world collapsed around him, we were left as stunned and speechless as he was.

In this age of online sharing, it is easy to believe that we are communicating more. Yes, we certainly are, but it does not necessarily follow that we are communicating better. And when something as devastating as a relationship break-up happens, it would be understandable if we chose to retreat into the darkness of our sorrow and cry alone.

However, Ġorġ bravely [my word, not his] opted to continue sharing after the happiness turned to utter despair, following the wholly unexpected end to his relationship. As he started putting pen to paper, or rather fingers to keyboard, and the first of his musings on the darkest hours of his life was published, the response was unanimous, if surprising to the author.

His posts hit a raw nerve with everyone who read them. People related to them perhaps from their own experiences. The fact that we have all loved and lost at some point in our life does not diminish the pain that consumes and threatens to break us apart.

But what was most extraordinary was the fact that rather than suffer alone, Ġorġ

PRIVATEEYE used his talent as a writer to express his feelings. “It helps,” he admits. “Temporarily.

But not permanently. Knowing that others are being touched and helped by my publishing these ‘intimate’ blogs is positive. I have received a lot of personal messages to that effect [from] people who are grateful because of my honesty.

Heartbreak destroys us all.”

It is well documented that the deep emotional impact, the pain, of heartbreak, in itself a form of grief, could trigger or lead to the circumstances that may provoke mental illness. It can be so easy to hide behind a smile when inside your heart is aching and your world is dark.

Though not everyone agreed with Ġorġ’s decision to bare all, he was grateful for the positive response and encouragement he received from so many others.

“The break-up wrecked my soul, my life and my future. It was sudden and completely out of the blue. I am still far from OK. As bad, I would say, but I am also getting professional help, which I had to accept for the first time in my life,” Ġorġ reveals.

In the month of Mental Health Awareness, marked in several countries around the world, and with World Mental Health Day on October 10, Ġorġ has agreed to share an edited version of his original blog posts, reproduced here in the order they were first published.

THE SOUL-DEVOURING DARKNESS The last couple of days, I have thought a lot about Robin Williams, who died by his own hand five years ago. As is my wont these days, whenever I feel really close to someone who has died or that person has in any way affected me and my life, I draw him … trying to pull out of the likeness that predominant element that I see thrusting itself into my soul.

In Robin William’s case, it had to be the eyes and the mouth. I increased the girth of the lips to the right to turn the smile into a sardonic one, and I put ‘water’ in the eyes, making them liquid, inward looking, giving the lie to the character he played in public. The jovial clown there to raise a laugh, while fighting with demons inside.

And I empathise. Can’t not. I often fight with demons. I might not be a

certified clinical depressive, but there are many of the symptoms that dog me; that run through my very being like soiled water, fouling my life and often ruining it.

I am known as the guy with the smile.

A recent, soul-destroying, devastating break-up led me to draw myself without the smile [couldn’t put it on anymore] and the reaction was massive. “This is not the Ġorġ we know”; “Go put the smile back on”; and the usual platitudes one tells someone going through a bad patch

that often do more harm than good.

But the smile couldn’t be there that time, because the demons had eaten it.

I’m a very moody person. I come across as an extrovert, a good communicator, a man of words. Which I suppose I also am. But I am also an artist. A poet. A writer. And those creative traits do really demand an introverted conceptualisation of life. In fact, when the inward eye darkens, when something triggers thoughts that become darker and darker and procreate like lice in a schoolgirl’s hair, I fold into myself, struggling with the inner me, letting no one in till I push away the darkness, forcing it into as narrow a space in my psyche as possible, in order for lightness to once again allow itself into my being.

But when I’m in my dark place, the darkness devours my soul, and throttles my stomach, tramples on it like a herd of demented buffaloes and kills all dreams, all hopes, all happiness.

Even those really close to me have found this difficult to take. And if there are enough of these incidences, then the effect on some people is that they see the silence and the wall built around me at

“A RECENT, SOUL-DESTROYING, DEVASTATING BREAK-UP LED ME TO DRAW MYSELF WITHOUT THE SMILE [COULDN’T PUT IT ON ANYMORE] AND THE REACTION WAS MASSIVE. ‘THIS IS NOT THE ĠORĠ WE KNOW’; ‘GO PUT THE SMILE BACK ON’; AND THE USUAL PLATITUDES ONE TELLS SOMEONE GOING THROUGH A BAD PATCH THAT OFTEN DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD. BUT THE SMILE COULDN’T BE THERE THAT TIME, BECAUSE THE DEMONS HAD EATEN IT” that moment, and take the rebuff as a rebuke and stop trying to understand the cause and just take the [horrid] result as the outcome. This can be disruptive of even the most intimate relationships, with the accumulative effect of too many soul-devouring moments making people give up on me. And the irony is that, in so doing, they confirm that the darkness was right after all, and that it is the natural way of being, rather than the occasional blip in happiness.

So, I empathise with the Robin Williamses of the world. I don’t think his final solution was the right one, but living with darkness as a delightful smile entertains the masses is a hell in all but flames and devils. Though, in actual fact, Pink October 2019 ∫ 15

PRIVATEEYE the flames are there too; flames of angst and hopelessness, of helpless turmoil and a shroud of gloom, demolishing dreams and killing futures, as the laughter in the street joins the feast band, and lights blaze.

Everywhere but inside me.

HAPPINESS [AND THE LACK OF IT] As I walked in Malmö city centre a few months ago, I noted a young girl, no more than 20, walking on the pavement and crying. I was uncertain what to do. Surely it was not my place to go ask her if she was all right? She obviously was not, so that would have been trite and out of place. In the end, I decided that it was not something I could affect, and she turned the corner and was gone.

But my mind stayed with her. And I could not, for the life of me, conceptualise anything so hellish that would make that girl blubber in that way for all to see as she walked in the middle of a busy city.

I mean, what could have been so impossibly bad after all?

Now, months later, I know exactly what could have been hell for her. Not what in itself, but the concepts that underlie misery and happiness.

You see, I could not conceptualise such horrors at the time because I was fundamentally happy. I was in a stable, long-term, happy relationship that had borrowed a lot more from fairy tales than reality, but held together very nicely, thank you. I was doing well in my profession; a serious health problem had been all but solved; I was working on a new children’s book that had enormous promise. My life was happy. Happiness was the overarching emotion that then coloured all other emotions.

And then the main source of my happiness, my relationship, the very lynchpin of my existence, was brought crashing down overnight, and it died very fast after that, efficiently, intransigently, in spite of all my efforts to the opposite.

And the overarching veneer of joy, which had coloured the world bright and found it difficult to understand the fundamental reasons for sadness, disappeared. My frequent smile went with it. My approach to life darkened.

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I stopped quipping, joking about everything, I stopped looking at sunsets and feeling their warmth on my face and letting their colours turn my soul to gold.

I died inside, and everything darkened.

OK… let me try to explain this as best I can. Think of an old painting that had warm, beautiful colours when first created by the master. Think of grime accumulating over centuries, in which the colours dull, the bright hues become pastel… the content remains the same and recognisable, but the verve and oomph… the pomp and circumstance, if you like… are no longer there. In my case, it just took one day… less, actually, a few minutes, to do that, but the effect was undoubtedly the same.

And suddenly, the other day, I remembered the crying girl in Malmö, and my heart immediately went out to her, and oh! how I recognised her despair at whatever had instigated that bout of intense misery.

Now it was difficult for me to recognise the reason for laughter and joking in much the same way that I had not understood what could have motivated the sadness… Because the happiness was a coating of the soul, a veneer on everything that I did and felt.

That is exactly what the sadness is now, and it’s darkened the taste of good food and darkened the light streaming through cracks in the curtains early in the morning; darkened the intensity of an exciting movie; darkened the air I breathe, making it thicker and less filling [stopping in my chest, more often than not]; darkened the silence and the smile on people’s lips. Darkened my whole perception of reality.

I have no clue when my next bout of happiness will come around. It’s going to need to be a doozy to clear out the misery that is weighing down my soul.

In fact, right now, it’s telling me that it is never going to happen. And no matter how I struggle, I find it hard to contradict it.

“AND THEN THE MAIN SOURCE OF MY HAPPINESS, MY RELATIONSHIP, THE VERY LYNCHPIN OF MY EXISTENCE, WAS BROUGHT CRASHING DOWN OVERNIGHT, AND IT DIED VERY FAST AFTER THAT, EFFICIENTLY, INTRANSIGENTLY, IN SPITE OF ALL MY EFFORTS TO THE OPPOSITE”

PRIVATEEYE THE THOUGHT-ENHANCING SILENCE The silence in the middle of the small town of Köyceğiz, in Southwestern Turkey, is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced.

Walking by the huge lake here, also called Köyceğiz, you can’t even hear the lapping of the waters, as they are becalmed a lot of the time, almost as if there is no organic beating heart within that huge expanse of water.

The place is absolutely gorgeous.

The lake itself, of course, is idyllic and the mountains that border its horizon rise and fall, having different levels and different shades, almost as if they were

downtime as I try to work; they fight back against my life-giving creativity; they punch me in the stomach and my heart and my mind; they engulf my very soul. Because my world has been turned upside down by a sudden, intransigent decision I was helpless to overturn, but which, in turn, overturned me and all that I am and can be and will be. Demolishing the past, destroying the present, and annihilating the future.

I am, of course, working hard to get back on track, since this way lies total destruction of my mind and soul. It looks anything but hopeful as I write this, but I need to believe it is, because giving up leads to places I do not want to go.

So, in a sense, thank you Köyceğiz for your thought-amplifying silence.

I cannot not hurt right now. It’s like existing with half of every organ amputated, and needing to understand how to make do with half a heart, and half a liver and, much worse, half a soul, but the pain writ large helps me put it in some sort of order. Still painful, but a tiny bit more acceptable.

If only there was just the beauty to be enjoyed in this wondrous place… shared with the only one who mattered to me to share beauty with! But therein lies the insanity in the excruciation that underlies the mess I’m in. So, I will also need to learn how to appreciate the beauty alone, till sharing Köyceğiz with someone who can regrow the amputated half of my soul becomes again an option I can live with.

TO SLEEP OR NOT TO SLEEP

shot by a Disney Multiplane Camera.

And it’s almost as if I’m alone in this world so beautiful. It was gifted to me by well-wishing friends, who, knowing how darkness has engulfed my world right now, cared enough about my well-being to do something about it, trying to push a bit of light to dilute, even if very, very briefly, the density of the black.

The beauty is just amazing and unique, but it’s the silence that predominates. It’s a solid wall that wraps you round in abstract cast concrete. And of course, thoughts just reverberate in it.

Loud and harsh and clanging, like the inside of a bell tower during the feast of the village patron saint. And thoughts aren’t exactly lacking right now. They keep me awake at night; they share my

And Köyceğiz, that has given me so much by way of beauty, has also amplified the thoughts with its silence, though maybe, in so doing, has also helped me embrace them, and with them, the grief that is such an integral part of what has happened. Because only through embracing it will I eventually wear it out.

I cannot get rid of it. I cannot ignore it.

It will bore a hole in my heart and kill me.

I need to hold it to me as it tortures me, grabs my stomach and twists, stops me breathing… like accepting the drill of the dentist during a root canal [but without anaesthetic!] knowing that, at some point in the future, potentially a very distant one, it will help ease the killer toothache.

A psychologist friend of mine has actually told me I have to do this.

In the past couple of months, I have been having problems with sleep. It is a well-known fact that satisfactory sleep is tied firmly to a feeling of security.

I have always slept lightly, and because of a number of health issues, have had interrupted nights forever.

But my mental and emotional conditions right now have aggravated that to the extreme. I hardly ever go to bed before midnight… but, like clockwork, my mental 4am alarm chimes and I am fully awake, with very tiny chances of drifting off again.

Because that is when the mind is smothered by uncontrollable thoughts.

They are an avalanche, indomitable and catastrophic. They lull at first, making sure there is no defence possible, calmly sliding into position at the edges of consciousness… slinking in like silent snakes, noiselessly skirting the edges of my thoughts. And then the thoughts attack… full on, with trumpets blaring and horses in full gallop, with guns blazing and a kettledrum bang-banging for rhythmic marching in overwhelming, totally dominating invasion, defeating all resistance, sweeping away defiance with the sudden destructiveness of a gigantic tsunami.

I try all the tricks. For example, I repeat the phrase “blank it out” to the point of nausea, trying to push back Pink October 2019 ∫ 17

PRIVATEEYE

the dark, gigantic tanks of war that, however, just roll over all attempts at camouflage, sowing fire-breathing dragons and gristle-gnawing crocodiles into my thumping brain. And the tanks take the form of doubts, of unanswered questions, of regrets, of sorrow, of grief [intense, heart-stopping, stomachcrunching grief]… of terror of the present and horror of the future.

And they all manage to crunch themselves into the hours of tossing and turning, with eyes shut [but really wide open].

I usually give up the ghost around 6am. The dark abyss slashed open by the annihilating thoughts remains very much inside me, with my stomach dropping into it often, with the jolt of a skyrocketing lift. And then there is the effect on my health. This is when the really worrying thought came into my mind, although I wish it hadn’t. This is when I realised that I was not worried. That death no longer mattered much to me.

It was not preferable to life, no. But unlike before, when I aspired to prolong life in ways that were almost frantic, the reasons for living have almost entirely disappeared.

No, I am not suicidal. That’s not the way I do things. But I suppose not really caring much if I live or die is a version of that. I’ll make no particular effort to die before my time has come, but I very much doubt I’ll make any massive effort to the opposite, either.

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WHEN SWEETNESS LIGHTLY DILUTES THE NIGHT’S INTENSITY Ok, you get it. I’m depressed. Not clinically, but I do not really see many differences in the symptoms. When a long relationship in which you had invested everything is murdered suddenly, there is no way to “just cherish the time [I] had with her, and let go” as [someone suggested to me]. Tell that to the core that has been shattered.

Tell that to the thousands of pieces life has been broken into as I try to pick them up one by one and very, very slowly glue them back together again. Tell that to the annihilated heart and soul.

And it has nothing to do with self-pity and all to do with basic survival, because when your very soul has been ripped from your body and your mind has been devastated, looking even remotely at the time with her with any glee is beyond conceivable. That time in my life is a body with its head hacked off. And just as dead to me.

Friends and colleagues have been absolute troopers so far throughout this saga. Some with just a single, sympathetic line, others with long conversations, tears and hugs. And I was also incredibly touched by students, tentatively reaching out to their heartsick professor, with no agenda at all, but just because they can’t stand me being so incredibly sad.

One former student wrote to me: “… It always makes me sad when deeply emphatic people have to pass through a

challenging period, because I know they feel things three times over … Don’t let hard times break your spirit or your soul, because people are external to you and you should always be your number one pride and joy … I still believe the world is beautiful and I hope you find the strength within you to keep seeing the beauty in everyday things. I think the world has lost a sense of connectivity, but I hope you realise that even when you feel alone, you’re not alone and you’ve made a difference in people’s lives more than you realise, and people do care. Take care, Ġorġ, and keep being you please! Keep inspiring others with your art and writing and keep hold of the light within the darkness.”

No, unfortunately, the beauty in everyday things has lost an enormous amount of its lustre to me right now, and I have not yet learnt to appreciate it alone because the best things in life are shared.

And I had learned only to share and never to appreciate alone. So that is something new to me that I need to learn among the many pains and sorrows that overwhelm it.

But I will, hopefully not too far in the future, until, at some point in my life, someone will teach me how to share again. And, yes, I will try to “keep hold of the light” until that happens.

The full blog posts can be read at www.gorgmallia.com/blog.html Prof. Ġorġ Mallia’s latest book My Love Had Eyes of Blue and Dreams – Verses of Love and Pain, a selection of poems written between 1979 and 2019, has just been published. More details on gorgmallia.wordpress.com

WOMENSWORLD

Sabine Agius Cabourdin

22 ∫ Pink October 2019

WOMENSWORLD

EMPOWERING THE VOICELESS

On her 40th birthday, Sabine Agius Cabourdin eschewed any personal gifts to set up a charity foundation as her legacy for the future. One year on, she tells ADRIANA BISHOP how Fidem is now helping numerous women and children feel empowered to take back the reins of their shattered lives.

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abine Agius Cabourdin does not give interviews. She is very emphatic about this as she flits energetically about her office, juggling 101 thoughts before finally settling behind her desk, facing my expectant pen and notebook.

But she has acquiesced this one time only because it is for a very good cause, close to her heart: Fidem Charity Foundation, which she set up last year on her 40th birthday.

Of all the hats she wears in her breathlessly busy life as a lawyer specialising in commercial and property law, a mother of two children, and director, trustee or board member of several NGOs, philanthropy is without a doubt the one that defines Sabine best. Describing her as a philanthropist from birth is probably not an overstatement. In fact, charity work runs in her family, with her mother, aunt and other relatives all being actively involved.

“From a very young age, I had a great passion and enthusiasm for helping those who were less fortunate than me. I was always helping out at the Ursuline Crèche in Sliema. At school, I begged the teacher to let me sit next to a classmate who had a disability when no one else wanted to. While I was reading my degree in law, I used to help at Dar Merh-ba Bik [the shelter for women victims of domestic abuse]. I used to speak to those women, explaining their legal rights, helping them to feel empowered,” says Sabine.

repeatedly – but there is no doubt that her passion to help others is genuinely heartfelt.

Empowering women to rise again after a traumatic experience has long been Sabine’s main preoccupation, and Fidem was created to address exactly that. Having spent several years and countless hours working on a voluntary basis running charities such as the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation, Jarhead Young Sailors Foundation and Smiling with Jerome, Sabine felt it was time to set up something new, which would be her own legacy for the future.

For her milestone birthday last year, she rounded up 300 of her nearest and dearest and asked them to contribute towards kickstarting Fidem Charity Foundation rather than showering her with material gifts. Some €17,000 were raised that day, enabling Fidem to roll out a series of activities such as workshops and educational vouchers to help women and children in several institutions and shelters; to motivate, educate and empower them to rebuild their lives.

Fidem pretty much follows the adage of teaching a hungry person to fish rather than simply feeding her. It distributes educational vouchers, which are already helping numerous children and women to further their studies and fulfil their dreams. “There was a woman at Gh-abex Emergency Shelter who wanted to be a bus driver. She used the educational voucher that Fidem gave her to train for this. Now, we will also

“EMPOWERING WOMEN TO RISE AGAIN AFTER A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE HAS LONG BEEN SABINE’S MAIN PREOCCUPATION, AND FIDEM WAS CREATED TO ADDRESS EXACTLY THAT” And the trend is set to continue as Sabine is already involving her children, now aged 12 and nine, in her philanthropic work.

“Every Easter, they keep one of the ‘millions’ of Easter eggs they receive and donate all the rest to children in care homes. They regularly give away their old toys and play with children in these homes,” she explains.

But this interview is not about Sabine, although it is difficult to separate this inspirational dynamo of a woman from the charity foundation she has created; after all, it is her tireless energy and determination that is driving Fidem to grow.

She would recoil in horror at the very idea of a spotlight being shone on her – “I am a very private person,” she insists

be supporting her to learn English as she only speaks Maltese,” explains Sabine.

Two children used their Fidem educational vouchers to attend acting classes at Helen O’Grady Drama School, one of them generously sponsored by the academy. Another two children used their vouchers for swimming lessons at Sirena Swim School, which is sponsoring one of the students, while one teenager used her voucher to fulfil her wish to become a nail technician.

Fidem organises weekly crafts workshops at Gh-abex, run by an artist who herself is a survivor of domestic violence and a psychotherapist. During the workshops, the women make costume jewellery, which is then sold to raise funds for more workshops Pink October 2019 ∫ 23

WOMENSWORLD

Photography Martin Bonnici

“THESE WOMEN VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE LITERALLY COME TO THE SHELTER WITH JUST THE CLOTHES THEY ARE WEARING AND NOTHING ELSE. VERY OFTEN, THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE A CENT IN THEIR POCKET”

and other activities. Now, Fidem is planning to roll out an online shop selling the high-quality crafts made by these women, which should help further boost their morale and self-confidence. “I don’t want pity; I want positivity,” points out Sabine.

“At Gh-abex, there is a very austere and depressing atmosphere. These women victims of domestic abuse literally come to the shelter with just the clothes they are wearing and nothing else. Very often, they don’t even have a cent in their pocket. Our challenge is to make these women smile again and to help them realise that they can move on and live a life in a dignified and respectful way.

“They were so thankful [to receive help from Fidem], yet they are so fragile. For me, that was the greatest satisfaction: seeing that we could positively help change a person’s life.

We are not God; we cannot change everyone’s life, but if we manage to positively change even just one person, then we are champions of humanity. We are winners,” she maintains.

“Some women just need that extra push of encouragement.

They would have had such a hard time that they feel they are zero.

We try to make them feel confident and comfortable enough to open up and trust us. Then they start feeling empowered.”

Gh-abex is only one of the many beneficiaries of Fidem as the charity works with several other. institutions, including Dar Sagra Familja children’s home in Zabbar, the Ursuline Crèche in Sliema, Fatima House also in Sliema, Dar Qalb ta’ Gesù shelter for survivors of domestic violence in Sta Venera and with the Xgh-ajra community through the parish priest Fr Colin Apap.

Giving out money is the easy part, but Fidem is much more than that. “The most time-consuming bit is not giving the 24 ∫ Pink October 2019

Sabine proudly wears the costume jewellery created at - abex. the weekly crafts workshops by the women at Gh

money,” explains Sabine, “but the time dedicated to different cases and causes is unimaginable. We go indepth into each case. I personally visit one of the shelters we work with every week, spending a good two hours or more each time speaking to the women or children”. . ..

Fidem has collaborated with Agenzija Appogg to secure new, improved premises for Gh-abex. Sabine also roped in her husband Neville Agius, a construction developer, and his company Turning Point Investments Malta, to help set up the new SOAR Survivors’ Hub for victims of domestic violence in Tarxien, operated by St Jeanne Antide Foundation.

“My husband’s company sends workmen for free to do the necessary refurbishment work at the property.”

Fidem ‘employs’ only three people, two of whom work pro bono, including Sabine’s childhood friend and right-hand woman Judith Valletta.

As the foundation enters its second year of operation, Sabine is looking at focusing on a number of women and children and following them closely until they are ready to stand on their own two feet before refocusing on new cases.

She is already seeing how the right injection of positivity can help a person change and grow wings.

“I am mentoring a young female graphic designer. Whenever she meets me, she is still so traumatised; she is downcast and you can see it in her eyes, and she is in her shell. She’s been through hell and back. Then, the moment she opens her laptop and starts showing me her work, she comes to life.

“Before she came to us, all her art was in black and white, dark, oppressive, with lots of skeletons. However, when I asked her to help Fidem create a good social media campaign, she started coming up with colourful, happier images.”

WOMENSWORLD

VOICES OF FIDEM FIDEM CHARITY FOUNDATION ASKED ONE OF THE YOUNG WOMEN IN THE SHELTER TO HELP IT CREATE SOME IMAGES FOR ITS SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS. THIS IS HER STORY.

“

I am a former victim of domestic violence. In these past few months, I have found myself in both a shelter and a girls’ home. I was alone. I was completely separated from my family and instructed not to contact them. I was also an unemployed student, with only a few stipends’ worth of money in my bank account.

When I was introduced to Fidem, I was quickly running out of hope.

I even considered dropping out of school and giving up on becoming a graphic designer. I remember feeling hopeless, sending CVs, going for interviews… I was getting no results and feeling like I was on a countdown and time was running out.

Fidem gave me an opportunity to earn some money by doing what I love, and they gave me hope for my future. I’m used to people helping me because they want something out of it, but this period of my life has introduced me to people helping me out of the kindness of their hearts and Fidem is part of this.

All my life, I was made to think I’m worthless; I’ve been told countless times that I will never amount to anything. This organisation has given me reason to believe kindness and humanity still exist in this world. I wholeheartedly believe that this organisation is run by amazing, kind and compassionate individuals and they help so many people like me.

”

FIDEM INTERVENED IN THE CASE OF A SCHOOLGIRL WHO WAS FORCED TO BE HOME SCHOOLED DUE TO HER RARE CONDITION. IN HER MOTHER’S WORDS…

“

Sabine is acutely aware of the fact that charities like Fidem Foundation will always be necessary when all else fails. However, charities are not moneyprinting machines. “We are living in a stark reality.

While the economy is booming and the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. Rather than everyone being selfish about their good fortune, let us distribute some of what we have to help others who are less fortunate than us,” she appeals.

Having lobbied her own clients for donations, Sabine is now setting her sights on iGaming companies and is hoping to rope them in as benefactors of Fidem. After all, with already a long list of projects planned for the coming year, Fidem is set to grow to enable more women and children spread their wings and fly.

For more information on Fidem Charity Foundation, visit www.fidem.org.mt

26 ∫ Pink October 2019

My daughter has been suddenly, frequently, daily and inexplicably falling unconscious. Her health issues were bothering the school due to the big responsibility this entailed and they were afraid of these erratic incidents. Because of this, she was cast out of school and put on home tutoring, offered by the Education Department.

Unfortunately, this service caters only for three main subjects for three hours a week. I desperately wanted to help my daughter to try to cover more subjects at home as she did not have any learning impairment.

A benevolent priest suggested Fidem Foundation could help me at least with one particular subject that I could not help my daughter with as I am not proficient in that area. They have also provided me with a couple of books to help me with the issue.

Fidem met with the Department of Education and put my case forward. Within weeks, we were assigned a counsellor and are now being given the support we need. My daughter will be assigned an LSA and can attend school again and get the education she deserves.

Thanks to Fidem Foundation, who paid for the private lessons, my daughter could sit for her annual exams for this particular subject, together with the others she managed to study.

There are many other children who have health problems and are facing difficult times. With the support of Fidem, they can have some sort of normality in their lives. This can be done with sponsorships and donations towards this foundation.

”

Names have been withheld to protect the persons’ identities.

Donations to Fidem Charity Foundation can be made to: Account name – Fidem Foundation; bank name – APS Bank plc; IBAN number – MT27APSB77013000000042634310018; swift code – APSBMTMT In commemoration of its first anniversary, Fidem Charity Foundation is displaying and selling jewellery made in the Fidem Workshop during an art exhibition, Highlighting Heritage, by Nickie Sultana, at the Wignacourt Museum in Rabat until November 17.

Part of the University of Malta Research Innovation and Development Trust [RIDT] from the very beginning, CEO Wilfred Kenely speaks to ANNA MARIE GALEA about this year’s wonderful initiative by artists to raise money in aid of breast cancer research.

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nitially approached about the Splash of Pink idea by artist Michelle Gialanze, University of Malta Research Innovation and Development Trust [RIDT] CEO Wilfred Kenely says he was told that a group of artists collectively wanted to support breast cancer research by donating the proceeds from the sales of their paintings.

“As we discussed the exhibition idea and it progressed, so did the interest among the artistic community. We now have over 40 artists participating in this collective art exhibition aptly titled A Splash of Pink. Words are not enough to thank them all for this invaluable, generous gesture,” he says.

Evidently touched by the enthusiasm shown by these artists, who are going out of their way of their own volition to raise money, Kenely discusses how important gestures like this are for the RIDT and for the people benefitting from its work: “Without the necessary funding, research cannot progress. Since we set up almost a decade ago, we have been approached by a number of people who come up with initiatives towards research in particular areas. These initiatives have become our lifeline and are always welcome. It is, indeed, very encouraging to see so many people believe in helping one another.

“Research is an expensive activity; however, the whole community stands to benefit from such an investment.

Ultimately, investment in research will help us lead a better quality of life.”

through new therapies, new diagnostic tools and better treatments. It is nothing short of an honour that some Maltese researchers are at the forefront of this cutting-edge research and that they are contributing to new discoveries and fresh knowledge,” Kenely states.

“Like other life-threatening diseases that perhaps no longer exist, we are working for cancer to one day be history.

In order to ensure this happens, we obviously need to collect more funds,” he continues.

So, how much funding is needed for their aims to be fully realised? “There is never enough money for research; to finance all the projects that researchers are involved in, or would like to be involved in.

When it comes to cancer research, we are very grateful to several organisations who have been supporting us since the very beginning. Thanks to these funds, we have been able to finance several PhD scholarships in cancer research, together with another seven research projects in various other areas of cancer.

“Notwithstanding this support, the University of Malta still needs more funds for our researchers to be able to sustain their studies and embark on new projects,” Kenely maintains.

Of course, in order for these projects to continue and new ones to be realised, people need to be more aware of how they can contribute and why they should.

Happily, Kenely states that awareness with regards to this is on the rise.

“ULTIMATELY, INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH WILL HELP US LEAD A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE” While some may argue that Malta is too small to make big discoveries, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as through the RIDT, Malta has made steps towards a better understanding of cancer.

“Around the world, including in the laboratories of the University of Malta, scientists are continuously forming a better understanding of the disease

“It is safe to say that awareness about the importance of investment in research has grown significantly over the past years. This is due to a number of things, including the university’s drive to reach out to the public about its research activity. Other organisations, such as NGOs and support groups, are also doing a great job in this regard. Awareness is

an ongoing process and there are always more people to reach.”

Speaking about his ultimate goal for the RIDT, Kenely is nothing if not positive: “Initiatives like Splash of Pink are beautiful because they fill me with hope.

The fact that these 40 artists approached us and are now putting up a show is something worth celebrating.

“My dream is that one day soon, research will become a national priority and that investment in this sector will increase significantly. For this to happen, there needs to be a wide understanding that research is not only an academic activity but also a socio-economic one.

I am greatly looking forward to what the future holds.”

Painting Roberta Zammit Cutajar

A SPLASH OF PINK

ARTYFACTS

ABOUT THE RIDT Established by the government in 2011, the RIDT is a platform to attract investment in research and development on a national level.

The main objective is to further the advancement of research, innovation and development in all areas of study, knowledge and activity in Malta.

Since its inception eight years ago, RIDT has raised around €3.5 million, with funds going towards various sectors, including the medical, technological and artistic.

These funds have also helped finance seven PhD scholarships in areas including cancer research, ALS, climate change and criminology.

A Splash of Pink is on at Gallery 23 in Balzan until November 1.

Pink October 2019 ∫ 29

INFOCUS

IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD LARA SIERRA sets out to discover why 88 per cent of suicides in Malta are male, but instead uncovers that more women try to take their lives. Here, she attempts to join the dots… Women talk about their feelings more than men, right?

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en don’t talk about their feelings and women do. That’s a fact. Emotions, along with childcare and multitasking have, traditionally, been passed on to women to manage. And why not?

Science has proven that women are more empathetic than men. We smile more and exaggerate our facial expressions more when conveying positive emotion.

Men, on the other hand, tend to only exaggerate their expressions when conveying negative feelings. Women are, either through nature or nurture, more equipped to communicate their emotions and discuss the emotional needs of others, too.

In the broad spectrum of mental health conditions, it is women who are more likely to suffer from these, rather than men. Not only that: women are three times more likely to attempt to commit suicide than men. Three times!

Dr Beppe Micallef-Trigona, consultant psychiatrist at Mount Carmel Hospital, helps explain this confusing dichotomy: “Research shows,” he says, “that women have a higher lifetime prevalence of mood or anxiety disorders and a later onset of schizophrenia when compared to men. The reasons for these differences have long been researched and include the influence of sex hormones, girls’ and women’s lower self-esteem and a higher tendency for body shame and rumination, higher rates of interpersonal stressors,

“WOMEN ARE THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO ATTEMPT TO COMMIT SUICIDE THAN MEN. THREE TIMES!” We’ve heard the horrifying statistics that 88 per cent of suicides in Malta are male. We’ve nodded our heads sadly.

If only men would talk more. Yet on looking into this figure, and trying to understand how best to reduce it, it turns out that it is actually extremely complex.

experienced violence, childhood sexual abuse, and [on a societal level] lack of gender equality and discrimination.

“On the other hand, men appear to experience a higher level of stigma, which is one of the most common reasons for not seeking help. Stigma is associated with the rejection Pink October 2019 ∫ 31

INFOCUS of those with mental illnesses, who are perceived as different, unacceptable, or dangerous. Furthermore, men seem less willing to seek informal help for mental illness and evaluate treatment outcomes less favourably.”

Essentially then, women tend to suffer worse health conditions because life is simply just tougher for them, while for men, it is more to do with perceived attitudes around mental health. If the problems for women are that more lifestyle factors can lead them to suffer from mental health conditions, no wonder men feel the stigma attached to admitting to having a mental health problem.

Let’s look a little deeper into this stigma: “Studies have shown that some cultures consider mental illness to be a result of family conflicts,” continues Dr Micallef-Trigona, “while others view mental illness as an opportunity to receive divine messages, a means of forgiveness, and to improve their souls; and yet others perceive mental illness as a natural part of the suffering that is predestined for them.

“MEN MAY BE LESS LIKELY TO TALK ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS AND SEEK HELP, THEREBY INCREASING THE TIME BETWEEN THE ONSET OF THEIR SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSIS/TREATMENT” “It is clear that the traditional values ingrained within Maltese society have a strong influence on both the perception and awareness of mental illness, with shame and stigma playing an unfortunate but integral role.”

Dr Micallef-Trigona, who works at the hospital’s acute psychiatric in-patient service, notes, however, that “the mental health issues affecting men in Malta are no different from those affecting men in most other countries, as incidence and prevalence rates are quite similar, at least in most European countries.

Statistically, women are more likely to suffer mental illness than men are. However, men may be less likely to talk about their feelings and seek help, thereby increasing the time between the onset of their symptoms and diagnosis/treatment”.

The discussion turns back to that statistic: 88 per cent of suicides in Malta are male. Why? “Again,” he replies, “this is not a Maltese phenomenon, but rather a worldwide occurrence.

Women attempt to commit suicide around three times more frequently than men do. However, the majority of completed suicides are by men. Furthermore, around two-thirds of women who are successful in committing suicide have made a previous attempt, while when it comes to men, two-thirds of those who die from suicide have not.”

Let’s take a minute to digest that. The 88 per cent of males is the statistic that made the headlines, but the truth underneath is murky. The majority of attempted suicides – the vast majority – are, in fact, by women.

“The reason for this is multifaceted,” Dr Micallef-Trigona continues, “but most often boils down to the method used, with men choosing the more lethal ways to end their lives, such as hanging and through the use of firearms, when compared to women, who more frequently overdose on medication.”

It is men who don’t talk about their feelings, yet women who tend to suffer from particular circumstances. Nobody’s plate is empty. When one drink turns into six, and burning off pent-up 32 ∫ Pink October 2019

frustrations at the gym turns into pushing food around a plate, it is time to talk. Perhaps it is not a circumstantial thing, but something you have suspected for a long time. Perhaps there have always been problems and you just never knew how to address them. Perhaps it is you who is suffering.

Yet how could you tell someone you think there is a problem in their mind? It is a conversation many of us would prefer not to have. However, if there is anything the evidence shows, it is a vital conversation to have. It just takes four words: “We need to talk.”

And once you get to the point where a problem has been noticed, discussed, or diagnosed? The next and greatest hurdle is overcoming it.

An often overlooked part of this journey to recovery is from the standpoint of the onlookers; the family, friends and carers, who are inadvertently locked up in this difficult and messy journey.

Using the analogy of the oxygen masks on an airplane, Dr Micallef-Trigona says “carers should make sure their own mental health is cared for so that they may be in the best position to care for a loved one who is suffering from mental illness.

“This is not always easy as seeing someone you love going through the difficulties encountered in many mental illnesses can be challenging, exhausting and heart-breaking. Carers of those suffering from mental illness should ideally use a coping style in which they actively try to alleviate their own stress.

“Methods of doing so include taking care of their mind and body through exercise and prayer/mediation; talking with friends about their difficulties and concerns; recording their thoughts, feelings and difficulties in a journal; and developing and maintaining things they enjoy doing, among others.

“Carers should aim to take on the role of caregiver rather than caretaker, by taking care of themselves as well as the person they care for, rather than trying to fix the person they are caring for while ignoring their own needs and health.”

Since its creation, La Roche-Posay has focused on supporting people with sensitive and damaged skin to improve their quality of life.

Today, the brand wants to go further by providing help for cancer patients.

The reasons for this, apart from being part of the brand’s DNA, include the rapid increase of cancer on a global scale and the heightened awareness regarding patients’ quality of life, which is crucial when dealing with such a disease.

2 in 3 cancer patients suffer from skin side effects* While therapies are essential for treatment they can have noticeable effects on the skin, scalp and/or nails and have a genuine impact on the patient’s quality of life; physical handicaps which come at an already extremely difficult time, along with important and disabling levels of discomfort. Patients may feel isolated and helpless.

In view of this and drawing from its expert knowledge, La Roche-Posay aims to help patients in two ways: by committing to advanced research into dealing with these adverse effects and by sharing this knowledge both with healthcare professionals and directly with patients.

Research When it comes to research, the brand has brought together a group of experts, including oncologists and dermatologists from across the globe, all of whom are specialists in dealing with adverse reactions caused by cancer treatments. The ESKIMO Group ‘Expert * Study IGR/L’Oréal R&I

in SKIn Management & Oncology’, analysed the side effects of several oncology treatments and established suitable skincare routines, backed by observational and clinical studies.

Two very important studies conducted by the brand’s Scientific Department in a hospital environment, showed the advantages of skincare products in preventing chemotherapy’s and radiotherapy’s side effects on the skin.

These were carried out by oncologists on 400 patients in France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Canada, they showed that: •

•

•

La Roche-Posay products were extremely well tolerated even in these delicate situations Patients who used the brand’s skincare products more regularly – particularly Lipikar Baume AP+, Lipikar Cleansing Oil AP+ and Cicaplast Baume B5 – were less likely to see side effects affecting their skin Patients in cases were side-effects developed due to treatment, these were less intense.

The results of these two studies back up international recommendations as to the importance of using appropriate skincare to help prevent and reduce the impact of skin reactions.

online and with influencers. In short, any channel which patients are likely to use during their treatment.

Within the medical environment, La Roche-Posay trains nurses, oncologists and pharmacists and raises awareness, providing them with a simple tool to find the most suitable skincare products, depending on the side effects experienced by the patient.

To communicate directly with patients, the brand has also created a practical online guide containing advice to help them in everyday situations. It’s an excellent way of going even further to support patients. This can be accessed through the following address: https://www.laroche-posay.com/event/ better-skin-throughout-cancer All La Roche-Posay products, which are made using its unique thermal water, known for its soothing properties, are formulated according to a very strict protocol to provide optimal tolerance for sensitive skin. From daily cleansing and hydrating facial and body care or repairing and relieving balms to sun protection or corrective make up formulated for sensitive skin.

La Roche-Posay through its distributor Prohealth Ltd. has fully embraced this mission.

Our local commitment?

Getting our message across To ensure that these recommendations reach patients, the brand communicates both locally and internationally about its ‘therapeutic approach’: in hospitals, in pharmacies but also

To continue raising awareness, provide training and support to the medical community to ensure better skin throughout cancer and a better quality of life for all cancer patients.

WOMANKIND

THE FIRST MEDIEVAL FEMINIST MARY GALEA DEBONO explains why Christine de Pizan was considered the first professional woman writer in Europe. Due to her circumstances, she decided to write for a living, abandoning ‘all feminine tasks’ and devoting herself to her studies at a time when women received no formal education. It was a courageous move that meant she had opted for personal freedom.

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or the French writer Simone de Beauvoir, author of the book The Second Sex, Christine de Pizan’s literary works were “the first time we see a woman take up her pen in defence of her sex”.

She was not the only one to express admiration for the position Christine took in standing up for the women of her time; many 20th-century feminists idealised her and anointed her “the first medieval feminist”. But if Christine could have envisaged how feminism was to evolve in these last decades, would she have been flattered and proud of being acclaimed the founder of this category of women? And would she have approved of the goals that modernday feminists have set out to reach?

It seems more likely that, in the first place, she would have had some difficulty in grasping the concept of feminism itself and she might have been more perplexed than honoured by being labelled a feminist. She had no political aspirations; the concept of gender quotas, for example, would have been alien and incomprehensible to her.

Neither did she seek gender equality – in fact, she believed wholeheartedly that women’s roles were distinct from men’s and nowhere in her writings did

36 ∫ Pink October 2019

“NEITHER DID SHE SEEK GENDER EQUALITY – IN FACT, SHE BELIEVED WHOLEHEARTEDLY THAT WOMEN’S ROLES WERE DISTINCT FROM MEN’S AND NOWHERE IN HER WRITINGS DID SHE HINT THAT SHE WANTED TO CHANGE THIS ORDER” she hint that she wanted to change this order.

When she decided to make a living by her pen, it was because the circumstances in her life forced her to earn a living and not because she yearned for economic independence for its own sake.

Christine was simply the product of her age – an age of revived interest in the classical study of humanity; an age when the cultural climate in Europe was changing rapidly and old traditions were giving way to new ideas; an age that allowed new hope to replace old fears; an age that came to be known as the Renaissance.

Born in 1365, Christine was a contemporary of Brunelleschi, Donatello and Cosimo de’ Medici, and although a lesser luminary than these great men, she too contributed to ushering in this new awakening. She was part of the change.

Christine was born in Venice. Her father, Tommaso di Benvenuto da Pizzano, was a court astrologer and councillor to the Republic of Venice.

When Christine was four, the family moved to Paris where her father became astrologer and physician of the French King Charles V. Like all girls of her time, Christine received no formal education. Her

WOMANKIND father, detecting an “inclination to With her children settled – her third, who was formerly a woman, am now in learning” in his daughter, encouraged it a son, died in his youth – Christine was fact a man.” while her mother kept her “busy with able to dedicate her life entirely to her In France, as in most European spinning and silly girlishness”, which was writing. She was a prolific writer, and by countries, the patronage of royalty and the nobility was not only the main source what all mothers did then. Luckily, she 1405, she had produced 15 long works of support for artists and intellectuals; it lived in an intellectual environment a and some short ones, most of them richly was crucial for success. Christine knew nd had access and opportunities to illustrated by exquisite miniatures. In how to use patronage and we know she explore libraries.

1414, she presented a beautifully bound had several patrons from the prologues When Christine was 15, she married collection of 30 of her works with 130 dedicated to different people in her Etienne de Castel, a handsome young miniatures to Queen Isabeau of Bavaria; many books. scholar, who also supported her the illustration of the presentation is on It was also patronage that helped her intellectual endeavours. She loved him the frontispiece of this collection. to secure her children’s future. Her friend deeply, but the marriage lasted only To underscore her faith in women’s the Earl of Salisbury, himself a patron of 10 years; he died in 1389. Christine was equal abilities as men and send the literature, offered to take her son Jean emotionally devastated by the loss; the message that women, given the right into his household in England, as a poems she wrote after his death reflect opportunities, were capable of delivering, companion to his own son. In 1400, her anguish. she commissioned a woman illustrator Christine wrote A Book of Moral Three years earlier, she had also lost by the name of Anastasia. Some of her her father in an epidemic. Christine illustrated books are now in the found herself head of the family, British museum.

“TO UNDERSCORE HER FAITH IN responsible not only for her three Christine’s books in prose and WOMEN’S EQUAL ABILITIES AS MEN AND young children, but also for her poetry covered a vast range of SEND THE MESSAGE THAT WOMEN, mother and a niece. She was just 25 topics from love poems and GIVEN THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITIES, WERE and practically destitute. She spent political and satirical songs CAPABLE OF DELIVERING, SHE several years in court in litigation, to political and religious COMMISSIONED A WOMAN ILLUSTRATOR trying to recover what was her due commentaries to a treatise on

BY THE NAME OF ANASTASIA” from her husband’s estates, but the military warfare, which continued creditors repossessed the family to be consulted long after her Christine de Pizan presents her book to Isabeau of Bavaria, Queen of France [c.1415] riches. It was a difficult moment in death. Her books were translated her life as she later admitted: “When and remained in circulation for a I saw the flood of tribulations long time; a few are still in print. rushing upon me, I wanted to die Sometimes, she was also rather than to live.” commissioned to write books such Respectable widows had two as a biography of King Charles V. choices open for them in those But her enduring fame rests on days; they could either remarry or two books in particular. One is The Book of the City of Ladies and the enter a convent. Christine’s children other is The Treasure of the City of were still young, and their welfare Ladies. In the first, three allegorical was her priority, but she rejected figures – Reason, Justice and the idea of remarrying. Instead, Rectitude – discuss the she decided to make a living and contributions to society of a support her family by using her number of women, from the Old intellect; she made up her mind to Testament and pagan Antiquity, as well Teachings and Proverbs to guide him start writing for a living. as more ‘modern’ female saints, who had while he was away from home. Like To do this, she “abandoned all made a name for themselves in the past many of Christine’s books, it is beautifully feminine tasks” and devoted herself to by their heroic deeds. illustrated, and one picture shows her studying, on her own, subjects like Latin, This, she argued, proves that women sitting down with an open book, giving history and science as well as classic and are capable of having the same excellent her son some sound advice. Women, she contemporary literature. It was a qualities as men – in medieval parlance, pointed out, are not morally inferior; on courageous decision that required a lot of of being virtuous. Since history had the contrary, they “can be good and sweet faith in herself. In taking it, she had opted always been recorded by men and always / May it be your fortune such to meet”. for personal freedom. from their perspective, she believed that a With little income, it was also difficult Her economic difficulties turned out to distorted vision of women’s role in society to provide her daughter with a dowry, be a blessing in disguise; her dedication to had been transmitted. By highlighting the but here again, she found support; the writing earned her lasting fame and she is positive contributions of many women in girl was accepted into the prestigious now considered the first professional the past, she sought to redress the balance. royal Dominican convent at Poissy woman writer in Europe. In her book, The In the second book, also known as as a companion to the King’s own Book of Fortune’s Transformation, which is The Book of Three Virtues, through these daughter, Marie. an autobiographical tale, she wrote: “And I Pink October 2019 ∫ 37

WOMANKIND same three allegorical characters, she gave advice on how women could improve their situation. Her aim was to instruct women to cultivate useful qualities, to learn to manage their estates when their husbands were absent, at the same time urging them to challenge stereotypes and emphasising that “skills in discourse should be a part of every woman’s moral repertoire”.

Christine bemoaned the fact that girls had been excluded from the classroom; if women had remained ignorant in certain subjects, it was only because they had not been allowed instruction, she pointed out.

Only through education, she stressed, could women defend themselves.

In her mission to defend the women of her time, Christine joined in the ongoing controversy carried out by male thinkers about one of the most important literary works of the Middle Ages, Le Roman de la Rose, in which the author, Jean de Meun, had portrayed women as weak, feeble-minded, frivolous and manipulative seductresses.

For the first time, here was a woman expressing her views on the subject from a woman’s perspective. She did not hesitate to denounce the author and this literary work for his misogyny and to judge the denigration and ridicule he heaped on them as vulgar, immoral and slanderous.

The fact that Christine was free to engage in a public debate serves to dispel some of the misconceptions about the role of women in the 14th and 15th centuries. Modern scholarship shows that women, mainly those in the upper classes, not only held roles outside the home, but they also seem to have had more clout than we are prepared to believe.

Because the issues Christine debated resonate today, there is always the temptation to reinterpret her ideas to fit our modern vision of what a woman’s role in society should be and what should be changed to achieve the desired goals. But it is always a mistake and a distortion of history to judge actions and ideas out of context. While it is true that in some ways Christine

was ahead of her times, it would be doing her a disservice not to understand her on her own terms.

It is fundamental to keep in mind that what Christine wanted for women was respect for their roles not equality.

Even more crucial is to keep in mind that while modern feminism is based on liberal concepts, Christine’s ideas were firmly grounded in Christian thought and morality. This is why, in defence of her ideas, she quoted copiously from the Scriptures.

It was fitting that Christine’s last known literary work was about a contemporary female, Joan of Arc, who in 1429 led the French army against the English and managed to return the French king to the throne. “The realm has been elevated and restored by a woman – something 100,000 men could not have done… Oh what an honour to the female sex,” she wrote.

Christine spent the last 10 years of her life at the convent of Poissy and is believed to have died in 1430, one year before the 19-year-old Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.

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PINK@THEPARTY The second edition of The Pink Tea Garden by Farmer’s Deli, a Times of Malta wellness event, organised by Pink magazine and Tettiera, was held in the idyllic grounds of the health food and organics shop in Villa Bologna, Attard. The event was supported by Activia, Ayaka – Healthy Living Made Easy, Baton and Baton, Beat It, Big Mat, Bioderma, Burlesque Candles, Dical House, Dr Juice, Elephant Parade Retailer Malta, Food Therapy, Gee’s Jams, Genki, Hometrends, Honey and Zest, JDS, Jo’s Delights, Institut Esthederm, Interior Outfitters, Malta International Airport, Mediterranean Ceramics, ..

Monsoon, My Melts, Myoka Spas, Oil & More, Parfums Clandestins, Road to Belle, Sag g ar, Saint James Hospital, Steelo, Stephanie Borg, Sue’s Jewels, The Good Stuff Malta, The Malta Florist, The Prosec&co Van, Toghma, Tropicana, Vanilla Mummy, Vincent Eco Estate, Watseserv, Wellbae, and Yes! Photography Matthew Mirabelli

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PINK@THEPARTY The Pink Coffee Morning by Nestlé was held at Muz.a in the Auberge d’Italie, Valletta. A Times of Malta event, organised by Pink magazine, it was supported by Sunday in Scotland, Muz.a Restaurant, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, O’hea Opticians, Diamonds International, Hugo Boss [distributed by SV Beauty from VJ Salomone Group of Companies], Interior Outfitters and Satariano.

Photography Chris Sant Fournier

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INTHEPINK

LIVING TO TELL THE TALE Post-cancer, Charlene Mercieca reassessed her life’s priorities and determined that self-love is vital. In Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she tells ANTOINETTE SINNAS that so is support essential in the road to healing. But, ultimately, she has built her own foundations, with a firm purpose of journeying through life on her terms.

C

harlene Mercieca is no stranger to anyone. Her strength and focus during her battle with breast cancer captivated people. Instead of curling up into a ball, she decided to share the waxing and waning of the life-threatening disease and her new outlook on life, which helped her evolve as a new woman.

Despite being very active, Charlene was fraught with many ailments growing up. She faced the physical and emotional tumult of dealing with various skin issues, alopecia and irritable bowel syndrome. Constantly tossed back and forth from one doctor to another, she was at her wit’s end and tried to explore what she could do to keep healthy, taking control of her life.

“I changed my diet, exercised and got qualified in aromatherapy and herbalism. This instigated my love for natural skincare products, and I started the Soap Café, making my very own natural beauty products,” says Charlene.

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However, even though she changed the physical aspects of her life in her journey to well-being, she was still addicted to stress and negativity.

“We are often self-sabotaged with negative thoughts. This causes a lot of bodily imbalance since our thoughts influence chemical compositions and release a surge of hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine,” she explains.

These three stress hormones are also the ones that trigger the body’s fight or flight response, which elevates blood pressure, increases heart rate and raises blood sugar levels. But

Being diagnosed with cancer in her early 30s was a real shocker to her and everyone who knew her. Always known for her clean living and healthy eating, no one knew Charlene’s body was under the constant attack of chronic stress.

“The moment I got my results will always be etched in my mind. I couldn’t believe something like this would happen to me. I was livid! The immense anger I felt at that point even inhibited me from crying,” she recalls.

Charlene’s cancer was aggressive.

Doctors thought it had already spread and decided to give her chemotherapy before surgery. In a matter of two weeks, she had to prepare for the worst: train people to help keep her business running; shave her hair as she didn’t want to see it fall off; and get eyebrows tattooed as she wanted to lessen the burden of seeing herself deteriorate in front of the mirror. She wanted to continue living the best she could and not draw the pity card.

“After I completed my sessions of chemotherapy, I went through a bilateral mastectomy. However, I categorically refused any further

“WE ARE OFTEN SELF-SABOTAGED WITH NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. THIS CAUSES A LOT OF BODILY IMBALANCE SINCE OUR THOUGHTS INFLUENCE CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS AND RELEASE A SURGE OF HORMONES” when the stress response keeps firing, day after day, over a long period, it can weaken the immune system and harm the body, leaving us prone to anything from inflammation to life-threatening diseases, Charlene maintains.

conventional methods of treatment and opted for alternative and natural therapies,” she says.

The next step was to time-test her core values. She reassessed her priorities and decided to start all over

THINKPINK again. “I started being truer to myself and did things that pleased me. I set boundaries and tried to minimise being drained by the negativity of others. This was probably the hardest part since I always cared about what others thought of me, even if they were strangers.

“We always try to ‘fit in’ and jump through every hoop and over every hurdle to be ‘liked’. If you don’t love yourself, who on earth is going to love you! I realised that self-love is like a well; if your well is not full, you cannot give to others,” Charlene explains.

It’s about being kind to yourself; being mindful of your choices; constant anger and most of all stress. Allow enough time for yourself, she advises.

“It’s ironic when you consider that it comes easier to most of us to love everybody else; but we constantly find faults in ourselves.”

Apart from the physical scarring that has sapped her posture and strength, Charlene constantly has a subliminal fear of leaving this earth. The scarring

their lifeline. She wishes there were many more groups that saw a patient as a person and not as a machine that needs to be treated as ‘parts’.

Charlene throws emphasis on educating ourselves, rather than being blinded by fear. Everyone needs to know their body, conduct self-examinations regularly and be aware of constant changes. When an anomaly is caught early it can be easier to deal with, she repeats.

“I found the lump myself on the left breast almost under my arms. Due to its position, most doctors thought it was benign and part of the normal irregularities during my monthly period.

However, for me, this didn’t feel ‘normal’.

It was only after several tests that the mass was reported malignant…”

For Charlene, it is not just about being positive, but also about being able to detach herself from her current situation as if hovering above her physical existence and analysing it from an objective point of view.

“I STARTED BEING TRUER TO MYSELF AND DID THINGS THAT PLEASED ME. I SET BOUNDARIES AND TRIED TO MINIMISE BEING DRAINED BY THE NEGATIVITY OF OTHERS. THIS WAS PROBABLY THE HARDEST PART SINCE I ALWAYS CARED ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THOUGHT OF ME, EVEN IF THEY WERE STRANGERS” and the fear always remind her of how precious life is. It has made her more grateful for every day. Now, she rarely complains; whether it is about long hours at work, family and relationships, or even pain.

“To be able to do what I love; to be able to have such amazing people around me even though we might not always get along; to be in pain reminds me that I am still alive,” she says.

Support is imperative for self-healing, whether you are a cancer patient, or passing through a difficult time. Charlene says she is blessed with a very openminded partner, a family who understands the importance of doing things ‘her way’ and a couple of amazing friends.

But, ultimately, she has built a foundation for herself, with a firm purpose of journeying through life on her terms.

During her time in the hospital, she came across so many patients who didn’t have family and friends as she did.

Support groups and organisations were

“When I faced the diagnosis, I thought I had two options: either despair in a corner alone and do nothing about it; or take back control of my life and create a plan. I dissected the situation like a business plan. I carried out my research, listed the options and calculated the risk.

This kept my brain focused on what I could do, rather than on what I couldn’t do, which gave me hope.”

According to Charlene, cancer doesn’t just ‘pop up’ one fine day.

“Your lifestyle choices can change the outcome of your life, whether physical, or emotional. It is not just about food, but if you understand the basic concept that what you consume can affect how you feel, then eating well will have a positive effect on the mind and body,” Charlene asserts, adding that “taking control over how we feel is important…”

So, make sure you press the pause button on life to uninstall stress, and never underestimate yourself, even when you are doing nothing. Everyone needs a break.

PLAN YOUR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS! There’s nowhere quite like Ta’ Marija to meet up with work colleagues, family, or friends during the festive season. Combining delicious food and drink with an exciting and friendly atmosphere, it has everything needed for a truly unique dining experience. Awarded for over a decade as the Best Maltese Food Restaurant, the stylish surroundings are matched by the quality of the menu and varied entertainment line-up. Plus, don’t forget the Saturday and Sunday all-inclusive extravaganzas at €30 per person with regular shows and entertainment, and Folklore Dinner Shows every Friday and Wednesday.

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PINKPROMO

ALL ABOUT FAMILY AND FRIENDS

S

At BEN ESTATES, it’s about ‘helping people fulfil their dreams’.

Meet three employees whose job it is to do just that.

peaking to BEN ESTATES employees Marica Debono, Tanya Bezzina and Gordon Blanco about what makes their company different from others, a beautiful and common thread fast emerges: they see their co-workers as family and their clients as friends.

Hearing them recall some of their experiences in the company and the process that goes into choosing a house for a client, one can’t help but agree.

“Everyone enjoys making a sale,” Tanya starts, “but here, we really want to make people happy. Nothing beats the look a client gives you when you find them their dream home.”

Tanya Bezzina

On being asked what her favourite memory is from her past 11 years working at BEN ESTATES, Marica recalls the moment she presented a small house, consisting of a couple of rooms, to a couple who formerly lived in a stable: “I will never forget the excitement and joy they expressed when I found them their new place.

They were so incredibly grateful and so passionate that I remain touched till this very day. I’ve never looked at the commission; for me, it’s all about helping someone to fulfil their dreams.”

A definite factor in the success of the company is its founder, Bernard Mangion, who embodies the BEN ESTATES values

perfectly: “People are not just numbers here,” Gordon states, “and we pass that belief onto our clients. Our voices are heard, and we believe in transparency, both among ourselves and with our clients.”

Marica echoes this sentiment: “Bernard is always here for us, whatever we may need, and he’s really down to earth. In the 11 years I’ve been here, he’s always emphasised the belief that it’s important that we are united as a company even though we have several different offices now.”

Apart from the family environment BEN ESTATES is known for, Tanya also speaks about how much reputation

Marica Debono

“A LOT OF PEOPLE TRY FINDING HOUSES BY THEMSELVES, BUT I COMPARE THIS TO GOING TO A COURT SITTING WITHOUT A LAWYER TO DEFEND YOU” 58 ∫ Pink October 2019

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Gordon Blanco

matters to the company: “I’ve worked at other places where they promise a lot and don’t actually give anything back, but it is not the case here.

Bernard always gives what he promises both to us and to others. In our line of work, trust is everything.

“A lot of people try finding houses by themselves, but I compare this to going to a court sitting without a lawyer to defend you. We go through a lot of houses and we vet properties before we offer them to others. It’s important to us that our clients are happy, and there truly is no better feeling than when someone you’ve found a house for recommends you to his friends and family.”

Summarising the best thing about working at BEN ESTATES, they answer with great zest and enthusiasm: “I used to suffer from Monday blues when I was younger,” Tanya confides, “but that no longer happens. I’m always happy to be here.”

Gordon agrees with her wholeheartedly: “I feel like I can work confidently and that I can truly be who I am without judgement.

I find there is nothing more important than honesty and I definitely get that here.”

Follow BEN ESTATES – your trusted partner – on Facebook and Instagram. benestates.com.mt

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SNAPSHOT

PURSUING TRUTH AND JUSTICE Having graced the stage for 30 years, Louiselle Vassallo’s name is synonymous with impactful theatre. Now, she’s taking on Dario Fo’s The Accidental Death of an Anarchist – a criminally comical blend of vaudeville and politics.

A

man has fallen to his death from the window of a police station. Did he jump? Was he pushed?

Suspecting a cover-up, one person is determined to discover the truth.

Masquerade Theatre Company has taken the bull by the horns with Dario Fo’s play The Accidental Death of an Anarchist.

An Italian Nobel prize-winning playwright, Fo was known for his cutting satire. This explosive political farce is Fo through and through.

Directed by Ian Moore, Masquerade’s showing features an all-female cast.

Louiselle Vassallo tells us more.

Can you pick three words to describe the show? Energetic, hilarious and relevant.

The play tells a compelling story. How would you describe it? The play was

inspired by real events – namely, the death of Giuseppe Pinelli. He died under mysterious circumstances while in police custody in Italy in 1969. This is a fictionalisation of the events leading to Pinelli’s death. The main protagonist is The Maniac, played by Pia Zammit – a con man who outwits the police by inhabiting various colourful characters.

The audience witnesses a series of absurd, comical situations that eventually reveal a very sobering reality.

Who are you in the play? I play Maria Feletti, a journalist digging into institutionalised corruption, police brutality, cover-ups and the perverse manipulation of truth – and she wants the truth behind the suspected anarchist’s death. She knows the authorities are staging violent incidents to create outrage, triggering the public’s demand for a ‘stronger’ state. Rather than protecting citizens, the state is sacrificing innocent people to retain and increase power.

Feletti is based on a real journalist, Camilla Cederna, who exposed police corruption.

This wasn’t only concerning Pinelli, but also in terms of flawed law enforcement and corrupt government institutions.

on stage for the duration of the play.

Rehearsals are well under way. How’s it all going?

Excellent – and a big shout-out goes to our director Ian Moore. His approach is immensely collaborative, so we all actively participate in the creative process. I also love working with an all-female cast – talented co-actors, who bring energy, thoughtprovoking ideas and joy to the rehearsal space.

Additionally, for me, working with Masquerade always feels like ‘coming home’.

You’ve been involved in Maltese theatre for some 30 years, and you’ve played innumerable roles.

How is Feletti different from previous parts?

I rarely play straightforward roles. But the character of Feletti, the journalist, is the one who brings some form of logic and ‘normality’ to very absurd situations.

This is somewhat challenging because it contrasts heavily with the rest of the characters in the play. She needs to be ‘played down’ to enhance the ludicrousness and eccentricity of the other characters.

This production has an all-female cast.

Is this a risky choice, and what does it bring to the play? In such an articulate

and powerful script, the gender of actors is somewhat irrelevant. However, all except one of the characters were originally written for men, so this

“I ALSO LOVE WORKING WITH AN ALL-FEMALE CAST – TALENTED CO-ACTORS, WHO BRING ENERGY, THOUGHTPROVOKING IDEAS AND JOY TO THE REHEARSAL SPACE” What convinced you to take on the role? I am the only person in the cast

who is playing a woman – so, I have the most comfortable costume, and I’m pretty smug about it. But costume aside, I didn’t need any convincing at all. This is the work of Nobel laureate Dario Fo. I would have happily played a shrub motionless

question is inevitable. Creativity needs an element of risk; otherwise, there’s little discussion to be had. Here, women are portraying what is possibly the worst form of patriarchy. Stepping into the shoes of ‘the enemy’ in the age of the #metoo movement is a bold but very impactful move.

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SNAPSHOT Is the plot relevant to Maltese society?

It’s relevant to all societies. That’s why it is still being produced internationally, one year shy of its 50th anniversary – it premiered in 1970 in Milan. It is especially relevant in Malta because it deals specifically with the silencing of the press, and of Feletti in particular. She’s a dedicated, determined, driven and experienced investigative journalist. But, she knows ‘too much’, and is on the brink of revealing some very uncomfortable truths.

Photography Emma Micallef

“SHE’S A DEDICATED, DETERMINED, DRIVEN AND EXPERIENCED INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST. BUT, SHE KNOWS ‘TOO MUCH’, AND IS ON THE BRINK OF REVEALING SOME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS” Why is it important for people to watch The Accidental Death of an Anarchist?

This play is a farce and an absurdist classic. But, behind the laughs is a sharp, subversive sting that makes a powerful political point. Ultimately, it’s a battle of wits, between the powers that be and the individual or underdog. It’s about the preservation of democracy, standing up

to tyranny and demanding truth and justice. For me, the play has reinforced the idea that theatre – like other arts disciplines – is a vital platform for social comment, criticism and protest.

Finally, what’s next after the show wraps up? There’s a Theatre Anon

production in the pipeline, set to be

staged in 2020. I can’t give too many details at this stage… but it promises to be exciting, so watch this space. In the meantime, I can’t wait to bring Feletti to the Blue Box stage in November – so see you there!

The Accidental Death of an Anarchist opens on November 8 at the Blue Box in Msida and continues on November 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17.