Time to be generous
A book about the history of Bormla’s Banda Club has just been published. It is written by my friend Carmel Galea Scannura who painstakingly researched the subject. It is traditionally held that the club was founded in 1862.
Dr Simon Mercieca is senior lecturer, Department of History H owever, I have already had the opportunity to show that the origins of this club go even further back in time. It originated in 1851, when a group of residents from Cospicua set up what they called Il Circolo Cospicuano. Giusé Belli refers to the setting up of this club in his encyclopaedic book on the history of Malta. Belli based his work on Fauré who in turn based it on Pietro Paolo Castagna’s book on the history of Malta. Castagna was born and raised in Cospicua. He wrote it in his Cospicua dialect or idiolect.
More importantly, Galea Scannura shows that Belli’s reference can be traced back to Castagna’s work. In other words, Castagna was referring to an event that happened during his time.
After a number of years, Il Circolo Cospicuano set up a band within its fold that started to be called La Banda dei Cospicuani.
Eventually the circolo or club took the name of the Nobile Giorgio Crispo Barbaro
Marchesi di San Giorgio, who was one of the past presidents of the society.
Galea Scannura goes into details about this and how this band club came to be known as Società Filarmonica Nazionale Cospicuana San Giorgio. This is why, the band club is still known today as Banda San Ġorġ.
I personally think that it should be called Banda San Giorgio, rather than San Ġorġ. San Giorgio was Crispo Barbaro’s true title and, therefore, the club should be known under this correct format. Titles are normally not translated but keep their original format. Although I do understand that there could be legal implications and difficulties to revert or change name, I am sure that with good will, this can be done.
Yet, beyond these anecdotal facts, Bormla’s Band Club of Bormla wishes to join in the altruistic spirit that is characteristic of this season. Those purchasing this book will be helping a good cause.
Incidentally, the book was entirely sponsored by APS Bank thanks to the vision that the previous APS Chairman, Lino Delia had for Cospicua. When no one really believed in this locality, Delia wanted his bank to send signals of the potential existing in Cospicua and there is no better way of achieving this, than by unearthing past hidden history. This is why Delia believed in investing in cultural initiatives in Cospicua. He was of the opinion, and he is correct on this point, that social change can only come about through culture.
When it was not yet fashionable to be associated with this locality, he supported initiatives to change the perception of this locality. It was still the time when Cospicua was always in the news but for the wrong reasons. Delia wanted to show that this was a place rich in tangible and intangible heritage. Today, no one questions this point.
But a decade or so ago, not everybody held this opinion.
The countercurrents were so strong that there were those, even in high authority, who ridiculed such initiatives as they did not believe that there was anything worth saving in Bormla.
Therefore, before leaving his stewardship at APS bank, Delia offered his last gift to Cospicua. I am pleased to add that the publication even found the support of Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna who also believed in it to the extent that he accepted to write the forward.
It is no coincidence that this
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On Wednesday, the President of the Republic, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca will be holding ‘l-Istrina’. It will be the last Istrina for the President who has had a good presidency.
book ended up being published in the month of December. A month associated, in Cospicua, with the feast of the Immaculate Conception but it is also the month of Christmas and New Year Celebrations. This is the season when we think more about the needs of others than at any other time of the year.
This is a small initiative within a bigger initiative that will be taking place this week. On Wednesday, the President of the Republic, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca will be holding ‘l-Istrina’. It will be the last Istrina for the President who has had a good presidency. Indeed, it was not without contradictions but she has shown acumen to keep herself above the rough ride. More importantly, she placed the needs of the disadvantaged as the priority of her presidency. In fact, she earned the nickname of champion of the poor.
This year’s l-Istrina is going to be an occasion for the Maltese nation to show its appreciation towards this president by acknowledging her social work and activities by being generous to this charitable initiative. It is time that one helps the Community Chest Fund. Therefore, let’s be generous because generosity and altruism bring about effective social change. For this reason, it is important that the Maltese continue to show solidarity with those in need.