April Fools’ lecture examines the figure of Ġaħan

Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit.

– William Shakespeare

In the rooted echoes of memory, one finds the humorous silhouette of a wise fool bent over, carrying his dwelling’s door on his back. The protagonist’s name is Ġaħan, a literary character which has uniquely captured the imagination of many cultures including Malta.

The character of Ġaħan presents an evolutionary paradox of wisdom and folly that has been metamorphosised throughout the Mediterranean context.

In a public lecture hosted at the National Library of Malta (Bibliotheca) in Valletta on April 1 at 6pm, Kylie Aquilina will be presenting a paper titled Ġaħan the Wise fool: A Study Exploring the Character’s Immersion in Reality.

To celebrate the humorous air of April Fools’ Day, the lecture will explore this folkloristic character and his unique blend of intelligence, insight and playful folly. The paper will specifically focus on the numerous visual works related to newspapers and other archival materials housed in the National Library of Malta in Valletta.

Stemming from in-depth research on the socio-cultural and political developments that helped articulate and shape the many facets of Ġaħan, Aquilina will present an overview focusing on the representations of the literary character engaging with key milestones in 19th- and 20th-century Maltese history.

Fact, fiction and folkloristic frontiers will be challenged and interlinked, revealing Ġaħan’s versatile affinity for the nation’s cultural identity.

At the time, the character was used to tackle social issues and according to Aquilina’s Master’s thesis, Ġaħan “was mostly portrayed as infantilised in education, intellectualised in theatre and heroised in politics”.

Furthermore, there is evidence to believe that the genesis of this character was in fact spiritual.

This can be seen when one traces the genealogy of the protagonist to Türkiye, where the Nasreddin character was considered a Sufi philosopher.

Aquilina argues that the transformation of this character to an idiot-savant “could be the result of the Western world asserting its dominance over the Turkish world which could have been perceived as an inferior culture”. 

Such an Arab European dichotomy within the character bares a reflection of the Maltese cultural identity itself. Indeed, one may debate that Malta’s Euro-Arabic origin and the unsettled nature of these two facets of identity, which still vie for power, bear affinity to Oscar Wilde’s notion on the rage of Caliban towards Realism and Romanticism.

This paradoxical figure challenges societal norms

In addition, Malta’s history and its power struggles against foreign and national political forces have caused the Maltese to constantly search for their cultural roots.

Ġaħan is an incarnation of such struggles which reaches into the depths of several cultural contexts, revealing himself to be an archaic remanent of the wise fool serving as a conduit for truth, often showing profound wisdom through seemingly simple or foolish behaviour. This paradoxical figure challenges societal norms and invites deeper reflection on the nature of intelligence and wisdom.

The lecture will be delivered by Kylie Aquilina.

By looking at the interaction between the fictional character and reality, in this public lecture Aquilina will be dealing with the literary concept of faction; the marriage of fact and fiction.

Through analysing the rich visual culture of Ġaħan, Aquilina will deftly traverse several previously unstudied works published in Maltese newspapers. These illustrations depict the folkloristic character engaging and interweaved with the historical events which unfolded in Malta during the 19th and 20th century.

This event aims to delve into works associated with Ġaħan, exploring their impact on local culture and historical narratives which Aquilina has extensively studied in relation to this folkloristic character and the visual arts in Malta.

Ġaħan’s engagement with Malta’s history provides an in-depth insight into the various responses of the Maltese society to the tumultuous changes of the 19th and 20th century.

Attendees can expect an enlightening discussion that covers the multifaceted aspects of Ġaħan’s influence, focusing on cultural, social and artistic resonances.

Above all, the public lecture seeks to revitalise and cast new light onto the Ġaħan narrative, exploring how this wise fool offered hope to the lower classes and captured the hearts of many.

According to Ġorġ Mifsud-Chircop, the character became the “epitome of Maltese verbal wisdom and humour”. Building on this assertion, Aquilina proposes that Ġaħan may also be considered as a “reflection of the search for Malta’s collective identity”.

The public lecture Ġaħan the Wise fool: A Study Exploring the Character’s Immersion in Reality by Kylie Aquilina will be presented on April 1 at 6pm at the National Library of Malta (Bibliotheca) in Valletta. This event is hosted by the Malta Library and the National Library of Malta.