Sorrow, even pain, could be noticed on the late eminent politician/jurist Guido de Marco’s face every time he recounted the day he gauged law students about George Borg Olivier and independence. He had some say in the process, they replied about the statesman considered to be ‘the father’ of independent Malta.

Now, if even those studying law are unaware of the leading role played by such a prominent person, one can only wonder what John Citizen would know about less-known compatriots who too made a name for themselves in different areas.

This is why Times of Malta decided to publish online some of the over 4,800 biographies of Maltese personalities compiled by veteran journalist, editor, author and publisher Michael Schiavone.

In the foreword of Schiavone’s Dictionary of Maltese Biographies, published in 2009, President Ugo Mifsud Bonnici quotes Italy’s first prime minister, Camillo Cavour. “We have made Italy; now we must make the Italians,” the man who united his country had said.

The former education minister rightly stressed that the republic’s “many fathers and mothers… merit our attention as much as the end result of their work”.

Schiavone’s work and his publications seek to do precisely that. The book remains man’s best teacher and shifting such instruction online can only serve to popularise such knowledge but also entice more people to become acquainted with so many who, in different ways and different eras, contributed to make the country what it is today.

Schiavone is one of them. He has worked on more than 320 publications that, apart from the biographies, deal with a variety of cultural aspects. In researching people who lived in the past and about whom very little is documented, he traced their history primarily through parish records.

“New generations must keep remembering their past, from the average man in the street to the notable personalities of today,” the researcher insists. He also believes that, in addition to documenting distinguished Maltese citizens, the information needs to be shared.

The dissemination of his works online by Times of Malta should, therefore, be emulated by other publishing houses and even broadcasting stations. Indeed, TV programmes about personalities and their achievements are not unknown but there is certainly more room for them.

Such initiatives cannot be shackled, or, even worse, stalled, by narrow-minded individuals and, more so, regulators.

It was not that long ago that the author of a biography on Dom Mintoff found himself facing contrasting accusations of trying to size up the controversial leader and a negative reaction by both the family and the Labour Party.

There was also the ridiculous decision by the state broadcaster not to air a mini-documentary series about Mintoff.

It then decided to screen it together with a similar production on Borg Olivier. Those running the Public Broadcasting Service evidently cannot distinguish between historic figures and events and current political controversies.

The more details we have on those who, along the years, contributed to the social, economic and political development of Malta, the better we can be equipped to understand what they were up against and the circumstances prevailing at the time.

Making details unearthed by dedicated researchers readily available to as many people as possible will help us better put things in their proper historical context. We will also learn from the successes and failure of those who came before us, thus enabling us to make informed decisions on the future we would like to ensure for ourselves and forthcoming generations.

That gives more power to the people through knowledge.