They fought hard for their causes in 2019 and don’t intend to let up in 2020. Sarah Carabott spoke to a few of the inspirational figures who made the headlines last year.
Sasha Vella
In July, Sasha Vella brought hundreds of people together to protest against the controversial Central Link project.
Months later, the appeal against the €55 million project might have been dismissed by the Environment Planning Review Tribunal but the
19-year-old has not called it a day.
She knows people are currently taken up by a political crisis and it might not be the right time to hold an environment protest, but she plans to continue raising awareness about the welfare of the environment.
“Rather than disheartened, I was more disappointed by the tribunal’s decision. But I’m not really surprised anymore. We are used to decisions being taken that are not in the interests of people or the country. Malta feels hijacked.”
She speaks about the country being “bludgeoned by construction, our natural
environment raped”.
Now, the young environmentalist hopes to widen the scope of her activism in 2020 by normalising environmentally-friendly attitudes.
Meanwhile, the private Facebook group For OUR Trees, which she set up ahead of the protest and which has more than 13,600 members, is acting as a space for people to share ideas about a greener environment.
Jake Vella
As he lay in bed at the ITU this summer, Jake Vella wondered how he could raise funds for a worthy cause by doing what he does best: swimming.
The 10-year-old is one of only 70 people in the world who suffer from rohhadnet, a condition which causes him to gain weight rapidly despite exercising and eating healthily.
But this has never stopped him from testing his limits. Swimming is the only sport he can practise now, so he trains every day, rain or shine.
In summer, he raised €3,000 in aid of the Association for Abandoned Animals by swimming 1.7km from St Paul’s Islands to Buġibba with his coaches Fabio Spiteri and Marthese Fava.
It was at the end of that swim that he turned to his father Josie and told him he wanted to take it further in 2020: he wants to swim from Comino to Ċirkewwa.
Jake is well aware of the challenges posed by his condition but instead of dwelling on his limitations, he looks ahead.
His aim, he says, is to be brave not only for himself but also for others going through difficult times, hoping to inspire people to achieve the best they can whatever their condition.
Yanika Borg
One thing Yanika Borg has learnt this year is that even the most beautiful stretch of sea could be hiding the most toxic material that kills millions of marine animals every year: plastic.
In October, the 30-year-old joined an all-women expedition for three weeks, one leg in a round-the-world sailing trip that seeks to create awareness about plastics in our oceans. The project, organised by eXXpedition, aims to tackle the epidemic via citizen science and scientific research.
Yanika, a data analyst by profession, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Azores to Antigua looking for microplastics on the surface of the sea and 25 metres below.
The experience has encouraged her to continue raising awareness about how a circular economy – an alternative to the traditional economy where we make, use and dispose of objects – is the solution to the plastic epidemic.
This would require bringing on board policymakers, the public and industry.
In the new year she is hoping to work with some big Maltese companies towards more environmentally-friendly packaging solutions.
Omar Rababah
When he is not calling out the haters on social media, Omar Rababah is coaching a group of international amateur footballers.
A social worker by profession, Omar works at the Migrant Learners’ Unit. He is known for taking on Islamophobic and racist commentators and for being quite vocal about it.
Born in Malta to a Syrian father and Maltese mother, the 28-year-old identifies as half Maltese and half Syrian, so he feels quite at home coaching the Syria Gżira FC, a team made up of people of different nationalities but one love: football.
It all started when community leader Taleb Zeidan voiced his concern about how it was all work and no play for young Syrians living in Malta.
Considering his cultural background and the fact that he is a footballer himself, Omar was roped in as a coach when the team was registered with the Malta Football Association.
From the very beginning, Omar wanted the team to include Maltese people as he is a firm believer in integration, not segregation. The team, which competes in the Swan league, nowadays hosts footballers from Malta and Syria, but also Nigeria, Ghana, Palestine, Somalia and Libya among others.
Soon after the new team made headlines, he had to launch a livestream on Facebook to answer those who took issue with the fact that the club included African and Middle Eastern migrants.
In 2020, Omar, whose own father Hashem was a Gżira United football player, intends to continue to fight social justice and human rights.
Christian Pace
If it needs to be said and no one else is saying it, Christian Pace will.
The 37-year-old is an all-round activist – he speaks up against animal cruelty and destruction of the environment, and in favour of human rights. Draped in a trans-pride flag, on December 8 he took to the stage during a national protest against corruption.
The LGBTIQ community, he told the thousands gathered, would not tolerate being used as a catchphrase by the Prime Minister. He accused Joseph Muscat of using civil rights to shield himself from criticism. While after the event he received some negative feedback, even from within the LGBTIQ community, his action has been largely supported, particularly in private where people thanked him for speaking up about a divisive issue.
When he is not speaking out about human rights, Christian is caring for animals at a rescue shelter and lobbying for adequate enforcement of animal welfare legislation. “I cannot call for action and not be part of the action that brings change. If something needs to be said and no one is saying it, I have no choice except to break the silence or act on it.”