Exclusive footage of Sliema’s youth culture during the mid-20th century will be shown for the first time after a foundation spent the last three years building an archive. 

Magna Żmien will be organising a talk titled The Place We Knew Isn’t That Far Away on the project and will be sharing exclusive footage for the collection for the first time on Monday, June 24. The event is targeted towards current and former Sliema residents to share their memories, but everyone is welcome. 

Women on the beach at Fond Għadir Photo: The Paul Caruana Collection courtesy of Magna Żmien.Women on the beach at Fond Għadir Photo: The Paul Caruana Collection courtesy of Magna Żmien.

The Magna Żmien Foundation archive focuses on saving analogue Maltese memories primarily from private collections.  

The collection includes portraits of women in swimsuits at Fond Għadir, groups of friends joking along the front and recordings from a wedding at the former Imperial Hotel. 

Photos and recordings primarily date back to the 1950s and 1960s. 

Their latest project, supported by the Arts Council Malta ICO Fund, is sourced from the large archive private collections owned by Paul Caruana.  

Women walking along the Sliema front Photo: The Paul Caruana Collection courtesy of Magna Żmien.Women walking along the Sliema front Photo: The Paul Caruana Collection courtesy of Magna Żmien.

Caruana donated his collection to Magna Żmien to keep his family’s memory alive. The footage in Caruana’s collection was created by his father, uncle and Joseph Darmanin, also known as Il-Gululu. 

Joseph Darmanin known as, Il- Gululu Photo: The Paul Caruana Collection courtesy of Magna ZmienJoseph Darmanin known as, Il- Gululu Photo: The Paul Caruana Collection courtesy of Magna Zmien

Il-Gululu was a former president of the Malta Photographic Society whose portraits of his friends in his hometown manage to create an idyllic snapshot of a bygone era. The focus on Sliema was spearheaded by the foundation’s artistic director, Andrew Alamango, who is from Sliema and feels a strong connection to his roots.  

Kris Polidano, a researcher at Magna Żmien, said Sliema has always held a unique place in Maltese youth culture.  

“For generations, Sliema has been the go-to town for young people to hang out. My grandparents met at Chalet, as did many other couples back in the day, and even when I was a bit younger Sliema was where my friends and I would meet.”   

View of St George's Bay in St Julians Photo: The Paul Caruana Collection courtesy of Magna ZmienView of St George's Bay in St Julians Photo: The Paul Caruana Collection courtesy of Magna Zmien

A key feature of the collection is the series of photographs focusing on the landscape of Sliema.  

The footage depicts Sliema as a village with a pulse as opposed to the cosmopolitan, commercial town it has turned into over the last 30 years or so.  

“Of course you see the landscape changing but the heart and soul of Sliema remain the same,” she said. 

The free event will take place Monday, June 24 at 7pm at the Valletta Design Cluster in Valletta.  

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