As part of the celebrations in connection with the 60th anniversary of Malta’s independence, a celebration of Maltese art, music and culture will be held at the historic Prince Taz Palace in Cairo on September 17.

The programme includes an exhibition featuring 22 photographs by Maltese amateur photographer Guido Stilon. It is curated by Magna Żmien, a grassroots project dedicated to preserving and digitising Maltese analogue memories with a particular focus on the 20th century.

The event's poster

The exhibition showcases a series of stills that were scanned and digitally restored by Magna Żmien archivists, and forms part of their archive that became popular during Valletta’s tenure as the European Capital of Culture in 2018.

The event also features a screening of a short film by Maltese anthropologist Adrian Camilleri that includes content from the same archive.

Bejn is-Sema u l-Art, which was originally commissioned by the Ritmu Roots Festival and produced by Festivals Malta, reflects upon the life and legacy of one of the island’s most prominent folk singers: Frans Baldacchino known as ‘il-Budaj’. The film shows previously unreleased footage of the għannej (folk singer), reflecting upon Malta’s indigenous music heritage post-Independence.

A short film about the legacy of folk singer Frans Camilleri ‘il-Budaj’ will be screened.

The programme’s highlight will be a performance by one of Malta’s most renowned bands, Etnika. Founded in 2000, the band has followed a trail of fascinating archival and field research, unearthing and rescuing long forgotten instruments, local melodies and genres from the verge of extinction.

The event is organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Malta in Cairo with the support of Investia, Marmonil, Methode Electronics, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Culture of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

More information is available on the official pages of the Embassy of Malta in Cairo on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).