Three years after setting up the exhibition Malta – Tunis – Marseille at Spazju Kreattiv, French-Maltese artist Katel Delia is launching a photobook of the same name on Friday, August 23.

The publication presents archive photographs taken by Delia’s Maltese family who immigrated to Tunisia about a century ago and contemporary photographs she took herself of Malta, Tunisia and Marseille. Delia is a fourth-generation member of the family.

“My Maltese paternal family has kept many photos from the time when they had to immigrate to Tunisia. For me, it is a sign that they wanted to preserve the memory, to pass it on,” Delia says.

“This massive immigration on the scale of this small country is forgotten. I give it a central place in the story thanks to archive documents, family photos, contemporary photographs and texts.”

Artist Katel Delia and images from the publication.

She adds: “More than a century ago, the Maltese fled poverty to reach Tunisia, a land of promises of a better future, today the crossing is in the other direction…”

The text is in French, Maltese and Arabic. It was translated to Maltese by Jean Paul Borg and to Arabic by Dhia Bousselmi. It has also been translated to English (extra leaflet) by Albert Gatt.

The book, co-published by Images Plurielles and Klabb Kotba Maltin, includes a preface by Sylvie Hugues. The publication was funded by the 1st Photo Book Grant − Eyes Wide Open (The Eyes, French Ministry of Culture, Saif) and the French Embassy in Malta.

The book launch will be held at the Valletta Design Cluster on August 23 at 7.30pm. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page.