Religion and free speech

John Azzopardi (October 30) is beginning to sound like some Spanish Inquisitor of our “authentic Christian” heritage.

In 21st-century Malta, now essentially a liberal western democracy, John Guillaumier, and others who have some doubts about various religious claims, have every right to express their doubts when others like Azzopardi are constantly bombarding us with religious unprovable stories rendering some issues of this newspaper more akin to a religious newsletter than an independent secular publication.

How can doubters accept the claim of any one religion that it is the “truth” when there are other religions also adamant that they are the “truth”?

Another unacceptable claim that Azzopardi seems to end with is that only upholders of “authentic Christian heritage” will help us avoid anarchy. Some western observers of Japanese society claim this population is probably the world’s most cohesive, with a high sense of the common good related to their Shinto religion.

ALBERT CILIA-VINCENTI – Attard

Caxaro’s Cantilena in Sydney

Ever since the discovery and subsequent publication of Malta’s literary icon – Caxaro’s Cantilena – by the co-finders Godfrey Wettinger and Michael Fsadni in 1968, much has been written by language scholars and other academic enthusiasts in their zestful attempts at unravelling this intriguing national treasure.

Written in a late medieval Maltese idiom, the challenge to come up with a definite solution will linger on for many years yet. Just like so many ancient writings from Shakespeare to Dante, as well as much earlier works from classical Greek, Arabic, Persian and sundry.

It was Ġużè Aquilina no less who presented me with a complimentary copy of its first publication (1968), urging me to submit my impressions of this unique literary marvel. I hesitantly and with much trepidation accepted the challenge out of sheer passion for Maltese and related languages studies.

The article was later published in the Journal of Maltese Studies of the University of Malta. At that stage, I had only recently begun my life-long journey into Semitic studies, having just taken my first steps in Arabic at Sydney University under the guidance of Michael Carter, an Oxford graduate, lecturing in Arabic in the Department of Semitic Studies.

Since those early days and several decades later, I presented George Vella, President of Malta, during his recent visit to Australia, with a framed facsimile of the Cantilena. This copy included the five introductory Latin lines which all too often are omitted.

In the past, I have made a number of similar presentations to local Maltese Australian groups including our local Sydney office of the Maltese Consulate and to significant local Maltese entities like the long-standing Maltese centre the La Valette Social Club, in the Sydney metropolitan suburb of Blacktown.

On other occasions, I made many public presentations with detailed explanations relating to this Maltese literary gem.

The general idea of these gestures is to make our own people aware of the Cantilena’s existence together with its importance to us as a sovereign nation.

Such occasional significant initiatives of highly intensive cultural national interest occurring among the Maltese diaspora ought to be given more attention in the local media of Malta (print, TV, radio, etc.) as living evidence of Malta’s assertiveness in the world family of nations.

This suggested interest from the Maltese media in our cultural activities in a faraway country will, hopefully, eliminate the oft-repeated lament (or should I say lecture) we are repeatedly given by every visiting VIP – that we should do our utmost to preserve our Maltese language and culture.

The evidence for the existence of this just claim is abundantly available in official records of our daily lives. A quick sift through Malta’s archives should suffice to familiarise all these most welcome visitors from Malta prior to departure for their destination.

RODERICK BOVINGDON – Sydney, NSW, Australia