Preservation of Maltese Culture and Language ?
Maltese of Egypt

by Ivan Magri-Overend

"I am 83 and my memory is helped with notes that I brought with me from Cairo (Egypt) when I came to London in 1953.

The life of the Maltese Community was concentrated around The Maltese Union Club situated at Nubar Pasha Street, one of the main streets of Cairo. It was a large flat and the walls separating several of its rooms were demolished to form a large hall with a stage to perform theatrical plays and organise musical concerts. That was in the 1920/30?s.

The plays were in Maltese and my parents were the leading man and lady. I used to attend the repetitions with my younger brother, and correct the actor-amateurs if they missed a line. I still remember plays called Gian Maria Cassia, and L-Ordni li Tonhor and they even played a Maltese version of Santanelir with my mother as Madre Badessa and Stella CAMILLERI playing Sainte Nitouche.

The attached list of Maltese Newspapers that were published between 1893 and 1953 is proof enough that The Community (at that time it was The Maltese Colony) was well versed in Maltese in whatever orthograph it was written. It is worth mentioning that during W.W.II, the Habbar Malti (Cairo) and the Qari Malti (Port Said) seem to have been the only two papers appearing in Maltese outside Malta.

We also contributed over ?60,000.00 thanks to the efforts of the late Chev. Philip BIANCHI towards The Malta Relief Fund, in addition to personal private remittances to relatives in Malta to assist them to obtain food unavailable on the market.

We had at least in Alexandria, Port Said and Suez, sermons in Maltese every Sunday, and during Lent, Cairo borrowed a Maltese Priest from either Port Said or Suez to preach in Maltese for one week following the Via Crucix.

We had Radio Schembri in Cairo which devoted one hour a week to a program run by a group of Maltese amateurs, while Radio Les Trois Watts was run by Eng. Franz DE BARRO (the father of Ives, the present High Commissioner of Malta in Australia) during his spare time.

Books in Maltese or in Malta were difficult to obtain unless Ix-Xirka ghal Tixrid tal-Qari Malti (Port Said) could obtain them for you.

But all this is in the past as since The Community had to leave Egypt in 1956 and transfer its activities to the U.K. it has been almost impossible to continue following the same routine in the U.K.

One of the reasons is intermarriages and the lack of an easily accessible Centre, but the main reason rests with the Maltese Authorities who all along since Independence deprived those Maltese born overseas of any right to Maltese Citizenship. We cannot forget that in 1956, they even refused to grant temporary shelter to old aged Maltese ejected from Egypt and refused to help them in England through the Maltese in Egypt Relief Fund, as they were no more in Egypt.

Books are available provided you are prepared to pay their excessive cost.

The Association of Maltese Communities of Egypt continues to commemorate the main Maltese Historical events by holding a Vin D?Honneur in April or about the date of the award of the George Cross to Malta and another Vin D?Honneur in September commemorating all the memorable events that happened in September involving the Maltese People in defending their rights all along the Millenium which is now nearing its end.

In my humble opinion HISTORY remains the best way to maintain our links with Malta, as HISTORY in whatever language it is written can continue to teach us and our children and future generations of the glorious past of our forefathers. This is the policy I am following with our Association?s Newsletter.

I should be excused if I end this paper with a personal note.

My younger daughter, Clelia, was a few years ago a student at The Nottingham University following a course for B.A. which she obtained with honours on HISTORY AND LANGUAGES (French, Italian and Spanish in addition to English).

During a lecture on The Napoleonic Wars, the reader mentioned that it was during that period that Britain conquered Malta. Clelia raised her hand and objected to that statement saying what she always heard from me that "BRITAIN WAS IN MALTA AT THE REQUEST AND CONSENT OF THE MALTESE PEOPLE". The reader replied that he was the teacher not her father.

She phoned me in the evening requesting all facts to prove her interruption which I duly posted to her within a few days.

Soon afterwards I received another phone call "Daddy, Daddy, the teacher has apoligised to me in front of all the class saying that Clelia was right. She has supplied me with the facts proving that Britain did not conquer Malta".

Maltese Sheets and Periodicals

• Egittu ? published in Alexandria in 1897 by A.R. Zerafa.

• Giabra ta Taghlim Nisrani ? published in Alexandria in 1898.

• Il Messagero Egiziano ? founded by A. Debono in Alexandria, maternal grandfather of the late Alb. Vassall.

• Li-Standard Tal Maltin (1902?12; 1919?24) published in Cairo by George Vella.

• Lehen Tal Hbieb Ilsien Malti ? published in Port Said by Anth. Said in 1940.

• Melita ? published in Alexandria in 1893 by G. Palmier and M. Nuzzo.

• Bulettin Tal Maltese Scouts & Guides ? published in Cairo by Frans Debarro & Edith (nee Vella).

• Bulettin Tal Mutuo Soccorso ? published in Cairo by George Vella.

• Bulettin of the Maltese Community of Cairo ? Editor Joseph Bonello in 1935; Editor Eliseo Camilleri in 1939; Editor Alfred Nicholas in 1941/43. Then it was renamed IL-HABBAR MALTI FL-EGITTU ? Editor Alfred Nicholas 1943/45; Editor Joseph Bonello 1945/48; Editor Ivan Magri-Overend 1948/53.

• Il-Qari Malti ? published in Port Said by Anthony Said from 1940/46.

• Valetta ? published in Cairo (1919?1924) by Nerik Gatt and Eliseo Camilleri.

Our Pedigree

A short list of the principal Maltese Associations with date of formation is given hereunder: "