Calendar 2013 presentation

2013

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JOE P. SMITHphotographer

Joe P Smith is a photographer and artist who is constantly in search of new and

contemporary channels for expressing his photographic vision. he has a strong preference

for architectural, environmental portraiture and performing arts photography and his

photographs from the malta Jazz Festival have left a strong impact on the local art

scene. A lover of social documentary, Joe published his first book in this genre in 2009.

the work, called “Survivors - the Ageing Population of Birgu” charts the colourful and

sometimes poignant life stories of a handful of characters living in this medieval walled

town. the publication was a huge success and it is now in its second reprint.

Joe has been the recipient of numerous local and international awards and he has lectured

and judged extensively locally as well as in the international sphere. Last year he was

honoured to have been asked to be part of the judging panel of firsts edition of the hiPA

photo awards in Dubai and next January, for the 6th time, he will travel to London to deliver

masterclasses and be part of the jury at the Societies annual convention in London.

Joe holds the distinction of Fellow with the malta institute of Professional

Photographers, the Societies (SWPP), the master Photographers

Association and the British institute of Professional Photographers.

FSWPP FBiPP FmPA FmiPP ARPS AFiAP Dip. Artistic & Cultural managementBorn 17.03.1959

guIdO lanfrancOresearcher

GUiDo LANFRANCo, author of the game descriptions, was born in 1930 and spent a

lifetime teaching in government primary, secondary and upper secondary schools. he

was active in cultural societies and president of several of them. he has written numerous

articles for various periodicals, and participated in local radio and television programmes.

he has published well over twenty books mostly about local nature, history and culture,

one of them Logħob, Taqbil u Ġugarelli tat-Tfal Maltin specifically on children’s games.

he has won several literary prizes for his books and poetry. in 1969 he was awarded

the bronze medal of merit of the Federation of Civic Councils and in 1996 Medalja għall-

Qadi tar-Repubblika for his contribution to local culture and nature conservation.

Born 18.10.1930

Nowadays, it would be unheard of for children to play unsupervised or

to wander off into nearby fields. But before the advent of television and

computers, street games formed a big part of maltese children’s lives.

in the pre-war era, children were expected to entertain

themselves. Fortunately, streets were not yet taken over by

traffic and could serve as the children’s playground.

Games and toys were not merely a pastime but also served to develop

the early concepts of teamwork, communication and co-ordination skills.

Street games helped children to build their character and

confidence and also instilled a neighbourhood sense of community,

something which remains a core value for Bank of Valletta.

At Bank of Valletta we have always been interested in our heritage and

culture in all its guises. this is central to our Bank’s ethos as a culture

that values the individual and the community. As an active corporate

citizen, the Bank is committed to supporting the community through a

programme which is founded on seven pillars: arts and culture; heritage;

environment; social; sport; education; and business strategic alliances.

the Bank is a leading patron of initiatives that brings together generations

through their appreciation of historical artefacts. these photographs pay

tribute to some of the traditional games and toys, captured in the same

old streets and alleys which were the children’s playground in the past.

All photos were taken during the month of September 2012.2013

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cover photoXixu

A small length of wood (formerly used to be an odd

wooden bobbin or reel) is placed on a rigid edge on

the ground and with a stick or rod is hit sharply on one

end to make it fly as high as possible into the air.

Location: Birgu

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Żibeġ

Various games could be played, where the children could compete

for beads dealt out by each individual. The commonest

game involves making a shallow depression in the ground (ħofra)

into which beads are flicked by the fingers. In some games the colours of the beads have different values.

Location: Żejtun

BOV in the Community

Divine Grace

Restoration projects - such as that of the titular painting of Our Lady of Divine Grace in Victoria,

Gozo - are one way in which the Bank can protect Malta’s

heritage for future generations.

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Karretta u Skuter

Like most pre-war toys, these were home made. A set of three

or four metal ball-bearing wheels were needed for the cart. The rider

controlled the steering block with slim ropes. The scooter used two

or three wheels, was pushed by one foot which also pressed on a wooden, hinged flap over the hind wheels to act as a brake.

Location: Birgu


Work/Life Balance

The Bank treasures its employees and has numerous initiatives which help them balance life

and work, also promoting their health and wellbeing. It also

encourages corporate social respsonsibility, such as dress-down

days for charity, blood donation sessions and tree-planting.

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Boċċi

Several varieties and forms of games are possible with marbles.

Before the advent of glass marbles our children often played the

same games using hazelnuts. Pre-war Codd-Stoppered ginger bottles had a plain glass marble as a stopper and children often

broke bottles to get it out.

Location: Birgu


Culture

The Bank’s support of prestigious festivals, in particular those at the

Manoel Theatre (seen here), the Astra Theatre and the Aurora

Theatre, have become part of Malta’s annual cultural calendar. It also promotes culture for children through innovative programmes.

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Ħabel

Girls play with skipping ropes individually or in groups. In one popular game a girl calls out a series of possible attributes of

an imaginary future husband as she skips and, when the rope hits her legs, she stops on the

word assumed to predict the type of husband she would have.

Location: Rabat, Gozo


Basketball

The Bank is proud of its gender-equality certification and this

is reflected in its support to sporting initiatives, like the

Malta Basketball Association where it supports competitions

for both females and males.

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Tajra

The traditional basic model is made from thin, light, coloured paper stretched over thin strips of cane disposed in a bow and arrow position. The paper used to be glued with starch or flour

heated in a little water. The fancy tail is added for stability.

Location: Marsascala


Football

Bank of Valletta is today recognised as the leading financial partner in

major sports disciplines. Its support of the Malta Football Association’s

leagues rewards excellence amongst local footballers.

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Taż-Żiemel

Two boys play at horse and rider, one acting as the horse the other

as the rider, exchanging roles at intervals. Children enjoyed making the reins themselves,

weaving odd, discarded, coloured cotton-wool using pins on a

wooden reel. Horse and rider couples often race each other.

Location: Dingli


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Art

The Bank regularly supports local artists in a bid to promote talent and foster greater appreciation

of local artistic works. Apart from the George Fenech

retrospective shown here, it hosts an annual exhibition at the

BOV Centre at Sta Venera.

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Passju

The rough diagram with nine, numbered compartments

scratched on the ground represents the nine months of pregnancy,

with the ninth month section drawn with a bulge. Girls cast

a stone from the starting point, hop towards it, to trip it on to the

next number. Completing the set results in ‘having a baby’.

Location: Rabat


PV Panels

The Bank’s presence in the community brings with it the

responsibility to reduce its impact on the environment.

Over 300 photovoltaic panels were installed on branches,

just one of many initiatives to make BOV a “green bank”.

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Ċirku

Any hoop, of any size, free from spokes and hubs, used to be

seen frequently trundled along the ground with the help of a

piece of wire bent at one end to guide the rim of the hoop. Boys usually played on their own but

often organised hoop races.

Location: Birgu


Dar tal-Providenza

Helping those less fortunate can be achieved in many ways.

The Bank supports numerous NGOs - directly or indirectly, as with

the Volleyball marathon in aid of Dar tal-Providenza. Many

times, BOV also helps without seeking publicity.

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Bżieżaq tas-Sapun

These provided a pastime for all ages. A good mixture of soap in

water blown slowly through a short length of cane tube produced

beautiful, colourful bubbles. Commoner than the cane is a page

from an old exercise book rolled, taped and trimmed into a tube.

Location: Kunċizzjoni


Waterpolo

Through its partnership with the Aquatic Sports Association of

Malta, the Bank recognises the Maltese passion for waterpolo, supporting leagues, knock-out

competitions and player awards.

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Żugraga

To spin a wooden top children wound a string several times

around it and learned to throw it sharply while holding on to

the end of the string. This made to top spin for a short while.

Humming tops could be readily bought but others were home-made from wood, hollowed out

and started with a string.

Location: Rabat, Gozo


Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna

The Bank’s collaboration with Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna resulted

in the inauguration of the new Auditorium at the Lascaris War-

Rooms in Valletta, and makes possible many other projects that

promote Malta’s rich history.

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Pupa

Mothers of most pre-war girls could not afford the luxury of buying

dolls but made rag dolls from odd pieces of cloth and cotton-wool.

Girls played ‘mother’ with rag dolls and often recruited a boy to join

them as the ‘father’ normally to be ignored, uninvolved or scolded.

Location: Kunċizzjoni


Dinja Waħda

Dinja Waħda, a partnership with environmental NGO BirdLife, is

a comprehensive educational programme aimed at teaching children about Malta’s diverse

flora and fauna and instilling in them a love for nature.

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Bombos

This popular game could be played in several styles but all involve a boy at the front, well bent forward, whilst the other

vaults over him, using his hands, in leap frog fashion. The game

continues by alternating leaps and bends. Sometimes two groups run parallel to race each other.

Location: Dingli


L-Istrina

L-Istrina, the annual fundraising campaign in aid of the Malta

Community Chest Fund, administered by the President’s

Office, is one of the Bank’s main beneficiaries. The l-Istrina BOV Piggy

Bank campaign raises money from school children across the islands.

Calendar 2013 presentation

Documents

Transcript of Calendar 2013 presentation