Nhar il-Ġimgħa 7 ta’ Mejju 2021 fis-6.00pm, l-antropologu Michael Deguara se jmexxi taħdita fuq it-tifkiriet dwar it-Tarzna u Malta fil-Gwerra ta’ John B. Saliba. Din it-taħdita se tkun fuq Facebook u fuq Zoom u hija miftuħa għal kulħadd. 

Din it-taħdita hija parti mis-sensiela fuq It-Tradizzjoni Orali organizzata mid-Dipartiment tal-Malti tal-Università u hija miftuħa għal kulħadd. Dan il-proġett qed isir bl-għajnuna tal-Fondi ta’ Riċerka tal-Università ta’ Malta u l-Klabb Kotba Maltin.

John B. Saliba, Malti ta’ 94 sena minn Ħaż-Żabbar li llum jgħix New York se jaqsam magħna rakkonti dwar l-esperjenza tiegħu fit-Tarzna bejn l-1941-1949, kif ukoll tifkiriet ta’ żmien il-Gwerra: it-tagħlim prattiku li kien isir fil-qasam tas-snajja, l-apprentistat fit-Tarzna, inċidenti u periklu, ir-relazzjoni tiegħu ma’ priġunieri Taljani, ġlied tal-ajruplani tal-gwerra u ħafna iktar. Se nkunu qed naraw xi ftit mill-arti tiegħu wkoll. It-taħdita se tkun bl-Ingliż biex tinftiehem minn udjenza iktar wiesgħa, fosthom il-familja ta’ John B. Saliba stess. Madankollu, John għandu għal qalbu l-ilsien Malti, li ma nesa qatt, u se nħallu spazju għal mistoqsijiet jew kummenti li jistgħu jsiru bil-Malti.

Dr Dawn Adrienne Saliba, in-neputija ta’ John B. Saliba li qed tistudja l-Arkeoloġija fl-Universita’ ta’ Malta, kienet strumentali biex issir din it-taħdita.

John B. Saliba, a Maltese 94 year old from Żabbar who now lives in New York, will share with us his experience of the Dockyard between 1941 and 1949, as well as memories from the Second World War: the practical learning of trades that used to go on, apprenticeship in the Dockyard, accidents and danger, his relation with Italian prisoners, “dogfights” between warplanes and much more. We will also see some of his art. The talk will be in English to be accessible to a wider audience, including John B. Saliba’s family. However, John has the Maltese language very much at heart, and has never forgotten it, and we will leave space for questions or comments that can be made in Maltese.

Dr Dawn Adrienne Saliba, John B. Saliba’s granddaughter who is studying Archaeology at the University of Malta, was instrumental for this talk to take place.