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On greening and Maltese folklore

Guido Lanfranco is 71-years-old, very lucid and as KURT SANSONE discovers, still a vibrant environmentalist and avid folklorist. Here he speaks about Malta’s green ills and some traditions associated with New Year’s Day

The frogs that breed in Chadwick Lakes may not be high on the political agenda but for veteran environmentalist Guido Lanfranco they epitomise the environmental neglect that has characterised this tiny island since the industrial boom of the 1960’s.

Mr Lanfranco is the first to admit that over the last 15 years the sensitivity of the public toward the environment has increased but he stresses that no concrete steps have been taken to safeguard the little natural land we have left. And this is where the frogs come into the picture.

"Introducing laws without the necessary controls and enforcement is useless," Mr Lanfranco says. He stresses that administrators must do their part.

Mr Lanfranco explains that under Maltese law all reptiles and amphibians are protected but people still go to Chadwick Lakes and capture frogs. "The law is there but there are no nature wardens to enforce it," he laments.

Mr Lanfranco adds that all animals should be conserved because they all have their importance. "I cringe when I hear people say a frog is not important. These are stupid people who have no knowledge of the delicate balance that characterises nature. Mind you, I have also heard politicians utter those words."

Mr Lanfranco explains that nature’s delicate balance ensures that animals and plants control each other. He goes on listing examples, "Frogs eat insects, which would otherwise cause havoc to crops and birds of prey eat rats. The balance is a fine one indeed."

Mr Lanfranco then cites the message he has always imparted to students during his teaching days, "Go to the countryside, enjoy what you want but do not leave any sign that you were there."

He briefly recalls the beginning of the conservation movement he set up in the early 1960’s. "Back in 1962, conserving the environment was a difficult task because no awareness existed and Malta was slowly becoming an industrialised nation. However, after Independence a lot of ex-British serviceman and their families visited the island regularly and they joined the conservation societies. Being British, with nature conservation high on their agenda, they valued the work we did. Their help was instrumental for the fledgling environmental movement to survive."

Mr Lanfranco jumps back to current times and the subject inevitably turns to the hunting issue, which according to the seasoned environmentalist has a negative impact on nature.

"Hunters say that they hunt for pleasure and that their activity is a tradition. It is not a tradition because even though hunting used to be practised in the past, hunters used to hunt for food," Mr Lanfranco says. He continues, "Today hunting is practised just for the pleasure of killing and this goes against the dignity of human beings."

Mr Lanfranco likens hunting to a failing business. "If you have a loss-making business you just close it down. Hunting is contributing to the death of millions of birds therefore there is no question about it, society should stop it."

Mr Lanfranco departs from the hunting issue and talks about the other environmental problems facing this country. He laments the mentality that concrete should be poured onto every nook and cranny of the countryside. But his concern is not sentimental or aesthetic.

"We live at the expense of nature and humanity is threatened by our disregard of the natural environment. When forests and vegetation are destroyed we are destroying our only source of oxygen. Even the wild plants we describe as ‘bad’ vegetation are doing their part to produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. If we do not take care of our natural environment future generations will have nothing left to enjoy."

Mr Lanfranco adds, "unfortunately nature is being destroyed faster than we can conserve it. The environmental department was created because a need was felt for it. But the fact that ‘the need was felt’ means that we were already late in creating the right structures."

Just like a bee hopping from one flower to the next, Mr Lanfranco then addresses the land-use issue.

"Malta’s restricted land area makes any loss of countryside a big loss. Loosing a couple of square miles of natural countryside in a large country makes little or no difference but in Malta the loss is magnified," he explains.

Mr Lanfranco is renowned for the long country walks he likes to take but nowadays embarking on such walks only brings back sad memories of the natural environment he once knew.

"I get fed up going in the countryside because it has deteriorated badly. After the 1960’s Malta experienced a building boom, which gobbled up most of the countryside," Mr Lanfranco says with a resigned look on his face. He is concerned that future generations may only get to learn about the environment solely through their textbooks.

But I pop the most favoured question blurted out by developers, what about progress, should we limit it?

Mr Lanfranco is quick to respond. "Destroying the countryside is not progress. We have to aim for sustainable progress, which means progress that does not harm our natural resources. Progress can be made but it requires a lot of thought that takes into account pollution and encroachment on natural habitat among other things. We cannot evaluate progress solely through economic and financial gain."

Mr Lanfranco dwells on the causes that are contributing to Malta’s countryside deterioration. "The building system is a big problem. We are continuously expanding horizontally and built up areas are slowly eating away at the countryside. It is better if we were to expand vertically and opt for high rise buildings instead. Secondly there is the issue of illegal dumping. People just dump building material wherever they deem fit, causing damage to pristine land."

The Maghtab issue cannot escape us. I wonder what Mr Lanfranco thinks would be the best solution for the ever-growing mountain.

"I agree with the creation of artificial islands close to shore. Inert building material can be dumped at sea in a prepared and controlled site creating artificial islands. Some environmentalists would say that the idea would damage the sea environment. It is true, but our land is restricted and from both evils I would choose the lesser one."

He reminisces about the beautiful garigue that characterised the site where the Maghtab dump stands today.

"The area was very rich and there were also archaeological remains but all that is buried now. If we do not use building material to reclaim land at sea we will have to use up the limited land we have available. Probably we would end up living in one big rubbish dump," he explains.

Mr Lanfranco stresses the need to invest in recycling plants so that paper, plastic and other material may be recycled thus requiring less land area to dump the remaining waste.

I veer the subject back to Malta’s wildlife and ponder whether this tiny island has anything important to make a fuss about. Mr Lanfranco lets go a smile and the true naturalist self comes out.

"Our natural wildlife is very rich but it is not spectacular for the common person. We do not have large wild animals, which would otherwise be spotted quite easily. Most animals are small and they hide, something, which I do not blame them for. But when it comes to plants we have a variety of important species. We have to look for things because they are not easily visible to the untrained eye."

Mr Lanfranco then expresses his disappointment at the prevailing attitude that nature is there to be abused. "Anything that moves is prone to be caught or killed," he says.

A chat with Mr Lanfranco is not complete without delving into some of Malta’s folkloristic aspects. He has dedicated half of his life to the study of folkloristic traditions and history. Mr Lanfranco talks about two lost traditions associated with the upcoming New Year festivities.

The first is the Qarinza, which was a ceremony during which common folk used to go out in the village streets on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day itself, and sprinkle some lime (gir) on the doorsteps. The white lime was a symbol of purity signifying a new beginning. Then the persons carrying out the ceremony would ask for a donation. The tradition was still practised until the 1930’s.

Mr Lanfranco sums it up this way; "Basically it was an excuse for someone to collect some money by dirtying other people’s doorsteps."

The other tradition Mr Lanfranco recalls is the Strina. In Malta, this was celebrated on New Year’s Day and it was still practised until the 1950’s. Children did not receive presents for Christmas but on New Year’s Day they used to go out asking for gifts and little treats. So much so for Christmas shopping!

My final word with Mr Lanfranco concerns the infamous Irwiegel. Farmers and fishermen used to try and predict the weather for the new year by observing the weather for each day between the 13 and 24 December. It was believed that the weather for each of those 12 days corresponded to the weather of the forthcoming 12 months.

Mr Lanfranco laughed. "It was just a superstition. Not even the meteorological office with all its instruments can predict the weather for more than three to five days. What happens if on a particular day the weather is raining in Gozo and sunny in Marsaxlokk, which pattern will be considered?" Mr Lanfranco remarks.

The veteran folklorist concludes that the irwiegel are representative of man’s deep wish to know and predict the future, something which cannot be done.