[WATCH] Teaching others to understand the different ways of the Maltese

Teaching others to understand the Maltese

How does one accurately define a country’s culture? Is it through their history, language or food – or simply through the shared understandings we have about us ‘being Maltese’?

A country’s culture is certainly that which makes it unique through its activities, rituals, and the goods it produces, as well as the beliefs and values of a people and the way they understand the world and their own lives.

Perhaps such an example is the Maltese festa, an integral part of Maltese life and culture – from the band clubs to the food stalls, fireworks and decorations… would the Maltese be who they are without their festa, their rivalries, their saint worship, and church culture?

But step out of Malta, and discover a world in which our festas are alien to other cultures. And that is where the challenge lies for the growing population of new Maltese who are trying to get to grips with Maltese culture.

At MCAST’s Student House, the Cross Culture International Foundation (CCIF) is attempting to do just that through cultural orientation classes, aimed at improve students’ English, while teaching them all about Maltese culture.

Sessions take place every Saturday and bring together individuals from across the world, both young and old, notably from the middle-eastern, and south American regions. The project is co-financed by the European Union, under the Asylum Migration Integration Fund and the Ministry for Education and Employment.

“Depending from where you are coming from, cultures are different, and people are used to certain ways of life, but they have to acclimatise and get used to the way things are done here in Malta so that they stay within the confines of the law,” said CCIF project co-ordinator, Hedwig Bvumburah.

The government is also running a similar scheme, under the Migrant Integration Strategy & Action Plan – the project is run by the Human Rights and Integration Directorate under the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality. The scheme currently has 600 registered individuals.        

Alex Tortell, Head of the Integration Unit, said that language learning and cultural orientation are two tangible and practical skills which can improve day-to-day communication.  “There is more to integration, but communication and a basis of shared understandings such as equality, is a basic essential point of departure,” he said.    

What does the class entail?

The class is split into 11 topics: customs, language, culture, behaviours, music, food, religion, faith, beliefs, attitude and rituals.

Juniper Francalanza, an American who teaches the cultural orientation portion of the class, told MaltaToday that the classes teach students basic English, while simultaneously teaching students the regulations and laws that are active in this part of Europe.   

“We teach things like knowing their worker’s rights, the constitution of Malta, cultural activities like the festivals, how the local councils are set up, how the elections are held, the role of the Church in Malta and the educational system… the things that are important for people to understand when they come to a new country and plan on staying and settling there,” she said.  

Bvumburah, who teaches the English language portion of the class, explained that he teaches students the skills to be able to communicate with those around them. “This is a project about integrating migrants who live here through a cultural and linguistic aspect of their everyday life. I teach English, and through this, I try and give them the skills to communicate at work and to be able to speak to the people around them,” he said.

During one of the classes, Francalanza taught students about the healthcare system in Malta – defining the three tiers: hospitals’ private and public, pharmacies, and polyclinics. To a Maltese person, this may seem redundant. However, to individuals, especially those who come from governmental structures radically different than those set up in Malta, the explanation may be needed – the polyclinic system isn’t one that is practised globally.

The class also featured some Maltese history, including the construction of Valletta, with a brief mention of Jean Parisot de Valette.

Francalanza said that she has a unique viewpoint, as a foreigner with a Maltese partner and Maltese children: “Coming with outside eyes I know which things may need a bit of explanation and my background is also in Maltese history, so being able to explain some of the reasons behind certain norms and certain traditions because I’ve gone through the same process of wanting to know why something was done.”

She said that Maltese people who grew up in Malta may not question why things are done in the same way, which, she said, can “sometimes be difficult… as I learnt from being on the receiving end of it when I first moved here.”