Tag: Alex Vella Gera

Categories
Arts

Talking about us

Alex Vella Gera was the guest Maltese author for this year’s Festival des Immigrations. Vella Gera returned to Luxembourg (he has worked here in the past) wearing his new vestiges of notorious author and under the spotlight for his latest work “is-Sriep regġħu saru velenużi”. The Festival des Immigrations is now in its 30th year and is a celebration of all things “foreign” that exist in Luxembourg – an interesting experience for us Maltese to be counted as one of the “others”.

When the chat with Vella Gera ended a group of us gravitated towards the food stalls (sadly bereft of Maltese timpani, pastizi and kinnie) and opted for a Cameroonian mix of meats and fishes for a very tasty (and in some cases hot) bite. On our way out we passed the Amnesty International stand that was highlighting the plight of immigrant communities in the Med – what do you know Malta features as two-way protagonist!

Back to the chat. The interview was expertly conducted in a relaxed atmosphere by Mark Vella. Malta’s participation in the Festival was once again guaranteed thanks to the dedicated campaign of international passport poet Antoine Cassar. Attendance was purely from the Maltese community in Luxembourg (that officially numbers 225 according to the panels in the main Hall – but that does not count the numerous Maltese who opted to live across the border in Germany or Belgium) and this meant that the language of the discussion switched to the vernacular.

Language was an important protagonist in the surgical analysis that turned out to be a voyage of discovery for Vella Gera himself. By the author’s own admission criticism and public reaction to published works is hard to come by and so Vella Gera seemed to thrive and enjoy this moment of exploration and questioning into the reality behind his work. Hollywood gave us the concept of “behind the scenes”, this was “Sriep’s” behind the scenes moment as both Mark Vella and later those present (inevitably including yours truly) questioned motives, choices and narratives behind Vella Gera’s novel.

The whole sessions should have been recorded for YouTube prosperity but apparently the wrong button was pressed on the video cam so only an audio will eventually be available. This point of the YouTube video was a topic that cropped up in the discussion itself. Such moments of analysis could be of more benefit if advantage is taken of modern technology that allows for a wider vision and an expansion of the platform. This could be one way of filling the absence of the critical reaction.

What did happen in that room was a gradual build up of political, social and linguistic analysis of a book that – in my view – is an excellent documentary in the raw of a particular growing up phase of Maltese society. As was remarked by those present it is a pity that such a discussion does not reach a wider audience. Vella Gera’s Sriep does cut into much of the questions afflicting modern society. The use of Minglish or the special patois of code-switching pepe/malti for example is not simply a cultural curiosity but one that exposes the need of a socio-political understanding of whole swathes of Maltese society. Politically speaking the weight carried by social “castes” or classes can be queried – much as the Labour party did in the past campaign with the “Courage to Vote” video.

In other words it was a discussion about a book, it was a discussion about an author’s experience and dealings with his society and whether he was more of a chronicler of the real than an author of the imaginary. It was all that and more. What the meeting with Vella Gera produced though was a surprising realisation that this kind of analysis might be very much lacking in contemporary Maltese society. While we may often complain that the “intellectuals” and “artistic milieu” fail to engage politically we fail to notice that there are few bridges and platforms where their work is given the necessary attention or allowed to provoke the necessary discussions.

Sriep has sold around 1,500 copies. That apparently makes it a best-seller in Malta. Sadly the potential that such a tome has for provoking discussion on so many levels is about to die a quiet death. The main reason is that Vella Gera would not be invited to the the main media programmes and would not be a convenient selling point for papers if he were not embroiled in a Li Tkisser Sewwi style scandal. Ironically while the last campaign was characterised with empty vessel promises about “burying the differences” we have yet to see a conscious effort being made in understanding where they come from in the first place.

Meanwhile our new Minister for Culture is determined to invest in popular culture – investing in Carnival and investing in local festi because that is how we understand where our differences lie, isn’t it?

 


P.S. And after the talk I also bought two cd’s by those paradoxes of Maltese social commentary.

 

 

Categories
Festschrift 2012

alex vella gera – il-kriżi u kif tegħlibha

The name may now be associated with controversy, much to his chagrin, but when alex vella gera hit the blogosphere it was “erezija” (heresy). Weird, eccentric and for a very long time I thought it was too far-fetched to be real. You discover Alex when you learn to discover his reflections and observations. I’d say childlike without meaning any disrespect. Honest in their down-to-earthness and contemporaneously angry and relaxed. I still value “Mill-art” as one of the greatest blogging brainwaves from blogosfera mmv…

Ereżija u l-kriżi

Billi għandi fissazzjoni fuq dati u l-kronoloġija ta’ avvenimenti f’ħajti, u l-mod kif jinħolqu mill-ġdid bħala tifkiriet, għandi memorja kważi fotografika ta’ ċerti żminijiet li għext meta jew kont fl-apiċi ta’ perjodu feliċi jew għall-kuntrarju, kont fl-eqqel ta’ kriżi personali. F’Marzu 2005 naħseb kont qed ngħix taħlita tat-tnejn. Minn lat wieħed kont tabilħaqq għaddej minn kriżi ta’ identità u iżolament, iżda fl-istess ħin kien żmien sabiħ ħafna wkoll, l-iżjed għax kien il-mument meta skoprejt il-blogosfera, li b’xi mod tatni opportunità biex niffaċċja l-kriżi tiegħi u neqlibha rasha ’l isfel. Għalhekk, wara xi jiem naqra l-bloggati tal-ewwel bloggejja Maltin, tħajjart nibda blogg jien ukoll, għalkemm ma tantx kelli fuq xiex nitkellem u nikteb, u lanqas biss kelli idea xi jkun blogg veru u proprju.

Ma domtx ma bdejt niskopri li bi blogg f’daqqa waħda kelli f’idi għodda eċċellenti biex inġagħal lili nnifsi nħossni importanti, maħbub, magħruf, apprezzat. Kienet illużjoni li mietet mewta twila u patetika, iżda kienet sabiħa, speċjalment fil-bidu. Ngħid għalija, jiena rari rnexxieli nittraxxendi l-ġibda kbira li għandu blogg għal min hu “navel gazer” bħali, u allura ma tantx inqis lili nnifsi minn ta’ quddiem fl-ewwel epoka tal-blogosfera Maltija, ħlief għal xi bloggati rari, bħal meta ktibt dwar il-funeral ta’ Julian Manduca. Iżda kien hemm bloggejja oħra li taw kontribut siewi. Jiġuni f’moħħi l-bloggati ta’ Mark Vella, u l-ħlewwa li biha Antoine Cassar wera l-entużjażmu tiegħu għall-Malti u l-możajki li kien beda jikteb, u l-eżerċizzji intellettwali ta’ Kevin Saliba, u nista’ nsemmi oħrajn bħal Sandro Zerafa, Oliver Degabriele, Jacques Zammit, Immanuel Mifsud, Patrick Galea, Kurt Buttigieg, Ġużè Stagno, anke Mario Vella (tal-Brikkuni) u l-lista tkompli.

Nimmaġina li nies oħra se jiktbu dwar l-importanza tal-blogosfera fil-ħajja soċjokulturali ta’ ċertu grupp ta’ nies Maltin, jiena fosthom. Għalija kienet l-ewwel darba li sibt ruħi parti minn komunità ta’ kittieba Maltin, pjuomeno tal-istess xeħta ideoloġika u b’interessi xi kultant simili, xi kultant le, u bejn wieħed u ieħor tal-istess ġenerazzjoni. Għal xi żmien kien jinħass it-twelid ta’ moviment. Iżda komunitajiet virtwali huma wisq astratti u fraġili biex jissejħu moviment.

Niftakarni niltaqa’ ma’ Jacques Zammit u Mark Vella, ġejjin friski friski mil-Lussemburgu għal vaganza fuq il-“blata”, u għaraft kemm huma differenti n-nies wiċċ imb wiċċ ħdejn kif jippreżentaw lilhom infushom bil-kitba fuq l-iskrin tal-kompjuter. L-istess meta ltqajt ma’ Antoine Cassar u Kevin Saliba għall-ewwel darba, u dawn it-tnejn kellhom isiru ħbieb tiegħi meta t-tlieta li aħna tlajna naħdmu l-Lussemburgu bħala tradutturi.

Din id-dikotomija qatt ma sibt irkaptu tagħha. Domt sakemm aċċettajt li blogg huwa spazju pubbliku, u li jkollok blogg ifisser li għandek preżenza fl-isfera pubblika, anke jekk ikollok qarrej wieħed biss. Il-mod kif il-privat (blogg kważi bħala djarju) u l-pubbliku (blogg bħala pjattaforma għal opinjonista) saru ħaġa waħda kien ħallieni affaxxinat iżda fl-istess ħin skonċertat. Naħseb din kienet waħda mir-raġunijiet għalfejn il-blogg tiegħi kien jismu Il-kriżi u kif tegħlibha, għax bl-immedjatezza tal-blogg stajt inkejjel mil-feedback tan-nies jekk kont naf nikteb jew le. Tattika xokk biex inqum mir-raqda li kont fiha.

Kif tistgħu taraw l-esperjenza tiegħi tal-blogosfera fl-2005 kienet waħda personali. Qatt ma kelli l-ambizzjoni li nkun kummentatur politiku jew soċjali, jew xi opinjonista, bħalma hu J’accuse. Allura l-blogg tiegħi għalija sar sketch pad, u bil-mod il-mod bdejt nonqos fil-bloggati sakemm, wara ftit xhur waqaft. Nista’ nsemmi li fl-istess waqt kelli blogg ieħor, anonimu, jismu Mill-Art (http://mill-art.blogspot.com/) fejn aktarx kont iktar għal qalbi, u fejn stajt nesprimi iżjed dak li nħoss. Mhux ta’ b’xejn in-nies iktar dan il-blogg jiftakru milli l-kriżi. Għaliex kien iżjed ġenwin, talinqas fl-opinjoni tiegħi.

Fl-aħħar, nixtieq infakkarakom f’żewġ bloggejja minn dik l-ewwel epoka li m’għadhomx magħna. Talinqas wieħed minnhom żgur li mhuwiex, għax miet (http://tal-frak.blogspot.com/), u l-ieħor jiġuni suspetti kbar li għamel suwiċidju (http://missubkonxjublatwissija.blogspot.com/). Blogg ta’ persuna li mietet hija xi ħaġa tat-tkexkix, bejn mawsulew u katavru li ma jiġix midfun. Nagħlaq b’ dan il-ħsieb.

Categories
Politics Values

Literature in the Court

The AG’s office has appealed against the Realtà decision that had acquitted Mark Camilleri and Alex Vella Gera. Insofar as reporting and public reaction is concerned we are back to square one – a general feeling of disgust and anger at the fact that this kind of case still exists in this day and age.

James Debono explored the angle of “political responsibility” in his blog on Maltatoday and struggled to create a causal link between the mechanics of the application and interpretation of the law by the judicial branch and the pursuance of the law by the executive. In any other case having the government weighing in on the AG’s decision to appeal would have led many an observer to cry foul. In this case the absence of any such pressure is enough to indict the government with the accusation of drifting “to the loony right”.

There’s a less emotional and more rational line to be patiently analysed beyond the confusing smoke of war. That line sees the Realtà case as a test case for the definition of the concepts of “obscenity and pornography” in our courts. We are not the first and will not be the last society to examine these standard and the laws continue to evolve ever since Edmund Curll was convicted in 1727 for publishing Venus in the Cloister or The Nun in her Smock under the common law offence of disturbing the King’s peace (see Wikipedia below).

In many ways the AG’s appeal was inevitable. The original judgement, although positive insofar as the anti-censorship movement is concerned, did not exhaust all questions on the matter. It is not just the the definition of what is obscene that remains fluid but also the exception that is allowed – in this case literature for the public good:

[…]Izda oggett ma jitqiesx li hu pornografiku jew oxxen jekk dan ikun fl-interess tax-xjenza, tal-letteratura, ta’ l-arti jew tat-taghlim jew ta’ xi ghanijiet ohra ta’ interess generali, u sakemm dan ikun tghall-gid pubbliku. – Criminal Code, article 208(3)

The Magistrate’s Court found that Li Tkisser Sewwi does not in any way fall under pornography or public obscenity definitions “ghaliex bl-ebda mod ma jista’ jitqies li l-iskop jew l-ghan tal-kitba huwa li jqanqal eccitament sesswali jew li jikkorrompi qarrej ordinarju”. (in no way can it be considered that the aim of the writing was to sexually excite or corrupt an ordinary reader). It also found that “the fact that writing is shocking or provokes disgust in the reader does not qualify it as obscene or pornographic”. The Court further found that the prosecution had failed to prove any damage caused by the writing.

The Realtà case is an acquittal for failure to prove that the writing in question qualifies as obscene or pornographic. It leaves many questions open. What is obscene and pornographic? More than that, by finding an absence of pornographic or obscene characteristics the Court did not need to engage with the question of when pornography or obscenity is (in the words of the abovequoted article 208(3) exception) “in the interest of (…) literature (…) and considered to be in the general public’s interest”.

The AG’s appeal might oblige the Appeals Court either to tackle the issue or to confirming the Magistrate Court’s decision. In both cases we could only have more clarity on the state of the law in question. Appealing to the government to intervene – or laying the blame for the appeal at the foot of the government skirts the question and avoids clear answers.

If any pressure is to be made on any part of our system of the state, it is on our legislature – and its lack of reactivity to define further the standards of obscenity and pornography that are “acceptable” in our society. I fear that this kind of question will not only stump the loony right but also the false left in this country of ours that has hitherto proven to be very comfortable with cheap talk but unable to grasp the bull by the horns and suggest concrete action.

We may have a loony right government but we also have a fake left machine that is still to discover that its core of pro-British, religious conservatives will prove to be the downfall of all its progressive rhetoric. Then again none of this might happen if the Appeal Court’s interpretation satisfies all and sundry. Who knows… the mechanics of the separation of powers could actually work!

From Wikipedia:
Laws on obscenity and sexual content

Obscenity law in England and Wales is currently governed by the various Obscene Publications Acts, but obscenity laws go back much further into the English common law.

The conviction in 1727 of Edmund Curll for the publication of Venus in the Cloister or The Nun in her Smock under the common law offence of disturbing the King’s peace was the first conviction for obscenity in Great Britain, and set a legal precedent for other convictions.

A defence against the charge of obscenity on the grounds of literary merit was introduced in the Obscene Publications Act 1959. The OPA was tested in the high-profile obscenity trial brought against Penguin Books for publishing Lady Chatterley’s Lover (by D. H. Lawrence) in 1960. The book was found to have merit, and Penguin Books was found not guilty — a ruling which granted far more freedom to publish explicit material. This trial did not establish the ‘merit’ defence as an automatic right; several controversial books and publications were the subject of British court cases throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. Last Exit to Brooklyn, a 1964 novel by American author Hubert Selby, Jr. was subject of a private prosecution in 1966.

There is a substantial overlap between legal erotic literature and illegal pornography, with the distinction traditionally made in the English-speaking courts on the basis of perceived literary merit. Purely textual pornography has not been prosecuted since the Inside Linda Lovelace trial of 1976. However, in October 2008, a man was charged, but later cleared, under the Obscene Publications Act for allegedly posting fictional written material to the Internet describing kidnap, rape and murder of pop group Girls Aloud. In late August 2005, the government announced that it plans to criminalise possession of extreme pornographic material, rather than just publication.

Almost all adult stores in the UK are forbidden from having their goods in open display under the Indecent Displays Act 1981, which means the shop fronts are often boarded up or covered in posters. A warning sign must be clearly shown at the entrance to the store, and no items can be visible from the street. No customer can be under eighteen years old. The Video Recordings Act 1984 introduced the R18-rated classification for videos that are only available in licensed sex shops, but hardcore pornographic magazines are available in newsagents in some places. The Ann Summers chain of lingerie and sex shops recently won the right to advertise for workers in job centres, which was originally banned under restrictions on what advertising could be carried out by the sex industry

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta