Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1016519
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 AUGUST 2018 INTERVIEW It is often said that the passion of a fireworks aficionado can only ever be understood by people who have worked in places like the one we're in now: the Santa Marija Assunta Fireworks factory, limits of Mqabba. How true is that impression? Like all other pastimes, it has to be a passion coming from the heart. You could almost say it's something you are born with – and when a passion is born inside you, it becomes like your mother. You love it and respect it that much. Part of it is down to the beauty of fireworks them- selves. It's a beautiful thing to work with and create: it requires great craftsmanship, and there's an entire culture attached to it. When you come here to the fire- works factory, you find yourself at peace with the world. You are cut off from everybody, from the problems of life. We practically live our entire lives here: from eight in the morning till late at night, all year round. Now that Santa Marija is passed, we will start again in early October; and from then on, it's 'gas down' un- til next year's Santa Marija. We never stop. It's a big sacrifice we all make. In fact we've already started: we're cleaning the fields, collecting the pipes... but when the first rains come and clean up the air, that's when we will start working in earnest. All for one feast... Unlike other traditional mainstays of village life, Malta's festa culture seems to have retained its hold even over the younger generations. How do you explain this attraction among young people in particular? Speaking for myself, I can- not confirm that youth involve- ment has either increased or decreased. But judging only by our feast, the amount of youths who are licensed to work in fire- works factories – who spend a year here, away from vices that may otherwise be harmful – is impressive. They don't just make fireworks: they are involved in the street preparations (armar), they do carpentry for the wooden frames of the ground fireworks (giggifogu)... for instance, in the last few days there was damage caused by the rain. So they're working to fix it: painting, clean- ing, mending... they'll spend a whole year working on the next festa. And it's a great satisfaction to me, to see so many young peo- ple getting involved. On our part, we really can't complain. I can only encourage them to contin- ue, as our culture of feasts keeps them away from other vices that may be dangerous. It keeps them connected to the family; for here, it's like a family. To me person- ally, it's like paradise on earth. It certainly is peaceful and secluded here; but beneath the peace there lurks a danger. At the end of the day, fireworks are explosives. Accidents happen. How do you respond to, for instance, calls to ban or limit fireworks on account of the danger posed to the public? Everything has to be put into its context. When I'm walking in the street, I am in more danger than I am here. Because either someone will be on his mobile phone while driving, and might run me over... or even just walking in the street, the way drivers zoom past you is terrifying. They could hit you at any time. But let's not condemn anybody: in this world, every- thing has its dangers. Everything involves a risk. Here is no excep- tion. That's why you have to stick to the proper procedure. Every day starts with a risk assessment of that particular day. If there is no abuse, and everyone sticks to the order of the seasons, with God's grace there should be no accidents... What do you mean by the 'order of the seasons'? Everything has its proper time of year. For example, the mixing of certain chemicals should only be done in winter. In summer, as the air heats up, it is not safe to use certain chemicals for mixing. You reduce the element of risk by seeing to it that you observe the basic norms of safety. And in fireworks manufacturing, there's another issue: fire does not ignite on its own. It is always caused by an external factor. Now, we are all human beings; and in our line, the tiniest of mistakes can be fatal. But, thanks be to God, the number of accidents associated with fireworks is minimal, given the quantity of fireworks factories in Malta. And it's going down. The same cannot be said for other areas: like traffic accidents, or diving fatalities, or people who go swimming and get killed by jet-skis. Of course, it would be better if there were never any accidents at all, but the reality of life is not that. Everything can be risky. But if you're attentive, and take all the precautions, you can keep accidents to the minimum. Which is what is happening to- day: accidents have decreased a lot in recent years; partly because today – unlike in former years – everyone who works in fireworks is a professional. Yet when accidents do happen, they tend to be very serious. In 2012, an explosion at the Gharb factory left four people dead, and damaged property hundreds of metres away. In this year's Santa Marija feast, debris from fireworks caused a fire at Maqluba... And last week, a bridge col- lapsed in Genoa and killed 37. Meanwhile, people get killed on the road all the time. What do you do? Stop people driving? Or riding bikes, because they get run over by cars? Do we ban jet-skis? That's why you have to put it all in context. The Gharb explo- sion was a terrible tragedy, but it was six years ago. How many accidents have there been this year? Or last year? Let's be rea- sonable: it's getting safer, not more dangerous. Now, whenever someone dies in a fireworks fac- tory accident, to us, it's as though we've lost a brother. But it doesn't mean you throw away the entire tradition... With regard to the apparent decrease in accidents: how have things been made safer, exactly? What is the difference between your modus operandi today, and six years ago or more? For example, the licensing sys- tem has changed. Before there was only the 'A'-licence, which permits you to mix chemicals, and 'B' and 'C' licences for other jobs. Today there is also a 'D' category licence, for people who have ap- plied for a 'C' licence, but haven't been given it yet. These people can now enter the firework fac- tories and serve as apprentices to the more experienced workers – as long as they are in the presence of someone with a higher licence – so that when they go up for their exam, they will already have been apprenticed for a year. This is something the Malta Pyrotech- nics Association, of which I am president, worked hard to get. So before, only 'C'-licence holders and upwards could enter the factory? Malta's pyrotechnics tradition seems to be under fire, as questions about safety and noise/air pollution overshadow the spectacle of the traditional village 'festa'. JOSEF CAMILLERI, President of the Malta Pyrotechnics Association, defends his lifelong love-affair with fireworks A burning passion for Raphael Vassallo The Gharb explosion was a terrible tragedy, but it was six years ago. How many accidents have there been this year? Or last year? Let's be reasonable: it's getting safer, not more dangerous rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt PHOTO JAMES BIANCHI