Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1031063
maltatoday 15 | SUNDAY • 23 SEPTEMBER 2018 CULTURE ENVIRONMENT Many different shorebirds make short stopovers in Malta dur- ing their annual migration between Europe and Africa. Some are common and regular, others much rarer and not even seen every year. One of the rarer waders (as they are also known) is the bar- tailed godwit, also one of the larger species. Like all waders it has long legs for wading in shallow waters and a long bill to probe the mud for invertebrates. The bar-tailed godwit's bill is distinc- tive, being very long, stout and tapering, with a slight upward curve. The bar-tailed godwit (girwiel Nordiku) is one of those birds famed for their unbelievable migrations. It breeds way up north on the Arctic tundra and after raising a family it zooms three quarters of the way round the globe to spend the winter in tropical Africa, or – if on the other side of the globe – all the way to New Zealand. Then in spring it flies all the way back! These past weeks there was one of these world class athletes gracing the lagoon at Għadira nature reserve. 627. BAR-TAILED GODWIT Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 530: Check out all our events for September by visiting www.foemalta.org/nature Text Victor Falzon Photo Aron Tanti THE programme of events for the Malta Book Festival is out. The festival will take place at the Mediterranean Confer- ence Centre (MCC) from 7 to 11 November. This year the programme features well over 80 events that include book launches and presentations featuring local and internation- al authors, conferences, talks and fun activities for children. The events are set up either by the National Book Council or by the participants in the Festi- val, which include Malta's and international publishers, book- sellers and NGOs. New this year, the Malta Book Festival will double its space. There will be two ex- hibition halls – La Sacra In- fermeria (ground floor) will host publishers, NGOs and libraries (both local and for- eign), whereas book sellers and bookshops will be hosted in the La Vallette Hall (lower- ground floor). The highlight of this year's Malta Book Festival is world- renowned author and activ- ist Naomi Klein, who will be interviewed by local journal- ist Matthew Vella on Friday 9 November at 8pm. Klein is the author of international bestseller The Shock Doc- trine about disaster capital- ism, which increased Klein's prominence, with the New Yorker judging her 'the most visible and influential figure on the American left'. Another highlight is the conference on 'Literature in the Diaspora' on Wednesday 7 November at 7pm. Get to know how local and interna- tional writers Lou Drofenik, Nikola Petković, Vera Duarte and Philip Ò Ceallaigh reflect the realities of displacement in their works. Other interesting events or- ganised by the NBC are the discussion led by journal- ist James Debono about the legacy of murdered journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia, and the celebration of Maltese poet Victor Fene- ch, the winner of last year's National Book Prize Lifetime 80 events scheduled for this year's Malta Book Festival Achievement Award. Other foreign guests are British novelist, essayist and translator Tim Parks, and British writer Michael Am- herst. The film Camilla by Shadeena, adapted from Clare Azzopardi's short story that goes by the same name and winner of the NBC Short- Film Literary Contest, will be premiered on Saturday 10 November at 8.30pm. As in previous years, the NBC makes it a point to en- courage children to read and familiarise themselves with the book culture. At this year's Festival, there will be readings from Czech and Slo- vak literature, while the Read- ing Champions ceremony will be awarding children who have excelled in reading or inspired others to read. New to this edition of the festival is the participation of the Malta Visual and Performing Arts School, that will be organising activities for children during weekday mornings based on last year's winner of the Ter- ramaxka book prize. Another main event not to be missed involves the shows by DANUSAN, who will be showing the importance of reading in their own hilari- ous way. The 1 hour and 30 minute shows are excellent for families with children, and will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For more information visit www. showshappening.com. A shuttle service from Pub- liju bus stop near the Inde- pendence monument in Flo- riana to MCC will also be available. This service is free of charge and will be operat- ing on Saturday and Sunday only, running every hour.