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11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 APRIL 2019 CULTURE ENVIRONMENT Clouded Yellow! It could easily be the name of an Ameri- can First Nation warrior, up there with Crazy Horse and Red Cloud, but it is actually a butterfly. As butterflies go, the clouded yellow is medium-sized, and easy to identify because it's the only one we get with wings of a nice mus- tardy ochre colour, thickly bordered with black for better contrast. Clouded yellows (M. farfett tas-silla) breed and live in Malta all year, their caterpillars feeding on leaves of sulla (hence the Maltese name), trefoils and medicks. But this species also migrates, and occasionally we get them in large numbers flitting across our countryside. It's hard to believe that so ephemeral a creature can survive sea-cross- ings of hundreds of kilometres. But they do, and our job should be to ensure enough wildflowers for them to gorge on and stay healthy to lay and ensure the next generation. 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 557: Find out more by visiting https://foemalta.org/EU2019 Text: Victor Falzon Photo: Aron Tanti 655. CLOUDED YELLOW FESTIVALS Malta has launched three Maltese sum- mer festivals: Ghanafest, The Malta International Arts Festi- val, and the Malta Jazz Festival. "All of these fantastic festivals provide an important method of introducing culture to peo- ple," said Albert Marshall, Arts Council Malta chairman. "We want everyone to be involved in our festivals, and to make them available for everyone." The three festivals will still maintain their distinct individ- ual flavour, and each has its own artistic director. Tiziana Calleja, Artistic Direc- tor of Ghanafest, said that her vision for this year was to con- tribute to the revival of Maltese heritage by blending it with cur- rent cultural trends. "As usual we will host a num- ber of musical acts, while also offering local culinary and arti- sanal delights. There will be fun and games for all." Speaking about the Malta In- ternational Arts Festival, Ar- tistic Director Ruben Zahra said his vision for the MIAF re- volved around a strong interdis- ciplinary dimension. This year's edition will see a number of Maltese and in- ternational performances tak- ing place in various locations around the island, which will make the festival accessible to a wider audience. The festival will feature acts of innovation and artistic excellence, all of which are wholly accessible. On his part, Malta Jazz Festival Artistic Director Sandro Zerafa said that this year's line-up will be "as eclectic as it is artistically coherent." The repertoire will see cut- ting-edge jazz rubbing shoul- ders with big band sounds; while Latin jazz will share the stage with the post-bop jazz tra- dition; all performing in one of the most historically-charged settings in the Mediterranean. Culture Minister Owen Bon- nici said the country was chang- ing, and there was a need to offer people more and more places to go to and things to do. "What we are offering this summer will cater for both locals and foreigners," he said. "Our goal is to encourage people to visit Malta specifically to attend festivals. We want to promote Malta as an exciting destination to experience culture in a huge variety of formats." Festivals Malta has also launched its newly revamped website – www.festivals.mt – delivering an enhanced user ex- perience. Ghanafest will take place from 21 to 22 June; the Malta Inter- national Arts Festival will take place from 28 June to 14 July; and the Malta Jazz Festival will take place from 15 to 20 July. For further information and booking details for the three summer fes- tivals visit festivals.mt. Festivals Malta launches three major summer festivals Arts Council Malta chairman Albert Marshall POPULAR singers Amber and Pamela on Friday launched their version of the renowned song 'Russian Roulette'. This song is a project carried out in collaboration with The Marcy Foundation with the aim to increase awareness on domestic violence. Olwyn Jo was responsible for the production of the creative video while the music was produced by WickedandLoud. Amber and Pamela were very keen to collabo- rate on this project - their first duet recording together - albeit the fact that they have previous- ly worked together on numerous music projects. The music video shows clearly how both men and women can be victims of domestic violence and how difficult it can be to get out of such a situation; sometimes it is a fight that may also lead to death. However, everyone can do their part to in- crease awareness and support all the victims of physical and mental abuse. The Marcy Foundation is led by Cliff Zammit Stevens and was set up in honour of his mother Marcelline. Amber and Pamela's song is available on all music digital stores. Russian Roulette to promote awareness on domestic violence