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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 FEBRUARY 2020 6 CULTURE PERFORMING ARTS Book Review Il-Kanonku Fortunato Panzavecchia 1797-1850 Ragel ta' kultura u qaddej tal-patrija David Agius Muscat Horizons, 2019 FOR many of us, the name Canon Fortuna- to Panzavecchia does not mean much; for- gotten by everyone even by contemporary academics. However, the great works he did throughout his life have drawn the atten- tion of many contemporary people. Some criticised him for his work and did what- ever they could to mock him. Others recognised his intelligence and honesty, praising him as one of the most literate Maltese who was an asset in the first half of the nineteenth century. For the past fifteen years, David Agius Muscat has been scanning Panzavechhia's 144 manuscripts found in the Archives of the Mdina Cathedral. Thanks to these manuscripts Muscat has been able to present Panzavecchia's unique prolific works in areas such as those of philology, bible translation, ed- ucation, historical writing and his contri- bution to newspaper articles. Agius Muscat is taking us by the hand and helping us to better understand the Panzavecchia experience without letting us get lost in the many details recorded by the author. THE 2020 edition of the Maltese Is- lands Festival of Drama, Dance, Music, and Singing will take place from 4 to 8 March 2020 at Spazju Kreattiv, Val- letta, and the Phoenicia Ballroom in Floriana, and the public is welcome to attend. The MIF is an internationally-ac- credited performing arts festival aimed at children and young people from age four upwards. It takes the form of a competition, giving partic- ipants the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of an audience and panel of international judges, all experts in their field. Now in its fourth year, the festival's mission is to offer keen amateurs the opportu- nity to form an appreciation of ar- tistic standards, to perform before a different type of audience, and to be assessed, encouraged, and inspired by active professional adjudicators that they would not meet in any oth- er way. "The Maltese Islands Fes- tival provides a platform for young people and adults to work on their performing arts skills," says festival coordinator Antonella Mifsud. "The festival will present five days of dra- ma, dance, music and singing perfor- mances, within a number of catego- ries in all age groups, stemming from solo entries to group performances. "The festival is also an opportunity for audiences to watch the variety of talent that our islands have to offer," adds Mifsud. "It promises a variety of entertaining and educational per- forming slots for everyone to enjoy." The Maltese Islands Festival is a member of the British and Interna- tional Federation of Festivals. It will take place from Wednesday 4 to Fri- day 6 March from 4pm to 9pm and on Saturday 7 March from 9am to 9pm at Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta; and on Sunday 8 March from 9am to 9pm at the Phoenicia Hotel Ballroom, Flo- riana. For further information about the festival please visit www.themal- teseislandsfestival.com. 2020 edition of the Maltese Islands Festival to open on 4 March The festival, aimed at children and young people, offers audiences the chance to witness some of Malta's best up-and-coming performing arts talents