Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1419860
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 OCTOBER 2021 4 CULTURE Heritage Malta commemorates Dun Karm Psaila with an exhibition marking 150 years since his birth HERITAGE Malta is inviting the public to a contained ex- hibition commemorating the memory and the literary works of Dun Karm Psaila, Malta's Na- tional Poet, this being the year marking the 150th anniversary since he was born. The exhibi- tion is being held at the National Art Museum, MUŻA, and runs until the end of October. It was inagurated today, 13th October, exactly 60 years to the day when Dun Karm passed away, nearly 90 years of age. The poet's date of birth is also in October – he was born in Ħaż-Żebbuġ on 18th October 1871. The exhibition was inaugu- rated by Minister for the Na- tional Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, José Herre- ra. Kenneth Gambin, Heritage Malta's Chief Operations Of- ficer, was also present. Minister Herrera outlined Dun Karm's prolific career, stressing his role as one of the founding members of the local writers' guild, Għaqda tal-Kittieba tal-Malti, and as the author of the words of the Maltese National Anthem to Robert Samut's music. Dun Karm also penned the lyrics of several religious hymns sung in Maltese churches to this day. Minister Herrera remarked that Dun Karm started to write in Maltese somewhat late in life, so much so that up till 1912 he was still writing sole- ly in Italian, but the poems he wrote in his native tongue are evidence of a remarkable adeptness at expressing his thoughts in the most beautiful idiom and vocabulary. These works attest to Dun Karm's love of rural life, his deep solitude particularly fol- lowing his mother's death, and his profound thoughts on hu- man existence, so excellently expressed in his masterpiece Il-Jien u Lil Hinn Minnu. On his part, Kenneth Gam- bin said that this exhibition is small in terms of display but rich in value, since it honours Dun Karm's priceless contribu- tion to Maltese literature. He added that the exhibition of- fers for the first time an oppor- tunity to view under one roof a bust of the National Poet by Ġorġ Borg, some of his person- al belongings including a pen and glasses, and a handwritten poem. He also mentioned Her- itage Malta's student passport and urged children and teens to visit this exhibition and the rest of MUŻA using their pass- port. He added that besides this exhibition, Heritage Malta is collaborating with the Na- tional Festivities Committee and Maltese language associa- tions in the activities they are organising in Dun Karm's hon- our, such as the cleaning of the poet's monument in Floriana and the offering of space in its museums for these activities. Year 6 students from the Flo- riana Primary School took part in the inauguration, reading poems by Dun Karm as well as the Maltese National Anthem. They later visited the 'Master- pieces at MUŻA' exhibition which runs until the end of Oc- tober. Entrance to the exhibition is free of charge. Opening times are the same as MUŻA's, that is from 10.00am till 4.30pm daily.