Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1476201
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 AUGUST 2022 6 CULTURE Book review Finalist Premju Terramaxka 2021: Ruby u l-Kaxxa bil- Buttuni by Audrey Friggieri THIS fascinating story told in beautiful Maltese, apart from being an engrossing literary work for older children and teens, on another level also deals with impor- tant universal human themes that render the book a most useful tool for educa- tors, counsellors, and other professionals working with the young. Very often young people experiencing difficult, even trau- matic life experiences, feel isolated, trapped inside their hurting heart and mind, thinking that there must be something wrong with them, with their ecosystem, and even with the world itself. This book provides a safe, easy, and lighthearted space for re- flection and discussion about experienc- es, subjects, and emotions that may be too difficult or uncomfortable for young people to articulate. Important themes woven in the fabric of the narrative are those of grieving the loss of a loved one and bullying. We are transported into a world before the advent of the internet and social me- dia, where the mobile phone was as yet science fiction at best. It is the world where Ruby's world has been turned up- side down after a terrible loss, and where she also endures the cruelty of bullying at school. Not all is bleak, however! This is a story of hope and light, and about the often unexpected gift of true friendship. 'Ruby u l-Kaxxa bil-Buttuni' is available online from www.horizons.com.mt and bookshops Josette Ciappara stars as Ma Kuragg at Teatru Manoel this September MA Kuraġġ u Wliedha (Mother Cour- age and Her Children) is the classic antiwar stage-play written by ex- iled German dramatist Bertolt Bre- cht, now translated for the very first time into Maltese by Loranne Vella and directed by Jean-Marc Cafa. Set in seventeenth-century Europe, this play follows the riveting life of Anna Fierling, our fearless Mother Courage who perseveres through the hardship of war with nothing but her wit, the clothes on her back, her children and her iconic cart. A woman who is willing to do any- thing to make ends meet, Anna oper- ates a rolling canteen business during the arduous Thirty Years War, pre- senting a fighting spirit worthy of any headstrong soldier. Starring Josette Ciappara as Ma Kuraġġ, she fiercely travels across Europe in a covered wagon with her children played by Rebecca Camilleri, Jamie Cardona and Matthew Dimech Genius selling goods to locals and al- cohol to soldiers to make a hard-earn- ing living and sustain herself and her family through the financially and emotionally crippling war. Under the musical direction of Red Elektrick's very own Aleandro Spiteri Monsigneur and starring the likes of Simone Spiteri, Mark Mifsud, Magda von Kuilenberg, Lara Agius, Victor Debono, Bradley Cachia and Kurt Cas- tillo this September, this is an age-old classic that continues to stand the test of time and proves to be relevant to any generation. Ma Kuraġġ u Wliedha is a Teatru Malta co-production with Teatru Ma- noel that will run between the 2nd-4th and the 9th-11th of September 2022 at Teatru Manoel. For tickets and more information please visit teatrumanoel.mt