Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517369
15 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 13 MARCH 2024 A maquette of the late scholar of Maltese literature and language Prof. Oliver Frig- gieri has been donated to the Melitensia collection of the University of Malta (UM) Library. This maquette, a shortlisted pro- posal for the competition issued by Her- itage Malta for the national monument in honour of Friggieri, was donated by the design team led by Prof. Lino Bianco, cur- rently a Prof. at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and included Chev. Antonio Mifsud, a sculptor versed in human anat- omy, Kim Farrugia and Alessandra Bianco. At the time of the competition, Kim Far- rugia and Alessandra Bianco were post- graduate and undergraduate students at the Faculty for the Built Environment and the Faculty of Engineering, respectively. The proposed monument was to be con- structed from monolithic blocks of granite, a geological material associated with per- manence, with a figurative, bronze figure of Friggieri and his dog sitting on a 'bench'. The bench is part of a block, black in col- our, recalling a tombstone; he is beyond the grave, hence the sitting position with no date of his demise. Blue pearl-colour- ed granite, symbolising the sky, rises from the tombstone forming a backdrop to the 'bench'. White veined blocks are used to signify clouds. Engraved on the black granite slab and infilled in white, is the following text: "L-imħabba fjur li jinbet waħdu fil-qalb / Jisbieħ u jfuħ biex madwaru jitrabba l-ferħ". The proposed location for the monu- ment was meant to be in Argotti Botanic Gardens, a site frequented by locals, espe- cially by families and, notably, by school children. Visitors would have been able to sit on the 'bench' adjacent to the figure of Frig- gieri and could additionally take photos with it; there would be space next to the bench for wheelchair users. Further to this, the popular children's game Il-Pass- ju, was included in the proposal as tiling in front of the monument. The Director of Library Services Kevin J. Ellul thanked the team for the donation. Also present for the event were the Deputy Director Library Services Josianne Camill- eri Vella, the Manager of the Melitensia Section Antida Mizzi, and Library Manag- ers Silvio Cortis and Raelene Church. A number of academics and scholars were present: Prof. Emeritus Charles Briffa (Faculty of Arts, Department of Translation, Terminology and Interpret- ing Studies, University of Malta), Senior Lecturer Dr Terence Portelli (Department of Languages and Humanities Education, Faculty of Education) and Senior Lecturer Dr David Aloisio (Head of Department of Maltese, Junior College), and one of Mal- ta's most prolific writers, nominee for the European Union Prize for Literature and visiting lecturer at the Faculty for Social Wellbeing, Aleks Farrugia. The maquette will be held in the reading room of the Melitensia Section which, as from 6 January 2023, was named in hon- our of the late scholar. Maquette of Oliver Friggieri donated to University library The maquette was a shortlisted proposal for a competition issued by Heritage Malta for the national monument in honour of Oliver Friggieri MALTAPOST and the Chi- nese Community Association of Malta presented a new phil- atelic issue marking the Year of the Dragon 2024, at an event held at the Chinese Garden of Serenity in Santa Luċija. Peng Yijun, Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Malta, ex- plained that in traditional Chi- nese culture, the Dragon, also known as Loong, represents strength, courage, wisdom and is a symbol of luck and pros- perity. He stressed that the launch of this new stamp allows the Maltese public to better un- derstand traditional Chi- nese culture and also help to strengthen ties between the two nations. MaltaPost chairman Joseph Said said that postage stamps are acknowledged to be a country's silent ambassadors and the issue of this stamp served as confirmation of the friendship and respect that Malta has towards China and its culture . Said also augured that Mal- taPost continues to issue other such stamps, in accord- ance with the traditional Chi- nese calendar,thereby further strengthening the philatelic cooperation between China and Malta. Charmaine St. John, Mayor of Santa Luċija, said she was proud to be part of this posi- tive cultural initiative, more so considering the twinning of Santa Luċija with the Jin Chang District of Suzhyou Municipality in China. She ob- served that the Chinese Gar- den of Serenity provided the right setting for the event, be- ing a peaceful space for intro- spection and meditation. This new MaltaPost phila- telic issue consists of a minia- ture sheet titled "The Chinese Garden, Santa Luċija, Mal- ta – The Year of the Dragon 2024". It carries a denomina- tion of €3.00 and portrays the Chinese Garden of Serenity, while the zodiac stamp fea- tures a dragon soaring amidst auspicious clouds. The issue is available from all Post Offices in Malta and Gozo and can al- so be ordered online at www. maltaphilately.com Launch of stamp marking Year of the Dragon 2024, portraying Chinese Garden of Serenity Peng Yijun, Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Malta (left), presenting Joseph Said, MaltaPost Chairman, with a mascot of the Chinese Dragon, also known as Loong