Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1525730
9 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 23 AUGUST 2024 CULTURE AS summer draws to an end, Il-Ħaġar Museum in Victoria, Gozo, is all set for the opening of a new temporary exhibition by artists Henry Alamango and Galina Troizky. The title chosen for this exhi- bition – Lost Paradise – evokes the English poet John Milton's famous epic poem Paradise Lost and explores the concept of con- tinuously searching for a "para- dise" elsewhere while remaining blind to the "paradise" in the here and now. In this pursuit, our roots, fam- ily, community, identity, and culture are irrevocably sacrificed in the mad desire for a "lost par- adise". The exhibition reflects a reality with which most viewers will be intimately familiar. Yet, the exhibits invite an inner examination of our pursuit of what we perceive as the "good" life, the paradise we yearn for but might already have at our disposal, if only we were not too distracted or disoriented to truly appreciate it. The exhibition will be inaugu- rated by Clint Camilleri, Min- ister for Gozo and Planning, on Friday 6 September 2024 and will remain open until Sunday 10 November 2024. The opening ceremony will be followed by an exclusive event for a limited number of guests at The Roof at Il-Ħaġar, for which res- ervations are required. For more information, please send an email to events@heartofgozo.org.mt. Lost Paradise: An exhibition by Henry Alamango & Galina Troizky Artists Henry Alamango and Galina Troizky Seven scouts from Victoria Scout Group hike 180km between France, Andorra and Spain SEVEN members of the Victoria Scout Group Rover crew have recently completed their Explorer Belt challenge. The Explorer Belt is an international scout award which consists of a minimum of 150km hike spread over 10 days, during which, the rovers are given a number of challeng- es to complete along the route, such as exploring culture, connecting with locals and enjoying nature. The journey of the 7 Rovers aged 20-22 started from Toulouse in Southern France, after which the crew visited various small towns in the Pyrenees on their way to the microstate of Andorra. During the hike, they passed several villages and towns, ex- plored gorges and streams and even hiked through a tunnel. The route between the 3 countries started in France, went through Spain and ended in Andorra, with the rovers tak- ing a few days of well-earned rest at the end of the trip in Barcelona, Spain. For some nights during the hike, the rov- ers camped in nature and put their survival skills to the test. During camping and the whole hike, the scouts embodied the "Leave No Trace" philosophy and left the camping are- as better than they found them. The main scope of the journey was to explore and meet with the communities of the Pyrenees regions that sur- round the area of Pic Carlit, exposing the crew to a mixture of Spanish and French cultures that make up the region of L'Occitane. This project is partially financed by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ under the BeActive Scheme. The scouts made use of sustainable transport, primarily trains and buses dur- ing the whole trip. The challenges included experiencing local cuisine, ex- ploring nature and meeting interesting people in these re- gions. The group also explored changes in culture, since within the areas they travelled, they could see the difference in norms, language, culture, traditions and food between France, Andorra and Catalunia. The rovers ended up doing a 17-day hike which covered approximately 200km of hiking with haversacks, and a total elevation gain of around 2.5km.