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7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 11 MARCH 2026 CULTURE Register now for the Annual Book Conference THE National Book Council (NBC) is inviting the general public to register for the inau- gural edition of the Annual Book Conference, taking place on 8 May at DoubleTree by Hilton, Qawra. Deadline for registration is 2 April at noon. The event will aim to serve as an essential annual meeting point for publishers, authors, translators, readers and all oth- er relevant stakeholders to pro- ductively chart a way forward for the Maltese publishing industry, through informed discussions with experts from various fields, both local and international. This first edition, The Econ- omy and the Book, focuses on how publishing, bookselling, and reading cultures function within small and micro economies such as Malta's. Through discussions that consider scale, language, readership, and consumption patterns, the conference aims to foster informed debate, generate ideas to support future policy development, and situate Mal- ta's book sector within a broader European and international con- text. A brief programme for the event may be found here. "We are very excited to launch the brief initial programme for the Annual Book Conference, with a more comprehensive one to follow in the days leading up to the event on 8 May," National Book Council Executive Chair- person Mark Camilleri said. "An important deliverable within our Five-Year Strategic Vision of 2025-2030, the Confer- ence will open up necessary de- bates on the local publishing in- dustry within a framework that is backed by rigorous research that is sure to yield positive, ac- tionable outcomes," Camilleri added. Registration for the confer- ence is against a fee of €30 which includes entrance, park- ing and lunch. Deadline for registration is 2 April at noon. Those interested are invited to register via Submittable: https://ktieb.submittable.com/ submit OUTSOURCING/ TEMPORARY LICENCE Dr Clean Solutions Malta declares the intention for the company to register for an Employment Agency License in accordance to L.N. 270 of 2023 EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACT (CAP.452) Employment Agencies Regulations, 2023. The activities proposed to be carried out focus on the provision of workers with a view to making them available to a third party including: 1. Temporary work services involve providing workers to a third party. 2. The third party assigns tasks to the temporary workers. 3. Outsourcing services involve providing workers to a third party. 4. The outsourcing agency, including contractors and subcontractors, supervises, directs, and controls the workers. Official Registered Address: Q6 Residence, Block B, apt 28, Triq il-Majjiera, San Pawl il Bahar, Malta Company registered number: C113049 The Malta Festival of Ideas kick off its programme for 2026 with artistic exhibition by Francois Galea LAUNCHED in 2024 as the brainchild of the Culture Directo- rate, the Malta Festival of Ideas is a unique opportunity for dialogue, creativity and innovation. Inspired by the late Edward de Bono's vi- sion of transforming Malta into a creativity hub, the festival invites experts and participants to reima- gine a new tomorrow. The Forum discussions in the past two years gave centre stage to timely issues: Climate Change (2024) and Peace (2025). Together, these themes highlighted the intricate relation- ship between grass-roots commu- nity activism, and political action. In 2025 the forum discussions focused on security and dialogue in the mediterranean, art, activ- ism, and social change, our rela- tionship with indigenous plants, natural habitats, and ancestral knowledge, and the role of mul- tilateral diplomacy, human rights and international development to promote peace. The exhibition, Caricatucracy: Ruling by Cartoons, by local artist Francois Galea is the reinterpre- tation of discussions, ideas, and recommendations developed in 2025. The first room of the exhi- bition takes visitors on a behind the scenes tour whereby the orig- inal sketches are exhibited in a sequential manner. The first ten sketches in black and white pro- vide a glimpse on the process and craftmanship leading to the final work of arts. In the second room, visitors find five original works further illustrating the discussions and expert dialogue held in 2025. Moving along a continuum, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the role of caricatures in repre- senting possibilities for peace. Meet the Artist: Francois Galea is a Maltese Il- lustrator, comic artist and car- toonist, founder, and editor of the Maltese Satirical Newspaper 'Il-Beżżul Bieżel' and an avid par- ticipant in Malta's local sphere of comic publications. The ver- satility in his work can be seen in various publications, ranging from underground comics zines like "Spread Love Comics" a Ca- nadian self-funded publication, his satirical cartoons are featured on the Sunday 'Times Of Malta' publication and on the web por- tal. Other notable cartoons can be found in the 11 published issues of 'Il-Beżżul Bieżel'. Other published works such as 'Hegelian Dialec- tic – Beware of the men in suits' alongside other works have been published locally and internation- ally through Amazon publishing & distribution. Francois also has featured work in the 'Malta Community of Illus- trators '2023-2024 Annual' and also exhibited works in the 'Malta National Book Festival' and 'The London Book Fair' in 2025 via the 'Malta Book Council'. Exhibition duration: 5th March – 25th March 2026 Venue: Basement Vaults, Malta Society of Arts, Exhibition opening dates and times: Friday and Saturday 4:30pm – 8:30pm Entrance is FREE.