Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/333851
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 22 JUNE 2014 38 THIS WEEK AN estimated 600 people from various towns and villages flocked to the Malta Maritime Museum on June 15 to participate in the first edition of Qatt ma Ninsa, organised by the Valletta 2018 Foundation in collaboration with Heritage Malta. Many of them brought artefacts and objects that were associated with a fascinating story related to the sea. All objects and stories were recorded in a da- tabase of collective memory. The activity was an encouraging success, with participants contin- uing to bring in their objects and share their stories at the Mari- time Museum, well into the week following the event. The people who visited the Museum and the objects they brought with them proved to be a veritable gold mine of anecdotes and information that shed light on numerous aspects of the recent past. Valletta 2018 Foundation Chair- man Jason Micallef welcomed the positive turnout of the event. He said that such initiatives serve to safeguard the oral traditions and collective memory of a nation. The Foundation, he added, would be looking forward to furthering its collaboration with Heritage Malta on the development and continuation of Qatt ma Ninsa. Among the objects brought in were several historic photos showing Malta in the early 20th century, customs and traditions of the time and documents re- lated to anecdotes of the island's political history. Maps, drawings, tools and machinery used at the dockyard in its centuries-long history were also brought in. Poems narrating particular inci- dents, items gifted to lovers, pass- ports, employment records and personal diaries, all made it to the Museum along with intriguing stories passed down from genera- tion to generation. Stories and objects shared were recorded. The database gathered on Sunday will be used as inspi- ration by a number of artists to create works of art that will form part of Valletta 2018's Cultural Programme in its run up towards the European Capital of Culture year 2018. Qatt ma Ninsa attracts crowds, young and old PROJECTS MANAGER (EU FUNDS)