Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/567101
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER 2015 39 This Week MCAST reserves the right to accept or refuse in part or in whole, any or all tenders submitted. Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology Administration Building, MCAST Main Campus, Corradino Hill, Paola PLA 9032. T: 2398 7100 F: 2398 7316 E: tenders@mcast.edu.mt www.mcast.edu.mt Invitation to tender Operational Programme I – Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 Investing in Competitiveness for a Better Quality of Life Advert part-financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Co-financing rate: 85% EU Funds; 15% National Funds Investing in your future MCAST T. 24/2015 TENDER FOR THE SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF KITCHEN EQUIPMENT Tender documents may be requested by email (on the email address below) or collected from the Purchasing Department at the MCAST Administration Building (at the address below), from Monday to Friday, from 08:30hrs to 16:30hrs. Tenders should be placed in the pre-addressed envelope and deposited in the appropriate tender box at the MCAST Administration Building, at the address below, by no later than Monday 14th September 2015 at 11.00hrs. The Principal of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology notifies that offers from interested parties will be received for: A dirge for the autumn of our lives Alfred Massa – Weraq tal-Harifa ALFRED PALMA ALFRED Massa has always been one of Malta's most prolific nov- elists, and his books have always appealed to the average reader because of their clear-cut, down to earth storylines that not only offer an enjoyable read, but also delve into Maltese culture in general, not infrequently into the Maltese psyche itself, invari- ably lapsing into highly nostalgic interludes, so dear to the heart of the older local reader. Lately Massa has been unusu- ally busy, churning out novel af- ter novel. In fact, following the very recent re-issue of his ever- popular It-Tfajla tal-Bikini Vjola, this new novel is his thirteenth one and, in my humble opinion, his most poetic to date, and I'd readily and convincingly classify it as a long poem in prose. A very solid poet in his own right, Massa has always added poetic touches to his every sto- ry, thus adding to the beauty of the story itself. But in Weraq tal-Ħarifa, the poetic element is absolutely dominant in every instant and in every thought penned down by the author. This is a poetic study on the bit- ter reality of old age, the suffer- ing it brings on with it and the disillusionment of a life that's so tragically short, fraught and in- terspersed with more interludes of sorrow than with interludes of joy. Salvu and his wife Vanda are an aged couple, forever devoted to each other and typical of the Maltese spouses from days of yore. Now in the autumn of their lives, they look back upon their life together, upon the moments of joy and sorrow, particularly Salvu who had lost his first wife in a traffic accident. On her part Vanda had also savoured tragedy when her sister died in Germa- ny. Both nursing their wounds, Salvu and Vanda had found in each other the support they most wanted, and their marriage was blessed with the love and the devotion that has become quite rare, inevitably making heavy demands on self-sacrifice on the part of both hus- band and wife. Autumn creeps inexo- rably on the aged couple, and the attendant signs of decline begin to mani- fest themselves slowly but relentlessly. Gradually, Vanda begins to behave strangely and dementia creeps in. Appalled, Sal- vu realizes the impact of the situation, but faces it with courage, knowing too well that Vanda was beyond cure and hope. The village parish priest, fully aware of Salvu's predicament, goes out of his way to somehow ease the poor man's dif- ficulties; but reality, like a fierce autumn wind, sneers with the implac- able smile of triumph on its face, as things go from bad to worse. By and by Vanda loses her final battle with sanity and dies, leaving Salvu alone, embittered and as helpless as the child he had once been. As is his wont, Massa adds various colours to the persisent grey of the prevailing reality, and to the story itself; Maltese colours that are thoroughly en- joyable as a complement to this hymn to the declining years of human life and to the grim reali- ty that, in spite of all life's aliena- tions and illusions, haunts us each and every day, but particularly in the autumn of our lives. Beautifully printed and with a very attractive cover, the book is a joy to own and to read, and is another very worthy ad- dition to the limited number of very good Maltese novels cur- rently being published. V18 initiative to safeguard the memories of Bormla residents THE Valletta 2018 Foundation, together with Forum Komunità Bormliża, marked the project 'Minn Fomm il-Bormliżi' – a community-based intergenera- tional initiative, at Pjazza Paolino Vassallo, Bormla, on August 31. The project celebrates Bormla's rich history and community through interviews with Bormla's elderly conducted by Bormla's youths. After undergoing a se- ries of workshops, the teenagers learnt a variety of skills such as video recording, video editing and interviewing, which helped them immortalise the testimonies of Bormla seniors who lived in the locality during post-war times. Focusing in particular on Vallet- ta and the harbour area, the Euro- pean Capital of Culture includes all the Maltese Islands, with an aim to spread its impact through- out the whole Maltese territory. The ceremony included short addresses from the President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, the Parliamentary Secre- tary for Local Government Stefan Buontempo, Valletta 2018 Chair- man Jason Micallef and Bormla Mayor Alison Zerafa. The President of Malta, Marie- Louise Coleiro Preca commend- ed the youths for their work, and thanked the Valletta 2018 Foun- dation and Forum Komunità Bormliża for their efforts. She added that a strong community feeling and intergenerational solidarity have come out of this project in which youths make local senior citizens the central focus." Micallef said that "the docu- mentation carried out in this project is priceless. The mem- ories and the stories of the residents of Bormla have been recorded and will not be for- gotten. Other than that, these youths, who have acquired new skills thanks to this project, have helped us discover the soul of this locality". For their contribution, the teenagers were given a certifcate of participation while the senior citizens that were recorded were presented with DVDs contain- ing their interviews.