Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/884700
16 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2017 MY last news feature for this pa- per parsed through an academic paper on the vulgar, though ev- ergreen, term 'ghala bieb zobbi'. Naturally, the expression was repeated and dissected many times throughout the article, un- derstandably prompting a varied reaction from readers, with some laughing along as expected while others – also somewhat predict- ably – clutched at their proverbial pearls in surprise and indignation that a national newspaper would stoop so low as to employ such rude language in print. But the one comment that really got to me, in the sense that it lit- erally made me a bit sad, was one that picked on my name to make certain assumptions. "I come to the conclusion the author enjoys our swearing words like all foreigners do because they sound good to them," the com- ment read. Never mind that I grew up on the island since the tender age of seven. And never mind that the visceral appeal of learning the bad words of a new language – a point I actually bring up in the article – would have been fun to me roughly two or three years af- ter my (admittedly, entirely Ser- bian) family had landed in Malta. Never mind that we acquired our citizenship, fair and square, after long years of bureaucratic limbo. Never mind all that. The decidedly Eastern European name will stick no matter what, and online commentators are not known to really look beyond im- mediate impact, or to question prejudices and presuppositions. Being made to feel like a peren- nial stranger in your own home is not a new feeling for Omar Rababah either. I meet up with the 25-year-old, half-Syrian, half- Maltese social worker at the Uni- versity of Malta campus as Fresh- er's Week Thursday starts to wind down. Speaking in fluent Maltese as we weave through the now emptied-out promotional tents before settling down on a freshly- vacated wooden bench – Omar was born in Malta – we quickly figure out that there's quite a bit we share, in terms of our experi- ence of living in 'two worlds' at the same time. "I am Maltese. And I am also Syrian. I will describe myself in this way when I'm in Malta, and I will describe myself as such when- ever I visit Syria too," he tells me in an assured tone. In fact, it al- most sounds like a mantra. He's thought about this before. He's probably thought about this over and over again. As someone al- ways forced to contextualise his national identity while their peers took it for granted, he's had no choice but to do so. A pro-active member of the Mal- tese Syrian community – his father arrived in Malta in 1988 where he met Omar's (Maltese) mother; he has four sisters – Omar is a pin- sharp advocate for intercultural understanding among the vari- ous migrant communities on the Maltese islands. It's not too hard to see why his own unique back- ground would make him the ideal 'mediator' between the Syrian and Maltese populations on the island. And judging by his articulate dis- section of the issues at hand, it's a role he takes to with relish. In fact, the reason I'm meeting him in the first place has to do with his participation in 'Youth, Not Status' – a workshop organ- ised by the human rights NGO aditus held over the last weekend and which invited young migrants from various communities to share their experiences while at- tempting to find pro-active ways around troubling facts of migrant life: among them the instant crim- inalization of migrants upon entry to the island. "It's something that really strikes me, because I think of my father arriving here back in 1988," Omar tells me, once again recounting a story that he's clearly processed many times over. "I am thank- ful that he was embraced with open arms by the Maltese at the time – he started working at the Golden Harvest bakery, actually! – and if that hadn't been the case, I would not exist. And this is what motivates me to give back to the society as much as I can, and to make sure that other migrants in the same situation are given the chance to integrate." But integration can be a com- News Take cover! Malta's SITUATION VACANT Jobsplus Permit No.: 494/2017 I.T. SOFTWARE DEVELOPER The Regulator for Energy and Water Services is seeking to recruit an I.T. Software Developer. The selected candidate shall: • participate in the software/web development of the Regulator including databases, desktop applications and websites; • provide technical advice and expertise on issues related to the relative Unit; • participate in the execution of any of the Regulator's functions as required in so far as compatible with the post and qualifications of the I.T. Software Developer. The selected candidate must be a graduate with a degree in Software Development (MQF Level 6) or must possess an equivalent related qualification from a recognised institution and must have a minimum of five years experience in specialty subject matter including several years hands-on experience in managing software applications. Interested persons are requested to send an application, together with a detailed CV by not later than noon of Friday, 20 th October 2017. Further details on the above post can be obtained from the office of the Chief Executive Officer on telephone number 22955121 or on email address: ceo@rews.org.mt or from the Regulator's website. Applications marked Private and Confidential, are to be addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Regulator for Energy and Water Services, Millennia, 2 nd Floor, Aldo Moro Road, Marsa, MRS 9065, or by e-mail to ceo@rews.org.mt. All applications shall be acknowledged and treated in the strictest confidence. Millennia, Aldo Moro Road, Marsa, MRS 9065. Tel.: 22955121; Fax.: 22955200 http://www.rews.org.mt MATTHEW VELLA WHAT does a 'Guardian of the Future Generations' do exactly? Over 25 years ago, the small is- land of Malta championed the very concept at the UN conference on sustainable development in Rio de Janeiro, to helm a committee that "mainstreams" the principles of sustainable development into the government's workings. The first guardian, appointed in 2012, was fittingly Michael Zammit Cutajar, Malta's former ambassador to the United Na- tions Framework Convention on Climate Change. He resigned, to- gether with the committee, three years later in 2015, citing a lack of government financial support and resources to carry out "serious analysis and innovative recom- mendations". Labour's replacement – two years later in 2017 –fits the mould as well: the political mould how- ever, not the one required for the principles of sustainability. For in a galling commentary penned for his organisation's in- house magazine, the serial en- trepreneur Maurice Mizzi has 'My father was embraced with open arms by the Maltese – if that hadn't been the case, I wouldn't exist' Fresh off a workshop involving various young migrants organised by human rights organisation aditus, half-Maltese, half-Syrian social worker Omar Rababah speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about growing up in 'two worlds', and how it motivated him to advocate for the integration of all migrants