Maltese General Information

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The People

Name of Country Malta

Population Approx. 398,534 people (July 2005 estimate)

Government Republic

Ethnic Groups Malta has a homogenous ethnic community, descended from ancient Phoenician, Carthaginian, Italian, Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish and other Mediterranean ethnic groups and the British.

Religions Roman Catholicism is the main religion with 98% of the population following this faith.

Languages The two official languages are Maltese and English, but Italian is also widely spoken.

Background

Malta is the largest island in the Republic of Malta which includes sister islands, Gozo and Comino, and other very small, uninhabited islands. The Republic of Malta is strategically located and throughout history the islands were seen as a bridge between Southern Europe and North Africa, or between Western Europe and the Middle East. This location meant that Malta experienced some of the most important historic events: the wars between Rome and Carthage, the rise of Islam, the Crusades, the wars between Christians and Muslims and the rise and fall of Napoleon and the British Empire.

The islands of Malta have been populated since about 5,200 BCE when the first inhabitants are believed to have crossed over from Sicily. This pre-historic civilisation lived for millennia in Malta, when other cultures started to colonise the island, such as the Phoenicians and Carthaginians. The islands later came under the control of Rome (218 BCE) before being conquered by Arabs in 870 CE. The Arabs greatly influenced the local culture and Maltese language. In the 12th century the Sicilian Normans replaced the Arabs, and Malta became Christian again.

In 1530 the islands were given to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, a militant monastic order, which was then called 'Knights of Malta'. They built up Malta's fortifications, which then withstood a siege by the Ottomans in 1565. The knights' rule ended when Napoleon captured the islands in the 18th century. The Maltese sought assistance from the British to rebel against Napoleon and preferred British protection to Napoleonic or Russian. In 1814, as part of the Treaty of Paris, Malta officially became a part of the British Empire and was used as the headquarters for the British Mediterranean Fleet until the mid-1930s.

Internal self-government was restored in 1947 after World War II. The Maltese Labour Party (MLP) of Dom Mintoff favoured closer integration with Britain, while the Nationalist Party (PN) of Dr George Borg Olivier favoured further independence. Long negotiations about Malta's integration with Britain failed in the 1960s due, among other things, to differences about social security contributions and religion. Maltese independence was granted in September 1964 and Queen Elizabeth II of Britain was recognised as head of state.

Dom Mintoff became Prime Minister in 1971 and tried to loosen Maltese ties with Britain, establishing close ties with Libya. Although Malta became a republic in 1974, it remained a member of the British Commonwealth and the last British forces did not leave their bases in Malta until the end of the 1970s. In 1984 the MLP lost to the PN, which tried to improve Malta's ties with Western Europe and the USA and applied for European Union (EU) membership. By referendum in April 2003, a small majority of the Maltese population favoured EU membership and the Maltese islands joined the EU as a full member in May 2004.

History of Migration to Australia

Today more Maltese people live outside the Maltese Islands than in the country itself. Maltese outside Malta are either immigrants or descendents of immigrants. The countries traditionally hosting most Maltese are Australia, Canada, the USA and Britain. Maltese people are now living in virtually every country around the world.

The first Maltese people arrived in Australia in the 1800s during the convict period. Antonio Azzopardi was the first free Maltese settler to come to Australia in 1838. From the late 19th to mid-20th century, thousands of Maltese families and individuals migrated to foreign countries as a consequence of increased population, unemployment and political unrest. Many travelled to distant lands such as Australia which, like the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom, had opened its doors to migrants.

At the turn of the 19th century, hundreds of Maltese people lived in Australia and their number increased considerably in the years to follow. As a result of trade union bans on 'cheap labour', the Australian Government introduced the Immigration Restriction Act in 1912, which excluded Maltese immigrants from the assisted passage scheme. Although these bans remained until 1948 over 2,000 Maltese migrated to Australia between 1911 and 1919. It was not easy to start their lives in Australia and most Maltese had to find work in remote areas such as the copper mines in Tasmania or in the Northern Territory.

In 1919 an Emigration Committee was established in Malta. That committee supported and informed potential migrants of the living standards, conditions and employment opportunities within Australia. The committee was not active during World War I but it was re-established afterwards.

During WW II, when Malta was a British colony, it served as a strategic base for Allied forces and its islands suffered heavy bomb damage to most buildings. When the war ended Malta and the Maltese people were under intense physical and economic stress. Malta and Gozo were overpopulated and unemployment was very high.

Therefore between 1948 and 1973 a large number of Maltese people moved to Australia, reaching a peak in 1954-55 when 10,000 migrants from Malta arrived. Australia looked towards Malta for skilled labour in agriculture and construction and Malta saw an opportunity to relieve its islands of overpopulation and unemployment. Australian governments encouraged Maltese migrants with an assisted passage scheme: the 'ten pound passage' (Maltese people got assistance to migrate after paying the Australian Government ten pounds). The Maltese migrants were from a wide range of age, social background and skills. The lucky ones had relatives already in Australia, but the majority did not. Maltese people did not leave Malta because of political or religious oppression. They left their home country with the common idea to build a better future for their children and for themselves. The mass migration from Malta to Australia established strong bonds between Malta and Australia. In Australia today the Maltese community is found mostly in Victoria (48%) and New South Wales (40%) and nearly every family in Malta has a relative living in Australia.

Maltese Community in NSW

Approximately 18,400 people or 0.3% of the population living in NSW were born in Malta. Approximately 16,300 people or 0.3% of the NSW population spoke Maltese. Maltese speaking people make up the 18th largest language group in NSW. (2001 Census)

Some Cultural Aspects fo Maltese Life

Today Malta is among the more densely populated nations in the world and has almost more cars than people. As it was a colony of different rulers during parts of its long history, it has a rich and diverse culture and tradition, strongly influenced by two factors: the history of foreign invasions and dominance and the predominance of the Roman Catholic Church.

The greatest foreign contributions to Maltese culture came from Arabs, Italians, French, nearby Sicilians and the British. The latter shaped the language and culture of Malta for nearly 150 years. The use of Italian has declined as a result of this English influence and policies that made English the language of education, along with Maltese. British cultural influences remain strong, such that many Maltese avidly follow English football matches and traffic still drives on the left, as in the UK.

The Roman Catholic Church also moulded Maltese traditions, values and behaviour. Although the church's influence is receding today, Catholicism is still a strong and important force in most Maltese people's daily lives.

Since Malta's independence, closer links with the Italians have developed. Local cultural festivals and saints' days, similar to those in Italy, are common. One long-standing Maltese tradition is the 'Il-Festa Tar-Rahal' (The Village Feast). This Festa is considered a main religious event, lasts for a week and celebrates the virtues of the particular town's saint. It is common to redecorate the facades of the houses and to buy new clothes. The weekend ending the Festa begins with a large fireworks display on Saturday night, followed by a Sunday procession where the statue of the town's patron saint is paraded through the streets.

Family has always been very important for Maltese people and life is sharply focused on the extended family, which usually gives strong support and community. Maltese people maintain close ties with the entire family and enjoy the company of friends.

Attitudes towards People with Disability

In the past disability was often stigmatised and considered taboo in the Maltese community. People with disability were usually segregated from the rest of the community and when a child with disability was born, the family sometimes felt ashamed. Being different from others was often seen as embarrassing and it was common to keep it secret and private. Thus many parents did not want to let the community know that one of their children had a disability and they hid the child at home. People with disability were not usually seen in public.

Karmena
Karmena was born with a vision impairment and should have always worn strong glasses. Her parents did not want her to wear glasses at school because they thought the family would get a bad reputation and other children would tease her. Karmena always had to sit in the first row or depend on the support of others to follow the lessons.

As Malta is a very religious country, religion has often influenced beliefs about disability. It was not uncommon to think that having a child with disability meant that the family must have done something wrong in the past and was therefore being punished by God. Traditionally the family took full responsibility for the care of people with disability without using outside services and most people with disability lived with their families. Mothers were usually the main carers as there was usually a lack of money to pay a carer or an institution.

Guzeppi
Guzeppi had meningitis when he was a baby and he had difficulties hearing and speaking later on. Nevertheless his parents encouraged him to go to school with the other kids of the village and he finished every year as the best student in the class.

In the past four decades there have been huge changes in the way the Maltese community live and their beliefs and attitudes about people with disability have changed a lot. The understanding of people with disability has grown and disability has generally become a much more open topic. The Maltese government put disability policies on their agenda and there is a lot of discussion about disability in the media. The rights of people with disability are protected by general legislation and the law guarantees people with disability financial security and employment.

Moreover, today the Maltese community usually has much more compassion towards people with disability and increased awareness about disability. People know that people with disability would like to lead independent lives, such as being part of the workforce, having their own space, having a voice and participating fully.

Despite these advances, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Sometimes there is still stigma attached to some types of disability, especially mental illness and intellectual disability. But myths and superstitious beliefs have generally given way to increasing awareness and more knowledge and acceptance about disability within the Maltese community.

References

Central Intelligence Agency (2004), CIA World Fact Book. [Internet], Washington, Central Intelligence Agency. <www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html> [Accessed July 2005]

US Department of State. (2004). Background Notes: Malta. [Internet], <www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5382.htm> [Accessed July 2005]

Malta Calendar of Events, (2005): [Internet] <www.aboutmalta.com> [Accessed July 2005]

Malta & Gozo: history in brief (2005) [Internet], Westgate Internet: <wgate.users.netlink.co.uk//histor01.html> [Accessed July 2005]

Overview of Maltese History (2004) [Internet],<www.brainyencyclopedia.com/...history_of_malta.html> [Accessed July 2005]

Scicluna, F.L., (n.d.) A Brief History of the Maltese Community in Australia, [Internet], Building Virtual Bridges: Malta and Australia. <www.geocities.com/frans311/history.html> [Accessed July 2005]

A background to the Maltese People: Who are we?, (n.d.) [internet] My malta.com. <www.my-malta.com/malteseislands/background.html <www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Malta/> [Accessed July 2005]

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