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Maltese Street Games From One Generation To Another
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JOE P. SMITHphotographer
Joe P Smith is a photographer and artist who is constantly in search of new and
contemporary channels for expressing his photographic vision. he has a strong preference
for architectural, environmental portraiture and performing arts photography and his
photographs from the malta Jazz Festival have left a strong impact on the local art
scene. A lover of social documentary, Joe published his first book in this genre in 2009.
the work, called “Survivors - the Ageing Population of Birgu” charts the colourful and
sometimes poignant life stories of a handful of characters living in this medieval walled
town. the publication was a huge success and it is now in its second reprint.
Joe has been the recipient of numerous local and international awards and he has lectured
and judged extensively locally as well as in the international sphere. Last year he was
honoured to have been asked to be part of the judging panel of firsts edition of the hiPA
photo awards in Dubai and next January, for the 6th time, he will travel to London to deliver
masterclasses and be part of the jury at the Societies annual convention in London.
Joe holds the distinction of Fellow with the malta institute of Professional
Photographers, the Societies (SWPP), the master Photographers
Association and the British institute of Professional Photographers.
FSWPP FBiPP FmPA FmiPP ARPS AFiAP Dip. Artistic & Cultural managementBorn 17.03.1959
guIdO lanfrancOresearcher
GUiDo LANFRANCo, author of the game descriptions, was born in 1930 and spent a
lifetime teaching in government primary, secondary and upper secondary schools. he
was active in cultural societies and president of several of them. he has written numerous
articles for various periodicals, and participated in local radio and television programmes.
he has published well over twenty books mostly about local nature, history and culture,
one of them Logħob, Taqbil u Ġugarelli tat-Tfal Maltin specifically on children’s games.
he has won several literary prizes for his books and poetry. in 1969 he was awarded
the bronze medal of merit of the Federation of Civic Councils and in 1996 Medalja għall-
Qadi tar-Repubblika for his contribution to local culture and nature conservation.
Born 18.10.1930
Nowadays, it would be unheard of for children to play unsupervised or
to wander off into nearby fields. But before the advent of television and
computers, street games formed a big part of maltese children’s lives.
in the pre-war era, children were expected to entertain
themselves. Fortunately, streets were not yet taken over by
traffic and could serve as the children’s playground.
Games and toys were not merely a pastime but also served to develop
the early concepts of teamwork, communication and co-ordination skills.
Street games helped children to build their character and
confidence and also instilled a neighbourhood sense of community,
something which remains a core value for Bank of Valletta.
At Bank of Valletta we have always been interested in our heritage and
culture in all its guises. this is central to our Bank’s ethos as a culture
that values the individual and the community. As an active corporate
citizen, the Bank is committed to supporting the community through a
programme which is founded on seven pillars: arts and culture; heritage;
environment; social; sport; education; and business strategic alliances.
the Bank is a leading patron of initiatives that brings together generations
through their appreciation of historical artefacts. these photographs pay
tribute to some of the traditional games and toys, captured in the same
old streets and alleys which were the children’s playground in the past.
All photos were taken during the month of September 2012.2013
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cover photoXixu
A small length of wood (formerly used to be an odd
wooden bobbin or reel) is placed on a rigid edge on
the ground and with a stick or rod is hit sharply on one
end to make it fly as high as possible into the air.
Location: Birgu
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Żibeġ
Various games could be played, where the children could compete
for beads dealt out by each individual. The commonest
game involves making a shallow depression in the ground (ħofra)
into which beads are flicked by the fingers. In some games the colours of the beads have different values.
Location: Żejtun
BOV in the Community
Divine Grace
Restoration projects - such as that of the titular painting of Our Lady of Divine Grace in Victoria,
Gozo - are one way in which the Bank can protect Malta’s
heritage for future generations.
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Karretta u Skuter
Like most pre-war toys, these were home made. A set of three
or four metal ball-bearing wheels were needed for the cart. The rider
controlled the steering block with slim ropes. The scooter used two
or three wheels, was pushed by one foot which also pressed on a wooden, hinged flap over the hind wheels to act as a brake.
Location: Birgu
BOV in the Community
Work/Life Balance
The Bank treasures its employees and has numerous initiatives which help them balance life
and work, also promoting their health and wellbeing. It also
encourages corporate social respsonsibility, such as dress-down
days for charity, blood donation sessions and tree-planting.
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Boċċi
Several varieties and forms of games are possible with marbles.
Before the advent of glass marbles our children often played the
same games using hazelnuts. Pre-war Codd-Stoppered ginger bottles had a plain glass marble as a stopper and children often
broke bottles to get it out.
Location: Birgu
BOV in the Community
Culture
The Bank’s support of prestigious festivals, in particular those at the
Manoel Theatre (seen here), the Astra Theatre and the Aurora
Theatre, have become part of Malta’s annual cultural calendar. It also promotes culture for children through innovative programmes.
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Ħabel
Girls play with skipping ropes individually or in groups. In one popular game a girl calls out a series of possible attributes of
an imaginary future husband as she skips and, when the rope hits her legs, she stops on the
word assumed to predict the type of husband she would have.
Location: Rabat, Gozo
BOV in the Community
Basketball
The Bank is proud of its gender-equality certification and this
is reflected in its support to sporting initiatives, like the
Malta Basketball Association where it supports competitions
for both females and males.
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Tajra
The traditional basic model is made from thin, light, coloured paper stretched over thin strips of cane disposed in a bow and arrow position. The paper used to be glued with starch or flour
heated in a little water. The fancy tail is added for stability.
Location: Marsascala
BOV in the Community
Football
Bank of Valletta is today recognised as the leading financial partner in
major sports disciplines. Its support of the Malta Football Association’s
leagues rewards excellence amongst local footballers.
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Taż-Żiemel
Two boys play at horse and rider, one acting as the horse the other
as the rider, exchanging roles at intervals. Children enjoyed making the reins themselves,
weaving odd, discarded, coloured cotton-wool using pins on a
wooden reel. Horse and rider couples often race each other.
Location: Dingli
BOV in the Community
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Art
The Bank regularly supports local artists in a bid to promote talent and foster greater appreciation
of local artistic works. Apart from the George Fenech
retrospective shown here, it hosts an annual exhibition at the
BOV Centre at Sta Venera.
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Passju
The rough diagram with nine, numbered compartments
scratched on the ground represents the nine months of pregnancy,
with the ninth month section drawn with a bulge. Girls cast
a stone from the starting point, hop towards it, to trip it on to the
next number. Completing the set results in ‘having a baby’.
Location: Rabat
BOV in the Community
PV Panels
The Bank’s presence in the community brings with it the
responsibility to reduce its impact on the environment.
Over 300 photovoltaic panels were installed on branches,
just one of many initiatives to make BOV a “green bank”.
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Ċirku
Any hoop, of any size, free from spokes and hubs, used to be
seen frequently trundled along the ground with the help of a
piece of wire bent at one end to guide the rim of the hoop. Boys usually played on their own but
often organised hoop races.
Location: Birgu
BOV in the Community
Dar tal-Providenza
Helping those less fortunate can be achieved in many ways.
The Bank supports numerous NGOs - directly or indirectly, as with
the Volleyball marathon in aid of Dar tal-Providenza. Many
times, BOV also helps without seeking publicity.
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Bżieżaq tas-Sapun
These provided a pastime for all ages. A good mixture of soap in
water blown slowly through a short length of cane tube produced
beautiful, colourful bubbles. Commoner than the cane is a page
from an old exercise book rolled, taped and trimmed into a tube.
Location: Kunċizzjoni
BOV in the Community
Waterpolo
Through its partnership with the Aquatic Sports Association of
Malta, the Bank recognises the Maltese passion for waterpolo, supporting leagues, knock-out
competitions and player awards.
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Żugraga
To spin a wooden top children wound a string several times
around it and learned to throw it sharply while holding on to
the end of the string. This made to top spin for a short while.
Humming tops could be readily bought but others were home-made from wood, hollowed out
and started with a string.
Location: Rabat, Gozo
BOV in the Community
Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna
The Bank’s collaboration with Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna resulted
in the inauguration of the new Auditorium at the Lascaris War-
Rooms in Valletta, and makes possible many other projects that
promote Malta’s rich history.
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Pupa
Mothers of most pre-war girls could not afford the luxury of buying
dolls but made rag dolls from odd pieces of cloth and cotton-wool.
Girls played ‘mother’ with rag dolls and often recruited a boy to join
them as the ‘father’ normally to be ignored, uninvolved or scolded.
Location: Kunċizzjoni
BOV in the Community
Dinja Waħda
Dinja Waħda, a partnership with environmental NGO BirdLife, is
a comprehensive educational programme aimed at teaching children about Malta’s diverse
flora and fauna and instilling in them a love for nature.
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Bombos
This popular game could be played in several styles but all involve a boy at the front, well bent forward, whilst the other
vaults over him, using his hands, in leap frog fashion. The game
continues by alternating leaps and bends. Sometimes two groups run parallel to race each other.
Location: Dingli
BOV in the Community
L-Istrina
L-Istrina, the annual fundraising campaign in aid of the Malta
Community Chest Fund, administered by the President’s
Office, is one of the Bank’s main beneficiaries. The l-Istrina BOV Piggy
Bank campaign raises money from school children across the islands.