A 'Nigerian' representing Malta?
I'm naturally referring to the young Destiny Chukunyere, who has a Nigerian-born father and a Maltese mother, who has just won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for 2015 with her song Not My Soul, landing Malta the title for the second time in three years.
How delighted were my wife and I, stuck to the TV as we do yearly for this festival and its adult equivalent, listening to this fabulous voice that distinguished itself from the other singers. It reminded me in many ways to Chiara, who had bewitched so many people with her voice and presence.
Since coming to Australia, we've kept this annual appointment courtesy of SBS, after having discovered it by accident. Over here, the large number of immigrants from Europe means there's significant interest in this festival, not only by the Maltese.
Nevertheless, for us Maltese, this festival represents one of the few activities in which the land of our forefathers is one of the better players when compared to far-larger countries, making a name for itself and giving the Maltese much pride.
Beyond these happy thoughts, while watching the festival, I also reflected upon the complexity of our world. I remember Destiny's father, Ndubisi Chukunyere, while I was still in Malta, playing soccer with Paola's Hibernians, apart from the Nigerian national team. Ndubisi ended up staying in Malta, becoming a Maltese citizen, marrying a Maltese woman and having Destiny who's no less Maltese as I am.
What a world this is, with so many people leaving their country of origin, going to live in another country and naturalising there, while remaining ethnically and culturally tied to their origin, like me and the Maltese diaspora.
But again, this is a story of so many millions of people, and not recent at all.
Migration is an ancient story. Australia has seen waves of migration after and before the second world war, the English and the convicts they brought with them, and the other Europeans that came before. Before them again, the aboriginals have been here for around 40 thousand years, and before this time were on their way along Asia in the migration of our human species, homo sapiens.
At the same time, this species had entered Europe from Africa and gradually took over from other previously existing human species, homo neanderthalensis. We could go over the continents and find a similar, very interesting and complex story, that is still today not fully known.
What's clear is that the human story is one of continuous migration. A country's political borders are wholly artificial, and don't reflect cultural geographies, and the need for people, and other creatures, to have a livelihood.
We are occupying, and dominating, this planet, which goes round a star that is just one of 100 billion in this galaxy, that in turn is just one out of 100 billion galaxies in the universe. We think we're so smart, while in fact ruining this miniscule part of the universe, polluting the air, land and sea alike with our endless consumption. The callousness, lack of charity, cruelty and greed we show other people are quite ugly.
When will we start looking at our world as a gift to be cherished, instead of a fountain of resources that we need to exploit before the next man does? When will we start behaving as brethren instead of drunken thieves? When will we stop pretending that our religion has all the answers while that of others have no value? When will we start treating as friends only those who have our same skin colour?
Will I live to see the day?
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'Niġerjana' tirrappreżenta lil Malta?
Qed nirreferi naturalment għaż-żgħażugħa Destiny Chukunyere, li għandha missierha mwieled in-Niġerja u ommha Maltija, li għadha kif rebħet il-Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015, li bil-kanzunetta tagħha Not My Soul (Mhux Ruħi), reġgħet rebbħet dan it-titlu lil Malta għat-tieni darba f'tliet snin.
Kemm tpaxxejna jien u l-mara, msammrin quddiem it-televiżjoni bħal ma nagħmlu kull sena għall-dan il-festival u dak tal-adulti, nisimgħu lil din il-vuċi favoluża li spikkat mill-kantanti l-oħra. Fakkritni ħafna fi Chiara li wkoll kienet saħħret lil tant nies bil-vuċi u l-preżenza tagħha.
Kemm ilna l-Awstralja, żammejna dan l-appuntament annwali li jipprovdilna l-SBS, wara li konna skoprejnih b'kumbinazzjoni. Hawnhekk, l-ammont kbir ta' immigranti mill-Ewropa jfisser li hawn interess kbir f'dan il-festival, mhux mill-Maltin biss.
Madankollu, għalina l-Maltin, dan il-festival jirrappreżenta wieħed mill-ftit aspetti fejn pajjiż missirijietna iħabbatha sew ma' pajjiżi oħra bil-wisq ikbar, u jagħmel isem għalih innifsu, u jagħmel lilna kburin li Maltin!
Apparti dawn il-ħsibijiet ta' ferħ, waqt li kont qed nara l-festival, irriflettejt ukoll fuq kemm hi kumplessa d-dinja. Missier Destiny, Ndubisi Chukunyere, niftakru meta kont għadni Malta, kien ġie min-Niġerja jilgħab il-futbol mal-Hibernians ta' Raħal Ġdid, kien ukoll jilgħab mat-tim nazzjonali Niġerjan. Ndubisi Chukunyere spiċċa baqa' Malta, sar ċittadin Malti, iżżewweġ lil Maltija, u kellhom lil Destiny li għalhekk hija Maltija daqsi.
X'dinja din, fejn tant nies jitilqu minn pajjiżhom u jmorru jgħixu f'pajjiż ieħor u, kif ngħidu aħna, isiru tal-post, waqt li jibqgħu etnikament u kulturalment marbutin mal-oriġini tagħhom, bħali u d-dijaspora Maltija.
Imma, terġa u tgħid, din hi l-istorja ta' tant miljuni ta' nies. U din mhix storja riċenti.
L-istorja mal-migrazzjoni hija antika. Fl-Awstralja, kellna l-mewġiet tal-migrazzjoni ta' wara t-tieni gwerra dinjija u ta' qabilha, tal-Ingliżi u l-ħabsin li ġabu magħhom, u tal-Ewropej l-oħra li ġew qabilhom. Qabilhom kien hawn l-aboriġeni li kienu ilhom hawn mal-40 elf sena, li qabel dan iż-żmien kienu fi triqthom tul l-Ażja fil-migrazzjoni tal-ispeċje tagħna l-bnedmin, il-homo sapiens.
Fl-istess żmien, din l-ispeċje kienet daħlet fl-Ewropa mill-Afrika u ftit ftit iddominat fuq l-ispeċje ta' bnedmin li kienet hemm qabel, il-homo neanderthalensis. Nistgħu nibqgħu nduru l-kontinenti, u nsibu storja simili, interessanti ferm, u kumplessa, li għadha mhix magħrufa għal kollox.
Li huwa ċar huwa li l-istorja tal-bniedem hija waħda ta' migrazzjoni kontinwa. Il-fruntieri politiċi tal-pajjiżi huma għal kollox artifiċjali, u ma jirriflettux il-ġijografija kulturali, u l-bżonn tal-bniedem, u tal-ħlejjaq l-oħrajn, li jfittxu l-għajxien tagħhom.
Aħna qegħdin nokkupaw, u niddominaw din il-pjaneta, li ddur ma stilla li hi biss waħda minn 100 biljun fil-galassja tagħha, galassja li hi biss waħda minn 100 biljun galassja fl-univers - mingħalina li tant aħna bravi u fil-fatt qed neqirdu din il-farka tal-univers, bit-tniġġis tal-arja, tal-art u tal-baħar, bil-konsum bla rażan. Il-ħdura li nuru ma' bnedmin oħra, in-nuqqas ta' karità, il-kefrija u r-rgħiba bla qies huma tal-waħx.
Meta se nħarsu lejn id-dinja bħala rigal li għandna ngħożżu, minflok għajn ta' riżorsi li rridu nisfruttaw qabel ma jagħmel dan ħaddieħor? Meta se nġibu ruħna ta' aħwa minflok ta' ħallelin fis-sakra? Meta se nieqfu nippretendu li r-reliġjon tagħna għandha t-tweġibiet kollha u tal-oħrajn m'għandha l-ebda valur? Meta se nieqfu nittrattaw bħala ħbieb dawk biss li għandhom l-istess kulur tal-ġilda tagħna?
Tgħid, ninnotaha xi darba f'ħajti?
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