Documenting the ‘sudden awakening from a deep sleep’ – Book on 2019 protests launched

Local human rights NGO aditus foundation on Friday launched a photobook and online archive that brings together photographs taken by citizens, participants and onlookers of the political protests that took place in Malta between November 2019 and January 2020, in the hope of preserving the memory of the protest.

Titled ‘SABAR – OUR ISLAND III’, the project documents “a significant moment in Malta’s socio-political history,” the NGO wrote in a description of the project.

“For us, as a human rights NGO, the Malta Protests are about a sudden awakening from a deep sleep, into a state of disbelief, shock and anger. The Protests mark a strong statement that Malta’s democracy was not a healthy one and that it demanded to be reclaimed by the people,” it said.

The protests began on 20 November 2019 following the arrest of Yorgen Fenech in connection to the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Fenech’s arrest came after some two years of silence following the murder.

The arrest led to revelations of alleged political links between the assassination and disgraced former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s government. Protests called for the resignation of Muscat, his former Chief of Staff Keith Schembri and other Ministers, including former Minister Konrad Mizzi. The protests also called out widespread corruption, money laundering and Malta’s weak rule of law.

The protests led to Muscat, Schembri and Mizzi’s resignation from government.

“Good governance and the implementation of rule of law principles are a human rights issue. It is hoped that SABAR will continue to stimulate the discourse surrounding these principles and their application in Malta,” the NGO said.

📚Yesterday we launched SABAR – The Malta Protests a photobook of selected images taken by people attending the protests that took off in Nov 2019.
📸We thank contributors for sharing their moments – contact us if you want a copy!
📧[email protected] for info pic.twitter.com/6jqUpTV80m

— aditus foundation (@aditusNGO) June 4, 2022

The name of the project, SABAR, takes inspiration from the famous Maltese poem Jum ir-Rebħ written by Rużar Briffa in 1945.

A call for the public to submit photos and footage took place between November 2019 and January 2020, and the organisation received over 500 images and videos from 68 individuals or groups, it said.

Those interested in obtaining a copy of the publication, or anyone interested in contributing to the online collection of the project, can contact the foundation at [email protected] for more information.

You can also view the project at www.themaltaprotests.com.