https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/14580 The Gozo Observer is published twice a year and contains articles relating to all aspects of life in Gozo, including culture, education, business, arts and literature. Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:42:07 GMT 2026-04-20T19:42:07Z https://www.um.edu.mt:443/library/oar/retrieve/27353e45-6e8f-48ca-8597-fde4d93bdbe8/ https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/14580 https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/138308 Title: The Gozo Observer : Issue 49 : 2025 Abstract: 1/ Editorial: Climate Change Awareness 2/ A Cognominal Profile of Gozo: Past and Present - Mario Cassar 3/ The Weaving Trade: In the Olden Days and Now - Mario Saliba 4/ The Attack on Gozo of 1551 and its Effects on the Gozo Population – Part III - Luca Curmi 5/ Xogħol fuq l-Arkivju tal-Makkjettista Għawdxi Fredu Spiteri l-Lavarist - Charlo Pisani 6/ Symbolic-Anthropological Light Shed on the Xagħra Plateau - Veronica Veen 7/ The Octopus of Gozo - Renald Blundell and Abbie Barlow 8/ Exploring Island Tourism through the Locality of Xewkija, Gozo - Karl Agius and Godfrey Baldacchino 9/ Book Review: Ġużeppi Diacono. Sacerdos Dux Peritus Fundator - Geoffrey G. Attard 10/ Book Review: Bilanċ: When the Siren Wailed. Memoirs of Wartime Gozo - Joseph Calleja 11/ Recent Activities at the University of Malta – Gozo Campus - Joseph Calleja Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/138308 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/138306 Title: Editorial : climate change awareness Abstract: A recent very interesting survey conducted by the Gozo Regional Development Authority and the Gozo Business Chamber found that only 45% of the 160 businesses they interviewed acknowledged the potential impact of climate change on their operations, and only 23% were taking measures to enhance climate change resilience. This is of course a worrying finding. Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/138306 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/138304 Title: A cognominal profile of Gozo : past and present Abstract: The aim of this article is twofold. First of all, it seeks to shed light on ‘Gozitan surnames’ from a historical point of view, concentrating mainly on the Medieval and the Early Modern Periods. It then seeks to deliver a concise overview of Gozo’s current onomastic scenario. It attempts to address a number of questions, such as: Which are the oldest ‘Gozitan surnames’? Why have many medieval surnames disappeared from the present onomasticon? In what way did the cognominal pool change after the debacle of 1551? Is the present Gozitan onomasticon that different from the Maltese one? Which are the commonest surnames in modern-day Gozo? Do Gozitan localities exhibit any idiosyncrasies within their cognominal repertoire? Which are the main sources available to contemporary family historians and surname researchers? Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/138304 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/138303 Title: The weaving trade : in the olden days and now Abstract: Weaving is an ancient traditional craft. We do not know when this trade was introduced in Malta. A. Mayr (1909:21), without producing any evidence, states that cotton was introduced into Malta in the 9th century by the Arabs. Hand weaving remained an important industry for many centuries. Later, after the 14th century, we find documented that Maltese cotton found good foreign markets and King Ferdinand ordered that two officials be nominated to carefully examine the cotton exported by the Maltese, ensuring good quality (Mifsud, 1913: 228-229). The export of cotton flourished increasingly, so much so that in 1472 a tax of two per cent was raised on the exported product, the money going towards the upkeep of the walls of Mdina (Mifsud, 1913: 129). The cultivation of cotton and its exportation was already a thriving industry and controlled by the local government of that time, the Università, by fixing prices and levy taxes on the spun material (Mifsud, 1913: 129). These regulations were issued from time to time by means of statutes called Bandi, and one of these was specifically intended to prevent the cotton seed from being exported to other countries. Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/138303 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z