A Night of Poetry at the Co-Cathedral

Event: A Night of Poetry at the Co-Cathedral / Inħoll l-Ilħna u l-Ilsna l-Oħra

Date: Tuesday 17 March 2026

Time: 19:30

Venue: St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta

St John's Co-Cathedral and Inizjamed are getting together for an evening of poetry on Tuesday 17 March, ahead of World Poetry Day on 21 March. This first-of-its-kind collaboration brings together two of Malta's foremost cultural institutions in a celebration of the spoken and written word, set against the backdrop of a gem of Baroque art and architecture.

The evening takes its title — Inħoll l-Ilħna u l-Ilsna l-Oħra — from the poem “Mestiza” by Myriam Montoya, in its Maltese translation by Simone Galea, published in xtaqt li kont merkurju (Inizjamed, 2022). It echoes the spirit of an evening where poetry will resound across eight chapels in as many languages.

The event will take the form of two poetical tours through the Co-Cathedral's side chapels, each dedicated to a different language of the Knights of the Order of St John and each carrying its own distinct language and literary tradition. Moving through the chapels of Castile, León and Portugal; Aragon, Catalonia and Navarre; Auvergne; Anglo-Bavaria; Provence; France; Germany; and Italy, the audience will experience poetic texts in the respective languages. In each case, translations in Maltese and/or English will also be provided.

The first poetical tour begins at 19:30, led by Maria Christina Zammit, and the second tour (identical to the first) commences at 20:30, led by Jeremy Grech. Each tour promises an intimate and immersive journey through language, history, and art.

The evening is being curated by Inizjamed and Inizjamed’s team under the artistic direction of Leanne Ellul, with the script woven together by Leanne Ellul and Jake Buttigieg and the authors’ writings. A cast of readers from diverse backgrounds will bring to life works by Astrid Alben (tr. Antoine Cassar), Clare Azzopardi (tr. Martina Reinecke), Samantha Barendson (tr. Gioele Galea, Dom Gabrielli), Lilia Ben Romdhane (tr. Immanuel Mifsud), Keith Borg (tr. Maria Frendo), Rainer Maria Rilke (tr. Priscilla Cassar), Alphonse Daudet (tr. Joe Pulè), Miquel Desclot (tr. Pierre J. Mejlak), Marc Delouze (tr. Nadia Mifsud), Leanne Ellul (tr. Virginia Monteforte), Claudia Gauci (tr. Giuseppe Goffredo), Elizabeth Grech, Adrian Grima (tr. Rui Cóias), Nadia Mifsud, Dun Karm Psaila (tr. Ġużè Delia), and San Ġwann tas-Salib (tr. Ġorġ Peresso).

This collaboration reflects St John's Co-Cathedral's ongoing commitment to art and culture, and its openness to poetry as a living presence within its historic walls. Inizjamed's participation, meanwhile, draws on the organisation's long-standing dedication to translation — both into Maltese and from Maltese into other languages.

The event is open to everyone against a donation of €10. Tickets can be obtained online.

Lejla ta’ Poeżija ġewwa il-Konkatidral / Inħoll l-Ilħna u l-Ilsna l-Oħra

Il-Konkatidral ta’ San Ġwann u Inizjamed qed jikkollaboraw flimkien għal lejla ta’ poeżija nhar it-Tlieta, 17 ta’ Marzu, qabel il-Jum Dinji tal-Poeżija fil-21 ta’ Marzu. Din il-kollaborazzjoni, l-ewwel waħda tax-xorta tagħha, tiġbor flimkien żewġ istituzzjonijiet kulturali ewlenin f’Malta f’ċelebrazzjoni tal-kelma mitkellma u miktuba, fl-isfond ta’ ġawhra tal-arti u l-arkitettura Barokka.

Il-lejla ġġib isimha — Inħoll l-Ilħna u l-Ilsna l-Oħra — mill-poeżija “Mestiza” ta’ Myriam Montoya, bi traduzzjoni għall-Malti ta’ Simone Galea, ippubblikata fi xtaqt li kont merkurju (Inizjamed, 2022). Dan it-titlu jirrifletti l-ispirtu ta’ lejla fejn il-poeżija se tidwi tul tmien kappelli f’daqstant lingwi.

L-attività se tieħu l-forma ta’ żewġ mixjiet poetici fil-kappelli laterali tal-Konkatidral, kull waħda ddedikata għal lingwa differenti tal-Kavallieri tal-Ordni ta’ San Ġwann u kull waħda ġġorr magħha tradizzjoni lingwistika u letterarja distinta. Waqt li jimxi matul il-kappelli ta’ Kastilja, León u l-Portugall; Aragona, Katalonja u Navarra; Auvergne; Anglo-Bavarja; Provenza; Franza; il-Ġermanja; u l-Italja, il-pubbliku se jesperjenza testi poetici bil-lingwi rispettivi. F’kull każ, se jinqraw ukoll traduzzjonijiet bil-Malti u/jew bl-Ingliż.

L-ewwel mixja poetika li tibda fis-19:30 se tkun immexxija minn Maria Christina Zammit, u t-tieni mixja poetika (identika għal tal-ewwel) li tibda fit-20:30 se tkun immexxija minn Jeremy Grech. Kull mixja twiegħed vjaġġ intimu u immersiv fil-lingwa, l-istorja u l-arti.

Il-lejla qed tiġi kkurrata minn Inizjamed u t-tim tagħha taħt id-direzzjoni artistika ta’ Leanne Ellul, bis-skript maħdum minn Leanne Ellul u Jake Buttigieg flimkien mal-kitbiet tal-awturi. Numru ta’ qarrejja minn sfondi differenti se jagħtu l-ħajja lil xogħlijiet ta’ Astrid Alben (tr. Antoine Cassar), Clare Azzopardi (tr. Martina Reinecke), Samantha Barendson (tr. Gioele Galea, Dom Gabrielli), Lilia Ben Romdhane (tr. Immanuel Mifsud), Keith Borg (tr. Maria Frendo), Rainer Maria Rilke (tr. Priscilla Cassar), Alphonse Daudet (tr. Joe Pulè), Miquel Desclot (tr. Pierre J. Mejlak), Marc Delouze (tr. Nadia Mifsud), Leanne Ellul (tr. Virginia Monteforte), Claudia Gauci (tr. Giuseppe Goffredo), Elizabeth Grech, Adrian Grima (tr. Rui Cóias), Nadia Mifsud, Dun Karm Psaila (tr. Ġużè Delia), u San Ġwann tas-Salib (tr. Ġorġ Peresso).

Din il-kollaborazzjoni tirrifletti l-impenn kontinwu tal-Konkatidral ta’ San Ġwann lejn l-arti u l-kultura, kif ukoll l-ftuħ tiegħu għall-poeżija bħala preżenza ħajja fi ħdan il-ħitan storiċi tiegħu. Il-parteċipazzjoni ta’ Inizjamed, min-naħa tagħha, tibni fuq id-dedikazzjoni fit-tul tal-organizzazzjoni għat-traduzzjoni — kemm lejn il-Malti kif ukoll mill-Malti għal lingwi oħra.