Għaddi – An experiential walk through Kalkara

maltese english

When: Any day
Where: Around Kalkara
Who is invited: Everyone
Entrance: Free

Għaddi – An experiential walk through Kalkara is a project that aims to celebrate Kalkara’s sociocultural identity, history and collective memory. After a process of co-creation, that started in January 2020 lasting for ten months, a number of community members from Kalkara narrate their stories and experience of the village while sharing their skills and crafts as part of an experiential walk made available to the public – particularly to intergenerational families: children, parents/guardians and grandparents.

The walk departs from outside Esplora, passes through some streets in the centre of Kalkara, and ends back at Esplora. The walk is around 2 hours long, including five activities/stops of around 15 minutes each, whereby the families have the opportunity to explore some of the skills and crafts of Kalkara’s community members and work on a hands-on creative exercise. Although this project reached its climax in October 2020, this same walk around Kalkara and the mentioned activities can still be done at your convenience.

This walk adopts a DIY method whereby each person can download the booklet as a guide (click here to download) as well as the audio-narrative in Maltese (click here to download) or access the narrative on Youtube (click here to access Youtube) on one’s personal smartphone.

The narrative is also accessible to the deaf community by either downloading the video clips in Maltese Sign Language (click here to download), or accessing them on Youtube (click here to access Youtube).

When this walk was launched in October 2020, at each stop the public had the opportunity to meet a member from the Kalkara community along with an Explainer from Esplora and worked on creative and practical work with the materials that were provided in the resource pack. Although meeting the community members is not always possible, you can download a copy of the hands-on activity worksheets below:

Fantastic fragments with Yvonne Spiteri Ghio
As light as a feather with Joseph Navarro – this activity can be also followed on Youtube (click here to access Youtube)
Marvellous motors with Victor Darmanin
Precious goldwork embroidery with Frances Navarro
Let’s set up the shop with Tessie Micallef Pulè

This project was developed and organised by Assoċjazzjoni Wirt il-Kalkara, Esplora Interactive Science Centre and community artist Kristina Borg, and it was supported by Creative Communities – Arts Council Malta, by the Kalkara Parish and the Kalkara Local Council.

Photos by Elisa von Brockdorff