Yesterday, the Women's Archive at the University of Malta was launched.
It was a honour and a pleasure to donate the archives of the Muviment Emanċipazzjoni tal-Mara (1974-78 - Women's Emancipation Movement) which my dear and beloved mother Marie Lucia Briguglio had entrusted to me a few months before her passing away. Speaking about my mother during this event was an incredibly moving experience. Gratitude to the organisers of this wonderful initiative.
The following is my tribute to my mother during the event (translated here in English, with the Maltese version reproduced below it)
My mother,
Marie Lucia—later Briguglio—was born in 1946. She was from St Julian’s, and
music was deeply woven into her family’s life. They were actively involved in
both the import and sale of musical instruments, as well as in live performance.
In the 1960s,
she attended College, where she trained as a teacher. It was there
that she met my father, Lino. Both were young artists, sharing a passion for
creativity. They married in 1969, and soon after, my sister Marie was born in
1970, followed by me in 1975.
By then, my
mother co-founded the Muviment Emanċipazzjoni tal-Mara. In the 1970s,
being involved in feminism and advocating for women's rights was
groundbreaking. I was too young to remember these moments firsthand, but their
significance was immense.
In 2021, just
a few months before her untimely passing due to an aggressive illness, my
mother entrusted me with the archives of the Muviment Emanċipazzjoni
tal-Mara. Knowing my own interest in social movements, she asked me to
ensure these records were passed on to the University so that researchers in
the field could study them. She had meticulously organised the archives
herself, with the help of my niece, Lilli.
As I
mentioned earlier, I have no personal memory of my mother’s activism within the
Movement. However, with profound gratitude and love, I can say that her
influence shaped both my sister’s and my everyday life. The values she
embodied—the ethics of care, kindness, and justice—are deeply embedded in my
own identity. And perhaps the greatest legacy she left me is this: as a father,
husband, and citizen, I strive to live by these same principles every day.
Ommi, Marie Lucia—aktar tard Briguglio—twieldet
fl-1946. Kienet minn San Ġiljan, u l-mużika kienet parti essenzjali mill-ħajja
tal-familja tagħha. Kienu involuti b’mod attiv kemm fl-importazzjoni u l-bejgħ
ta’ strumenti mużikali kif ukoll fil-qasam tal-prestazzjoni diretta.
Fis-sittinijiet, marret il-Kulleġġ, fejn
studjat biex issir għalliema. Kien hemm fejn iltaqgħet ma’ missieri, Lino.
It-tnejn kienu artisti żgħażagħ, u kienu jħaddnu l-istess passjoni għall-arti.
Żżewġu fl-1969, u ftit wara twieldet oħti Marie fl-1970, segwita minni fl-1975.
Sa dak iż-żmien, ommi kienet waħda mill-fundaturi tal-Muviment
Emanċipazzjoni tal-Mara. Fis-snin sebgħin, li tkun involuta fil-feminiżmu u
fil-ġlieda għad-drittijiet tan-nisa kienet ħaġa innovattiva u kuraġġuża. Jien
kont għadni żgħir wisq biex niftakar dawk il-mumenti, iżda l-impatt tagħhom
kien enormi.
Fl-2021, ftit xhur biss qabel ħallietna b’mod traġiku
minħabba marda aggressiva, ommi fdatni bl-arkivji tal-Muviment
Emanċipazzjoni tal-Mara. Hija kienet taf bl-interess tiegħi fil-movimenti
soċjali, u għalhekk talbitni nieħu ħsieb li dawn id-dokumenti jgħaddu għand
l-Università, sabiex ikunu jistgħu jiġu studjati mir-riċerkaturi fil-qasam.
L-arkivji kienu organizzati b’mod metikoluż minnha stess, bl-għajnuna
tan-neputija tiegħi, Lilli.
Kif għedt qabel, jien ma niftakarx personalment
l-attiviżmu ta’ ommi fil-Moviment. Madankollu, b’sens profond ta’ gratitudni u
mħabba, nista’ ngħid li l-influwenza tagħha ħalliet impatt qawwi fuq ħajti u
fuq dik ta’ oħti. Il-valuri li ħaddnet—l-etika tal-kura, il-ġentilezza, u
l-ġustizzja—huma mnaqqxa fil-qalba tal-identità tiegħi. U forsi l-akbar wirt li
ħallietli hu dan: bħala missier, raġel, u ċittadin, nipprova ngħix dawn
il-prinċipji kuljum.
