This morning a press conference was held at the Arts and Crafts Centre located in St Gregory Street, Żejtun. The press were addressed by the Perit Ruben Abela, President of Wirt iż-Żejtun and Mr Joseph Attard the Mayor of Żejtun.
In the coming days, Wirt iż-Żejtun will be holding a number of activities all related to the Żejtun Roman Villa. The aim of these activities is to increase awareness and knowledge about this site among various sectors of our local community, and to serve as a platform of information about our town to other people coming from outside Żejtun.
The executive committee has long been working on these activities for the past months and is considering this as the most ambitious project since the senting up of our organisation two years ago. We intend to increase awareness and appreciation of this important site. We are highly astonished to hear that there are people from Żejtun who do not even know of the existance of such site, when this can be considered as the most important link between the name of the town itself and the processing of olive oil. It is clear that this strong tie goes back to hundreds of years.
The exhibition which will be opened on the 27th September, precisely two days before Żejt iż-Żejtun, is going to be a showcase of information about this site, in which different media is going to be used to get the message across. In this exhibition one will find archaeological material which was found through the excavations carried out on this site in the past years. It was only possible to exhibit this material thanks to the co-operation found by Heritage Malta, the Department of Classical Studies and Archaeology of the University of Malta and the Żejtun Parish. We have found indispensable help and assistance from the Żejtun Local Council which will also be hosting the exhibition at its Arts and Crafts Centre in St Gregory Street. This exhibition will remain open until the 7th October and it is expected to be visited also by organized groups of students from the Żejtun schools.
The one day symposium which will be held on the 6th October at the auditorium of the Juventutis Domus is considered to be the first of its type to be organized in Żejtun. Although the main theme to be discussed is a local one, the symposium is considered as a national one. The best academics and experts in the fields of archaeology, historical research, conservation and cultural heritage management, have been invited to present their papers. His Excellency President Emeritus Dr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici has honoured us, after accepting our invitation, to open the symposium.
All papers presented at the symposium will be gathered into the first publication by Wirt iż-Żejtun as a means to disseminate such information to the audience outside the auditorium and beyond. This publication will consist of a full colour, hundred and fourthy four page book written in English to appeal also for non-Maltese speaking readers.
It is expected that through these activities new information and knowledge about this site will be unfolded. This will not only increase the value of the Roman Villa as a cultural asset but would increase our responsibility to protect and conserve this site. We hope that what has been done so far in the past years by the University of Malta and Din l-Art Ħelwa would instigate an increased commitment by the Żejtun community and organisations towards conservation and better management of this archaeological site.
You can view the Symposium Programme by clicking here.
You can register to attend the Symposium by clicking here.
Wirt iż-Żejtun 