Excerpts from Daqsxejn ta’ Requiem lil Leli / A modest Requiem for Leli

Abstract

A Modest Requiem for Leli is a work I was commissioned to write in 2016 for All Souls Night, recited during an event organised by Heritage Malta, which took place in the former Palace of the Inquisition, an eerie and chilling place that housed the Roman Inquisition in the 16th and 17th century (Heritage Malta 2016). The event was meant as a counter to the recent enthusiasm with Halloween, a phenomenon that has swept through many European countries, including Malta. In response to what many refer to as “the Americanization of our calendar,” there has been a rise in the organization of initiatives and events that include old and long-time defunct traditions, which are more indigenous, even if less familiar (Ġużè Gatt, Email to author, June 13, 2020). [excerpt from the Introduction]