Preface

Abstract

This is the third volume published by the University of Malta Gozo Centre, since its establishment in 1993. The first two books dealt respectively with Tourism and with Culture in Gozo. The Gozo Centre has now established itself as an important institution in Gozitan life, and its activities and publications are making an important contribution to Gozitan cultural development. This book contains a selection of papers originally presented in the form oflectures during the course entitled A Focus on Gozo, which the Gozo Centre organised in 1994-95. The course, coordinated by Rev. Dr. Joseph Farrugia, was very well attended, and the themes of the talks raised considerable interest among the Gozitan public. The organisers and my Ministry thought it would be good idea if these talks were published in one volume since this permitted the authors to elaborate on the themes of their talks, given that the 45 minute lectures presented a time constraint which restricted the amount of material that could be presented. Moreover, the publication of the lectures in a book adds to the durability of the contributions, since, unlike a lecture which is confined to a specific period of time, a printed paper can be consulted and studied over and over again. In addition, the inclusion ofreference sources in the written version of the papers, render them very useful to students and researchers in matters related to Gozo.