On 15 March 2024, the monograph Il-Monument tal-Ħelsien, Mintoff u l-abbozzi tad-disinji ta’ Agius was launched under the auspices of the President of Malta, His Excellency Dr George Vella, at Sala Agatha Barbara, Sant' Anton Palace. This work is authored by Prof. Lino Bianco, member of the academic staff at the Faculty for the Built Environment and currently a Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

This bilingual publication, launched by Kite Group, addresses the tension between the sculptor Anton Agius and Prime Minister Dom Mintoff, and includes original concept drawings and sketches for Freedom Monument, Birgu. The translation into Maltese is by René Monseigneur.

During the book launch, Monseigneur shared his difficulties involved whilst Dr Nikki Petroni and Dr Sandro Debono provided an overview of Agius’ work and critical insights on the monument, respectively. The session was concluded by Professor Bianco. This publication is dedicated to the late Prime Minister Emeritus Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, “a staunch believer in Malta’s quest for freedom and national independence, and in the politics of military neutrality and non-alignment”.

This publication was endorsed by Prof. John Chircop (Faculty of Arts), Prof. Emeritus Kenneth Wain (Faculty of Education), and Dr Nikki Petroni (Faculty of Education), Senior Lecturer Margarita Gluzberg (Royal Academy of Arts, London), and Rev. Professor Nuno da Silva Gonçalves (Faculty of History and Cultural Heritage of the Church, Pontifical Gregorian University). Professor Gonçalves, the former Rector of the Gregorian University, is currently the Director of the academic and authoritative journal La Civiltà Cattolica.

The publication is available at all leading book outlets, on the Facebook page and online.