During a ceremony at the Residence of Madam Agnès von der Mühll, Ambassador of France in Malta held on 12 June 2024, Dr Charles J. Farrugia, a senior lecturer at the Department of Library, Information and Archive Services, Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences, was presented with the insignia of Knighthood of the Order of Arts and Letters, l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres, by the French Government. This decoration was established in 1957 in order to “reward people who have distinguished themselves in the artistic or literary field or by the contribution they have made to the influence of the Arts and Letters in France and in the world”.
In the official statement that the Ambassador read out during the event, she expressed the French Ministry of Culture’s recognition for the three decades of contribution to the Maltese and International Archives Sector Dr Farrugia gave. The contribution in the setting up of the National Archives of Malta, the establishment of archives courses at the University of Malta, the Chairing of ACARM, of the European Branch of the International Council on Archives, the hosting of the CITRA international conference, his contribution in the European Archives Group and currently other roles in the International Council on Archives, were acknowledged. In terms of French archival relations, collaboration was strengthened, initiatives in favour of Mediterranean archives were kick-started and the French government was convinced to provide architectural consultancy in terms of future archive buildings in Malta.
In his intervention Dr Farrugia thanked the French government for recognising his work in the archives domain that aims to preserve the collective memory of people and extends beyond territories and nations.