An exhibition recalls the forgotten Maltese migration to Tunisia, seen by a family

A family’s tumultuous journey from Malta to Tunis to Marseille that began a century ago is the subject of an exhibition currently at Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta. It is told through the eyes of a member of the fourth generation of the family via photos, memories, original documents and audiovisual means.

“The exhibition is based on a true story, the story of my family, from my father’s side,” explains French artist Katel Delia.

“My grandfather was born in Żejtun. His complex migratory journey began when he was six years old, when his parents decided to move to Tunisia with their children in the hope of finding a better life. It was a century ago. There they found themselves in difficulty and requested repatriation to Malta.

“However, a year later, my bużnanna (great-grandmother) returned to Tunisia with her children while her husband remained in Malta, ”she says.

They opened a shop there and everything seemed to be going well until the problems started to arise a few years after Tunisia gained independence.

“The political situation was hostile to foreigners. My family was pushed to leave Tunisia. In 1961 my grandfather decided to return to Malta with his four children, including my father. The return to their country of origin was not easy either as they had to face long and bureaucratic administrative procedures.

Two years later, they try their luck in Marseille. But Katel’s grandfather faced administrative procedures again because he was born in Malta. His wife and children were spared because they were all born in Tunisia, at the time a French protectorate, which meant an automatic right to stay in France.

“After a few years my grandfather gave up and the whole family returned to Malta. My father, however, remained in Marseille.

The artist has been interested in his family history from an early age.

“For a child, knowing that his family has traveled to different countries is unique, a very good story to share. But, at the time, I didn’t realize how painful it could be to leave a country that you consider to be your home, ”she admits.

“Over time, thanks to my curiosity, my father and a few other members of the family shared their past with me, but like any biography, written or not, they were partial; some parts were hidden, maybe they were too painful, maybe forgotten, or maybe considered irrelevant. “

When Katel moved to Malta five years ago, she was surprised that the Maltese migration to North Africa was “forgotten”. She was also shocked to learn that teenagers didn’t know much about contemporary history.

“Knowing our past is essential for us to understand our present and is the basis on which we build our future,” she says.

Gathering her family history together for the exhibit was no easy feat. She had family photos and memories that her family had happily preserved over the years. Before his father’s death 11 years ago, Katel asked him questions about life in Tunisia and his migratory journey. She wrote down his stories and even drew some of the items he had kept.

In 2017, she went to the Dream City Festival in Tunis, where she decided to visit some places where her family lived.

“I had my first shock when I walked into a store to buy a drink. The interior of the store looked a lot like my grandfather’s. I bought my drink, left the store, but came back immediately, ”she says.

“I showed my grandfather’s picture in his shop to the lady behind the bar and asked if I could take a picture of it in his own shop. She has accepted. These two photos served as a starting point for my project and are presented in the form of a photomontage in the exhibition.

Katel also had passports and addresses, which helped her in her research at the National Archives of Malta.

“There, I found that the immigration process was more complex than what my family told me,” she said, while adding that she had also conducted research in the archives of Tunis and Marseilles.

She also needed to understand the political and historical background, so she read books and researched the Times of Malta’s online archives.

“With Raphael Vella, the curator, we decided to share these newspaper pages with the public. Newspapers and news are part of our daily life. The selected articles are short but, at the same time, detailed enough to understand the context and discover that even the Maltese were not welcome in their own country, ”Katel notes.

The resulting exhibition offers an immersive experience, which helps to live the story while “feeling at home”.

Malta – Tunis – Marseille has different layers, with visitors likely to peel the ones that interest them most.

“They may also find some that I haven’t noticed yet,” Katel says.

She thinks it’s the combination of different mediums that best delivers her family story.

“People can be moved by a photo they could see themselves in, perhaps the voice of the little girl calling her grandmother in Malta, the short film Extended validity in which, thanks to my camera and thanks to the Archives of Bouches-du-Rhône in Marseille, I visit the plan of my family’s apartment in Marseille. Some objects in the exhibition can also bring back many memories.

“I love when they share anecdotes with me through them, but I love it even more when they pass these anecdotes on to their children or grandchildren. The exhibition is for everyone. I once met three generations of women from the same family, ”continues Katel.

“You can see that such an intimate and personal story can reflect your own story and it is moving to discover more about yourself through someone else.”

A selection of his works exhibited at Spazju Kreattiv, composed of diptychs and triptychs based on family photos and contemporary photographs that she took in Tunisia, received the International Prize for Contemporary African Photography (CAP).

Thanks to this prize, an extract from the series made in Tunisia will be exhibited in various international photo festivals. The work will also be published in a book, alongside that of the other winners. A small edition of the photos will be reproduced and sold.

“Seeing my work exhibited around the world is a fantastic privilege and gives me more visibility. As an artist, creation is an important part of the work, but promoting and exhibiting it is also important, ”Katel remarks.

Her next goal now is to mount the exhibition in Tunisia and Marseille, where more people are sure to relate to Katel’s family history. Others can better understand the reality of what people experience when migrating.

“My family was modest and, like other migrants, they left in search of a better life. Initially, they found a better life in Tunisia and were doing well with a store in their name and friends from different communities, but this was short-lived and they were forced to leave. The return to Malta was just as painful. However, they are not discouraged and, one fine day, they decide to settle in France. The hope of improving never fades, ”says Katel.

“Immigration has always existed and will continue to exist. Sometimes a country can be a host country and later it can be the country we are fleeing from. We should have more empathy for all people who migrate without distinction. “

Malta – Tunis – Marseille runs at Spazju Kreattiv until October 31. Katel Delia will lead a tour of the exhibition on Saturday at 5.30 p.m. For more information, visit www. kreattivita. org. The project is supported by Arts Council Malta, the French Embassy and ILAB Photo.

The artist’s own story

Katel Delia, also known as Katelia, was born near Paris but, at the age of three, her parents decided to settle in Brittany, where her mother had family roots.

As a teenager, Katel often traveled to Paris to visit her mother’s family. There she used to visit museums and art exhibitions. After five years of studies in a fine arts school, Les Beaux-Arts, in Rennes, she decided to try her luck in Paris.

There, she studied digital technologies for a year at the Gobelins and, in 2000, she landed a job in a web agency.

Six years later, she decided to go freelance in order to be able to select projects related to her philosophy of life and also to devote more time to her artistic practice.

Thanks to an art workshop opened in her Parisian district, she exhibited her photographs to the public for the first time ten years later. She then applied to participate in the Contemporary Biennial of Mdina in 2015-16, where her photographs are exhibited again.

Five years ago she moved to Malta, but still travels often to France.

She held her first solo exhibition MigrAzzjoni family. I was born there, but I live here… At Spazju Kreattiv in 2017. Since then, she has participated in various group exhibitions: To be [defined], also held to Spazju Kreattiv (2018), Amuse – Perception I (2018) and Postscript Perception II (2019) held at the Malta Society of Arts.

His work has been presented in various photo festivals in France in 2020-21.

Recently, the 2021 International Prize for Contemporary African Photography – CAP Prize awarded a selection of his work currently exhibited at Spazju Kreattiv. Being an international award, it helps Katel feel more confident to continue practicing her art.

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