26/02/2025
Thanks The People of Malta ❤️
"Ġej minn familja ta' sajjieda, iz-zijiet kienu jagħmlu n-nases mill-qasab. Tgħallimt is-sengħa ta' kif innaddaf u naħdem il-qasab mingħandhom. Kien għad kelli 12-il sena. Ta' 13-il sena għamilt l-ewwel ħasira għalina, għad-dar t'ommi. Jiena komplejt nistudja, imma bqajt nagħmel xi waħda 'l hawn u 'l hemm għal tal-familja u għal min jitlobni. Anki nases għamilt. Imbagħad dan l-aħħar tajtha biex noqgħod naħdem il-ħsajjar u qnieneċ (fejn il-qasba ma tinqasamx imma tibqa’ tonda. Jintużaw ġeneralment għal fences u soqfa).
Il-qasab jinqata' f'dawn iż-żminijiet, Jannar u Frar. Qasab għadek issib. Irid jinqata’ waħda waħda, bi jdejk. Min imur jiġbru ma ssibx. Il-qasab sostenibbli għax meta taqtgħu fi żmienu, sa sena wara se tikber oħra flokha. Wara li taqta' l-qasba, naqbad is-sega u naqta' dritt u mbagħad naqta' l-wisgħa tal-purtiera. Wara l-qasba titnaddaf. Minn kull qasba taf toħroġ tlieta jew erba' vireg, skond il-qies u l-ħxuna.
Ħafna Maltin u Għawdxin għadhom iridu dik il-ħasira. Kollox isir bl-idejn, xejn magni. Ix-xogħol ta' ħasira tirrikjedi ħafna xogħol u ħin. Dawn it-tip ta' ħsajjar iħallu lil min ikun qiegħed warajha jara x'inhu għaddej fuq in-naħa l-oħra, imma minn barra ma tara xejn, ma tarax x'hemm ġewwa. Dawn iżommu ħafna frisk għax tgħaddi l-arja minn bejn il-vireg.
Thermos kafe’ u ninżel naħdem hawn isfel il-ħarba tiegħi. Qiegħda ġo fija. Is-sodisfazzjon jiġi meta int mix-xejn qed tara l-ħasira tiġi ffurmata u tinbena. Hekk is-sengħa ma tmutx. Tieħu gost meta jibagħtulek messaġġ kemm ġiet sabiħa l-ħasira. Tgħid almenu baqa’ min japprezza x-xogħol tal-idejn.” – David
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"I come from a family of fishermen. My uncles used to make fish traps from cane. I learnt the craft of cleaning and working with cane from them. I was just 12 years old. I made my first reed curtain for us, for my mother's house. I kept studying but still made the occasional one for the family or anyone who requested one. I made traps too. But lately, I have concentrated on reed curtains and “qnieneċ” (where the cane is not cut but kept in a circular shape. These are usually used in fences and ceilings).
Cane is cut during this period, in January and February. You can still find cane. It needs to be cut manually, one by one. There is no one willing to cut it. Cane is sustainable because when it is cut in season another grows to replace it within a year. Once it is gathered, I cut straight into it with a saw and then cut the width of the curtain. Then the cane is cleaned. You might be able to produce three of four rods from a single cane, depending on the length and thickness.
A large number of Maltese and Gozitans still ask for reed curtains. Everything is done by hand and no machinery is used. Making reed curtains requires a lot of work and time. This type of curtain allows those who are behind it to see what is happening on the other side but nothing can be seen from outside, you cannot see inside. They keep the place cool since air passes between the rods.
I escape here with a thermos flask to work. It is part of me. It is satisfying to see a reed curtain being built and taking shape from nothing. And this keeps the craft alive. It gives me pleasure when someone sends you a message of appreciation because this means that there are still those who appreciate manual work." - David
