History is often written people by the victors, the politicians, and the powerful. We build monuments to grand rulers and memorize the dates of great battles. Yet, in the process of remembering these massive historical milestones, we frequently forget the people who actually lived through them.Melita Uncharted was born from a simple but vital question: What did these grand events actually mean for the Poplin.
Too often, monumental shifts in history did little to improve the daily reality of the ordinary worker or the housewife. While prices rose and fell, the people of Malta continued their quiet, resilient struggle for survival, for dignity, and fair wages. This blog is a space dedicated to unearthing those forgotten narratives. It is the history of Malta as seen through the eyes of the working class.
My Guiding Principles for this project are deeply rooted in social democratic values. I believe that history cannot be understood without analyzing social justice, labor rights, and the distribution of power. My exploration of Malta’s past is guided by three core principles:
The scope of government exists:
The very essence why government exists is to look after the welfare of its people. If a government abdicates this responsibility to serve elite or private interests, it completely defeats its own purpose
Democracy:
Although Democracy is imperfect, it remains the ideal form of government. It guarantees the sovereignty for the people, right to choose their government, free speech so as to participate in the running of the country. Ultimately it guarantees the people the full complement of their basic human rights, thus giving them the opportunity to live decent and dignified Lives
A focused democracy. I see democracy not as the arrival of a journey but its beginning. Today if you listen to philosophers from the Left they consider democracy as the tool to aid people who are facing difficulties in their lives.
Democracy counts to nothing if it is there, for the rich, the privileged or the entitled. Democracy must prioritize the poor, the destitute, the sick, who are having a hard time to make it. If it does not endeavor to achieve these priorities. It remains a dead letter that the comforts I enjoy today were paid for by the relentless struggles and sacrifices of those who came before me. They fought so that future generations, like mine, could have a better life.I feel it is my profound duty to keep their memory alive. This blog is my way of paying that debt, ensuring that the stories of ordinary, hardworking people are never erased.
Merging history with technology. I have spent 25 years teaching history in the Maltese Education Secondary Sector. I have always loved the subject and wanted my students to learn about their past. Frustratedly, I came to realize that my students were not interested in what I was telling them. I did not blame them as much of the content was way over their heads. They did not feel part of it. Who cared about our political struggles with the British, what did they care about the 1921 constitution, and many other aspects of the story of Malta. They were interested in everyday life, social conditions, and hard times.
To try to feel that void I constructed this blog I enphsise that I am a former history teacher, I never had the presumption to describe myself as a historian. What I am doing here is a labour of love.
Now to embark on such a project is no mean task. I want my articles to be well researched, I want to give authoritative content. Apart from that I want to produce well written and structured articles so as to render this blog more professional and credible.
For this I employed the aid of various AI platforms. Thay do the research, help me form coherent ideas, sometimes they discuss with me what tone I should give an article, where to stress a point. You could call AI my editor or sounding board.
Ultimately the content is mine, the reasoning is mine as are the mistakes. The beauty of AI is that it can be compared to an intelligent creative entity. Let’s take an example of what I mean. You need a chair that has certain speciation you want. Your are not a joiner so unable to construct the desired chair. You cannot do because you do not have the specific skill. What you do is tell the joiner what is on your mind, he mind design it or show a picture. Having established your specific needs, the joiner starts to work with wood and tools he needs. When the task is done you have the chair you desired.
AI acts the same way it is intelligent but will do nothing if not prompted with what to do. If nobody engages it will remain like a mine brimming with gold that is never used. Or a sophisticated car with state of the art accessories that is always in the garage.
AI is a very sophisticated and advanced tool that helps us in the different aspects of our lives. Think of AI as the hammer, the broom, the ladder, the painting brush, the tools for communication. Tools are there to be used and for my purpose, AI is the perfect tool. So…..
Welcome to Melita Uncharted.
