Part of the exhibition, Il-Malti: Il-Mixja sal-Għarfien Uffiċjali, held in Malta earlier this year, is now on permanent display inside the LEX building in Brussels, which houses the Translation Service of the Council of the European Union.

In Malta, the exhibition ran from February until April at the National Museum of Archaeology and was the result of a joint effort by Heritage Malta and L-Akkademja tal-Malti. Through documents, books and information panels, the exhibition in Malta covered the history of the Maltese language from its Semitic roots until it was declared Malta’s national language in 1964 and one of the European Union’s official languages in 2004.

Following the exhibition’s success in Malta, it was decided to have copies of the information panels that were part of the exhibition in Malta permanently displayed in Brussels. The copies were made with Heritage Malta’s help, and the launch of the exhibition in Brussels was organised by the Maltese Language Unit as one of the activities held in the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union’s Translation Service (LING) during the month of September, dedicated to multilingualism.

The exhibition was inaugurated on the 15th of September, in the presence of Malta’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, Ambassador Marlene Bonnici, and Malta’s Ambassador to Belgium, Clint Tanti, both of whom delivered short speeches.

Guests were then treated to a short piano concert of Maltese melodies by Sandro Balzan, a member of the Maltese Language Unit.

Various activities are planned in connection with the exhibition in Brussels, including a visit by Maltese children who attend the European School in the Belgian capital, in an effort to raise more awareness about the Maltese language.