Time & Location
23 Mej 2026 20:30 – 21:00
Argotti Garden - Malta Botanic Gardens, Vincenzo Bugeja, Il-Furjana, Malta
About the event
Manuel Casha (1944–2026) was a musician, writer, researcher and a key promoter of Maltese għana in Australia. Born in Birgu and raised in Kalkara, he emigrated to Melbourne in 1963 at the age of 18.
Among his collaborations, the one with Frans Baldacchino l-Budaj (1943–2006) remains particularly notable, leading to the production of the album Tila, released on CD in 2005. Over a period of around 40 years, he documented Maltese għana and prejjem guitar playing in Australia. Much of his work was broadcast on the Australian radio station SBS and is preserved in the archives of the National Library of Australia.
During this edition of Festgħana, we are paying special tribute to Mannie Casha, who passed away on 23 February 2026, through a short documentary about his life, as well as a presentation of prejjem — an aspect of Maltese għana in which Casha had a deep interest, both in its…