
MINŻEL E. ATTARD, ŻEJTUN
2nd June 2023 | 7:30pm
Ritmu fil-Komunità - Għana Għand Tal-Iżgej
Performance, Għana, Traditional
L-ARGOTTI, FLORIANA
9th-10th June 2023 | 6pm - 11pm
Kantuniera Mużika Maltija
Music, History, Stall
9th-10th June 2023 | 6pm - 11pm
SALVATI
Sustainable, Archival, Stall
9th June 2023 | 7pm
Wiċċ imb Wiċċ
mal-Għannej / Meet the Għannej
Performance, Għana, Talk
9th June 2023 | 8pm
Għana Lab Guitars
Performance, Għana, Contemporary
9th June 2023 | 8:30pm
Eduardo Trassierra Duo
Performance, Flamenco, Percussion
9th June 2023 | 9:45pm
Tchavolo Schmitt
Performance, Gypsy-Jazz, Guitar
10 June 2023 | 6pm & 7pm
Making Our Collective Memory Physical
Children, Adults, Workshop
10th June 2023 | 7:30pm
A Viola Amarantina Guitar with Rui Fernandes
Performance, Viola Amarantina, Portugal
10th June 2023 | 8:30pm
Għana Lab Voice
Performance, Għana, Contemporary
10th June 2023 | 8:45pm
Ana Margarida
Performance, Fado, Portugal
10th June 2023 | 9:45pm
La Mal Coifée
Performance, World Music, France
THE SPLENDID, VALLETTA
4th-10th June 2023 | 10am - 8pm
Bil-Mixi Ġejt: The Life and Times of Il-Bambinu
Exhibition, Għana, Local
4th-10th June 2023 | 10am - 8pm
Ethnographic Documentary - O Għana Minn Hawn Għal Fejn?
Documentary, Għana, Maltese Language
7th June 2023 | 8:30pm
Ħlewwa Ta' Kitarrini
Flamenco, Għana, Fusion
PROGRAMME 2023
ABOUT RITMU
This year, Ritmu is going back to its roots. Between the 2nd and the 10th of June 2023, Ritmu Roots Festival is back. The programme, curated by artistic director Andrew Alamango, features the musical stylings of instrumentalists from around the Mediterranean, traditional Maltese folk music interwoven into contemporary sound, workshops for children and more. Audiences are also invited to experience traditional Maltese Għana music in its natural setting and get a taste of the genre’s history through an exhibition dedicated to Maltese Għannej (Maltese folk singer) Mikiel “Il-Bambinu” Abela.
PROGRAMME 2023

ANDREW ALAMANGO
Welcome to Ritmu Roots Festival 2023!
With this year's edition dedicated to the late għannej and troubadour Mikiel Abela ‘Il-Bambinu’, this week-long festival is a platform for traditional performing-arts which aims to inspire and connect people.
We believe that tradition is not just something to be preserved, but something to be engaged with.
Ritmu 2023 includes a strong awareness programme proposing activities which are aimed at informing new audiences and introducing new generations to the vocal-tradition, għana.
Ritmu 2023 includes an għana session in Żejtun, an exhibition on Strait Street in Valletta and the main stage in Argotti Gardens, Floriana. As you explore the festival grounds, we invite you to participate in workshops, watch performances, and try new foods that reflect the diverse traditions of our region.
By taking part in the many activities we have planned, we hope that you will gain a deeper appreciation of your own heritage and that of others. By participating, we acknowledge its practitioners who renew tradition and guarantee its performance in the future.
Finally, I would like to express gratitude to our sponsors, volunteers and staff who have worked tirelessly to make this festival possible.
Photo by Maria Grech during Ilħna Mitlufa (2018) for Teatru Malta
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

ANNABELLE STIVALA
Festivals Malta is continuing on its mission to present festivals that nourish an appreciation for Maltese cultural heritage by presenting Ritmu Roots Festival Malta. Now in its second year, this festival is an opportunity for locals, expats and visitors alike to experience the richness of Maltese culture within the context of other sonic cultures.
Happening this June, Ritmu Roots Festival will be taking on a completely new structure. Presenting an eclectic programme of events ranging from exhibitions, workshops, stalls and performances from internationally renowned performers such as Tchavolo Schmitt and La Mal Coifée alongside local musicians hailing from both a background of għana (Malta’s traditional folk music) and contemporary styles, this year’s Ritmu which will be happening from the 2-10 June 2023, promises to be a festival that allows audience members to experience Malta’s heritage hands-on.
Through the artistic direction of the festival’s new Artistic Director Andrew Alamango, who has both performed għana and actively researched the genre amongst others, Festivals Malta will continue to show its commitment towards keeping this tradition alive. I am confident that through the incredible programme that has been created for this year’s edition, everyone and anyone will be able to engage with what our musical heritage has to offer alongside other traditional music.
FESTIVALS MALTA CEO
FOREWORDS
RITMU AT ARGOTTI
