The knowledge involved in baking bread, passed down through generations, teaches us a lot about a place - its history, culture, environment and resources all embodied in the act of the baker sensing, smelling, tasting, touching and manipulating ingredients in time. In diaspora, baking bread becomes a way to keep a sense of home alive through recreating recipes using ingredients - and sometimes reworking techniques - from the host country. Through interviews with people from around the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia, we will learn about the embodied process of making bread in the diaspora, of creating and recreating culture through food. These interviews will be displayed as a photo and text exhibition at Ta' Nenu Artisan Bakery in Valletta, alongside the publication. Here, our small community of bakers will come together for a ftira-making workshop, culminating in a ftira-and-recipe sharing session for all, celebrating our different bread cultures and the connections between them. Launch of publication organised by Geġwiġija.

Programme

Photo and text Exhibition of Bread: Ta' Nenu Bakery Valletta from Monday 16th till Sunday 22nd between 12.00pm till 10.00pm. Zine Launch: Saturday 14th June

Ftira-making workshops at Ta' Nenu Artisan Bakery in Valletta on Tuesday 17th and Thursday 19th June from 11.00am till 12.30pm.

Biographies

Noah Fabri

Noah Fabri trained in anthropology and writes fiction, plays, and music with the collective Karmaġenn. Their practice often centres around exploring urban space, walking and the politics of intimacy, concepts which they kneaded together in their novel It-Togħma Morra Taċ-Ċiċri (2024). Noah's practice comes from their participation in DIY communities, where they first learned the collaborative methods used in their work, including the publications Dar Imħawra (2021) and Nanniet Laġenba (2024) with Martina Farrugia, and the performances/installations Inbigħu l‐Imqaret (2021), Huma Min Huma? (2021), Insalata (2023) and Ħaxix Ħażin (2024). Noah's also a part of Geġwiġija, a community built around a pop-up library.

Dance Beyond Borders

Producers Dance Beyond Borders (DBB) adopt an artistic approach to bring people together, celebrating diverse identities and transforming conflict into connection. They aim to support individuals in thinking critically and feeling deeply about their experiences. Merging the worlds of art and activism, their work addresses social justice issues that affect our communities while creating spaces where artistic expression and social engagement converge, promoting dialogue, understanding and connection across diverse communities. DBB is the local producer of the global festival Refugee Week; the largest arts and cultural annual festival that celebrates the contributions, creativity and resilience of people seeking safety.

Kisra Hobż forms part of Refugee Week Malta and the Malta International Arts Festival. It is made possible thanks to the collaboration with Festivals Malta, Dance Beyond Borders, Nenu the Artisan Baker and Maypole.

This project is supported by Arts Council Malta, Dance Beyond Borders, Refugee Week Malta, Ta Nenu Artisan Baker & Maypole.