Our Story

The society was originally called Mosta Talent Group and was established at Oratorju tal-Qalb ta Gesu in Mosta at the end of 1983, thanks to the efforts of two young people from Mosta, Edwin Vassallo, who is now member of Parliament and Reuben Caruana. The main purpose of the group was to create theatre with a Christian message. Since the beginning, this society took the initiative to organize cultural activities in the locality of Mosta and to give joy to those who were faced with the bitterness of life. One of the most memorable ones was Storja ta’ Poplu a musical staged in the picturesque square of Mosta underneath the majestic sanctuary of the Rotunda, narrating the story of the town of Mosta from its humble beginnings of farmer dwellings to the building of the church and the perils of World War II. It was a great success and the people in Mosta still remember it fondly.

Happy memories. Clockwise from top left, A scene from the popular theatre productions on the Passion of Christ held at the Oratory; A scene from Storja ta’ Poplu held at the Mosta Square; Talent Mosti committee visiting the late Fr Angelo Camilleri who for many years was responsible for the Oratory and saw the beginning of the organization; a scene from the video Wenzu u Rozi by Talent Mosti

During the nineties, the society managed to successfully produce nothing less than eight videos depicting the traditional literary characters of Wenzu Rozi, the humorous folk tales of Gahan as well as others on the Holy Week and the feast of Santa Marija in Mosta. Both documentaries were also translated in English. The proceeds of all of these productions, which amounted to €34,880 (Lm15, 000), were donated to charitable purposes and the then restoration of the Rotunda.

In August of 1998, the society was granted the Farmhouse of the Marquis Mallia Tabone on the edge of the picturesque valley of  Wied il-Ghasel in Mosta to use it for cultural purposes with a philantropic aim, and this in cooperation with the Head and Council of the School Lily of the Valley that lies next to the same farmhouse. This traditional Maltese dwelling became a haven for those who seek to express their artistic talents donated by God. The activities vary from purely artistic to other literary ones or those with a religious and folkloristic aspect. There are exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, arts and crafts while a number of exhibitions are related to particular feasts such as Christmas, the Holy Week and Passion of our Lord and the feast of Santa Marija. There are also a number of literary evenings and public interviews with several writers, poets and authors that have made a name on a local and national level. This not to mention the evenings to commemorate and honor the dear people and friends of the Għaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti that went to meet the Risen Lord, along with concerts, discussions and evenings of ghana and opera.

In November of 1999, Talent Mosti started a new page of cooperation with the International Charity Society. This foundation works to help less fortunate children and orphans in many countries around the world and so depends on the generosity of people.

The Cultural Centre of the Għaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti has also set up a permanent exhibition of traditional tools and crafts that were restored to their original state thanks to the voluntary work of the members. Other very interesting artefacts are those belonging to the late popular folk singer l-ghannej Frans Baldacchino ‘il-Budaj’ and the national sculptor Anton Agius, both dear friends of Talent Mosti. The cultural centre is open daily  Saturdays and Sundays included, between 6.00 and 9.00 pm. The activities are always open to the general public and entrance is free.

Within a few years, the Farmhouse of the Markiz Mallia Tabone has become a national cultural centre open to a variety of artistic disciplines on a national and international level. The Għaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti is proud to have welcomed the leading names in the fields of culture, politics, philantropy and media, apart from artists at every level and artistic disciplines, both locally as well as from Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom and Norway. The traditional Christmas exhibitions held at the Centre have won numerous awards on a national level.

In 2001 the society was awarded Gieh il-Mosta by the Mosta Local Council for its cultural and philantropic work, something which will remain instilled in its roots.

To date the society has donated €53,488 (Lm23,000) to charitable causes. The Għaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti is run by a committee and membership is open to everyone against a yearly donation of €5.

The Għaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti is determined to continue its work for the preservation of our heritage and traditions, being a hub for culture and artistic expression and giving a helping hand to the less fortunate. Talent Mosti welcomes everyone to visit the Centre for National Culture Razzett tal-Markiż Mallia Tabone. The members, who gather there in the evenings, will happily welcome you for a friendly chat, guide you through the interesting exhibitions and why not a have a glass of homemade wine, while together enjoying the nice atmosphere of the farmhouse’s courtyard.

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The Committee 2008/2009

Joe Bartolo (President), Louis Vassallo (Vice President),  Mario Bugeja (Secretary), Eric Frendo (Assistant Secretary), Marthese Cassia (Treasurer), Carmelo Fenech (Assistant Treasurer), Maria Lewis (PRO), Mark Attard (Representative), David Zammit (Director),  Andrew Borda (Member), Alfred Cassia (Member)

see also committee underneath sections

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 Our motto and Patron Saint

Għall-ġid u l-ferħ tal-proxxmu – For the good and happiness of the community

Our society is set around the values of solidarity and this we try and achieve it through our charitable work. We also believe that sometimes a smile is worth a lot and the activities that we organize are all set to create happy moments.

Our patron saint is Francis of Assisi. This holy humble man dedicated his life towards the poor and less fortunate, donating everything he had to become one with God. He went around preaching about the Almighty love, praising him with song and music. He was in love with everything that God created and in nature he saw His great work. Talent Mosti looks at the saint as an inspiration for their work and pray that he looks on them to achieve the good he always believed in.

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 The official hymn

The society marked its 20th anniversary during a Music and Literature night held on Saturday 19th July 2003 at the Centre for National Culture Razzett tal-Markiż Mallia Tabone, in which the official song Innu lill-Għaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti was performed for the first time. This folkloristic hymn witha  mediterranean sound narrates the aims and history of the society and was penned and composed by Alfred C Sant and Mro Ray Agius respectively both from Mosta and friends of Għaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti. The hymn was performed by the much missed Frans Baldacchino il-Budaj, one of the great friends of the society. It is performed at every official event held by the society and has been a sold to friends of the society both locally and abroad. The hymn was recorded at the studios of Philip Vella in Mellieha and is available as a CD from the Razzett tal-Markiż Mallia Tabone in Mosta.

Click here to listen to the hymn Innu lill-Għaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti

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The Centre for National Culture

‘Razzett tal-Markiż Mallia Tabone’

“Our voluntary project presents on excellent idea to promote farmhouses and other buildings that are examples of indigenous architecture. Tourists are interested in following the cultural and social evolution of the Maltese people and making such buildings accessible to visitors is one of way of doing it.’’ Joe Bartolo, President Għaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti.

The farmhouse overlooking the valley of Wied il-Ghasel in Mosta was the property of the noble family of the Marquis Mallia Tabone. Fr. Salv Magro, who used to look after the spiritual needs of the Mallia Tabone family, said that in the early 1900s Saver and Tereza Mallia Tabone had four girls and four boys.

They owned a plot of land at Bizbizija and another at Hal Luqa which earned them about £100 a year apart from a number of leases. They used to hunt birds and eat from the land. The Markiz (Marquis) title was known as tal-Fiddien with its seat in Zejtun.

The Mallia Tabone used to live in a big house that still stands close to the Rotunda. Fr. Magro recalls that they used to keep several animals in the farmhouse for their daily needs. The last members of the family bequeathed the Mosta priest an exquisite clock and a set of oil paintings as a token of appreciation for his spiritual services. These precious items were donated by Fr. Magro to the Rotunda and can be seen in the sacristy.

The land adjoining the farmhouse was expropriated by the government in the early 1960s to build the Lily of the Valley School. In the 1980s the farmhouse was saved from being demolished by the timely intervention of Dr. Daniel Micallef, former Minister of Education. The farmhouse was in a terrible state and thanks to the initiative of the school’s headmistress, Ms Doris Aquilina, was renovated. It was then Education Minister, Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, who accepted Ms. Aquilina proposal and the place was revamped by the students of the Glormu Cassar school of stonemasons.

The school started making use of the farmhouse and during the period while Evarist Bartolo was Education Minister, an agreement was signed between the school’s council and Ghaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti for both to make use of the razzett. Nowadays the farmhouse not only is a place for cultural events with a philantropic aim but has been given new life by the members of the society thanks to the exhibits presented in the rooms that make up this humble building. Maltese traditional tools used for agriculture and other trades share the space with memorabilia belonging to Maltese personalities such as the late folk singer Frans Baldacchino il-Budaj and the national sculptor Anton Agius.

The above illustration shows Nicola Mallia Tabone ‘Marquis di Fiddien’ (1894 – 1973) the seventh and last member of the Mallia Tabone to hold the title of Marquis. He used to live in the farmhouse that is now the premises of Għaqda Filantropika Talent Mosti. Illustration by Philip Borg.