Documentary on Street Games in Malta - BOV 2013 Calendar

This clip gives an overview of street games that our grandparents and parents in Malta used to play when they were children. These games were chosen as the theme for Bank of Valletta's calendar for 2013. Nowadays, it would be unheard of for children to play unsupervised or to wander off into nearby fields. This was not always the case. If we rewind our story by a few decades, we would find a time before the advent of television and computers, when street games formed a big part of children's lives in Malta.

In the pre-war era, children were expected to amuse themselves. Fortunately, streets were not yet taken over by traffic and served as makeshift playgrounds. Even. back then, games and toys were more than merely a pastime but served to develop co-ordination skills as well as appropriate social skills and interaction.

Street games helped children to build their character and confidence and also instilled a neighbourhood sense of community, something whcih remains a core value for Bank of Valletta.

At Bank of Valletta we have always been interested in our heritage and culture in all its guises. This is central to our Bank's ethos as a culture that values the individual and the community. As an active corporate citizen, the Bank is committed to supporting the community through a programme which is founded on seven pillars: arts and culture; heritage; environment; social; sport; education; and business strategic alliances.

The Bank is a leading patron of initiatives that bring together generations through their appreciaiton of historical artefacts.


The narration is by Guido Lanfranco, researcher and historian. He has written numerous articles for various periodicals, and published well over twenty books, mostly about local nature, history and culture. He has won several literary prizes for his books and poetry. In 1969, he was awarded the bronze medal of merit of the Federation of Civic Councils and in 1996 'Medalja ghall-Qadi tar-Repubblika' for his contribution to local culture and nature conservation.

The photographer and artist responsible for this project was Joe P. Smith. He is an artist constantly in search of new and contemporary channels for expressing his photographic vision. He has a strong preference for architectural, environmental portraiture and performing arts photography. Joe has been the recipient of numerous local and international awards and he has lectured and judged extensively locally as well as in the international sphere.