Canadian man celebrates his Maltese roots in Toronto

A Canadian man who fell in love with his Maltese roots, organised an Mnarja festival in Toronto last week attended by hundreds of Maltese Canadians and their friends who feasted on Twistees, Kinnie, pastizzi and Maltese sausage.

Carl Azzopardi, 38, was born in Canada, after his parents and grandparents, who were born in Malta, emigrated there. His grandmother lived in Canada for 18 years but refused to learn English and continued to speak in Maltese.

“Maltese was the only language she knew. She did not speak English, and as a young boy, she would speak to me about Malta, Maltese, people and culture for hours, and she would always tell me, ‘don’t forget where you came from’,” Azzopardi recalled.

“Her passion for Malta was so contagious that I fell in love with it as well. She died 16 years ago, but all that she used to tell me stuck with me and I wanted to keep it alive.”

And he is sticking to his word. Over the past months, along with a committee of the Maltese Canadian Federation, Azzopardi took over one of the largest Maltese festivals in Canada – the Mnarja festival.

The festival has been on the Maltese community calendar for around 30 years but lately its popularity was...