Irregular Argonauts

The wooden boat with its sides inscribed with a few of the most common (and oldest) Maltese surnames, is not only serving as a watercraft but it is also acting as a symbol for the movement of people. Until the end of the twentieth century, Malta did not regard immigration as a crisis but as a solution to a crisis. Emigration in Malta reached its peak during the immediate decades after the Second World War due to the precarious economic and demographic conditions of the island. Balancing the rapid growth in population, the increasing unemployment, and the limited economic resources that Malta had to offer, became a political problem. During this period, mass and rapid emigration functioned as a 'safety valve'. The Maltese surnames covering the sides of the boat represent this emigration era; it represents the relatively unobstructed movement of local people. Moreover, when studying the history of these surnames, one can find that none of them originated in Malta.