ePub Mvuh Hpa Mi Hpa / Creating Heaven; Creating Earth: An Epic Myth of the Lahu People in Yunnan by From Brand: Silkworm Books in History

Description

Georgio Scala; a young man of humble origins; from Damiata; was captured on a trading vessel by the Knights of Malta in 1590 not far from his home town. He was enslaved in spite of his protestations that he was a Christian and so began the story of his life in the island of Malta. After gaining his freedom some years later; Scala made a life for himself in Valletta; the new capital and married Bernardina Mendicino. Outwardly a good Christian; his behaviour and his consorting with Moorish slaves; however; caused some to question his religious beliefs; leading to his appearance before the Inquisition in 1598; accused of apostasy. The proceedings of his trial were discovered in the Cathedral Archives; Mdina; Malta and provide a vivid picture of the times; the interaction between the various communities in Valletta and the all-important role of the Inquisition. Among the folios of the proceedings were found three letters; written in the Arabic dialect of Sfax (Tunisia) by a scribe for Moorish galley slaves. The letters are a unique find; giving first-hand accounts of the misery of their lives at sea and on shore. This book is the result of collaboration among ten researchers from Birmingham; Exeter; Leeds and Malta; each revealing a different aspect of Scala’s world. The end product is a fascinating study of Malta in the late 1600s; in which we hear; first hand; the voices of the common people; with all their immediacy and spontaneity; something not usually found in the dry dust of formal and legal documents.