Manwel Dimech: The Maltese Criminal You Should Be Grateful For
Manwel Dimech is one of our country’s greatest heroes. Dimech was not only fearless; he was also a social reformer, a poet, a novelist, a philosopher, and a journalist, fighting to make Malta a better place for everyone.
He was born in humble beginnings in 1860, fighting his way through the prison system to educate himself and become a champion for the most vulnerable in the country.
Dimech was considered a very dangerous figure — he challenged political structures, encouraged women to fight for their rights, and roared for freedom and independence from our oppressors.
1. Prison meets rehabilitation
Born in Valletta in 1860, Manwel Dimech had a troubled youth. Between complicity in murders, and fraud, by the age of 37, Manwel had spent more years in jail than as a free man.
But instead of coming out of prison a hardened criminal, he became fluent in six languages and emerged as a new man.
2. The Flag of the Maltese
In 1898, this linguistic ability led him to start “The Flag of the Maltese” newspaper. Dimech wanted to raise awareness among the Maltese public on what he thought was wrong with the country’s British administration.
He started to push the idea of organised worker associations. Eventually, Dimech set up an association of Maltese citizens to promote progress in education and improve Malta’s social conditions.
Manwel Dimech
3. The “small-minded” Maltese
Manwel Dimech addressed a lot of issues in his writings. But his ultimate criticism was towards what he called the “small-mindedness” of the Maltese population.
Frank and plain-spoken as always, Dimech’s point was that large swathes of the Maltese population unquestioningly accepted whatever they were told.
4. Trouble brewing
The Church took exception to what Dimech was writing about the role of women in public life, the attitude of some members of the clergy, and how people should look at civil and religious authority.
In response, Dimech stated that he was faithful to the Catholic teaching, but it was the Church which was not being faithful to the teachings of the Gospels.
The place where Dimech was born
5. A good ol’ ex-communication
In 1911, Maltese Bishop Sir Pietro Pace excommunicated Manwel Dimech on the accusation of preaching the Illuminism philosophy, which was condemned by the Church at the time.
The aggressive religious campaign against him reached its peak in 1912 when he was almost stoned to death by the public while trying to give a speech in Qormi.
The fact that the masses were now turning against him, ironically, served to prove his point.
6. A change in the Maltese character
Unsurprisingly, Dimech strongly opposed the colonial system. After 1911, he spoke out publicly in favour of independence from the UK.
He also had a great appreciation for the Maltese language as an instrument of national identity, at a time when the dominant narrative was whether our main language should be English or Italian.
7. A vibrant life, a solitary death
In 1914, during WWI, the British saw Dimech as “agitating the Dockyard workers”. Thousands were employed at the Dockyard at the time, and mobilising them against the government would have had dire consequences for the British administration. Soon enough, Dimech was permanently exiled to Egypt, where he died in 1921.
8. His legacy
Few people have matched the impact that Dimech had on the Maltese national identity. His preachings turned many heads, but the emancipation of women and compulsory education are widely accepted today. Dimech planted the seeds which decades later blossomed into a willingness to fight for a free and independent Malta.
This article is part of an ongoing collaborative series by Spunt.mt and Lovin Malta.
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Which other Maltese heroes deserve more attention?