Freedom Day Commemoration

The freedom memorial in Birgu was designed by the local sculptor Antonio Agius at the orders of the then prime minister and pioneer for the freedom, Dom Mintoff who had given very specific instructions for the sculptor. It is more than just a monument , it commemorates the end of an era, when the British government closed down its military base in Malta, on 31 March 1979

The mound was constructed of large stones brought in from Dingli Cliffs, and planted with different types of cactus and other trees, bringing the countryside into urban Birgu. Standing on top of the mound are four full-size allegorical figures representing a British sailor bidding farewell with a last handshake to a Maltese worker, another Maltese worker hoisting the Maltese flag and a bugler. These roles were played out in the actual ceremony on the handover day on 31 March 1979, the first Freedom Day.. Along the passage leading up to the statues on the mound are bronze phrases and words in Maltese, produced by workers from the nearby dockyard, referring to the workers’ struggle for freedom.