Botanical Fabulations: Sensory-scapes, memory, and the courage to search for home

 

We spoke about traditions on the use of the jasmine flower shared between Malta, Tunisia, and India, and plants such as tomatoes, chillies, and sunflowers that travelled across oceans before becoming part of new cultures and identities. These stories opened conversations about displacement, movement, and what it means to make a place feel like home.

 

One recurring theme was that belonging is not something fixed. Like plants, people move, adapt, and grow through relationships, care, and connection. We reflected on how cultures have always been shaped by exchange, and how diversity enriches the communities we share.

 

Thank you to Refugee Week Malta and the Franciscan Capuchin Friary in Floriana who hosted us, and everyone who joined us and helped cultivate a garden of stories, memories, and hope.