Mario Dimech Il-Qiequ

Mario Dimech Il-Qiequ

Mario Dimech Il-Qiequ.

is an improvised verse folksinger. He was born on the 18th May 1970 and hails from Birkirkara. He carries his father's nickname, although they are also know as Tal-Ġiżwa, derived from the name Joshua.

He recalls that when he was a child his father used to listen to folk music on Rediffusion, a lasting influence on the young Mario. He reveres Ninu Galea l-Kalora for his lyrical prowess and his favourite folk session is known as Tal-Qamel (The Lice) which had Galea paired with Żaru Mifsud l-Għaxqi.

                    Jien rasi bix-xagħar mimlija
                      Il-qamel fiha kemm jirgħu
                      Int f'rasek m'għandek l-ebda xagħra
                      U l-qamel tgħallmu jiskejzjaw.

Dimech began going out with Pinu Spiteri tal-Ġebel to Joe's Bar in Paola and in 1999 I folk sang for the first time with Ġużeppi Falzon Ix-Xakkaj from Qormi.

He has a folk ballad, written by Żeppi Spagnol Il-Kelba, which he sung with Janice Spagnol tal-Kelba, about the FIFA World Cup. Dimech's favourite folk ballad is Tal-Margun, also penned by Spagnol, about the drowning of two sisters from the Tas-Seba' Irġiel family.

For Dimech, għana is a means to forget life's woes and think about what is being folk sung by the adversaries. In 2006 he played a traditional terzin guitar for the funeral of Tereża Dimech, and folk sung six stanzas written by Toni Spiteri tal-Ġebel.

which is in the family heirloom. It is 127 years old and

From the age of seven, he became keen on horseracing and currently a jockey on the old Marsa racecourse and also active in horse street-racing.

In 2013 he participated in Għanafest.