Mikiel Abela "il-Bambinu" was born on the 16th of August 1920 in Żejtun. He was brought up and lived in his father’s farmhouse that is located between Il-Qajjenza and Marsaxlokk.

"Il-Bambinu" was the son of farmers and like his parents he worked and looked after the animals he loved. He was married and had five children. When his wife Ġużeppa died he wrote the fatt called "il-Firda Eterna".

As well as looking after his farm, he had many other different jobs and various businesses. He started work by selling Paraffin (pitrolju) and some time later started selling ricotta. During the war he was a builder with the Government Engineers, digging shelters. Later he had a Karozzin and was a door to door salesman selling milk produced by his own goats. He sold pots and pans, had a furniture shop, a meat shop and even sold vegetables. At one time he ran a small Hotel in Marsaxlokk called "Il- Kavlarizza".

When he was about 30 years old he emigrated to Australia but returned to Malta a year later. On his return from Australia he worked for a short time as a fisherman and then in the  building  industry  but since he did not like these jobs

Il-Bambinu took part in many għana competitions at il- Buskett and won many prizes. He sang in the Folklore Festival in Agrigento, in Sicily, and also sang to Maltese communities in Australia, Canada, London in the UK, Germany, Milan in Italy and Libya. He also sang at an activity held at the Manoel Theatre in the presence of Libyan President Gaddafi.
 
Unlike most għannejja, "il-Bambinu"'s għana and fatti are found in a written format which we can now enjoy and study. In 1988 some of these poems were printed in a book called "Il-Bambinu, Għana u Poeżiji" by SKS, Marsa, Malta.

"Il-Bambinu" was very diverse in his għana and fatti. He wrote  many  fatti  about  his  friends,  mostly għannejja like

In the fatt he wrote about his cousin, "Storja ta' Żeppi Abela (il-Fenka)", "il-Bambinu" dreams that that  Żeppi Abela, Fredu Spiteri, Pawlu "l-Bies" and himself were at il-Buskett gardens, the night before the celebrations of l- Imnarja. In the final part of this fatt, "il-Bambinu" laments on how għana in il-Buskett is not what it used to be. He remembers how they used to start singing ghana at ten in the evening and carried on until midday, the following day.

"Il-Bambinu" also wrote many political fatti. Some of these include "Malta taħt Mintoff", "Il-Lupu u l-Priża", "L-Integration", "Fuq Borg Oliver" and "il- Bastiment Nukleari".

"Il-Bambinu" took what he wrote very seriously. When he wrote a fatt about some murder that had taken place, it was not enough for him to read about it in the papers, but used to go to the courts to hear the juries for himself.

Mikel Abela "il-Bambinu" died on the 10th of February 1991. He and will be remembered as one of the best għannejja whom Żejtun has produced. He was loved by other għannejja and dilatants of għana alike. When "il- Bambinu" died a monument in his honour was built at the entrance to his hometown Żejtun.