GOANS OVERSEAS: BUILDING BRIDGES FROM PORTUGAL... VIA CYBERSPACE One generation after Portugal and its 451-year-old former colony Goa suddenly snapped their ties, a new generation of expats based there are finding that cyberspace is building bridges that cut across language, political and geographical gaps.
Constantino Hermanns Xavier, 20, is of Goan-German origins and lives in Portugal. His father's roots are in Verna, Salcete while his grand-mum still lives in Fontainhas, Panjim. His mum comes from Dusseldorf, Germany. After living in Germany and Brazil, the family has been 22 years in Lisbon, where he lives with his brother Isabel (27) and Leonardo (18). Says he: "My interests, besides everything related to Goa, are history, sports (I played football in a district league for three years). I'm also active with my student friends from university at the Centre for Studies in Political Science and International Relations. During a recent sojourn in Goa, he spoke about The Portuguese Political System at the Goa University in February. Currently he studies his third year of International Relations, at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. "Future plans are always open and changing," says he. To understand how expat Goan communities have been using the Net, FREDERICK NORONHA quizzed Xavier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. Excerpts: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- How would you describe your current work as a 'online community builder' for the Goan community in Portugal? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm part of a younger generation of Goans, who were already born outside Goa, here in Portugal, or in some other country. These young people of Goan origin are pretty much fully integrated in the Portuguese society, and have access to Internet and other modern resources. That's why, three years back, I started a website on Goa (that time it was called vivaGoa). I am trying to link this generation upto today's Goa, so they see this "place far away in India" still exists and is part of them and their ancestors. Besides this cultural and value oriented objective, I also try to pass on the message that Goa maintains a huge potential they can explore: as a holiday spot, as a business opportunity, as a historical place where they can find their roots...and so on. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What's the size of the Goan community in Portugal? We hear widely varying figures... what does your experience suggest? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The size of the Goan community in Portugal -- mainly centered in Lisbon and surrounding areas, but also around Coimbra -- is very hard to estimate. Who is a Goan? Do you count younger people like me in? On what criteria? I have heard many figures: numbers are around 10,000 to 50,000. The Goan community consists mainly of Catholics, but there have been always some important Hindu families who are fully integrated into the Portuguese society. There are Goans from different origins and Goans who have arrived at different historical periods: before 1961 we had for centuries a long immigration trend coming from the old "Estado Portugues da India". Goans would come (to Portugal) to continue their studies, to work in the public administration, and so on. There are important goans who have achieved great reputation here: Francisco Luis Gomes, Alfredo da Costa, (the ophthalmologist) Gama Pinto and many more. After 1961, following ... the end of Portuguese colonial power in India, many Goans left for Portugal, for professional and academic purposes, for political reasons (the Portuguese authorities encouraged thousands of Goans to emigrate) and also for economical reasons, looking for a better life in Europe. Besides this, a third group of Goans arrived in Portugal after 1974, with the end of the Portuguese colonial regimes in Africa, mainly from Mozambique. These Goans had lived for many years in Africa, and still today they remain a "community within the community", strongly attached to their memories from the African continent. As in all immigrant communities, there are strong differences between the elder and the younger generations. In the Goan community, these differences are even more striking. There is a common religion and language with the Portuguese, sometimes even the same educational and cultural values. This makes easier the integration into the Portuguese society, especially for the younger generations, since they have not lived in Goa and were brought up in Portugal. Their friends are Portuguese and they are hardly conscious of their Asian and Indo-Portuguese roots. Curiously, sometimes it's only their darker skin tone that makes them remember that they are not exactly "100% Portuguese". Besides that, they could be as Portuguese as our prime-minister! There are hardly any relations with other communities hailing from India, (due to socio-economic and religious-cultural differences). Mainly businessmen hail from North India, especially from Gujarat. Although not as integrated as Goans are, these Indian immigrants have a great community life centered at their beautiful temple in Lisbon (Radhakrishna). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is the state of Goan usage of the Net in Portugal? If not high enough, what are the factors blocking it? We don't get much news from the Goan community in Portugal back in Goa. Why is that? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Of course the language factor is very important in this aspect. Most other major Goan communities around the world are based in English-speaking countries: U.S.A, Canada, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia... Besides, Portugal has not witnessed a very high integration into the Internet. Slowly, people are getting used to it, and by now all companies have their websites and the majority of Portuguese have their e-mail address. Since the Goan community associations are mainly composed by elder people, the presence in the Internet has been very weak. Their children, although familiarized with the Internet and new technologies, are not keen in keeping up their links with Goa. That's why we are assisting (to cope with) a "generation gap". There's a whole Goan heritage, full of values and memories, which is not finding a fertile ground in this younger generation. This ground will have to be created and supported urgently, in case Goans want to preserve their identity in Portugal. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What role do you see the Net playing for the Goan community in Portugal in future? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- My major goal, by starting Supergoa.com website on the Internet, was to build up a link between Goa and the younger generation of Goans here in Portugal. It's obvious you will not gain their attention with traditional dances, heritage festivals, formal "boring" meetings and so many other events that don't attract younger people. The Internet is surely a fast and modern possibility, highly attractive to all younger people. That's why I started this website in order also to represent this huge -- but sometimes silent -- community on the Internet. Interestingly, many Goans were living -- and some are still living -- in their own little world, based upon an image of Goa more than 40 years old. This image of Goa -- for someone as me who has been regularly in Goa since the 90's -- is totally out of date. By showing Goans in Portugal how "modern Goa" looks like -- both in its positive and negative aspects -- supergoa.com online community especially through the news section from Goa could play an important role in renewing the image of Goa in many minds. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tell us your own story, how did you get hooked onto the Net in the first place? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was through my fathers initiative, when I was 16. At a time where the word Internet was still a "monster-word" in Portugal, he got a connection and encouraged me to start a website on Goa. I started very small: a table with facts and numbers on Goa! Since then, as VivaGoa first, then as Supergoa.com. the website has been growing gradually. Today there are more then 16,000 visitors monthly, from all over he world. The Supergoa.com discussion forum has witnessed many interesting conversations between people from different countries and has even led to the organization of the the first celebrations of World Goa Day, in Portugal, in August of last summer. Now we are already working with all other Goan associations in Portugal on the 2nd Goa, Daman and Diu Day, which will be marked in Portugal, on the 16th, 17th and 20th of August. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What other interesting Goan initiatives have come up in Portugal via the Net? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Slowly the Goan associations are entering cyber-space. The major Goan association in Portugal -- Casa de Goa -- has it's website at www.goacom.com/casa-de-goa. The Associacao Recreativa e Cultural Indo-Portuguesa (ARCIP) is represented at www.supergoa.com/arcip. They edit a very good magazine on Goa, called Voz do Oriente (Voice from the Orient). There are other small Internet pages, by Goans, but they are probably not updated regularly. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you try to convince people about the utility of the Net for expat communities, what is their response? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- People are generally quite open towards the Internet. At the beginning it was more difficult, since nobody knew what it was and what utility it had. My major problem is to get sponsors and publicity for Supergoa.com, since I have costs I have to cover monthly. I'm trying to contact restaurants, institutions, foundations etc. in order to know if they are able to advertise on Supergoa.com, and help finance it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What motivates you in doing the work you do? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- My love for Goa, for it's culture and unique identity. Of course, my parents always helped me and encouraged me in my activities. But don't ask me how it started; I am tempted to answer it's in me since I was born. (ENDS) -- Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa * India 832.409490 / 409783 GOAPIX in.photos.yahoo.com/fredericknoronha * GOANEWS www.goacom.com/news/ LINKS TO GOA http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
