On 16 November Joao Fernandes who is an advocate and tribal activist wrote a letter to Goanet (reproduced belowa0 where he complained about how the Gawdas, a tribe which can claim to be one of the original Goan settlers have been treated as slaves for centuries. He points out that both the State and the Church had colluded in keeping them subjugated.
He reminds us that the attempts of the Church to brings to destroy their culture. has continued after Liberation. He further brings to our notice that one priest named Fr Natolino Fernandes is even today attempting to destroy the culture of these Gawdas by browbeating and threatening Gawda women with dire consequences if they do not abandon their traditional cultural activities performed at the Maand. I believe that this cultural terrorism is highly condemnable and violates the human rights of the Gawdas. It should be forthwith stopped. I am quite shocked that despite three days passing since he made this appeal, not a single letter of support for the Gawdas from anyone has appeared on Goanet. I appeal to all to raise their voices against the cultural violence and atrocities, indeed cultural genocide being committed against the Christian Gawda community.. Augusto Pinto http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.culture.region.india.goa/157941 Are Christian Gawdas of Goa are the slaves of the catholic church or its priest? Christian Gawdas which has been declared as Schedule Tribe along with the other Tribes of Goa have their specific culture, their ethos, their life style. >From the studies it reveals that the catholic Gawdas among the other Tribal communities of Goa are the most backward economically, socially and educationally and the most voiceless community in Goa. There are so many reason for this, it appears that the Christian Gawdas of Goa have been treated as slaves by the high caste including the religious institutions to which they belongs to and History is witness to it. The unique culture the Gawdas have preserved even during the dictatorship of the state that is during the Portuguese regime when the church and the state was working hand in hand. But after liberation of Goa or when democracy has been introduce the church has destroyed the cultural heritage of Gawdas. Is it because the modern church in Goa considers it is the master and the Gawdas are its Slaves. It is history that slaves haves no right to preserve their culture, they to behave as per their master, they have no freedom. In support my above contention I hereby site one example. There is a traditional mand at Quineabhat Avedem Quepem belongs to the Gawdas, which is still alive. The Avedem Group has spread the culture of the Gawdas across the borders of Goa and even beyond the borders of India. This they could do because of the existence mand. As Amelia Dias who is the leader of the group puts it “ that because of playing on the mand we could get artist without training and thus we could keep our cultural group for 4o years”. But the latest development in Avedem is that the young assistant priest Fr. Natolino Fernandes, who have been appointed at Paroda church, being young who want name and fame and may be want fast promotion and who is the follower of Fr. Luis Countinho, ( the same priest Fr. Luis Coutinho was responsible for the destruction of the rich Cultural heritage of the Gawdas at Ambaulim when he was newly appointed at Ambaulim only with a motto to get name and fame) is propagating that the Gawdas should not light their traditional lamp on the tradition mand, they cannot brack coconut on the mand, they cannot sang certain songs at the mand, indirectly they cannot perform Dhalo at the mand. He has even took some of the ladies in the church and had taken a vow of not playing Dhalo at the mand, and even threatened them of dire consequences it they disobey. To dictate such things, are the Gawdas slaves of the church/priest and the church/priest are our dictators? The church or its priest may be considering so. From the behavior of the church/priest it appears so. This is against article 29 of the constitution of India which is the supreme law of the land which article guarantee cultural freedom. But it appears that we are in dictatorship rather than in democracy and the religious dogmas are supreme then the law of the land. This is a big question to be answered by all the likeminded.