As the fatigue of the Convention slowly diminishes I would like to share
with our community the events that came to pass at the "2008 International
GOAN Convention". We are grateful to all the participants, delegates and
presenters for bringing so much to the table and leaving the convention
enriched. This all began at the Goan Convention held in Lisbon last year
when my husband, Kevin Saldanha, agreed to take on the onerous task of
holding the 2008 Goan Convention in Canada. Two days before the Lisbon
Convention, Kevin called me to say that no Goan representatives from Canada
were attending the Goan International Convention being held in Lisbon in
June, 2007. On impulse, we proceeded to buy airline tickets, accommodation
and then ensured that registration was still available for the convention. A
decision we have never regretted. Virginia Gomes from Portugal was a great
inspiration and managed to carry out the Portugal convention with grace and
efficiency, and a sweet friendship was born between us.
For me the Lisbon Convention introduced me to great creative minds like
Wendell Rodricks and Victor Rangel Ribeiro. Surprisingly, I connected with
these Goan celebrities on a very personal level, they were down-to-earth and
incredibly approachable. I soon bought into the convention and felt that in
order to be a success we had to invite these famous Goans to bring
friendship, creativity and inspiration to our community in Canada and bridge
the gap between Goans around the world through interactive learning and
mentorship. Hence the format of workshops together with presentations was
born. We also understood the need to balance the program with social
activities and included a Konkani tiatr, a Goan idol competition and Mando
performance, and finally a "Grand Ball" to conclude the event.
In November 2007 the GNAT organization was formed, and a convention
committee established.
Both Victor Rangel Ribeiro and Wendell Rodricks accepted Kevin's invitation
to be part of the 2008 Convention, and later Alexyz and Dean D'Cruz came
aboard. Soon a comprehensive program started to materialize.
On Tuesday July 22, the night before the convention officially commenced, an
exclusive showing was held for Wendell Rodricks in the trendy down-town area
of Yorkville, known for its high-end shopping clientele. This was an elegant
and classy affair, attended by invitation only, and held at the Toronto
store INDIVA. A small committee of Olinda Fernandes, Placido Dias and myself
pulled this affair together. While I liaised with Wendell initially, it was
ultimately Olinda's hard work and contacts, and finally Placido's incredible
creative genius and sponsors that took this event to an all time "high".
Although Wendell has graced the catwalks of Europe and USA, this was his
first showing in Toronto, and was truly a smash! India's "Guru" of
minimalism made his Canadian debut with his "Goa spa collection 2008.
Wendell is one of India's most celebrated contemporary designers and his
very impressive list of clients includes Angelina Jolie, Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan, Goldie Hawn, Meg Ryan, Malaika Arora, Rekha and Lisa Ray.
(more to follow)
Lisette Saldanha ( Convention events coordinator)
