>From Lisbon to Toronto Part II
I liked and learnt from the presentations. They were informative and related to
Goan identity one way or another because they reflected the lived experiences
of people who either live and work in Goa, or people like me who have been away
from Goa for a long time but still remain emotionally attached to the land, to
its people and to its culture. I belong to those who feel we should make every
effort to help our children understand our ethos, without forcing anything down
their throat (which does not work anyway) but rather by letting them choose if
and how they wish to remain connected, besides visiting their grandparents and
loving and loved extended families. But we have to provide the opportunities
for the connections to happen.
The blow in the stomach came from Dean d’ Cruz. It is one thing to read and to
be informed about the extremely negative impacts of mega-development in Goa,
but quite another to watch a succession of ppt. screens that make it all so
real. It was one document that did more to contribute to awareness-raising than
many other documents I have read and events I have heard about (like the
on-going agitation in many villages, including my native village of Benaulim)!
This document can be put to very good use by all of us and I am sure Dean will
receive many requests for further information, including in relation to the
2021 Regional Plan.
The fact is that mega-development (or re-development, or beautification or
renovation, or whatever else you may choose to call it) is causing
environmental degradation and taking away people’s homes and livelihoods
elsewhere in India and in other developing and developed countries without
proper consideration for the protection of the human rights of displaced
communities by way of adequate respect for their opinion, or compensation or
rehabilitation in case of forced evictions. It only shows how extensive the
problem is and how much we have to gain by uniting our efforts under common
banners in order to look for viable development alternatives.
I haven’t had the possibility of looking at all the books that were launched at
the Goan literature panel. It was a great idea. I have enjoyed glancing at
Alexyz’s cartoons, in his book Goa, Goan, Goaing, Gone…? and out of his book,
including one of me, drawn up in a paper napkin, the day of the reception. He
is super at picking up your weak points (like my long nose….)!! I was glad to
know from a message from George Pinto that Alexyz’s Great Goan exhibition at
the Indian Community Centre in California was a great success. Cheers, Alexyz
and George!
Of the books that were launched I have only read Cheryl Antao’s “The Dance of
the Peacock” that I recommend not only because the poems are beautifully
written but because, once again, her lived experiences as a woman belonging to
a minority strengthen every word she writes. I look forward to re-reading
Tivolem after Victor Rangel Ribeiro reminded us of Maria Santana’s suitors in
her grandmother’s village and to reading Ben Antao and Marinella Proenca for
the first time.
Francis Rodrigues gave us a good half an hour on Goan music of the last 50
years. It was an unexpected but really interesting take because he holds a
wealth of information and personal knowledge of many of our music icons like
Frank Fernandes, Chris Perry, Lorna, Alfred Rose, Remo and others. The work
done on the transcription of musical pieces for the book he will be publishing
soon on the favourite songs of the Diaspora provides yet another and
(relatively untapped) approach to Goan music. I wish Francis would comply with
my request to post his presentation on the website. We will of course miss his
humming of the tunes, but we will certainly benefit from the written word.
And for that matter, the request is extended to all those who made
presentations. It would enable those who did not come to Toronto to read the
contents. Obviously, the pleasure of renewing old friendship ties and of
meeting people for the first time is only possible if one is physically
present. I was fortunate. Besides meeting some of the participants in the
Lisbon Convention and sharing fond remembrances of last year, I also
reconnected with friends like Joao Manuel Pereira and Aires Manuel Barreto whom
I had not seen for many years and met people like Francis, Cornel, George
Pinto, Filomena, Acaria, Ben Antao and others of whose existence and ideas I
knew from Goanet but am now able to link their faces to their names.
The participants in the Goan Diaspora panel discussion provided food for
thought. Though Coralie D’Souza did not speak, we know what she thinks from her
article in Ekvott (Convention souvenir). Coming from different points of
departure and different generations that naturally made for differentiated life
and work experiences, Lea Rangel Ribeiro and Christine Pinto gave us insights
on Goan identity and what’s more important to me, they did it from a woman’s
perspective. I was privileged to have spent some time with my good friends
Victor and Lea in their New Jersey home a few months ago and was therefore
familiar with their integration experience. But I could listen to it over and
over again and I am sure they would always provide new angles.
The social programme was diversified. Some of the events lasted for too long. I
talked to Jr. Meneses director of the Tiatr ADEUS about the exaggerated length
of the piece and the fact that it was almost impossible to pay attention to
what was happening on stage for almost 4 hours. One of the reasons given by him
is that the dressing rooms in the Living Arts Centre are very far from the
stage and therefore many precious minutes were spent running up and down.
Probably, in spite of being a fine theatre hall, the Living Arts Centre was not
the most adequate setting for ADEUS. I enjoyed the singing and the dancing of
the young Mando Mogi performers. They came from very far and I am sure the
opportunity to come to Toronto to show case their original mando and dulpodam
will encourage them to pursue their musical initiatives in Goa and abroad.
It was a pity that more people were not in the room to exchange views with the
representatives of the different Goan associations who took the opportunity to
tell us about their activities, their management experience, the positive
results and the difficulties they face. I understand that only people closely
connected with an Association would find this debate interesting. I certainly
did and consider that it should continue to be a part of our networking
efforts. There are some common across the board needs, like finding diversified
sources of funding, motivating the younger generations to get involved, not
only to help their parents in organising events but rather in wanting to impact
the future of the associations and, more generally, in trying to get the wider
community to contribute by making proposals and providing critical input to
the annual activity plans and reports.
Certainly there must have been organisational hitches. Anyone who has ever
organised any event knows that it is absolutely impossible to plan all the
details in advance. Something is bound to come up for which you are not
prepared and have to find a quick fix. Sometimes it works, other times it
doesn’t! I am sure the organisers have already identified what could have gone
better and their assessment will be important for the next Conventions.
Here ends my personal report but it would not be complete if I did not thank
all those involved yet again. Mentioning names is always a risk, but I will
take it anyway. Cheers and many thanks to Kevin, Lisette, Emmy, Francis, Clare
and their son (Kurt?), Bosco, Olinda, Ben, Mervyn and John, and all the others
whose names I do not know, for their efforts, for their warmth and for making
the Convention an opportunity for learning, dialogue and fun.
A few brief comments in reply to some of the queries that have been posed in
relation to Diaspora conventions in general.
To Victor’s reply to Gabe’s question on the legitimacy to hold conventions, I
can only add that we organised the Convention in Lisbon because for a long time
we hoped to bring people from Goa and the Diaspora communities together, to
discuss issues of common interest, but we did not have the premises nor the
resources. Rene Barreto with whom Casa de Goa had been in contact over the
World Goa Day event was very encouraging when he first visited Casa de Goa’s
new premises (while construction and renovation work was still going on). He
suggested that we made use of them to hold some kind of a global event. We
remain grateful to Rene who was instrumental in providing the contacts of many
of the Goan associations and potentially interested individuals who ultimately
did join us in Lisbon.
The request for the presence and the support of the NRI Commissioner was sent
by Casa de Goa when the organisation was under way. We did get his backing and
financial support.
As far as we know there are no rules that stipulate as to who can or cannot
hold a Convention and no single model for organising it. That depends on the
organising committee, on the objectives and the themes. Many different groups
have come together and organised themselves to hold Conventions (or other
meetings) and there is no reason for them not to continue to do so, in Goa or
anywhere else in the world where Goan communities live. I do not share the view
that Goan Conventions should only be held in Goa any more than I would agree
that they should always be held in the Diaspora countries irrespective of the
fact that 500.000 people of Goan origin live in those countries.
To me it seemed natural that the offer (in this case, of London) for the venue
of the next Convention would come at the end of the Toronto Convention just
like it happened in Lisbon. Australia as the next venue emerged after the end
of the Convention, at least for the participants.
I tend to agree with Cornel that perhaps holding the Convention every 2 years
would allow for a better organisation and a more creative programme and not
make the event a compulsory repetition! But wherever it is ultimately held, the
main concerns are how to ensure that the Goan community of the host country
feels sufficiently motivated to rally behind the initiative and contribute in a
constructive manner and that it yields positive results. On both counts, there
are lessons learnt from previous Conventions. The more recent ones, in Lisbon
and Toronto, certainly provide food for thought.
Virginia Bras Gomes
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