Benjamin Fernandes questions the use of the term diaspora for Goans settled in
Canada.
Many if not most of the Goans settled in Canada at one time lived in the
British
East African colonies of Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika and Zanzibar.
With the advent of independence, Asians (as all of us from the subcontinent
were referred to as) felt uneasy about our future in the soon to be independent
African countries. Some were summarily kicked out of Uganda under the regime
of
Iddi Amin. In the other countries, jobs were Africanized,
and even if one held citizenship of the newly independent countries, it did not
matter, your job was given to an African and you had to look for another job in
a difficult environment. The only choice most of us had, was to emigrate.
Some who were close to retirement chose to return to Goa. Others with many
more
productive years ahead of them emigrated wherever they had the opportunity,
from
North America, Europe, to Australia and New Zealand,
with some even going to the Gulf. Life in the British East African colonies
was
great, and most of us would have chosen to live there forever. But the
changing times gave us no choice. To survive we had to emigrate.
So the term diaspora for the Canadian Goans is not in-appropriate.
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