I had requested for details from presentations by Eddie, Cliff, Jason and Virginia. I even wrote to Eddie to provide details from his own presentation, " Keeping in Touch - Use of the Worldwide Web , but so far have received no reply. I wish the presentations or details of Eddie's and Jason's Connecting Goans Globally with Goa, Cliff Pereira's The Global Goans' evolving cultural identity; Amilcar da Costa's Goans in Belgium, and Maria Virginia Braz Gomes Goans in Portugal, were put on goanet or any website. Eddie was the "press officer" and/or the "spokesperson" for the convention. I think one report, Day 1, came in the name of Cip Fernandes, and the second, Day 2, under the name of Joe Fernandes. I also wroto to Cip to send details from other presentations, but no reply yet. Game over and people like me who requests information can go to hell. Thank you vey much, dear organisers. Goans, after all! And mind you, Selma was going to give an "earful" to the Indian journalists who asked why Goans treat themselves differently. We received Dr. Teotonio de Souza's, and Dr. Stella Mascarenhas-Keyes' papers. And recently Selma's speech on the Arts. I read Fred's piece, Taking the Diaspora Seriously? Couldn't understand why it had a question mark. Maybe, Fred is not serious that Diaspora Goans need to be taken seriously. Are they just straws in the wind? I, like many of these Goans, are uprooted. I don't about the rest, but my heart still lives in Goa, though I have never physically lived in Goa except during holidays. Given below is a piece that I sent to Herald but never appeared despite editor Sujay Gupta's assurance it will appear in "due course." I have no idea why it was rejected. Maybe because in one of my posts to Goanet on Sujay's joining Herald, I said that it was owner Raul Fernandes' folly to appoint Sujay in place of Ashwin Tombat, a Goan, who is now in charge of the Herald online edition. Note to the article: I now believe that the Global Goan Covnetion was seventh, as Faleiro mentioned that all the minutes from the 2005 conventions would be put on the globalgoanbs website. There were possibly two in Goa, and I attended, I think, the 2007 one. Maybe, as Fred says in his column these Goan conventions were called "NRI conventions" but I remember that the convention I attended it said, Goman Vishwa Samellan). ------
Goan conventions: What are their net gains? By Eugene Correia The fifth Global Goan Convention (Gomant Vishwa Samellan) is underway in London, and, as usual, it will delve on burning issues related to Goa and Goans abroad. Started in 2006 in Goa, the Department of NRI Affairs Department of the Goa government felt it would be a great idea to move it across the globe, in countries which has large Goan populations, instead of anchoring it in Panaji. In the absence of official reports or even summaries on past conventions, except for some media reports on some of them, on the department's website it becomes hard to understand what went on at these carry announcements of some of the programmes undertaken by the government, such as the setting up the Non-Resident Goans Emergency Repatriation Fund (NRGERF), Overseas Employment Agency, Know Your Goa Programme, Goa scholarship for diapora children, and My Village Project. The department also commissioned a Goa Migration Study and its report is available online. The Non-Resident Goan (NRG) has come a long way. Goan migration to the four corners of the world started long time ago and today Goans have formed big pockets in some cities in Europe, such as London and Swindon, in Canada, such as Toronto, Vancouver, in America, such as San Francisco and New York, and in Australia, in Melbourne and Sydney. Goans are also settled in good numbers in Frankfurt and Lisbon. With such a widespread diaspora, it became pertinent on the Goa government's part to show some goodwill and, if I may add, concern to what Goa can do for the dispersed Goan population and also get in return in terms of foreign-acquired skills and expertise in areas that would benefit the state. The exchanges between those outside Goa and the government got a boost since the start of these conventions. However, it is hard to gauge how many Goans, especially those who had lost their ties with Goa, have now managed to show interest in Goan affairs. The new Goan migrants to Swindon still retain deep ties with their native place. Goa is still in their hearts -- and minds. Goans in the Middle East are tied to their native land because they carry Indian passports and, with the exception of some who eventually migrate to Australia, England or North America, all of them return back to India, either to the metropolitan cities of their motherland or to Goa. It is ironical that the vacuum created in Goa by mass migration of Goans to foreign lands has been filled by migrants from other states of India. This has created a sort of tension that often spills into the open with diehard Goans accusing "outsiders" (called bhaile in Konkani) of taking away jobs as well as creating socio-economic upheaval in what was commonly said to be a serene and peaceful lifestyle in Goa. Some anti-Indian Goans have called the coming of "outsiders" as the "second invasion." This balancing of forces between "locals" and "outsiders" is going to be highlighted in a presentation by Dr. Teotonio de Souza, former director of the Xavier Historical Research Centre, Goa, and now Professor of History, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisbon, Portgual The problem of overcrowding of the Goan space by outsiders has been a thorn in the government's flesh. Critics of political parties have spoken out loudly against the way the politicians encourage and, perhaps, pamper these outsiders to make them their "vote banks." The theme for this year's convention is the 50th year of Goa's liberation. Those who still carry the Portuguese hangover question the very meaning of "liberation." They say if it is "liberation" when Goans are carrying the burden of corruption, nepotism and outright degradation of its natural resources, be they in the form of illegal mining, illegal fishing or rampant building. Illegal as well as over-mining has ruined Goa's ecology and overfishing by mechanised boats has driven the local fishermen out of business. For such critics, "liberation" has become an illusion. They discount the progress Goa has done in many other fields, particularly education and industry. They feel Goans are still living under a yoke, albeit an Indian one instead of the Portuguese. Commemorating Goa's liberation at the London convention is commendable. But I don't see any "expert" on Goa's freedom struggle on the list of speakers. It is not known on what subject Dr. Damodar SarDesai, Emeritus Professor of History, University of California will speak on. To his credit of books he has written and co-edited there is The Legacy of Nehru, a Centennial Assessment (1992). As we know, the late Indian Prime Minister was responsible in driving out the Portuguese through military action in 1961. Commissioner of NRI Affairs, Eduardo Faleiro, has said that there would be conference on the role of diaspora Goans in Goa's freedom struggle later this year. By and large, the diaspora Goans who played and actually carried on the fight for Goa's freedom were based in Mumbai. It would indeed be great to remember them and honour them for their selfless dedication and, in many cases, their sacrifices through loss of lives to the cause. Diaspora Goans in foreign lands, particularly in East Africa, will also be remembered, Faleiro maintains. The legacy of Goans who laid down their lives, either fighting on Indian soil or foreign shores, should be remembered at this momentous time of Goa's history. How much net gain Goans abroad have had from these conventions is hard to tell. This writer found out that the Toronto convention in 2008 fizzled out with not many local Goans attending it and that the organisers resorted to giving "buy one and get one free" ticket to senior citizens to bring in the audience. Sketchy reports, especially those written by people who were part of the organizing committee or by those who are not professional journalists, on conventions in Muscat, Kuwait and Lisbon are available on the net. I find them to be "puff pieces." Critics of the convention have said that it is a waste of the Goa-based taxpayer's money. A blog, Lion Roars, has detailed the expenditure incurred by Eduardo Faleiro for his many travels and also for the official delegations to these conventions. Just like the Pravasi Divas celebrations, hosted by the Union government, has been labelled by crtics as "tamasha" and "fanfare", so are these Goan conventions have been slammed as nothing but a "jaunt" for the government officials. One critic has said that while Goa is in chaos, it is party time in London. The Know Goa Programme for children of well-settled Goans in some of the affluent countries has been questioned. Should the Goa government pay for this "learning trip"? The programme is based on the Know India Programme that was instituted by the Union government after one of the Pravasi Divas events. Goa environmental issues will also be highlighted at the London convention. It was also highlighted by architect Dean D'Cruz, one of the leading crusaders for safeguarding Goa's natural beauty, with a video-visual presentation, which has been made by environmentalist Clinton Vaz. But can the diaspora Goans help in a very meaningful way from the distances of their adopted countries? Perhaps, monetary help to NGOs fighting the environmental battle could be one sure way of helping. The issue of retaining Goan identity keeps cropping up at these conventions, in not on the agenda but on the sidelines. In this age of globalisation, a person's unique identity is under siege. Historical-Geographer Cliff Pereira is going to give his take on "The Global Goans' evolving cultural identity." WE need to wait to read what he has to say. Chidlren born or who grew up from very young age in the Goan disapora have no idea of their "cultural identity". Young Goans in these lands often take part in dancing the manddo and dekhni, and that's all about it. A "global Goan cultural identity" could be as hard to chase as the elusive Goan pig for making a tasty dish of sorpotel (which, by the way, is a favourite of many diaspora children). California recently hosted a Goan Youth Convention, just as Goa had hosted many years ago. Bringing the youths into the ambit of these formal gatherings may help in the long run in retaining "cultural identity." But there is no guarantee on it. Conventions are, it seems, here to stay. I only feel they should be held every two years so that there is a good gap of time to formulate and carry forward the outcomes, maybe in the form of resolutions or "official notes", till the next one. -- Eugene
