Gabe, Adding to my previous post: I am not suggesting that an outsider will
notdo a good job. I am suggesting an East African should do a better job ifhe
or she has the skill and talent. I write about Goa but I would be the first to
admit that Goan writers in Goa will always do a better job. There was the case
of a writer who relied on interviews with the wife of an outstanding
politician. This was a poor substitute for actually beingthere, living the
political intrigues, conspiracies, the threats and the betrayals as well as the
atmospherics of the Goan community. More importantly, there is a need to
understand that politician husbands telltheir wives very little. On the other
hand, if the writer had lived in Kenyahe or she would have understood the
fuller perspective through the eyesof the man's political alumni, both pro and
against. An East African writerwould have known much of this for himself and
would not have had torely on poor quality research. There is a clear advantage
in living the history one writes about. Cyprian > Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2011
10:43:12 +0100
> From: gabe.mene...@gmail.com
> To: goanet@lists.goanet.org
> Subject: Re: [Goanet] British Goans heritage project
>
> On 6 September 2011 09:48, Eugene Correia <eugene.corr...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Can anyone on this forum inform me if the GOA UK approached Dr. Stella
> > Mascarenhas-Keyes to head the heritage project. I think Stella has more
> > credentials that Selma Carvalho, who has been mentioned as the lead
> > researcher of the team, as Stella is a recognized expert on migration
> > studies. True that Selma has penned a book on Goan diaspora but that really
> > does not establish her as a researcher with the professionalism that Stella
> > would bring to the job. If Stella leads the team it would give the British
> > Goans heritage project an authoritarian stamp.
> >
> >
> > Eugene Correia
> >
>
> RESPONSE: According to what was put out; Mrs Carvalho did the ground work
> for obtaining the Heritage Grant. So naturally, it was a given that she
> would do the job. Then just to make things look kosher, an advertisement was
> put out, so that the person applying would fit the frock!
>
> In any case, I would not think that Stella would have been interested in the
> project; she is in full time employment on the education front. The sum
> offered to the project manager is £500 per month. My dog costs more than
> that, in terms of Dog health insurance and his food. I take it, that this is
> a labour of love for Mrs. Carvalho. Important to her, as she puts it.
>
> It was quite a chore to get people to open up their doors some 30 odd years
> ago; I know, I did the rounds in the London Borough of Merton. My feeling is
> that it will be even more difficult in today's climate. I think though,
> that someone with no attachment to East African Goans, will find it not that
> easy, to capture the flavour and nuances. If a yarn is thrown in, where will
> the reference come from?
>
> --
> DEV BOREM KORUM
>
> Gabe Menezes.
