Dear goanet readers, I am unable to agree or disagree with Mervyn Maciel (Goanet digest Vol 7, Issue 470, message 3)and respect his personal view. Having just completed my Senior Cambridge exams in Nairobi I arrived in London, England in the winter of 1974. While looking for work, yes the question “Have you got any London experience?” was the normal question then and perhaps this same question is still being asked today?
Yes, there were jobs but what sorts of jobs. The dustman earned more than the collar and tie no dollar in pocket as the Chinese saying goes. I have worked and lived on the ugly side of racism. There was a culture of bribery with our community formerly from East Africa taking samosas and bhajis to work, even buying rounds of drink, unlike new arrivals from Goa today who have gone upmarket with their bribes of gold and duvets from Argos. There is still discrimination among our own people, an example is the Uganda Reunion whose patrons are mainly ex Government employees, then there is the Bakuli reunion whose patrons are ex tailors and others. The youth have some sort of society. I am not sure if they know the difference between mango pickle (korum) and quorum. The hub of Goan activity was in the London-Tooting area. If an Asian (Goan included) bought a house the property either side fell in price enabling our people to buy their own houses that were affordable at that time but are now so pricey making them unaffordable today. You can still spot a Goan household today by the Holy pictures in the window and neat flower beds. Before Fr Arthur Moraes with the founding of the Asian Chaplaincy our people were only good for cleaning church benches and cut flowers for the church. There was no International mass or understanding of our village feasts or culture. To arrange a funeral was a job in itself but this has all changed now. Our Goan Chaplain Fr Francis Rosario now takes the lead and our people are fully involved in Church activity around the country from school governors to serving on parish councils in their own right. I remember and am still grateful to Mervyn Maciel who, while working in the construction industry, assisted the Goan Association with equipment for the stage setting at our clubhouse with its six acres of grounds and half acre of woods by the stream of River Ravensbourne at Beckenham in Kent for the first ever Standing Conference of Goan Organisations (SCOGO) festival where all our Goan Organisations met under one sky. The Indian High Commissioner was our chief Guest. This was a time when we were all really Proud to be Goan on a little green turf of our own. Sadly over the years the tail began to wag the dog as commerce took over cultural activity and SCOGO died with everyone doing their own thing and going their separate ways. Opera like Indian dance is very intricate and specific, go to UTUBE and click on and watch Bugs Bunny conducting the “Marriage of Figaro”, specially noting the hand and ear movements as they all tell our story. I can recall a telephone call at 2.30am in the morning from the late Norton Antao informing me that our clubhouse was on fire, my response “Good I hope that the evil buzzing around it burns as well” The Clubhouse was burnt to cinders making us homeless, but alas, the evil still survived. The G.O.A. UK changed its trading name to Goan Association UK as the feeling and, correctly so, is that we lived here in the United Kingdom. The Association I joined in 1974 is not the same as it is today and hence, as I have stated on many occasions before, I did not renew my membership six years ago being disgusted to observe the slow and steady dismantling of our once esteemed organisation that I was always proud to serve either officially or unofficially. The final straw for me was the purchase of a flat in Ilford for “buy to let” purposes which was purchased at an extortionate rate from the monies received from the insurance company pay-out for our burnt clubhouse in Beckenham. For those not in the know, this was our community achievement in purchasing our own clubhouse which many of us worked day and night to purchase, collecting money from door to door to hit the required amount within a short space of time. Over the years, a number of our community, although not wealthy themselves, waived the interest on their debentures. In the current climate, I doubt this sense of community spirit will ever be replicated. There was once a time when my inner circle of friends were all from our community as we met at our clubhouse, this is not the case anymore as, like our youth today, my social time is spent more in a multicultural environment. Goan Voice UK is a read only e-newsletter full of useful and useless information depending on the reader. There is no doubt it is an excellent source when communicating “Who Died”. Perhaps Goanet could bring us some happy news on a weekly basis i.e. birthdays, anniversaries, births and marriages. Frederick if you agree, I am happy to co-ordinate this once weekly if you send me notices to melvynfernan...@virginmedia.com to arrive every Friday morning to be sent out Sunday under “Happy News this Week”. Please include the town/parish you are writing from. Goanet is a spark of an idea just like an uncut diamond it attracts a huge global readership connecting our community worldwide in debate and the freedom of expression with plenty of room for development such as finding employment to marketing socials and events. Long may it develop and continue without the poison pen that sometimes appears causing grief and animosity. There is no evidence of a Goan dream in the United Kingdom, there is an element in our community that has lost its cultural identity and is like magnets where like poles repel and unlike poles attract, this is seen in the London area. The best gift a Goan parent can give their child is to introduce them to Goa, it is no longer a poor torn vest relation as perceived by those who left the state during kerosene lamps and candlelight days – go and reclaim your heritage. Organise and celebrate World Goa Day 19/20 August 2012. Melvyn Fernandes Thornton Heath, Surrey, United Kingdom 21 May 2012 melvynfernan...@virginmedia.com
