CARE ...May be duplicated. 00000000000000000000000000
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Goenkars wherever you are , Goenkars you will always be ! It does not matter what people think or say about you , what matters - is what you do , and you TRY and to do as Honestly as you can! Try never to hurt others in your community in any way...with no reasons at all , if you do , you are hurting the very Community you say ......you dearly love ! With these thoughts - I d like to share a message from One of my greatest supporters for the WORLD GOA DAY, Constantino Xavier - , about four years ago , I invited Tino to be our WGD coordinator for Lisbon ,....at the tender age of Twenty ? - Tino surprised the GOANWORLD - when he managed to get ALL the Goan organizations in Lisbon - Portugal TOGETHER. Many said it was impossible ..But Tino MADE IT HAPPEN ! Constantino has been very patient with me - and has given me all the encouragement and the publicity WGD duly deserves - for the last 4 years ? We hope to hear more from him once he finishes his studies. I am pleased to share his message on this our sixth WORLD GOA DAY ...as the ALLIANCE of WORLD GOAN ORGANIZATION grows bigger and Stronger ! PROUD GOANS - TOGETHER we HAVE MADE THINGS HAPPEN for a better GOAN WORLD ! rene barreto ===================================================== 88888888888888888888888888888888 Young thoughts on World Goa Day 888888888888888888888888888888 Sometimes, it is not so good to draw great lines of separation between the older and the younger ones. So many times there is an empty talk about the "need for youth" and about the danger of disappearing identity because no one is there to continue it. Finally, more than ever, today's societies like to glorify everything which is young and immediate, using and throwing people, ideas and values as something disposable. All these phenomena take place among what many call the Cybergoan community, the more visible face of the large and much unknown Goan Diaspora spread around the world. Today, on World Goa Day 2005, as the coordinator of Young Goans International, I would like to propose the idea that it is perhaps necessary to look from a different viewpoint at things. It is time to share responsibilities and understand that being young or old will not make the difference. Attitude does. First, why is it useless to merely acknowledge the supposed "lack of youth"? Because it is wrong. As wrong as the perception that Goans abroad do not care about their homeland. "Doutor" José Colaço has rightly pointed out today, in another message on Goanet, that there are many examples of Goans who from abroad are greatly contributing to the development of Goa. Regarding specifically the youth, there are enough young Goans who, though born and raised abroad have great interest and potential in discovering their roots and contribute to the development of Goa. Second, why should we always think of separate generations, the youth and the old? Because we all are Goans and an identity does not know age limits it flows naturally like a river, from one generation to another. Many Goan associations like to call for more youth to participate in events or tend to underline publically the importance of the youth is not enough. Older generations have a true responsibility towards the younger ones. They have to transmit values, references and options to the youth. I underline options. Because it is up to each generation (and to each expatriate Goan youth) to discover its own way to deal with this Goan background and find singular ways to "give back". Third, why should we be more careful calling ourselves and our associations "Goan"? Because to adapt an identity is an engagement, a choice, and also a responsibility. Just because some 20-30 people share some eating habits, some vague memories and a darker skin than the others around, and meet up once a year for a picnic or a ball, let's say in Moscow does it legitimise them to be "Goans" or to have a World Goa Day in that Russian city? Picnics are part of a community life. But there is and should be much more. You can only call yourself a Goan if you have a deep link with Goa. And to keep that link alive, Goan associations abroad have to think of new and original ways. Or else, one day, the younger ones might rightfully ask, as some already do: "What is this Goan you all talk about?". Regarding my case, for example, I will not call myself a Goan up to the day I can minimally master Konkani. This last point of mine touches the heart of the question. World Goa Day is a great network, and a unique moment in Goan expatriate history where different communities worldwide are getting in touch with each other. But more important to know "other Goas" spread around the world, it is urgent to know the one and unique Goa, that tiny territory located on the Indian subcontinent. And, unfortunately, that has been ignored for too long by many Goan communities abroad. Instead of being just another "Goan" picnic on a global scale, I hope World Goa Day will be able to pass this message to our Diaspora and I believe it will succeed. It has to. We owe that to Goa. Constantino (Tino) Xavier Coordinator Young Goans International 20th August 2005, New Delhi PS: A similar analysis of mine was published today in the Goan Observer (www.goanobserver.com). And check out the 1st YOUNG GOANS INTERNATIONAL ESSAY CONTEST launched today on World Goa Day! 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 rene barreto www.goaday.com ============== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com