[Goanet] Goan tailors in East Africa
In the early days, Tailors were workers hired by people to who had special occasions like Weddings etc to sew garments for the bride to be and her relatives.the bride would take these clothes with her to her husbands house on wedding to commence her new life.. These Tailors moved from house to house and village to village performing their trade and earned their livelihood sewing clothes for those who hired them. With the migration of many Christian Goans to Africa, the work soon was uneconomical for them and they in turn migrated to Africa where they found a ready market for their trade. I hate those like jc who accused me of demeaning the Indians when he in turn demeans his own Goan brethren Tailor by bringing up their lack of education in the English Language in a demeaning way. In spite of this shortcoming, these talented and industrious folk worked hard and provided for their families by doing the very best work as Tailors. I need not remind readers that in the British social strata, Tailors were considered middle class. Tailors children have also excelled in every sphere and to their credit they are not ashamed to say that their father was a tailor and they still Celebrate the feast of St Francis Xavier their patron saint and the patron saint of Goa. Tailors were mainly from Salcete and with their very limited English, Cooks, Butlers and Bartenders were mainly from Bardez. The Main body of Goan migrants were however Clerks in the civil service and in the private sector. These clerks were very fortunate to have these Goan Tailors who stitched their suits by hand and made them appropriately dressed for the nature of work which they were performing. The Goan Tailor fulfilled a vital role in making suits and dressing the Goan Clerk appropriately. There were some who, even with their lack of education in English, were respected by not only Goans but by Europeans and Indians and latterly the African, who also patronized them, for their professionalism and perfection in making suits. I remember Alleluia Fernandes and Luis Fernandes who used to work as a cutter for Ahmed Brothers and used to have clients fly in from Europe to have their suits tailored by this firm and the chief cutter was of course (Mor) Luis Fernandes. Other famous tailors were Miguel Robin Fernandes, and Mr. Alfonso who had their own Tailoring establishments whose clientele consisted of European, Asian, and African customers. It is a pity that after independence, these tailors either returned to Goa or went to Europe and North America and did not pursue their trade there. I can assure you that the workmanship of these Tailors was of the very finest quality and the prices charged by them were very reasonable. It is true that the very clerks whom these Tailors served, denied them membership into their Social Clubs Like the Goan Institute , the Railway Goan Institute, and the Goan Gymkhana. They however formed their own club Called the Goan Tailor Society and did not miss having fun among themselves and not denying anyone who wanted to join in. The Cooks, Butlers and Barmen were also denied membership to the clerk's clubs and formed their own club called the Santa Cruz Club.The Cooks and butlers were also much respected as they produced the finest menus in all the top hotels and on board the trains and ships of the East African Railways and Harbours.The bartenders also could shake up some mean cocktails. Others could enhance my meager portrayal of these downtrodden Goans who were pioneers in East Africa and should have their place in history for their significant if not forgotten chapter in the cycle of Goan migration.
Re: [Goanet] Goan tailors in East Africa
I remember very fondly our next door neighbors in our flat in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (then Tanganyika). From birth till the age of 12 and a half when my parents returned to Goa, I spent a lot of time with my neighbors who were all tailors. In a single bedroom flat there were about 9 men, who I gather had left their wives behind in Goa. Their beds were placed every where they could, with a few sewing machines between the beds, where these men continued sewing late in the night. They were employed by clothing shops mostly run by Indians during the day, and picked up additional work which theyperformed late through the night. Despite my mischeivous ways, they were a tolerant lot. I remember them as being devout Catholics with pictures of the Sacred Heart with a oil lamp burning day and night, and also a picture of the Blessed Joseph Vaz. I did not know what it all meant but their simple devotion was inspiring. While our family had a very cordial relationship with them and even exchanged kunswar at Christmas, it was obvious that there was something different. We did not socialize with them. While we attended social functions at the Goan Institute, these men did not. I assumed that this was because they had so much work to do. I remember in the days leading up to the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, they conducted a raffle, to which my Dad always subscribed, though I did not recall ever having won anything. When I returned to Tanzania(Tanganyika) in 1959, I re-acquainted myself with the children of some of these tailors. The children had all studied at least through high school and had become clerks in the Government and nearly all of them had become members of the Goan Institute. Whether membership of the Goan Institutes in East Africa was denied to their parents because they were Tailors, I do not know. I do know that Education was the great leveler. I always remember these simple men, with their diligent work ethic, and thrifty ways, Some of them invested their money in property and were economicallybetter off than the clerks !
[Goanet] Goan Tailors in East Africa
Thanx folks for resurrecting- this age old topic. Whilst many of you have made many significant contributions, I would wish to expound on the subject. To this effect, I will make reference to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - although it is believed that in Kampala, Uganda , and Nairobi and Mombasa in Kenya -similar practices were instituted. In December 1961, when then Tanganyika got its independence from Britain, I was a mere 14 year-old and my parents decided that I should spend my long vacation in Dar es Salaam as opposed to returning to my hometown- Iringa in southern Tanzania. And since we had reciprocal arrangements among goan clubs in East Africa, I could visit the Goan Institite on the basis that my dad was a member of the Iringa Goan Community Club. During this period, I used to frequent the club daily and got greater insights into certain anomalies- including the barring of certain groups from membership. I would hear members talking about the projected flooding with new african members, and sons of tailors who were very unpopular because they spoke konkani in addition to and the crude way they spoke English which some added was laced with profanity. Others voiced their concerns over the holding of the popular tag dance (excuse me dance in some other countries) where men would tap the shoulder of the male partner to dance with his female partner. Bottom line- before independence, The Goan Institute restricted membership to people who studied above Grade 10 (ten). This was deliberately done to bar africans and certain categories of goans - notably tailors, shoe-makers, caterers and mechanics. There were few africans- mainly those who studied in catholic/christian schools who completed Grade 10 and above; and some like Tanganyika's first President - Julius Nyerere and Cabinet Minister , Nsilo Swai had Masters degrees. The Regional Commissioner of Iringa was Wilbert Klerruu- the first black Tanzanian to get a doctorate . But all the tailors and the others in those categories studied below Grade 10. Hence this favored the Club as from their perspective, there would be no problems- notably fights. And since the colonial government believed in divide and rule, they were not prepared to intervene- even if approached- as to them this was trifles As a result the Tailors formed the Saint Francis of Xavier Tailors Society. They had very few activities - as they were busy . Sometimes they organized a picnic, but their main event was a grand dance on December 3. This was a well attended event with the heavy consumption of alcohol and the folks dancing away to the strains of some great music played by goan bands. The irony of it all was that it was also attended by some of the very people (invitees) who voted against them joining the club. (I was not aware of the Santa Cruz cub for caterers in Nairobi). I do not know about the goan clubs in the other major towns; however, in my hometown, all the five tailors - basically two families linked by marriage- were members of the club. And on Sunday afternoons, they would come over to our home for playing cards-notably trook sessions (popular in the U.K.) and another card game- ladice for the younger folks. They would later head to the club to play either Tombola (bingo) or Whist Drive I say this in no uncertain terms as certain goans have told me that they will never go to a tailor's house, and likewise will never invite them over. I never questioned them as I got the message- loud and clear. However, I was surprised to note that immediately after independence, the Goan Institute in Dar es Salaam raised the entrance (application) fee from 100 East African Shillings to 500 Shs , and 200 T Shs with no voting rights. One could easily conclude that his was aimed at depriving the new africans and tailor members of making any decisions in the running of the club. This not did not bode well with the government- and after about five years - following an incident which temporaririly closed the club, the executive committee was told to reduce the entrance fee . As stated by some of you, not only did the British , greeks and africans have thir clothes made by goan tailors, but also the other Indians. This was very clear during the Hindu feast of Diwali and the Muslim Idd--el -Fitr after the 30-day fast. Many of them formed their own large tailoring companies and others worked for Indian Clothing Stores. In many cases, they were ably assisted by their wives in the evenings and in some cases by their teenage children, It is also sad to note that there are still cases in Tanzania where parents have refused to consent to the marriage of their children to a tailor's child; some have rebelled and married against their parents' wishes, whilst other have been forced to look for other spouses. This, as one can imagine, is a subtle form of casteism still existing in our
Re: [Goanet] Goan tailors in East Africa
RESPONSE: Jomo Kenyatta first President of independent Kenya had his suits stitched by a Goan tailor in Nairobi - Alleluia Fernandes. Fernandes is mentioned in Theresa Albuquerque's book on Kenya Goans; he came to Nairobi as a young boy and got to stitching for the British Army and then moved on. He was the first President of the Tailor's Society Nairobi. The Portuguese Consul presented the Club with a small Caravel on their opening. I had the good fortune of having my wedding morning suit stitched by the gentleman - can't get into it now! On 3 August 2013 21:24, Mervyn Lobo mervynal...@yahoo.ca wrote: Antonio Menezes wrote: The reason why Goan tailors in the then East Africa were not held in high esteem was because they had little or no knowledge of English language. They hailed mostly from Salcete which in the pre-WW 2 period had . very few English schools. Comparatively other manual workers like caterers, mechanics etc. in E.A. had what one may call the advantage of knowing passable English. --- Antonio, Goan tailors in E. Africa were held in high esteem by their customers. In Tanzania those customers included President Nyerere. The only people who, deliberately, tried to lessen the status of Goan tailors, were their fellow Konkani speakers, Goans. This was (is?) because of the peculiar type of Christianity practiced by Goans. A practice where tailors, and carpenters, and I guess any other occupation that is out of favor, are given 'special status.' Thankfully, soon after independence in 1961, the Tanzanian Govt insisted that clubs end their religious and racial barrier policies. By the mid-1970's the clubs in Tanzania had admitted all the tailors who had applied for membership. Mervyn -- DEV BOREM KORUM Gabe Menezes.
[Goanet] Goan tailors in East Africa
The reason why Goan tailors in the then East Africa were not held in high esteem was because they had little or no knowledge of English language. They hailed mostly from Salcete which in the pre-WW 2 period had . very few English schools. Comparatively other manual workers like caterers, mechanics etc. in E.A. had what one may call the advantage of knowing passable English.
Re: [Goanet] Goan tailors in East Africa
Antonio Menezes wrote: The reason why Goan tailors in the then East Africa were not held in high esteem was because they had little or no knowledge of English language. They hailed mostly from Salcete which in the pre-WW 2 period had . very few English schools. Comparatively other manual workers like caterers, mechanics etc. in E.A. had what one may call the advantage of knowing passable English. --- Antonio, Goan tailors in E. Africa were held in high esteem by their customers. In Tanzania those customers included President Nyerere. The only people who, deliberately, tried to lessen the status of Goan tailors, were their fellow Konkani speakers, Goans. This was (is?) because of the peculiar type of Christianity practiced by Goans. A practice where tailors, and carpenters, and I guess any other occupation that is out of favor, are given 'special status.' Thankfully, soon after independence in 1961, the Tanzanian Govt insisted that clubs end their religious and racial barrier policies. By the mid-1970's the clubs in Tanzania had admitted all the tailors who had applied for membership. Mervyn
