Dear goanet readers It was indeed a pleasure to visit the Nehru Centre at No 8 South Audley Street, London, a building itself built in Gothic architecture of the time when Africa was being carved up by the Europeans. Special thanks to Clifford Pereira, a research fellow at the Royal Geographical Society, who took the time to enlighten us of the Goan Pioneers who traveled the Continent in their various occupations following the British dream North to South from Cape to Cairo and vice versa to the Portuguese dream from West to East Africa. Our people at the time intermarried and were known by the white settlers as the Black Indians or Mistis amongstother names but not as people from Goa or Goanese. Although our pioneers were useful in keeping the administration ticking they were airbrushed out of the History books so thanks to Clifford Pereira once again for putting our people from the era of 1820s back on record.
Some things have not changed, Bombay is still the gateway where our people embark on their various journeys on planet earth. One Illuminating fact recorded by Explorer Richard Burton is the behaviour of our people. I did not take down the exact words but if there are any good examples look at 1905 in Nairobi, Kenya once the Goan Institute was up and running a split on caste and race issues. This initiated the building of the Railway Goan Institute. Here in London, England there is an annual Uganda Reunion also a Bakuli Reunion. Bakuli is not a village or country. In Swindon England new arrivals have formed at least three organisations. In the UK alone there must be at least sixty or more organisations acountable and unaccountable to no-one - getting two Goans to agree is therefore not a new story. The Exhibits depicting our past are presented in a splendid way. I would recommend visitors to London especially our younger people to put down their playstations and cell phones and link with their past by visiting this project (entrance free). If possible, maybe arrangements can be made for a permanent Static display at Goa Library in Panjim for all to see. It would be a real waste if all this hard work is discarded after two weeks or ends up in the Bowels of the British Library. Goan Voice UK has a daily programme for the British Oral Histories project for reference. Melvyn Fernandes Thornton Heath, Surrey, United Kingdom 6 June 2013
