CONVENTION OF THE GOAN DIASPORA HELD IN JUNE 2007- - Nancy de Souza

CONVENTION OF THE GOAN DIASPORA HELD IN JUNE 2007
=======================by - Nancy de Souza


The 2007 Goan Diaspora Convention was held at ‘Casa de Goa’, the headquarters of the Goan Community in Lisbon from 15th to 17th June 2007. The convention, combined with the twentieth anniversary of the foundation of the Casa de Goa, was organised by the President of Casa de Goa, Prof. Dr. Narana Coissoro, Maria Virginia Bras Gomes and team at the suggestion of U.K.-based Rene Barreto of the Alliance of World Goan Organisations. The convention attempted to keep alive in second and third generation Goans from the diaspora the torch of Goan culture and love for the homeland, Goa,and to discuss other issues of common interest.

Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, chosen as the 2007 convention’s venue, was a fitting tribute to the 450 year-old historical connection between Goa and Portugal. Lisbon, a city, like Rome, set on seven hills, has a charm all its own with its beautifully tiled buildings and highway walls. The many churches hidden in little alleys, the balcaos with intricate wrought-iron work railings and its architecture are reminiscent of Goa. Lisbon enhances the cultural link between the motherland, Goa and Portugal through the Portuguese language, which many a Goan whether settled in Mozambique, Kenya or the U.K. knows as well as their own mother tongue, Konkani.


The people of Goa have a long tradition of migration to greener shores in order to seek employment, for higher education or to better their prospects. The reasons for this migration are myriad. Goans have always had an edge over many an Indian in education, musical and culinary talents, working knowledge of the English language and innate honesty. However, some of the most compelling reasons that Goans have left their homeland and continue to do so even now, are the lack of opportunities for the youth in Goa, the still-ineffective economic infrastructure and the harnessing of Goan talent.



However, more than most other races or peoples, the Goans assimilated with their host countries and became a part of them, yet retained their intrinsic Goan identity and distinctiveness. The diasporic consciousness of the Goan is unique in that Goans feel connected to Goa’s umbilical cord, which though severed, is a constant reminder of the motherland.



The theme chosen for the Convention was “From Goa into the World”. There were over a hundred delegates from several countries, excluding Portugal, which are home to the Goan diasporic community. The well-known delegates attending the convention included author Victor Rangel Ribeiro and artist Venantius Pinto from the U.S., organizer of World Goa Day, Rene Barreto, Adv. Fitz de Souza and his wife Dr. Romola, Ms.Elisabeth Pires from the U.K. Several Goan achievers from places like Switzerland, U.K., Germany and Canada were also present and contributed to the success of the event.

The Goans settled in Portugal, the members of the Casa de Goa, went to great lengths to organize a truly memorable Goan cultural and social event. Starting the ball rolling on the first day of the Convention, 15th June, the President of the Casa de Goa, Prof. Dr. Narana Coissoro, inaugurated the convention and welcomed the delegates. The Chief Secretary of Goa, Dr. J.P. Singh was the chief guest. Other dignitaries from Goa included NRI Commissioner, Ulhas Kamat, leading fashion designer, Wendell Rodricks and media person, Ethel da Costa.

After a brief opening ceremony, the convention delegates and guests were treated to a grand musical soiree and dinner at the vineyard mansion ‘Quinta dos Mascarenhas’ at Palmela, which is about 70 miles from Lisbon. Dr.Vilberto Mascarenhas, the owner and host for the evening, is a highly successful entrepreneur of Goan origin who has been residing in Portugal for the past 50 years. Though not an active member of the Casa de Goa, Dr. Vilberto graciously agreed to host the evening’s events at his premises. A hangar-like tent was specially constructed for the cultural programme while the Quinta’s lawns around the swimming pool provided space for visitors to mingle and dine.

The local Goan diasporic groups, ‘Ekvat’ and ‘Surya’ gave superb musical and dance performances and showcased the Goan spirit of camaraderie, love of dance and music as well as innate talents. The delegates were transported back to the Goa they had left behind years ago as they listened to the ‘mandos’ and the ‘dulpods’, their feet a-tapping and their lips softly singing along.

Dinner was an elaborate affair with the Goans nostalgically enjoying typical Goan food from ‘shith-koddi’ to ‘bebinca’. Portuguese wines, especially, Dr. Mascarenhas’ own product, Lotus Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah (Tinto) warmed the throats and a souvenir bottle presented to all the delegates of the convention. The soiree made the convention a truly unforgettable experience.

An interesting feature of the Convention was an exhibition of paintings by young artists from Goa organized by Ethel da Costa which showcased the works of Franco Fernandes, Nixon Fernandes and Chandan Bandekar as well as of photographer Prasad Pankar.
 
After the enjoyment of the previous evening, the convention took a serious turn on the 16th with the day’s events taking place at the Instituto da Defesa Nacional, near the Casa de Goa building. It was indeed a celebration of the many positive contributions Goans have made to the various countries they chose to live in and become part of. It was heartening to note that all Goans who travel abroad are no longer labelled ABCs, ‘ayahs’, butlers and cooks, but have proved that they have made their mark in myriad fields in their adopted countries. Goa itself is getting out of its ‘susegado’ groove and is heading towards a prosperous future.

Presentations were made in different areas like Education, Literature, Fine Arts, Volunteering, Music, Media and Entrepreneurship. Panelists were Goans from Goa, Portugal as well as from several other countries. Young as well as senior persons from these different fields shared their experiences, thus leading the way to a hopefully fruitful future for Goans both at home as well as in their host countries.

Speaking on Education, Jason Keith Fernandes, a serious young academician from Goa, expressed his opinion on the crisis situation of higher education in the State of Goa. Goa, he said was merely portrayed as a tourist destination while its academics and intellectuals fled elsewhere due to lack of space for serious interventions. He pointed out a series of recent initiatives which hoped to contribute to the development of the public sphere by engaging with issues crucial to Goa.

Dr. Teotonio de Sousa introduced the Literature panelist, author of several books, Victor Rangel Ribeiro as the ‘grandfather of Goan writers’. Rangel Ribeiro informed the audience that a few diasporic Goans like Lino Leitao, Ben Antao, Peter Nazareth and himself, sought to open a window to the younger generations about the land of their ancestors and their culture. He strongly advocated Education as the only tool to eradicate unnecessary social systems and to promote a system of universal values.

The next speaker on the subject of Literature was Valentino Viegas, a Goan historian from Portugal, who had published quite a few books and articles in Portuguese. He belonged to the group of Goans that moved to Portugal soon after Liberation, believing that they only moved from one Portuguese territory to the next. His current aim was to support Goans of the second and third generation to retain their identity in their current social contexts through cultural programmes and modern communication.

The Fine Arts Panel, moderated by artist Aristides Meneses, had three speakers. Hilda Moreira de Frias Rodrigues from Portugal spoke about the Luso-Goan intercultural exchange mainly in the field of religious art. Venantius J. Pinto from New York elaborated on his translation onto canvas his ideas on the intersection of religion, sexuality and the social consciousness. The final speaker on this panel was fashion guru, Wendell Rodricks from Goa, who detailed the history of Goan costume and dress.

Presentations for the Music Panel that followed were made by Jeronimo Araujo Silva from Portugal and Basilio Magno from Spain. Basilio spoke on songwriting and played some of his own compositions about Goa. Jeronimo, Director of Music of Ekvat, the cultural troupe of Casa de Goa, explained the variety and wealth of the different styles of Goan music.

Media and Telecommunication were clubbed together with Ethel da Costa from Goa who showcased the role of the media in Goa especially on educational issues and social awareness. A short film on Goa which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, attended by Ethel, was also viewed by the convention audience. The next speaker on this panel was a brilliant young Goan from Portugal, Constantino Xavier, who is currently pursuing higher studies in New Delhi. Constantino elaborated on the tremendous opportunities now available in building a virtual Goa with a view to connect young Goans with one another and the world. The challenges of this situation of exacerbation or excessive imagination, fertility of myths detached from reality, fragmentation of the Goans into exclusive groups and the danger of being further marinalised by society were elucidated by this young speaker.

The final topic discussed was Entrepreneurship which due to lack of time, had to be snipped and could not be fully exposed. Bruno Gomes, a senior contract buyer from Switzerland, informed that a Goan could put on the mantle of entrepreneurship anywhere in the world but had only to have skill, vision and a proper business plan. Elisabeth Pires from the U.K. took the speaker’s platform last. She helped found Investcorp around twenty five years ago. This leading global investment bank, which has offices in London, New York and Bahrain,is public traded in the London and Bahrain Stock Exchanges. The success of Investcorp, she said, was due to the company’s vision (no titles or hierarchy), team work, high ethical standards and transparency and strong values. The company has started an ‘e-mentoring’ system, which helps people in developing countries to resolve social and other issues.

The third day was part-relaxation and part-work. After a trip to the 1.5 million year-old Caves near Fatima and to
the Shrine of Our Lady, the group returned to the concluding session at the Casa de Goa.

The young Goans deliberated on the ways they could take Goan culture forward and on the contributions they could
to the societies they live in. Inter-generational interaction was important if the torch of Goan culture was to be kept
burning. Logistics like sponsorships in education and travel that would help the bright youth of Goa were also noted.

A beautiful finale was the fine performance of the Young Violinists Orchestra by Goan children, which ended the programme on a very heartening and encouraging note. The Casa de Goa’s core committee worked hard to organize the diaspora convention. Dr. Coissoro in his farewell speech specially thanked Maria Virginia Bras Gomes a senior civil servant in the Portuguese government and on deputation to the UN as well, who personally saw that every programme of the convention went off as planned.

Casa de Goa has a large club-house, with a number of facilities such as conference hall, a mini-museum and art-gallery. Rene Barreto suggested that since the convention was such a grand success, the Casa de Goa should be a Cultural Centre for Goans all over the globe.

The entire group left the convention satisfied, with Kevin Saldanha picking up the gauntlet of holding the next diaspora meeting in Canada.