(includes both archival and extensive field research) Tiatr: Who you calling working-class?
To understand tiatr audiences we have to reflect upon latenineteenth century Goan high-culture particularly in the diaspora. The eliteGoan diaspora manifested the “institute” or “association” which was tied to thePortuguese consulate in the British colonial towns of Bombay, Zanzibar,Mombasa, Nairobi—where Goans sought employment. The constant preoccupation ofthese “institutes” was the celebration of Portuguese and British monarchy—birthdaysof the kings of Portugal and the queen of England. This curious organism, the“institute” became the lifeblood of all that was religious, cultural, socialand political within Goan diasporic communities. It existed almost as amini-republic, directing the lives of Goans who lived away from Goa. It was,however, hopelessly elitist and casteist, which meant it excluded the mass ofGoans. In Bombay, the “Gremio Lusitano” was formed by 1872and later the “Amigos das Letras” came about. Eventually,in 1883, the Instituto Luso-Indiano began to represent thegrowing Goan community. In 1889, a meeting chaired byPortuguese consul in Bombay, Meyralles Canto e Castro,discussed the need for a hall, for which subscriptionswere already underway.8 Reading rooms, institutions andassociations—whatever the term used, followed in Hubli, Karachi, Mombasa and Nairobi—grand, prestigious andexclusionary. One crafty exclusionary measure used by theseinstitutes was ensuring the lingua franca was Portuguese andthen later a mix of Portuguese and English. This ensuredthe Konkani-speaking masses never crossed their threshold.European languages became a formidable tool in gatekeeping.Konkani became the “language of the kitchen” to be spokenwith the domestic help and never used in polite company.Language stigmatisation in Goan society is so strident thateven today it remains one of the most crushing impedimentsto social mobility F. N. Souza: A ChildhoodF. N. Souza was born in Saligão on 12 April 1924. Muchlike his cousins, he was likely birthed in Leopoldinha’s house,where in a darkened quarto, a four-poster bed groaned withthe misery of Lilia’s birth pangs.18 Less than a month later, on8 May, around the baptismal font stood maternal uncle CirilloVitore Antunes as Souza’s godfather and Adelina Saldanhaas his godmother. Both essays appear in the newly released anthology "The Brave New World of Goan Writing & Art 2025" published by Cinnamon Teal. A book event is planned at Museum of Goa in December. Details will be announced to the general public. Do attend if possible. Meanwhile, the book is available at Dogears Bookstore. All best wishes,Selma -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/1669442734.3467742.1762767519639%40mail.yahoo.com.
