See response below which I received on this topic. Forwarding without comment. George
************************************************************************************** The first big wave of migrants arrived in Britain in the 1960s & 70s (many of them forced to leave Africa from job loss or expulsion) and' found themselves in an assertive and barely tolerant society in the West where they had to build their lives from scratch. Lacking confidence, specialised skills and such, they felt the need to hang together for mutual support. The Goans expelled from Uganda in 1972 promptly replicated what they knew best - they set up a social club to meet, greet, sing, dance, celebrate their feasts. They just didn't know how to open up to the Brits around them or even to the other South Asians. But today, as George said, the next gen has come of age - many have been born and educated here and they know Brit values and quirks. So should they adapt and integrate? Integration is a 2-way process: the problem is that the Brits are hardly prepared to meet you halfway while the new gen of Asians is hardly impressed by Brit popular culture - fish&chips and pies, lots of beer, football, Christmas Panto. And as for higher culture, how many native Brits care for Shakespeare or classical music anyway? The Asians find their own culture pretty rich and don't have to give it up in favour of Brit 'values' whatever they are. In addition, as Asia is on the rise globally, Asians settled in the West are ever more convinced that their culture is here to stay. Where do the Goans fit into all this? - what culture do they have? Isn't most of it hybrid or in decay (devotion to SFX, a foreign saint; no saint of their own; a language (Konkani) that nobody cares to speak; fondness for western music & dance forms). In short there is nothing original except their cuisine perhaps but the Punjabis, Bengalis or Gujaratis have their language, history, literature, food etc. Yet the Goans won't cross over to South Asian values wholly. I suspect many younger Goans (under 40) though are prepared today to associate with other Asians or whites, especially in the workplace. They may not even care to identify themselves as Goan or feel an attachment to Goa. So what then is the point of a Goan org today? In health, education, financial advice, justice issues, social services for the disabled or elderly, why have one's own org when there are specialist groups around? Wouldn't it be more useful to link up with Asian or mainstream orgs (including the local Council) that specialise in these areas? I think the Goans need to open up to others for cultural exchange. In short, I think a Goan org is needed only in the cultural area - to remind those who still feel Goan about their roots, religion, history. - a weekly community-specific drop-in for the older lot where they meet and chat with and discuss special issues (age-related problems etc) - annual social gatherings to celebrate village feasts. Why not? But for the bigger issues, let's go for the established organisations.
