Hi Tony, Melvyn, Elizabeth and Eugene, As I said to you Tony before, you definitely have more horror stories about individual caste-based cases than I have come across.
However, for newer members of Goanet, like Elizabeth, my awareness and knowledge of caste among Catholic Goans (yes, contradictory and incompatible terms surely) is relatively recent. It is also institutionally based and linked to East African Goan clubs. Indeed, I produced a substantial post on this issue in reply to George Pinto about 18 months ago. It included references to two successful PhD theses carried out in Kampala and in Nairobi respectively, on the general theme of "caste and club" among the Goans in these two capital cities. I also argued that caste practice in East African Goan clubs was a function of membership availability. There were many small Goan clubs all over East Africa where there was no whiff of caste at all. There are several posts available in the Goanet archives, on caste among Catholic Goans. At one stage, among others, posts on caste came thick and thin from Mario and me, and Fred did help initiate the discussion when it did not seem to be getting off initially on Goanet. Inevitably, discussion sometimes became quite heated. My own position has always been to highlight, or bring to the surface, honest acknowledgement that caste practice has been a shameful practice among Catholic Goans and that the Catholic Church has been complicit in accommodating itself to the evil of caste. As a first objective, just as a national and institutional acknowledgement of racism in the UK became the first step in the slow but increasingly successful fight against racism, I have believed that an acknowledgement of brown on brown racism aka caste, was first necessary to acknowledge publicly among Catholic Goans, to help overcome it, albeit slowly. A second objective for me was a bit academic--to see if individuals could and would intellectually defend caste practice among Catholic Goans even though I believed strongly that it would be trying to defend the indefensible. There were few takers even when mildly provoked! Among possibly four, only two Catholic Goans did stand out in defence of caste practice. One was an attempt by someone quite well known, who seemed rather exercised and pained about the very thought of non brahmin men meeting women, supposedly of brahmin stock, and then being keen on marriage among fellow Catholic Goans. The more substantial attempt was by someone who tried rather forcefully, to argue that he was "high born" but understandably, his claim had zilch success when challenged. There is no doubt that the caste issue will surface many a time until the problem gradually gets expunged from the psyche of those Goans who peculiarly profess to be good Catholics whilst simultaneously being castist in belief and practice. Such is indeed the paradox in the mentality of some Catholic Goans. Cornel DaCosta, London, UK. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tony Barros" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 10:02 PM Subject: [Goanet] Girl "whipped" after Barclays Bank dance in Tanzania Hi Cornel n Mervyn ! Thanx very much on your input on the caste issue in East Africa-particularly between brahmins and non-brahmins at dances. I am > certain that you have greatly broadened the "horizons'" of many people > not familiar with this unfortunate stigma among Goan > Catholics. Many are not familiar with the other side of the "coin"-if not > both sides of the "coin". > However, speaking of parents as "minders", one goan girl in Tanzania was > not so fortunate.... _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
