------------------------------------------------------- CONVENTION OF THE GOAN DIASPORA FROM GOA INTO THE WORLD Lisbon, Portugal June 15-17, 2007 Details at: http://www.goacom.org/casa-de-goa/noticias.html -------------------------------------------------------
Forgive the cross posting but this exchange from Goan Heritage discussion group ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) is very relevant here too. I think Jason has very eloquently and intelligently said to Rajan what 'locals' on this forum too have been saying to the expats. Your inputs are welcome, but your perspective needs fine tuning. Cheers! Cecil =========== Rajan, > Pardon me, but I am a "local" (or does living abroad > for a number of years render me "non- > local" and divest me of the abstruse insights > vouchsafed only to the genuine local in Frog-in- > the-wellsville?) and I allow myself the privilege of > laughing at myself, and at the stupidities, > aburdities and frailties of my people. I am sorry > that you have a problem with that. I am not for a moment suggesting that we privilege the perspective of some fictional authentic local.Not for a moment. However, I am suggesting that there is a problem with the perspective of those who expats who go abroad, see a different world and then unthinkingly expect to see it replicated in Goa regardless of the local circumstances or cultural requirements. There is also a certain- I have been out, i know better attitude, that is frankly disrespectful. A second problem with the unreflexive expat position also is that it is buoyed by their location in an entirely different economy. The priorities therefore do change. To be very crude - and not referring to you- if i were to make my money at the Microsoft Office in Seattle, buckets and buckets of it, I would perhaps, also be inclined to argue for the setting up of a Goa that corresponds to myth, and is set aside as a place for vacation and my spiritual communing with my past. For the Goan in Goa though, Goa is the only space s/he has to exploit. She does not have the luxury of seeing Goa solely as this pleasure-paradise space, no matter how much she would like to. as you can see therefore, it is not about some authentic local position, but about the manner in which the demands are made and priorities set that I am urging us to think about. > Goans are not sushegad? Gee, which alternative > universe are you living in? Goans are known to be sushegad. Are they in fact? I have seen Goans slog their ass off, not in the far Gulf or Paris, but in Goa. I have seen Goans fight for thier environment, for their lifestyles, for thier language and other things they hold dear. Under these circumstances, how can i call them sushegad? I understand sushegad as being a way of life that we offer in contrast to the violences and demhumanising values of capitalist-industrial life. It is a positive value, for which Goans have fought. It is not some negative attitude. Moreover, the Goan is always prevented from being cast as a hero, or as achieving something noteworthy, becasue she is Sushegad. She is typecast into a role out of which there is no escape. This role I would argue stems more from the colonial politics of representation than any inherent Goan trait. When we call Goans sushegad therefore, and use it to deride them, what we do is to only perpetuate the disempowerment of the Goan. Salut. J ------------------------------------------------------- Goanet recommends, and is proud to be associated with, 'Domnic's Goa' - A nostalgic romp through a bygone era. This book is the perfect gift for any Goan, or anyone wanting to understand Goa. Distributed locally by Broadway, near Caculo Island, Panjim & internationally by OtherIndiaBookStore.Com. For trade enquiries contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------------------------------------
