Simply put, a brilliant idea by Jason Keith. In the case of Goa; for any Goan who endure the on and off head-butting from anyone who has an axe to grind about Christians, JKs exhortation is indeed very apropos. Of course self-reflection on part of the Portuguese is a whole other matter. But not carrying on the sins of ones fathers, and those bedeviled economics. There is a graphic novel here if someone wrote it in a fantastic realist, yet, Slavoj Zizek tone.
Also happy to see you applying your LSE education to reflect / write on such issues. Perhaps just one of numerous strands. Thank you, —Venantius J Pinto On Mon, Feb 26, 2018 at 9:07 PM, V M <[email protected]> wrote: > https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ > ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIGO%2F2018%2F02%2F27&entity= > Ar00220&sk=5BBA3DFF&mode=text > > An interesting can of worms has been split wide open by the citizens > of Lisbon a couple of months ago, when they voted to build a memorial > to the victims of the mass-market Atlantic slave trade that was > initiated in 1444 with the sale of 235 men, women and children who had > been kidnapped from their homes by a Portuguese expedition to West > Africa. That incident triggered a grotesque triangular trade of black > bodies that persisted for another four centuries, crippled the > existing societies of sub-Saharan Africa with a lasting fallout even > today, and comprehensively remade the “new world” of North and South > America by the forced relocation of at least 12 million humans in > bondage (at least another 2 million are estimated to have died in > transit). > > The Portuguese role in all this is undeniably significant. While > slavery in some form has been present throughout human history, it was > Portugal that first began launching raids on newly accessible sections > of the African coastline specifically to snatch people, and then also > developed the slave plantation economic model (first with sugarcane in > Madeira) that was exported across the New World. In the 1450s, vital > Papal sanctions for these “innovations” were acquired when Pope > Nicholas V was persuaded to issue one “bull” authorizing the > Portuguese to forcibly convert any non-Christians to the status of > slaves, and another granting the Portuguese a perpetual monopoly on > trade with Africa. > > History shows, plain and simple, that Portugal was not only the first > country to initiate the mass-market Atlantic slave trade but also the > last to cease (the final trade route was discontinued in 1870). By far > the greatest number of Africans were sold into servitude in Portuguese > Africa (specifically Angola) and by far the largest centre of chattel > slavery was Brazil, which today is the home to the second-largest > black population in the world (after Nigeria). There were countless > ripple effects in other directions as well. Almost immediately after > arrival in Goa, a flourishing slave trade was established that > lingered for centuries, in which native elites also enthusiastically > participated and profited. Slave ownership was commonplace right into > the 19th century. > > Acknowledgement of all this is one thing, but tendering an apology is > altogether different. There are related questions of complicity, > guilt, reparations and restitution. Plus, there are other deserving > historical crimes, which certainly includes many that were committed > in Goa. Right before Indian-origin (his father was from Goa) prime > minister Antonio Costa made his debut visit to his ancestral homeland > as head of state, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party’s strongman Sudin > Dhavalikar demanded “He should first apologise to Goans, for all the > hardships and atrocities Portugal has committed in Goa while they were > ruling” adding, “The amount of destruction they did while leaving Goa > in 1961 by blowing up bridges and the mayhem they orchestrated is also > unforgivable.” > > On the other hand, there is a distinct (albeit minority) strain of > resistance to the idea of national apologies. The Goan scholar Jason > Keith Fernandes has written, “I get extremely agitated when Portuguese > academics express the need to apologize for, and attempt to undo the > damage done during the colonial period, especially that of the slave > trade that was conducted in part by them. It is not that there is no > need to recognize that this slave trade, and other heinous practices > under colonialism took place. There is such a need.” However, “the > fact of apology carries its own baggage; baggage that can further > complicate relations between the colonizer and the formerly > colonized.” Instead of this minefield, Fernandes suggests, “we can > recognize the sorrows of the past, not ignore them, and then go on to > build relations that do not depend on apologies.” > > While there is some validity to this viewpoint, human history has > copious examples of the immense value of truth and reconciliation > between peoples and nations. It is true that imposed apologies carry > the taint of humiliation (witness Japan’s repeated expressions of > remorse for its actions in World War II) but such statements of regret > can also be made in a manner that uplifts everyone. This was > accomplished to particularly great effect by Pope Saint John Paul II, > who made over 100 official apologies, including for the Church’s own > involvement in the slave trade. With relevance to Goa, in 2000 he > apologized for violence “in the service of truth” ( a direct reference > to the Inquisition) as well as “attitudes of mistrust and hostility > toward followers of other religions” (which means forced conversions). > The leaders of today can learn a great deal from this example. >
