To bring this unsavoury saga to an end, I am pleased to publish an apology my friend Cyprian Fernandes has received from Ben Antao together with Cyprian's postscript.
Mervyn Maciel *Dear CyprianThe message I tried to convey in my article has obviously been misunderstood. I have read both your books. You’re a good man and I apologize for disturbing your peace.Warm regardsBen* *Received with thanks. I now await a similar gesture from the editors of the Joao-Roque Literary Journal to see if they can display the same quality of responsibility as Ben has done and remove the posting from the Internet. Cyprian Fernandes* On Thu, Aug 30, 2018 at 8:20 PM Mervyn Maciel < [email protected]> wrote: > > Following my earlier comments, I can't understand why Ben Antao and now > Augusto > are all out to make "whipping boys" of us, East African Goans. > Perhaps the appended letter from my dear friend (Francis Noronha) from > Canada, > who like me, and many of my East Africa friends still remembers our > "Yesterdays > in Paradise", will set the record straight. > > > Mervyn Maciel > > Here's the letter: > > > A RESPONSE TO “THE LITERARY MALADIES OF DIASPORA GOANS” BY BEN ANTAO > Dear Mr. Antao, > I have just read your diatribe above attacking author Cyprian Fernandes > and the many other Goans “who immigrated to Canada from East Africa in the > 1960’s and 1970’s who still hearken back with nostalgia to the good times > of the so-called paradise they basked in under the British colonial sun.” I > am one of these Goans that you are so disappointed with because they have > failed to live up to the lofty goals that you have apparently achieved in > that your fiction and non-fiction “embraces” your experiences in Goa and > Toronto. Bravo! You point out to all of us lesser beings that “a writer has > to draw upon his lived experiences if he seeks to create literary fiction.” > Thank you for this original and inspiring insight into the art of creative > writing. Your encouraging words to aspiring writers fills me with the > desire to put pen to paper in an effort to emulate the sterling example you > have set us in your own literary creative fiction. > I confess, however, that I am confused. Even a cursory reading of Cyprian > Fernandes’ two books, “Yesterday in Paradise” and “Stars Next Door” would > reveal that they are not meant to be “literary fiction”. Unlike you, > Cyprian, (whom I have yet to have the pleasure to meet), is an > unpretentious writer who sets out in “Yesterday in Paradise” to give a > personal insight from the perspective of an investigative journalist into > events at a particularly interesting and turbulent period of Kenya’s > history. During the 60’s and 70’s, Kenya was emerging from the cocoon of > colonial rule and taking its first faltering steps as an independent > nation. During these transitional years, I was a student at the first > multi-racial College in Kenya (later the University of Nairobi) and then > away for three years as a student in Britain. I found Cyprian’s account of > the political in-fighting and intrigue of those early years absolutely > enthralling and enlightening and it filled the gaps in my own knowledge of > the events that eventually led so many of us to decide that, much though we > loved Kenya and its peoples, we had to take what was for most of us a > painful step to emigrate to other countries where we could make a more > secure future for ourselves and for our families. > From your account I gather that you were born and raised in Goa and > immigrated to Canada when you were 25. You probably had little knowledge or > interest in Kenya. I don’t say that in a negative way because there was > probably no reason for you to take more than a cursory interest in an > African country. You are probably not aware of the deeply personal struggle > that Goans and many other Indians of my generation had in leaving the only > country that we had known as “home” to venture to an uncertain future in > countries such as England, Canada and Australia. A closer reading of > Cyprian’s book may inform you of some these personal struggles. I left a > comfortable and secure job as a teacher in Kenya and arrived in Lethbridge, > Alberta in 1975 to start a new career at the age of 38. I have no regrets > and Canada has been a wonderful home to me, my wife and daughter. Most > Goans I know who immigrated from Kenya to Canada > have not spent time in wistful musing about the paradise we left behind as > you seem to think. > We have moved on, forged new careers, made many new friends and > contributed to the > communities we became an integral part of, as, I am sure, you have, Mr. > Antao. That does not > mean that we have erased our memories of the past whether we “basked” or > toiled under the > “British colonial sun”. > I have happy memories of growing up in Kenya, of travels in East Africa, > of climbing Kilimanjaro, > Kenya and Elgon, of playing hockey with my friends, no less than six of > whom were destined to > become Olympians, of teaching in some of the fine schools in Kenya > including historic Allidina > Visram High School in Mombasa, of great holidays spent at the coast and > visiting several > wonderful beaches. I have memories of dear classmates, students and > friends. I was thrilled > when I browsed through Cyprian’s second book, “Stars Next Door”, to find > that it recorded the > achievements of many Goans for posterity. I knew many of the people who > are mentioned as > classmates and friends and reading about them brought back many happy > memories. > To use your own terms, Mr. Antao, I was astonished and filled with anguish > that you so casually > and superciliously discredited the efforts of a fellow Goan whose two > books have put on record > events and persons that needed to be recorded by a writer who had a unique > opportunity as a > reporter to get the inside scoop in a way that the rest of us didn’t. > Neither of Cyprian’s books > has anything to do with the colonial period or with discussing the merits > or demerits of British > rule. You thought “he’d be more inclined to be objective, judicious and > rather circumspect than > be eager to pander to his compatriots in the diaspora”. Frankly, I don’t > know what you are > referring to and I am inclined to believe that you had some preconceived > notions of what the > book was about and were upset when your cursory perusal revealed nothing > in the book > remotely related to a bitter indictment of British colonial rule in Kenya. > Why should it? That is > not what Cyprian set out to do. If you truly are interested in appraisals > of British colonial rule in > Kenya and elsewhere in Africa, there is a whole body of writing that > covers every aspect of > policy and implementation as, indeed, there is on the rule of the British > Raj in India and the > Portuguese in Goa. But then, you as a journalist, teacher and writer would > know that. So why > do you go looking for that in Cyprian’s book that has nothing to do with > that branch of study? > As for the term “paradise” that you seem to find so offensive, nowhere in > Cyprian’s book do I > find any reference to British Colonial rule as paradise. Rather it is > clear to me that in retrospect, > Cyprian sees his youth and life in Kenya as a happy and exciting time. To > me, this is quite > remarkable as he grew up in circumstances so different to my own > comfortable and > conventional upbringing; Cyprian came from a family where his mother had > to leave an abusive > husband and raise her family working a variety of menial jobs to feed her > clutch of children. > Then there came the traumatic ending to his formal education, an early > indication of his > stubborn resolve to stand up for his principles regardless of > consequences. At the age of > fourteen (at which age I was still learning to tie my shoe laces), he set > out with determination > to make it as a reporter in spite of his lack of qualifications. All > things considered, I saw much to > admire in Cyprian’s survival in his career as a reporter and his courage > in exposing the dark > underbelly of Kenya’s politics – I know that I would not have had the > intestinal fortitude to do > so. Fortunately, his dear wife’s insistence that that they leave Kenya > when he began to receive > death threats almost definitely saved his life. We know that there were > others who probed too > deeply and did not live to tell the tale. Sadly, Mr. Antao, you dismiss > all Cyprian’s extraordinary > life experiences with a sneering remark about “a messiah (who) had sprung > with spring water > to quench their (East African Goans) thirst and longing for the bygone > days.” > As you are a writer and would wish your work to be judged fairly, I would > suggest that you read > “Yesterday in Paradise” over again, this time more carefully. You will > discover that it is not a > work of literary fiction, nor is it an evaluation of British colonial > rule. Rather it is a factual and > highly personal account of a young boy growing up in Kenya and overcoming > the obstacles of > life in his own resourceful way. Most of us Goans who grew up in Kenya had > caring parents > whose hard work, middle class values and sacrifices enabled their children > to lead happy lives > with opportunities for sports and other recreational activities. Cyprian > did not start off with > many of the advantages that many of the rest of us enjoyed. The fact that > he succeeded in > making a life for himself, marrying the love of his life and achieving > many of his goals is a > remarkable testimony to himself and his wonderful mother. He looks back to > his life in Kenya > and considers that he was living in Paradise. I think that in itself is > remarkable, Mr. Antao, and I > admire Cyprian all the more for it. I hope that you too can feel the same > about your origins in > Goa, a homeland that is dear to me in spite of the colonial power that > held sway there. > As a Goan who immigrated from Kenya to Canada, I don’t really care what > you think of me – > and I think most other Goans in my category would agree with me. However, > you have made > some highly questionable and uncalled for criticisms of Cyprian Fernandes > and his books and I > really think that you owe him an apology for judging him too hastily. > While you are about it, you > may also consider apologising to Juliet Rebello and J. D’Souza for the > patronising and > condescending manner in which you treated their well-meant remarks. You > may be a very > accomplished author but that is no way to treat your friends.. > I rest my case. > Francis Noronha > [email protected] > August 29, 2018, Lethbridge, Alberta. > > > > > > > > > On Thu, Aug 30, 2018 at 1:46 PM Eugene Correia <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Furthermore on the "Malady" affecting us, I located the book, Goa Masala, >> from one of my bookshelves. I was surprised to read, >> "To Eugene, a Canadian with a heart in Goa --- Rudi" and down the page, >> "Best Wishes -- Ben Antao Feb 6/10". It triggered my memory that I was >> present at its launch and Rudi gave me the book after I took a photo of him >> and Ben standing together holding a copy of the book. I think the photo was >> published in a Goa newspaper, but without credit to the photographer. >> Thanks, anyway. >> On the next page, more revelations. "Published by A Plus Publishing, 18 >> Geraldron Crescent, Toronto, ON M2J 2R6 416-250-8885 Email: >> [email protected]" >> >> So, A Plus (seems like sister-concern of 55Plus haha) was the publisher, >> as 55Plus is not mentioned. When Rudi gave me the book, I had asked him >> about how published it and he told me it was A Plus Publishing. So why was >> it mentioned as a "joint venture" and why was the 55Plus involved? Looks >> fishy, and perhaps we can apply Formalin to keep it fresh :-( >> >> Did the editorial committee the same for the second book or was it >> changed? Norman da Costa, the editor for the second one, was not there in >> the editorial committee. Can anyone from the editorial committee answer, >> please? Or, if none of them have read the thread, can someone post to one >> of them to come back and clear the air? >> >> This tale is far from the stories of Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa >> Lahiri (Nilanjana Sudeshna), winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. >> >> Let me leave with one quote from Jhumpa's book, “Still, there are times >> I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each >> person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all >> appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination.” >> I, for one, is bewildered by the storm circling the Selma's post inviting >> readers to visit her website. >> >> May I suggest the title for the next book, Goan Maladies. Could be >> published by Joan, Pedro, Ladro Journal haha. >> >> Eugene >> >> >> >> On Wed, Aug 29, 2018 at 4:16 AM Braz Menezes <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> I must admit that when I first saw Selma’s excerpt of Ben Antao I was a >>> bit disappointed that what appeared to be a serious journalistic >>> undertaking, was beginning to resort to ‘shock’ headlines to increase >>> readership. I succumbed and clicked on Ben’s piece. I assumed perhaps, >>> like many of us Ben may have skipped on his meds. >>> Then my seasonal good friends Augusto and Jeanne also joined with their >>> comments. It is not clear whether Ben’s original comments referred to the >>> Goan Diaspora in the UK, Canada, Australia (by dragging Cyprian Fernandes >>> into the discussion). If Ben is referring only to Goan Canadian writers, >>> then I will have no hesitation returning to this discussion. For now, I >>> will comment that the best advice to writers has always been to write what >>> you know about, and as long as you have an audience, your work is done. >>> >>> >>> On 28 Aug 2018, at 07:13, Mervyn Maciel < >>> [email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> I'm afraid I don't agree with Ben Antao's generalisation about East >>> African >>> Goans. Kenya was a paradise for many of us and what's wrong with >>> reminiscing >>> our past? >>> As for Goans in Canada, I am least qualified to comment but feel there >>> are >>> men like Mel D'Souza and Braz Menezes who have made their contribution >>> in their new home. >>> Cyprian Fernandes has informed me that he chooses not to enter the fray >>> on Goa Book Club. >>> May I just close with this Quote: >>> >>> "*Africa changes you forever like nowhere on earth.* >>> *Once you have been there, you will never be the same.* >>> *But how do you begin to describe its magic to someone who has * >>> *never felt it?* >>> >>> >>> *Mervyn Maciel* >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Mon, Aug 27, 2018 at 9:59 AM Jeanne Hromnik <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> Dear Augusto >>>> >>>> While I wonder at how many feet you have and how many places you manage >>>> to put them in, I agree wholeheartedly with you and thank you for your >>>> post. For me, the following strikes at the heart of the matter. >>>> >>>> *"I think this loss of a community in their new countries would partly >>>> explain Ben’s puzzlement as to why the East African Goans cannot write >>>> coherently about their experiences in their new refuges. They don’t have a >>>> common thread to connect with their fellow Goans who will be their main >>>> audience."* >>>> >>>> It seems to me that novelists like Jhumpa Lahiri are so overwhelmingly >>>> successful precisely because they draw upon the experience of their new >>>> community in their new country, i.e. Bengalis in the U.S. I find it >>>> difficult to write good fiction because I do not have such a community to >>>> draw on. The best I can do is write about inability or else draw upon what >>>> entered the heart and permeated one's being, i.e those 'paradiscal' days in >>>> a country of blatant injustice and racial inequality in which we lived >>>> happily, but not ever after. >>>> >>>> Jeanne >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Sun, Aug 26, 2018 at 9:17 AM, Augusto Pinto <[email protected]> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> After I wrote what I did above it struck me that perhaps there was a >>>>> subtle tone in Ben’s piece that suggested (in a genteel way) that the East >>>>> African immigrants to the Western world were a tad snobby and clannish >>>>> and >>>>> that they tended to exclude those Goans who came via other routes, as did >>>>> Ben himself or perhaps Selma too, from their conversations. >>>>> >>>>> But I’ve heard from other sources that there are all sorts of “caste” >>>>> gradations perpetrated in the heavens which people who share my ancestry >>>>> perpetrate. >>>>> >>>>> For instance the more recently migrated Portuguese passport Goans born >>>>> and bred and educated in Goa who have to work at blue collar jobs to make >>>>> ends meet especially when they first land on foreign soil were given the >>>>> right royal Rane treatment by other “Goans” who came in or acquired more >>>>> fortunate circumstances - and that might include those who share Ben’s or >>>>> Selma’s backgrounds. >>>>> >>>>> Over and out! >>>>> >>>>> Augusto >>>>> >>>>> Sent from my iPhone >>>>> >>>>> On 26-Aug-2018, at 8:23 AM, Augusto Pinto <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> I think that Ben’s mulling over the East African Goans’ sense of loss >>>>> over Africa, in fact the idea that it was paradise, is quite interesting. >>>>> >>>>> I’d like to add my two cents if not shillings worth from my own, >>>>> albeit short, sojourn in Kenya where I was born and lived the first decade >>>>> of my life in the sixties. >>>>> >>>>> The idea that Africa was “paradise” was one that was believed in by >>>>> those who were born or at least spent their early years there and then >>>>> migrated to the West. >>>>> >>>>> It wasn’t always so for the generation who were born and migrated >>>>> there from Goa. I’ve mentioned my father on this forum before who used to >>>>> obsessively remark “Mhaka Goenchich mati zai” firmly believing that they >>>>> had crossed the ocean for economic reasons although their hearts were in >>>>> Goa. >>>>> >>>>> When it was time to leave after those East African countries got >>>>> decolonized that generation by and large returned to Goa creating in the >>>>> seventies a vibrant community of “Africanders” as they were known. >>>>> >>>>> It was the young Goan adults, like my older siblings, for whom Goa had >>>>> little charm and who went to England and then Canada and Australia and so >>>>> forth believing that their prospects there would be better. >>>>> >>>>> As for the notion that Africa was a “paradise” I think this is, if not >>>>> pure bull, at least highly exaggerated. The educational system wasn’t that >>>>> great - higher education was particularly a big problem. >>>>> >>>>> It’s true that for employment they were favoured by the white bosses >>>>> over other Asians and certainly the native Africans but they could only go >>>>> that far and no further. It was only their conditioning that they should >>>>> be >>>>> satisfied with their lot and not create too much “matata” (as Braz Menezes >>>>> would put it) that the picture becomes a little rosy. >>>>> >>>>> One thing that did contribute to the creation of the paradise myth was >>>>> the building of a feeling of a “Goan community” and I think that several >>>>> commentators from Theresa Albuquerque to Stella Mascarenhas to Selma have >>>>> dwelled upon this. I think that when the East African Goans get all >>>>> nostalgic about how things were back there in Africa it’s this sense of >>>>> community that they miss most. >>>>> >>>>> After they went to the West this sense of community has disintegrated >>>>> and I expect that the generation that was born and grew up there will care >>>>> little about their parents’ obsessions. >>>>> >>>>> I think this loss of a community in their new countries would partly >>>>> explain Ben’s puzzlement as to why the East African Goans cannot write >>>>> coherently about their experiences in their new refuges. They don’t have a >>>>> common thread to connect with their fellow Goans who will be their main >>>>> audience. >>>>> >>>>> Augusto >>>>> Sent from my iPhone >>>>> >>>>> On 25-Aug-2018, at 11:05 AM, 'Selma Cardoso' via The Goa Book Club < >>>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Ahead of the release of the September 'Seasonal Blooms' issue of the >>>>> Joao Roque Literary Journal, we bring you Ben Antao's piece which is >>>>> featured in the issue. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> 'I understand that the place of one’s childhood and early influences >>>>> leave an indelible stamp on the memory and subconscious. But can the >>>>> influence be so profound as to negate all subsequently lived experiences >>>>> in >>>>> other lands? Indeed, this seems to be the malady afflicting Goans in the >>>>> diaspora who at one time in their lives had the luck to sample life in >>>>> colonial East Africa.' >>>>> >>>>> Read full text here: >>>>> >>>>> https://selma-carvalho.squarespace.com/nonfiction-1/2018/8/5/the-literary-maladies-of-diaspora-goans >>>>> >>>>> We publish the best in Goan or Goa-centric short and long-form >>>>> narrative writing and we appreciate respectful discussion on everything we >>>>> publish. >>>>> >>>>> Best wishes, >>>>> Selma Carvalho >>>>> Editor >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** >>>>> --- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "The Goa Book Club" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/goa-book-club. >>>>> To view this discussion on the web, visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/978886473.3462674.1535175320092%40mail.yahoo.com >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/978886473.3462674.1535175320092%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>> . >>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** >>>>> --- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "The Goa Book Club" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/goa-book-club. >>>>> To view this discussion on the web, visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/EC5F092F-81CD-471E-A94E-E33A1E1D422F%40gmail.com >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/EC5F092F-81CD-471E-A94E-E33A1E1D422F%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>> . >>>>> >>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** >>>> --- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "The Goa Book Club" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/goa-book-club. >>>> To view this discussion on the web, visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CA%2BcjhjihuYhjZSO2SwtObi2dOMnu1kct41xBrx1fgk%3DVCkSjTw%40mail.gmail.com >>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CA%2BcjhjihuYhjZSO2SwtObi2dOMnu1kct41xBrx1fgk%3DVCkSjTw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>> . >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>> >>> >>> -- >>> *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "The Goa Book Club" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/goa-book-club. >>> To view this discussion on the web, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAL65L0u4W%2BuoWcucaThd7aKsf5znttXHhGUzeW%2BnfGg5U3ycKg%40mail.gmail.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAL65L0u4W%2BuoWcucaThd7aKsf5znttXHhGUzeW%2BnfGg5U3ycKg%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>> >>> >>> -- >>> *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "The Goa Book Club" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/goa-book-club. >>> To view this discussion on the web, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/2898BD1C-4AE4-4B83-98B3-A07A84CF4C32%40sympatico.ca >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/2898BD1C-4AE4-4B83-98B3-A07A84CF4C32%40sympatico.ca?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>> >> -- >> *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "The Goa Book Club" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/goa-book-club. >> To view this discussion on the web, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAJhbo_40Oz41_eFR6Z8CqOVnaTqPpy27hQnYXDDaXOvxmgLZBQ%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAJhbo_40Oz41_eFR6Z8CqOVnaTqPpy27hQnYXDDaXOvxmgLZBQ%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >
