*Learning From The Pandemic that Decimated The Population of Goa Five Centuries Ago*
A couple of hours ago I picked a book that has been on my mini bedside for several years. It was a Godsend. The picture on the cover reminded me of something …Yes….of Old Goa. During the second World War 1939.1945/46 all leave, for Civil Servants, granted every three years were frozen. We were in Goa when the War broke out, my Dad managed to get to Tanganyika before the Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbour. My Mother and my Brother followed. The ship was in total darkness for fears that it would be struck by enemy submarines. To make matters worse it was a rough passage. We landed in Dar. So after the war my dad was entitled for 9 months of leave . I was about 11 years old, we went to Old Goa I was intrigued with the ruins. Suddenly there was a shout in Portuguese, I put up my head, it was an African soldier. My Father put his hand on my shoulders and turned me round, I looked back, the soldiers was ushering us out. A couple of days later, after the incident, I was feeling sick, I was taken to a Portuguese Doctor who was in the military . It could be the Portuguese connections. My Uncle Antonio, was married to a white lady. The Doctor gave me a shot, some tablets. I cannot exactly remember whether it was a couple of days, definitely not more than a week . I was fit as a fiddle The book that brought a torrent of memories and more was by : The Book I had picked up is Authored by Fr. John D’Silva and is called <<<<*A Brief Historical Sketch of Santana Talaulim * * A Peep Into SANTANA Anjoy, Saligoa *83 pp, Illustrated, Bibliography >>> For me it was more than a peep. I was mercerised. I went back to the >>>Preface Fr. Mousinho De Ataide. Fr. Ataide tells us that while many of the books on Goa are general, they miss out details. I, completely as an outsider (a Quepemkar) can vouch for this statement. In this time of the Great Pandemic 19 in the 21st. Century. Past plagues were equally devastating. , The Black Plague killed over 25 million. According to the *National Geographic* Arguably the most infamous plague outbreak was the so-called Black Death <http://www.history.com/topics/black-death>, a multi-century pandemic that swept through Asia and Europe. It was believed to start in China in 1334, spreading along trade routes <https://www.cdc.gov/plague/history/index.html> and reaching Europe via Sicilian ports in the late 1340s. The plague killed an estimated 25 million people, almost a third of the continent’s population. The Black Death lingered on for centuries, particularly in cities. Outbreaks included the Great Plague of London <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0035920303000592#aep-section-id7> (1665-66), in which 70,000 residents died. *Back To The Book and Goa* What struck me, when I picked up the book. By Fr. John D’Silva written in. (2016) was it took me back to my encounter with the African soldier who had broken my trance about ruins. In this age of Pandemic 19 which is devastating many countries. Several things strike me about the past plagues in Goa and on their impact on culture, beliefs etc *1.* *The Plague That Destroyed Old Goa* We are told (page 48) that a dreaded plague broke out in the Parish of The Most Holy Trinity, in Old Goa, in the vicinity of the Miraculous Holy Cross Church. The plague was caused by an elephant falling into a well and drowning. The population of the town was sharply reduced. Out of a population of 12,000 only 34 survived The Black Death of Europe killed people in the prosperous urban areas, London, Milan and an earlier one even Constantinople in Turkey. Old Goa was prosperous, the <<< Rome of the East >>>The hub of trade India, Malaysia all the way to China and Japan. *1b Was it The Curse or the Plague That Destroyed SANTANA TALAULIM* *The *St Ana Chapel which subsequently became the * Parish of Santana Talaulim in sleepy Saligao is only *a league away from Old Goa. Indeed the road, meant for carriages passed from the ruins of St. Augustine to Santana where one finds a Church, the a replica of St Augustine but named Santa ANA *2b The Plague At Santana Talaulim Was A Curse* In 1783 the Plague hit Santana. Was it a curse. We are told that <<<“Apart from the outbursts of the epidemics, the chief reason could be moral degregation sis) degradation and pollution and and sanitation problems.>>> The oral tradition is that during Lent, the Procession of Stations of the Cross were carried outside the church around the settlement. A fidalgo family whose members felt privileged were not ready and asked the bearers to stop. When the worshippers continued, a fidalgo rushed out pulled the image of Christ and offended it. The presiding priest begged pardon for the offense and uttered <<< What punishment should befall the parish >>>> So many died that there are mass graves ….Many people fled never to return again. They fled to Chorao, Divar, Candolim, Margao, Batim. It was not only Churches but there are Temples for various deities; Shantadruga, Devi etc The Hindu population is sizable. Although the population was devastated and and hardly has the basic necessities like post office, dispensary, police post, never the less concerned Diaspora have helped. Notably is an Africandar living in California : Thanks to Dom Martin, the cracks which appeared in the bell tower were repaired !! Another Diaspora from Goa to the town of Moshi, in Tanganyika then back to Goa and the prestigious job of repainting the paintings in St Francis’s Mausoleum. A segment of the Artist were mad with jealously. My friend Dom is in California, courageously fighting other battles including the injustice meted to Arabs including Children in Palestine Why did I spend so much time. It brought old memories. More than that, I have been asked to talk to about 20 post graduates. They are about to undertake field research, we are expecting a third variant of the Pandemic and Uganda is under lockdown. Do you stop acquiring knowledge or do you take calculated risks. In the shopping mall here in Dar es Salaam, I saw a group conversing in Portuguese. Yes they are workers building a large dam in Tanzania. Will the Julius Nyerere Dam be a Albatross round our necks From Coleridge to D H Lawrence . the Albatross has become a bird of Doom. The cure may well be to come to Goa and buy Fr. John D Silva's other books. He has Authored 5 other books, one of them on St. Anthony ( Patron Saint of Professors etc, etc) Local Knowledge matters ....Zanzibaris should note that it was a Goan Doctor Albuquerque whose timely intervention saved thousands of lives .... Adolfo Mascarenhas Makongo Juu
