My friend Rajiv Desai from Comma.in who wrote the article that appeared on Goanet has requested me to post one of the replies he has received (not from a Goanet reader):
Dear Mr. Desai I read your article with interest. I am a Goan , resident in Spain and have been witness to the "colonization" of Spain by the Germans , the Latinos and the English in particular besides the wealthy East Europeans and the Russians. Immigration has been good for Spain but along with the good comes the inevitable. The scoundrels , the rich and the famous have cast their dreams into stone and devastated the pristine shorelines of this naturally beautiful country. Along the coast , once luxuriously green hillsides are now whitewashed in concrete. These stretch over many kilometers to as far as the eye can see. Billions have been made through corrupt practices with government officials at times making so much of the loot that they would buy anything just to get rid of the cash. So they amassed collector´s items in the form of paintings, bought Arabian steed ( who were rescued by the SPCA), filled large storage locations with trunks of currency notes and to cut the list short, also filled many garages with vintage cars. All these colonizers have started their own local tabloids , built their own little clubs , groups, restaurants ,shops and bakeries - where locals find no place but they don´t care anyway as the colonizers keep their little town/village economies thriving. The locals have played a supporting role .They sold their ancestral properties and have grown rich. They have over the last decade fuelled the construction boom and internal consumption-all of which now face the onslaught of an economic downslide. So while I look at Goa through pictures ( and I was there last August) and am sad about the colonization, I see that history keeps repeating itself-didn´t the British colonize India.? As an eternal optimist , I have hope that as the British did, these nuveau riche Indians and Euro spinning colonizers of various skin shades will also leave behind lasting , constructive legacies over time. A mix of race and culture infuses new energy into the "colonized" society. Best Wishes Hubert Rau -- Roland Francis 416-453-3371
