Dear Mervyn It was a real pleasure to read the many interesting responses you made to dear Gilbert on the issue of what the Goans gave to Kenya. In particular, I noted your firm "repugnant" view about caste among the [Catholic] Goans in Kenya. Your view echoes mine exactly on Goanet for the past few years, and if you ever put together a historical book on the subject line above, I will be delighted to write a chapter on Caste and Club, Among the Catholic Goans--the theme of one PhD thesis in Nairobi and another similar PhD about the Goans in Kampala. These two cover Kenya and Uganda but there is much about Tanzania, and especially, Dar es Salaam in many people's memories (Tony in New York and and Mervyn in Toronto come to mind readily), and in short accounts provided on Goanet and elsewhere.
However, my position now is that, hard as it may be, we should try to FORGIVE those practitioners of historical caste practises among the 'Catholic' Goans in East Africa BUT NEVER TO FORGET THOSE THAT DERIDED SO MANY, FOR SO LONG. In saying the above, I was heartened to note a private message to me from a Goan author whom we briefly discussed when we met last week---that hopefully soon, even the memory of caste among the Catholic Goans will be forgotten and clearly, we should look forward to such a day! I also want to suggest that the parochial caste issue among the 'Catholic' Goans has largely been defeated (despite some desperate revivalist attempts under the guise of "our history and culture" on Goanet), in the Goan diaspora as well as the often referred to "crab mentality" that, can have no purchase in a largely transparent meritocratic Western culture. Likewise, we can hope for change in Goa, slowly but surely, through persuasion, but also, through sharp criticism when appropriate and necessary. I am sure that, regarding Gilbert's expressed desire for solidarity among the Goans the world over, we can agree that unbending segregationist caste adherence by some has been the root cause for discord and disunity among the 'Catholic' Goans but hopefully when the long war against caste has been finally won, the winners will be magnanimous and the losers gracious to help towards Goan solidarity worldwide. In saying this, and as an ardent anti-casteist, I extend my hand of reconciliation to caste adherents to help them shed their long bondage to the man made abhorrent concept of caste, and instead, help them to embrace the great leap forward to the freedom of castelessness. To succeed in this, there is however, one other hurdle--the Roman Catholic Church in Goa that, has wittingly or unwittingly, proveably been hand in glove (my repeated view on Goanet), with caste for half a millennium. Through the Archbishop no less, the Church has to be brave and bold enough to articulate for the first time ever, its recognition and acceptance that, the evil of caste among the Catholic Goans is, to use your very cogent term, entirely "repugnant" wrong and unacceptable. Hopefully, as known avid readers of Goanet, those in the Church hierarchy in Goa will finally hear and act on this repeated and important wake-up call. And finally, without rushing people too much, and as an eternal optimist, wouldn't it be a great delight to hear some semblance of a response, to the above, from the Church hierarchy, in time for the International Goan Convention in Toronto in July 2008? Cornel DaCosta, London, UK. --- Mervyn & Elsie Maciel wrote: In other,'disgraceful' incidents, I understand some
Goans(happily I was not a victim) were openly
discriminated against because of caste. I found this
situation repugnant then and have not changed my views since.
We also need to rid ourselves of an almost innate jealousy mentality where we can't see a
fellow Goan excel in whatever field. Instead of
complimenting the individual on his/her achievements, we seem hell bent on 'bringing them down'. Happily, I hope our younger generation will consign this attitude to history.
