--- On Fri, 8/8/08, Cecil Pinto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Will someone explain to me why International Goan
> Conventions have to
> be held anywhere other than in Goa?
--------------------------------------------
Cecil,
For once I have to agree with you. Not that the venue has to be specifically
Goa, but rather the difficult question of what does this convention achieve and
more importantly what does it do for Goa? Especially in light of the fact that
a sizable portion of the financial burden is borne by the Goa exchequer. It
must start out with a specific objective and have a definitive outcome.
It was nice reading the positives stories that came out of the convention, but
the best they had to say was, "it was nice meeting old friends and making new
contacts". I'm sorry, that's simply not good enough. If that's the aim of a
convention, next time please have a BBQ in my backyard in Goa. I'll spring from
the drinks!I'm not blaming Kevin and his team, but rather Faleiro, who should
be instrumental and focused on what is to be achieved in these conventions.
Photo-ops are not reason enough to fly around the world.
And as for attendance, I have said this umpteen times. Second and third
generation Goans in diaspora are simply not interested in Goa. They are already
assimilated into their host countries. They have a passing interest in sorpatel
and feni. That's where it ends. I don't blame them, I understand them. But this
is something that we have to be conscious of, and work to counter.
If we don't have an honest dialogue about these issues, we are bound to repeat
the entire episode whether we have it in London or Australia or Goa.
selma
