Title: Who the Bleep cares about Valentine Andrade and Caetano Rodrigues? Part 2. By: Selma Carvalho Source: Goan Voice UK Daily Newsletter 25 April 2010 at www.goanvoice.org.uk
FULL TEXT: In 1856, two English explorers, Sir Richard Burton and Captain Hanning Speke set out on an expedition into Central East Africa, looking for the source of the Nile. The expedition would make them epic heroes and forever inscribe their names into history. What is not celebrated by us, is that two Goans accompanied them. In part 2 of this account, we continue trekking into the African jungle with our two heroes Valentine Andrade and Caetano Rodrigues. For part 1 go to: http://www.goanvoice.org.uk/newsletter/2010/April/2010_April_18.html Spekes relationship with Caetano, who was assigned to him and who he called his cook-boy was fraught with tension and frequent rowing. He was typical of the then British who saw swarthy natives to be nothing other than lying, obstinate, destructive, wasteful and meddling. But Caetano, as described by Burton, was an incredibly fearless Goan man, who thinks nothing of throwing himself in the middle of a rowdy crowd or walking alone through the jungle in the pitch-black of night. On one occasion when Burton drops his gun into crocodile-infested waters, he dives straight into 12 feet of water, in a bid to recover it. But his manliness was possessed of a dual nature and he could be just as gentle and kind when tending to the sick in his party. As the two Goans trekked deeper into the dense, frightening jungle, nothing in their previous pockets of experience, could have prepared them for the severity of Africa; where red ants could send a man screeching into madness, their path littered with dead corpses of those who had died on the way, the unbearable heat, the frequent ambushes and the dire primitiveness of people where the simple act of lighting a fire to cook, sometimes made them heroes. Valentine, despite the raging fevers and lack of physical stamina to match the Africans on the team, proved himself invaluable to Burton. He was never far from his side, often delighting in taking charge and giving orders to the working team, having learnt in little time enough Kiswahili to manage small affairs and, to read the chronometer and thermometer. His bravado may have at times put him and his team in danger. Upon arriving in a place called Wafanya, a brawl breaks out while Burton is asleep. A drunken local indiscriminately wields blows into a crowd. Valentino fearing for his life, takes Burton Colt revolver and shoots into the crowd, maiming a canoe-man who eventually died. It takes all of Burtons persuasive powers and a negotiated settlement of the equivalent £100 in blood money, to spare Valentinos life and avert general mayhem. Valentine and Caetano certainly enjoyed a fair amount of privilege. They had thick cotton-padded mattresses, pillows and blankets to endure the discomfort of night. They were considered part of the chief party for whom Burton had acquired donkeys to mount. They were put in charge of rations, buying them and safeguarding them. They were often overseers who kept an eye on the other African slaves that travelled with them. Their slightly elevated position often caused rancour amongst the travelling caravan. The slaves accused them of thieving and conspiring against them, and they in turn accused the slaves. Valentino and Caetano never forgot they were Goans. Burton says they carried with them a pride of caste and a disdain for anyone who wasnt Christian. They ate by themselves, squatting opposite each other for company, pecking at their food, secluded and away from all the other gun-bearers, porters, slaves and guides. Two years later, despite the tremendous obstacles in the way and their frequent battles with the fevers of African jungles, they were still with the expedition caravan. They had reached the Makata plains of what is today Tanzania, on the eve of Christmas 1858. Valentine and Caetano had been away from their families for two years. If they thought of dodol and bebinca they had no way of making them. But Burton had ordered 6 goats for the occasion, perhaps Valentine had prepared a nice mutton curry for Christmas Day. The expedition ended shortly afterwards in February 1859. Burton and Speke had become estranged, barely talking to each other and referring to the other in vague and obscure terms in their memoirs of the trip. Both men had fame, recognition heaped on them with lashings of notoriety and innuendo that went with such fame. Both men are internationally celebrated. Valentine and Caetanos names have disappeared into the mists of obscurity. No statues celebrate their courage, intelligence and resilience. No history books in Goa boasts of them. No child knows their names or yearns to be just like Valentine and Caetano. Do leave your feedback at [email protected] ================================================== The Mining Petition 6 days to go and 800 not out! Will we achieve our target of 1000 signatures? Please ask your friends to tell their contacts to support the campaign by going to http://goanvoice.org.uk/miningpetition.php before 30 Apr. 2010. Thanks.
