Vivian A. DSouza wrote: > I visited Zanzibar last year. The island is 98 per cent Muslim, > with a handful of Goans. The people are still very friendly especially > if you speak their language (Kiswahili), the surrounding sea is clear > blue green with brilliant white sandy shores and and the fragrant > smell of cloves and other spices hangs in the air. I spoke to at least > one Goan during my visit and he said that he and the other Goans > had no plans of ever forsaking the island. They are completely at home.
Bwana D'souza, You forgot to mention that the centre of Goan religious life in Zanzibar is the St Josephs Cathedral. This Cathedral has served served at the place for baptisms, marriages and final rites for Goans in Zanzibar for more than seven generations. The Cathedral also has fresco's that no other church in Africa can match in beauty. The main altar has a dome that has some really detailed paintings. See the picture at this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45002...@n00/5042606697/sizes/l/in/photostream/ The fresco's that you see were last retouched about 30 years ago by a Zanzibari Goan artist, John D'silva. These fresco's, some with a golden tinge are really beautiful to look at. John is easily the best Goan artist I have met. He spent countless hours, up on scaffolding, lying on his back, while still a young man, lovingly detailing and retouching those frescoes. Unfortunately, the Cathedral is in dire need of repairs. Water is seeping in thru one of its twin towers and the damage is threatening the church itself. A committee in Zanzibar is trying to raise funds for the renovations. Half the committee are Goans. Recently, Goans who were born or raised in Zanzibar have taken up the fund raising challenge and three groups, one each in Canada, the US and the UK are combining their efforts to raise enough funds for the restorations. For those with nuggets or those with a heart of gold, take a good look at this blog. It gives a visual clue on what has to be done and the work in progress. http://forodhanizbar.blogspot.com/ Again, help is needed. The contacts in the blog and all are very dependable people. Mervyn1318Lobo