The Goan Association (UK) awarded historic grant
The Goan Association (UK) has been awarded a historic grant of £38,300/-by The
Heritage Lottery Fund. This is the first grant of its kind, supporting a study
of the British-Goan community which arrived predominantly from East Africa by
mid-twentieth century. Sue Bowers, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund London,
affirmed, “Both British colonial history and Goan heritage in the UK will be
enhanced by this project that will also help current and future generations
learn more of their cultural background.”
The two-year project will gather information primarily through video and audio
interviews, conducted by a team of volunteers, to study the displacement,
transition and resettlement of the community emerging from post-Colonial East
Africa. The findings will be disseminated through seminars, a publication and
an exhibition. They will be archived in leading British institutions as well as
a website designed for the purpose. Mr Flavio Gracias, President of The Goan
Association (UK), said, “This grant assures us that the Goan community is part
of the national narrative and the preservation of its historical and cultural
past is an integral part of Britain’s heritage. The study is an opportunity to
re-examine and put right misconceived stereotypes, engage in conversations with
a larger audience and build a repository of learning for future generations of
Goans.” The project will be led by Selma Carvalho, author of ‘Into the
DiasporaWilderness’,
Clifford Pereira, Historical-Geographer, academic researcher and Fellow of the
Royal Geographical Society, and Eddie Fernandes, editor of GoanVoice UK.
