Roland Francis has given us a nostalgic glimpse into our past wherein we Goans lead the way in leaving an enviable and awe-inspiring footprint wherever in the world we went. Our pioneering spirit enabled us to brave severe and persevereably insurmountable obstacles venturing into remote inhospitable places like Namasagali in the Northern Frontier district of Kenya known to be snake infested, populated by hostile Somali tribesmen and the dreaded Black Water Fever and emerged triumphant. This same pioneering spirit took us to the interior of other lands like Pakistan, Mozambique even Burkinafaso which were in the infancy of civilization and we triumphed there also. During our exploits, we managed to build Schools, Churches, Clubs and contributed immensely to the emancipation of the local peoples. The Goans were revered by our colonial masters and respected by the locals for our honesty and humanity. We treated the locals better than any other Indian community. The culture that we left behind rubbed off on the locals and still endure to this day.
When we emigrated to the west, although we progressed, we somehow lost our zeal or should I say our communal cultural values and after being a community of cultural leaders, we became a Culture of Assimilators being slowly but surely assimilated into Western Culture. This could be due to the fact that where we immigrated, the infrastructure such as Schools, Clubs and other social amenities already existed and instead of our having to build them, we only utilized the facilities which already existed mixing and mingling with the new locals finding no need perhaps of maintaining our cultural values as this came easily. This is a shame and it will lead to the demise of our culture as time goes on, as the older folks who really cherished these values are gradually fading away and the younger generation, having little or no exposure to it, do not have the same zeal of maintaining the Goan culture. One has only to look at the dwindling attendances at the Goan Overseas Associations annual New Year's occasion and the fact that although a plot of land was purchased more than two decade ago, we have not yet been able to erect a clubhouse on the property. Even the UK Goan Overseas Association which went further than us, had a Clubhouse, which due to constant bickering and mismanagement I believe is now non functional. Oft times, cultural events like Thiatr's and other social events like Village feasts are poorly attended and patrons tend to be the older strata of Goans. How to remedy this situation is hard to perceive but worth exploring in the interest if keeping the Communal values alive. Manuel (Eddie) Tavares.
