[Goanet] Cyprian Fernandes against Selma Carvalho (Response to Eddie Fernandes by Rose Fernandes)
Dear Eddie I too echo what others have written on goanet, this matter was well and truly closed. Selma had written an article on the Goan Festival 2012 which was published in the OHeraldo in Goa, a number of readers took issue at what she had written about our community from East Africa and this gauntlet was taken up by Cyprian from Australia who, with a fully loaded gold tip parker pen (with ink to spare) gave her a justifiable slap on her writer's wrist. In a rare display of humility, Selma apologised, we all breathed a sigh of relief and therein the matter closed. She then bade us all a fond farewell from goanet, but she bades us so many fond farewells, that we have all developed a great fondness for her in our hearts. In your goanet posting, you have written that she has been sitting in the National Archives for long hours doing her research, I have to ask did our community live in the National Archives or did they live in East Africa? The story of our lives there is in the streets, the churches, the club houses, the sports grounds, the beaches, the schools, the colonial offices, the private companies, the railways, and in the hearts and minds of those who lived there, not in the National Archives, we are not some lost tribe yet. You have also reminded us for the past one year, she has been travelling relentlessly the length and breadth of London to record these stories, recruit interviewees, transcribe, edit and produce videos. Let me take this opportunity to refresh your memory, how you announced with great pride of huge interest shown in every training session that it was fully booked even before it was advertised. There were 20 dedicated volunteers that took training on 29 October 2011 and 15 dedicated volunteers that took training on 26 November 2011 both sessions at the Indian YMCA in London, all were trained on how to handle video and audio equipment and interviewing techniques, as shown on http://www.britishgoanproject.com/event/ Did these dedicated volunteers pass or fail their training? Or were these training sessions a tick box exercise as part of the grant requirements? Could you advise us why you now feel that we should be giving a thank you vote to Miss Lonesome when she would have had enough trained-up, dedicated volunteers to assist her with this project? Like a mystery move on undir papa's game board, it is incredulous that you have resurrected this matter on goanet. As editor of Goan Voice and PR Director of The Histories of British Goans Project, you will be familiar with these types of clashes which have a tendency to die down after a while. In my opinion, the behaviour of my best friend mirrors a child standing on a pram because all her favourite toys have been thrown on the floor. Rather than an adult continually picking them up, in time this child will need to learn she has to pick the toys up by herself without any assistance. Rose Fernandes Thornton Heath, Surrey, United Kingdom 17 September 2012
Re: [Goanet] Cyprian Fernandes against Selma Carvalho (Response to Eddie Fernandes by Rose Fernandes)
Dear Rose, You are right to question the resurrection of the doddery issue even though your path is replete with thorns! I too thought that this was dead and buried until on 13th Sep I received a message from Cyprian which was also sent out to about 100 other addresses and consisted of responses he had received supporting his position. This message started off with a Dear Eddie… I replied to the 100 email addresses indicating why I thought his action was in poor taste considering that an apology had been made. I was completely thrown by a message that came back to me via GoaNet on 16th Sep. accusing me of being distasteful in having revived the issue! I therefore examined Cyprian’s mailing list and goanet was indeed one of the 100 names on the list. However, though Cyprian had obviously meant his message to go on to GoaNet, it did not do so, presumably running foul of the rule that does not allow cross-posting. But when I replied to Cyprian’s list, mine got forwarded by GoaNet, presumably because of the reputation I have acquired over the years of not being able to do wrong :-) Thank you for your interest in our Oral History Project. I wonder what you thought of the documentary released last week. Eddie Fernandes
Re: [Goanet] Cyprian Fernandes against Selma Carvalho
Hi Eddie No one disputes Selma's success nor her love for all things Goan and her tireless research on the East African Goan. Despite all her success, the point of using the word dodderer was insulting and demeaning. Point has been discussed, debated, and apology has been forthcoming. I am sure Selma understands where she erred, Cyprian, bravely brought up the point and yes we all cheered him on. But this needs to now close, enough has been said and it is time for all of us to move on. Best Regards Eva Fonseca On Sat, Sep 15, 2012 at 1:53 AM, Eddie Fernandes eddie.fernan...@gmail.comwrote: Folks, The woman that Cyprian Fernandes seeks to vilify has spent the last five years of her life researching East African Goans. One of the earliest columns she wrote about East African Goans on GoanVoice UK can be read here: http://www.goanvoice.org.uk/newsletter/2009/Feb/issue3/ Sitting in the National Archives for long hours she gathered original research and penned a hugely successful book, Into The Diaspora Wilderness, largely about East African Goans. You can read 8 pages of comments and reviews on this book here: http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/reviews-etc/ On the heels of this book, she successfully lobbied for a grant to have the stories of East African Goans recorded. She then partnered with the British Library to have them permanently archived. For the past one year, she has been travelling relentlessly the length and breadth of London to record these stories, recruit interviewees, transcribe, edit and produce videos. She then worked tirelessly to produce a documentary from the recording which aired to a packed hall on the 22 of July 2012. The 25 minute documentary and some other videos produced by her can now be viewed at http://www.britishgoanproject.com/video-archive/ The best testimony of the love and respect Selma has always harboured for the East African Goan community has been her work. If there is one person who has put East African Goans on the map, it is Selma Carvalho, the same person Cyprian seeks to crucify. Such are the ways we Goans show our gratitude Please ask your friends to forward this message to their contacts. Best wishes, Eddie Fernandes www.goanvoice.org.uk ** ** ** **
Re: [Goanet] Cyprian Fernandes against Selma Carvalho
Eddie Fernandes wrote: The best testimony of the love and respect Selma has always harboured for the East African Goan community has been her work. If there is one person who has put East African Goans on the map, it is Selma Carvalho, the same person Cyprian seeks to crucify. Such are the ways we Goans show our gratitude - Eddie, Cyprian wrote what he did in response to Selma's article. Cyprian cannot change anyone's opinion of Selma. The opinion each and everyone of us forms on Selma, is from the words she herself writes. Mervyn
[Goanet] Cyprian Fernandes against Selma Carvalho
Folks, The woman that Cyprian Fernandes seeks to vilify has spent the last five years of her life researching East African Goans. One of the earliest columns she wrote about East African Goans on GoanVoice UK can be read here: http://www.goanvoice.org.uk/newsletter/2009/Feb/issue3/ Sitting in the National Archives for long hours she gathered original research and penned a hugely successful book, Into The Diaspora Wilderness, largely about East African Goans. You can read 8 pages of comments and reviews on this book here: http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/reviews-etc/ On the heels of this book, she successfully lobbied for a grant to have the stories of East African Goans recorded. She then partnered with the British Library to have them permanently archived. For the past one year, she has been travelling relentlessly the length and breadth of London to record these stories, recruit interviewees, transcribe, edit and produce videos. She then worked tirelessly to produce a documentary from the recording which aired to a packed hall on the 22 of July 2012. The 25 minute documentary and some other videos produced by her can now be viewed at http://www.britishgoanproject.com/video-archive/ The best testimony of the love and respect Selma has always harboured for the East African Goan community has been her work. If there is one person who has put East African Goans on the map, it is Selma Carvalho, the same person Cyprian seeks to crucify. Such are the ways we Goans show our gratitude Please ask your friends to forward this message to their contacts. Best wishes, Eddie Fernandes www.goanvoice.org.uk
