When my friend Mel sent the post on the Jewish Artist called Chagal also remembered a Portuguese Consul serving in the Low Countries and also France (Bordeaux. Toulouse ) This fellows full name was Arstides de Sousa Mendes He saved thousands of lives fleeing from Hitler and his Annihilation policies. He saved Norwegians, Danes, Romanians Polish, Croatians. He seved scholars, Princes and Princesses from Greece etc even a few Ukranians There were actors and actresses among the refugees who became famous in the US and elsewhere Salazar the Dictator ( he wanted to be a Priest) sacked him from the job , demoted him Mendes who lost his pension and his large family were reduced to begging. There is a famous quote from Mendes when he deliberately defied Dictator Salazar He said <<<I would rather Serve God than do the wrong thing to please Salazar >>> One of the greatest Artists he saved was SALVADOR DALI ...he was a Jew...painted more than a dozen pictures of Christ, studied in France and was taken up by Piccaso...so Dali was into Abstract painting Psychology, Depression and Madness. .....
In my spare bedroom in Makongo Juu..I have a 6 x 4 Dali I think I bought it in Lisbon when I was sent there under a UN Mission to tell the truth about one famous Goan and an Arab who opposed the Union. I happened to know why they were put in the Maximum Security place...yes for their own protection. I like my Dali..It shows Christ still on the cross.head slumped forward, every muscle in his arm s strained ...Christ did not die because of Pilate or the Jewish High Priest .... THe Apostle and disciples of Christ, walked all thge way through Syria, Persia Afghanistan into Pakistan and straight to Tamil Nadu....Thomas was martyred there ....so long before any Europeans became Christians the foundations was laid ...SFX came in 1500 years later ,,,so stop trying to brain wash me and others, ..that we are following a white mans Religion Finally On 9 June 2020, Portugal granted official recognition to Sousa Mendes. Parliament decided a monument in the National Pantheon should bear his name. In 2017 in the Portuguese border town of Vilar Formoso <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilar_Formoso> a memorial museum was opened, known as Vilar Formoso Fronteira da Paz <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilar_Formoso_Fronteira_da_Paz> (Frontier of Peace) recording the experiences of refugees entering Portugal, many of whom had been given visas by Sousa Mendes. The State of Israel, long before any country also honoured him with the Honour of RIGHTOUSNESS Incredible story ....but then some of the High Ranking Official in Portugal are Goans So VIVA GOA and VIVA GOANS Grandolfo in Cool Makongo JUU" PS Some years ago .no .decades ago I was angry about a whole bunch of African Geology/Hydrology Students with second even a third degrees from all over the world , disgusted that a certain EA Leader was minting money selling Colton for his American financers ..My work in Nairobi was sponsored by UNEP and paid by the Canadians. Not wishing to start a diplomatic row ...I wrote a Tribology of Papers about Butterflies and dragons etc. Google for them they still exist. Now I am tempted to write an account entitled "THE BUTTERFLY AND THE GOAN HEROES & HEROINES .....E I