[Goanet] Yesterday in Paradise 1956 to 1974 – Cyprian Fernandes (Sydney Australia) An appreciation by Melvyn Fernandes (Thornton Heath, England)

[MELVYN FERNANDES]

Yesterday in Paradise 1956 to 1974 – Cyprian Fernandes (Sydney Australia)

An appreciation by Melvyn Fernandes (Thornton Heath, England)

Never judge a book by its cover when I first came across Yesterday In Paradise
on Social Media the cover could easily  have been a painting by David Shepherd
or the Late Caje Fernandes even Andrew Dias whose photographs on Wildlife used
to adorn Kenya Tourism brochures. There was also Alex Fernandes from Sapra
Studios Nairobi.

The scene could have been from the safari  lodge Tree Tops where the late
Manuelwelin Fernandes from Colvale is accredited as being chef to Princess
Elizabeth who is now  91 years old Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of the United
Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

Credits must go to Bina Nayak a Goan Independent Graphic Designer and
Communication specialist from Sir JJ School of Art Bombay for putting a thousand
words into one picture, she also works from Pune and Goa.

Goa Book Club for Distribution ISBN:978-93-80739-92-2 not forgetting GOA 1556
(Goa first printing press) the publishers of this second edition coordinated by
Frederick Noronha, Saligao 403511 Goa India http://goa1556.in.

In this age of the instant, I never got round to reading the first edition. My
thanks to Greg Carvalho at a recent London Reunion of St. Theresa’s and Catholic
Parochial schools managed to acquire a copy of the paperback second edition for
a nominal sum.

This book is one you can open wide and say aaah. Cyprian’s story is also our
story especially the Eastleighkar. Although garnished with history it covers the
two houses named Romulus and Remus built  by their parents whose children
drowned in the quarry in their memory a place forbidden to us teenagers  we made
do by playing in the stream at mathare valley.  There are some lines on what I
think was mulango Kuba at Pangani and the Poltergeist.   If you were ill there
was always Dr Charlie Paes and his clinic.

It brings to life the role Pio Gama Pinto, other Goans and dukawallahas played
for the Independence of Kenya also Kenyan Government Ministers normally seen on
Civic Posters with an understanding why most of our parents lost their jobs
overnight and most of us could not get school admission due to the
 Africanisation Policy that started our migration from Kenya to friendly
countries on planet earth including Ancestral Goa. The planned engineering of
the Uganda coup is covered.

The achievements of our Olympic sportsmen is brilliantly recorded in several
chapters one all rounder Sister Trifa De Souza representing Kenya was
disqualified from the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth games at Cardiff
because she held a Portuguese Passport. Today marks over 50 years as a Catholic
Nun in the service of Children especially very young and abandoned girls in
Kenya and thanks all ex-students and friends of Dr Ribeiro Goan School from
around the world for their support of  her work at Edelvale Womens Complex In
Nairobi.

Hockey Legends like Hilary Fernandes, Silu Fernandes,  Anthony Vaz, Egbert
Fernandes, Edgar Fernandes, Alu Mendonca and Athletics Seraphino Antao Kipchoge
Keino started the Olympic Gold rush for Kenya.There is also a mention of Aires
and Josephine Fernandes one of the best Goan Snooker and Billiard players in
East Africa. In London, Aires used to give us a lift from Tooting in his red
Renault to join 149 volunteers pulling together at any one time for the
refurbishment of the Goan Association Clubhouse at Ravensbourne  under the
supervision of Building Engineers Trewin Pinto & Leslie Mendonca.

The development and segration of our people by our people at the Goan Institute,
the Railway Institute and the Goan Gymkhana in Nairobi is very diplomatically
explained. Sports Day is when we all met in competition with each other and
other communities. At Catholic Parochial School Sister Gertrude our music
teacher could not get me to sing the right notes, bless her soul, unlike my
Aunties Euphamia Mary, Rosie, Helen and Saturina who were in the Choir at Holy
Family every Sunday with Oboe Noronha the choir master.

I became a Roadie hanging out with musicians Polly, Andrew, Vallent, Johnny,
Sparky, Polly Drummer, Violinist Lobo having mastered the maracas just about
played the Rhythm guitar with the band Les Typhoons.

You see music, like sports, conquered all barriers and even today at the sounds
of music like puppets on strings our people love a dance cast or no cast. I
fondly remember Henry Braganza of the Scorpions and his carving from a bamboo
cane for sound effects also the introduction of the infra red mike, no more
cables Magic my thanks also to late Cooty of all stars.   Amigoes to name a few.
 There was an upcoming band called the Bongo boys Band.

We even played at the Freemasons Lodge, visited the Swiss Grill, the Pan Africa
and starlight to name a few.

Not much has changed amongst our people today in October 1960 the vice premier
of Portugal Pedro Teotonio Pereira at the invitation of the British Colonial

Re: [Goanet] Yesterday In Paradise - The Dogears Bookstore Skip Fernandes Presentation

[Jose Colaco]

Knowing How Challenging it is to Organise and Achieve Anything Anywhere,
especially in Goa, I COMMEND individuals like Frederick Noronha for their
Artistic (et al) Output.

jc

On 16 December 2016 at 18:23, Frederick FN Noronha फ्रेड्रिक नोरोन्या
*فريدريك نورونيا  wrote:

> Hi Roland,
>
> Please lead by example.
>
> My offering is here: https://archive.org/details/goa1556?sort=-publicdate
> These are not necessarily books, but the your litany of complaints could be
> valid here too (not professional recordings, non-Canadian diction or
> mumbling, etc).
>
> As almost anyone might understand, we do work within constraints. To offer
> advice from a distant reality doesn't make too sense.
>
> This is one reason why Goa remains one of the few states in India without
> even a community radio station of its own. Lots of free suggestion and
> advice, little support or concrete help. Tell me what you're willing to
> help with, and I'll tell you what useful initiative (not mine) that could
> go to help.
>
> We can make elaborate suggestions, but not work concretely to make these
> come true?
>
> To argue that "Other than that, one day to Skip's own grandchildren, Pio
> Gama Pinto and Fritz De Souza will probably be meaningless and alien
> names." sounds as if we're shooting ourselves in our (collective,
> community) foot. Let's not worry about grand children, but about today. The
> story will keep getting told, maybe in different ways, even of different
> places.
>
> Send us some community recordings (and show us what's possible). I would be
> the first to want to learn of how to record simply, affordably and
> sustainably.
>
> FN
> --
> _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
> _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
> _/
> _/  Frederick Noronha  http://about.me/noronhafrederick http://goa1556.in
> _/  P +91-832-2409490 M 9822122436 Twitter @fn Fcbk:fredericknoronha
> _/  Hear Goa,1556 shared audio content at
> https://archive.org/details/goa1556
> _/
> _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
> _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
>

Re: [Goanet] Yesterday In Paradise - The Dogears Bookstore Skip Fernandes Presentation

[Frederick FN Noronha फ्रेड्रिक नोरोन्या *فريدريك نورونيا]

Hi Roland,

Please lead by example.

My offering is here: https://archive.org/details/goa1556?sort=-publicdate
These are not necessarily books, but the your litany of complaints could be
valid here too (not professional recordings, non-Canadian diction or
mumbling, etc).

As almost anyone might understand, we do work within constraints. To offer
advice from a distant reality doesn't make too sense.

This is one reason why Goa remains one of the few states in India without
even a community radio station of its own. Lots of free suggestion and
advice, little support or concrete help. Tell me what you're willing to
help with, and I'll tell you what useful initiative (not mine) that could
go to help.

We can make elaborate suggestions, but not work concretely to make these
come true?

To argue that "Other than that, one day to Skip's own grandchildren, Pio
Gama Pinto and Fritz De Souza will probably be meaningless and alien
names." sounds as if we're shooting ourselves in our (collective,
community) foot. Let's not worry about grand children, but about today. The
story will keep getting told, maybe in different ways, even of different
places.

Send us some community recordings (and show us what's possible). I would be
the first to want to learn of how to record simply, affordably and
sustainably.

FN
--
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
_/
_/  Frederick Noronha  http://about.me/noronhafrederick http://goa1556.in
_/  P +91-832-2409490 M 9822122436 Twitter @fn Fcbk:fredericknoronha
_/  Hear Goa,1556 shared audio content at
https://archive.org/details/goa1556
_/
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Re: [Goanet] Yesterday In Paradise - The Dogears Bookstore Skip Fernandes Presentation

[Frederick FN Noronha फ्रेड्रिक नोरोन्या *فريدريك نورونيا]

On 17 December 2016 at 01:55, Roland  wrote:
>
>
> But again like his previous recordings, he makes no effort to start out
> with any structure or by enlightening listeners with a suitable
> introduction. You are pretty much left to your own devices to understand
> who's who in the presentation and their backgrounds, much less putting in
> context their roles in whatever took place. This time there was a little
> saving grace. Questioners and attendees were made to introduce themselves
> at the fag end, helping to clear the smog a little.
>

Sorry. But it takes quite some time to put this together itself. The day
has only 25 hours for me. If I need to fit in into many other priorities,
this is the best I can offer.  For better quality, set in place a paid news
service. We are not offering that.

Also, this might seem like an excuse for mediocrity, but I do operate on
the assumption that some recording is better than no recording. Francis or
no Francis.

Alternatively, those who carp can also lead by example. Share some
community recordings, well introduced, setting the context, and sans any
mumblers. Show us thus what is really possible. (On this score, I doff my
non-existing hat to JoeGoaUk. This is not meant to be criticism for people
like him.)


>
> To encapsulate, FN is so much in the thick of things that he takes for
> granted that listeners are too, so no favours are done to them via the
> normal courtesies.
>

It's also part of my subterranean goal to assign some homework to audiences
following the recording. To make them wonder what's going on, To push them
to work their way around a meeting they never attended. Maybe one which was
held even half a world away. Otherwise, it might just be boring and
spoon-feeding, innit (as BC might ask)?


> Aside from that rant of mine, Skip's voice was loud, clear and
> authoritative. That was a good thing since the rest of the people including
> FN mostly mumbled while spitting out their thoughts, Goan style. Informal
> though it was meant to be, arre baba, other people not present are
> interested in what you are saying.
>

True. Nowhere does the recording come with the added text explaining that
(i) time was short, and everyone was attempting to finish fast for a 101
reasons which might not be obvious in Toronto right now (ii) we mostly
understand each other's mumbling quite coherently, here (iii) the audio
recorder was actually sitting in Skip's pocket, and some of us had a kind
of ... handicap.

>
> But I doubt that Goan history in East Africa will hold any memories for
> future Goan generations. The ones who lived there had it good but they did
> nothing remarkable to be remembered.
>
> In their own personal family histories, I hope their stay in East Africa
> will be gratefully remembered for the fact it enabled them to immigrate to
> countries that were advanced and which they could call their own. Other
> than that, one day to Skip's own grandchildren, Pio Gama Pinto and Fritz De
> Souza will probably be meaningless and alien names.


Just a few counter-views:

(i) History does not comprise only of things "remarkable to be remembered"
(ii) At least some recognise the importance of recording the past,
sometimes even going far further back, and even when those histories were
not directly shaped by Goans. For instance, Luis Assis Correia has just
released a book on the Portuguese and the Marathas. To fear that everyone
will undergo a collective amnesia might be far-fetched (iii) Old Konkani
saying, you may or may not agree with: "People Who Say It Cannot Be Done
Should Not Interrupt Those Who Are Doing It."

Borem magun,

FN
-- 
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
_/
_/  Frederick Noronha  http://about.me/noronhafrederick http://goa1556.in
_/  P +91-832-2409490 M 9822122436 Twitter @fn Fcbk:fredericknoronha
_/  Hear Goa,1556 shared audio content at
https://archive.org/details/goa1556
_/
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

[Goanet] Yesterday In Paradise - The Dogears Bookstore Skip Fernandes Presentation

[Roland]

Like his previous recordings, FN gave people like myself, thousands of miles 
away from an event, the opportunity to be close to it.

But again like his previous recordings, he makes no effort to start out with 
any structure or by enlightening listeners with a suitable introduction. You 
are pretty much left to your own devices to understand who's who in the 
presentation and their backgrounds, much less putting in context their roles in 
whatever took place. This time there was a little saving grace. Questioners and 
attendees were made to introduce themselves at the fag end, helping to clear 
the smog a little.

To encapsulate, FN is so much in the thick of things that he takes for granted 
that listeners are too, so no favours are done to them via the normal 
courtesies.

Aside from that rant of mine, Skip's voice was loud, clear and authoritative. 
That was a good thing since the rest of the people including FN mostly mumbled 
while spitting out their thoughts, Goan style. Informal though it was meant to 
be, arre baba, other people not present are interested in what you are saying.

Skip's book promises to be interesting because during the time he talked about, 
he was close to the action and does not lack the boldness required of an 
investigative reporter. More's the pity he was not or could not be supported by 
his newspaper The Nation. Who knows what good could have come of a strong 
press, supported by the opposition at home and by Britain abroad. 

What am I saying? Britain's interests were actually furthered by the thugs in 
power Jomo Kenyatta and Idi Amin. And America happy that socialism and 
communism were kept at bay, were quite happy to provide the immoral compass. 
Immoral, because anytime the elite is favoured over the vast citizenry, no good 
can come of it.

Skip could have have to face some tough questions if his audience had either 
done some homework or exhibited some mental keenness. One question I found 
worthy: If the Goans in Africa had pitted themselves on the black African side, 
would they have been more welcomed in a free country.

The answer was correctly and unanimously given by all. A resounding NO. It's an 
obvious answer but the question itself has interesting facets.

Could the Goans whose livelihood and existence in Africa was owed in totality 
to the British colonialists, really oppose the latter?

Can one really say that those fractured countries could be depended on to 
remember the Goan contribution to their development.

Could Goans really be happy in countries with corrupted, impulsive and often 
ignorant leadership. 

Would Goans not have lost their opportunities to have pioneered their societies 
in western democracies where their prosperity was proved assured if they had 
remained back for too long.

Skip's book plays an important part in the telling of the history of the 
countries the Goans made home and thought they would never have to leave. In 
that sense they were betrayed. In other countries, for example in the Middle 
East, they knew where they stood. But then again, if you knew that you treated 
your real hosts as an inferior class while you had it good, what returns could 
you expect once the British - your masters (and overlords of the Black 
Africans) left, as leave they must.

But I doubt that Goan history in East Africa will hold any memories for future 
Goan generations. The ones who lived there had it good but they did nothing 
remarkable to be remembered.

In their own personal family histories, I hope their stay in East Africa will 
be gratefully remembered for the fact it enabled them to immigrate to countries 
that were advanced and which they could call their own. Other than that, one 
day to Skip's own grandchildren, Pio Gama Pinto and Fritz De Souza will 
probably be meaningless and alien names.

Roland Francis
Toronto.

[Goanet] Yesterday in Paradise

[Mervyn Maciel]

I have great pleasure in appending the link to a review of
Cyprian Fernandes's recent book by Stephen Luscombe of
the British Empire Library.


Mervyn Maciel

http://www.britishempire.co.uk/library/yesterdayinparadise.htm

[Goanet] Yesterday in Paradise

[Mervyn Maciel]

An assortment of reviews/comments on
Cyprian Fernandes's book on the attached.


Mervyn Maciel

[Goanet] 'Yesterday in Paradise'

[Mervyn Maciel]

Am appending a brief note on my thoughts on this
excellent book.



Mervyn Maciel


 My thoughts on Cyprian Fernandes’s “Yesterday in Paradise”





As one who was born and lived the life in Kenya, I would class

Cyprian Fernandes’s memoir, “Yesterday in Paradise” as a

“just-can’t-put-it –down” book.

Who, I wonder, after a seemingly disturbed childhood would

rise to the dizzy heights in the journalistic world as our author has?

But Cyprian had a loving and caring mother who, despite odds stacked

heavily against her, literally worked her socks off and sacrificed all
solely to

ensure her children were safe and well looked after. No sacrifice was too

much for her and it is heartening to see the author pay a much deserved

tribute to this incredible woman.

  That Cyprian lived by his wits can be seen from many instances in the
narrative.

For example, during his schooling in Eastleigh, he refuses to ‘bow down’ to
authority

 – in this case,the school’s Principal, Fr. Hannon- who wrongly accuses him
of lying.

Kudos to Cyprian for standing his ground and being freed by the truth.

  A bank clerk’s or office job was not for this ‘never-give-up’ individual

who was made of sterner stuff!  As you plough through the pages of

‘Yesterday in Paradise’ you will see that Cyprian’s destiny lay elsewhere.

  His later foray into the coveted world of journalism, and his meteoric
rise

within the organisation saw him being assigned some of the most enviable and

dangerous tasks – a mission he always accomplished with singular
distinction.

  Here was a man not given to suffering fools gladly as shown during his
encounter

with quite an inexperienced and arrogant Minister of Information who took
umbrage

to an editorial piece Cyprian had written. Undeterred by the Minister’s
threats

of deportation, the brave author stuck to his story, refusing to apologise
for what

was in fact, the plain truth.

  Through his friendship with some of the senior Ministers in the Kenyatta

Government, Cyprian may well have been privy to some of the inner workings
of the government.

In this book, he has had the guts to ‘spill the beans’ so to speak, and
come out

strongly about the rampant corruption in the corridors of power of the
Kenyatta

Government. Many, including Kenyatta himself, come in for severe criticism
for

reneging on their previous promises to the “*wanainchi” (*the landless
masses),

and instead, allocating large acreages of formerly ‘White Highlands’
farmland

 to themselves and their families.

   The author does not forget the ‘African Goan’ –to whom he devotes

a whole chapter, paying glowing tribute to the humble civil servants

who kept the government machinery functioning.

   There is so much in this very readable book that the author touches on

 – from early Goan migration to even the ‘ugly ‘and distasteful caste system

 which hopefully is being consigned to history.

It is a book which should be required reading for every Goan –

So why are you waiting ? Go on and buy a copy NOW!





Mervyn Maciel

(Author of ‘Bwana Karani’ & 'From Mtoto to Mzee')