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 Government visited Kenya. Pereira arranged for the financing of the Fort Jesus Museum and a sum of GBP 30,000 was made available through the Guibenkian Foundation. Fort Jesus was hijacked and forced into celebrations marking 555th annivisary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator. Today it is said Goans say one thing and do another. Cyprian defends the East African Goan labelled as dodderer .The Hijacked Goan Festival in London over ten years ago was like the clubhouse an East African Goan initiative where families of all generations met under one sky some even displayed and showcased their villages in Goa with pride. On page175 he wrote” You have to be a contemporary of the dodderer to appreciate that he was once a warrior, a pioneer who was forced out of the comfort of his family home for nearly a century and transported to an alien country where he found no welcome but racist abuse and taunts. Worse he was called a Paki while skinheads and white supremacists bashed him. He was for a long time a “Black Bastard” at work or on the streets of England. Whatever the pain and suffering the dodderer persevered for the sake of the children. Some could not take it and packed their bags for Goa only to return a short time later. Being blessed with a good command of English the dodderer found it fairly easily to slip into mainstream English life both in the Public and Private Sectors. It was not long before the dodderers were commanding high salaries and high positions. It was also not long before the poms were able to discern the different Brown skinned citizens. In Parliament, the dodderer and his tribe were recognised for their former colonial service” There is bitterness between the newly arrived GPPP ( Goan Portuguese Passport Holders from Goa.) Our community has never been in so much trouble with the Police in the last forty years like today these GPPP have no manners are also known as the Khoito Head as like the Khoito they are sharp bent and given the opportunity will eat you out of house and home and even your job in Breadline Britain. In Eastleigh life revolved around St Theresa’s Church , everyone knew everyone and walked everywhere. Voluntary work was introduced at the Legion of Mary weekly meetings where an insight of Committee structure and duties of President, Secretary and Treasurer along with the attendance register were gained valuable booking keeping and minute taking was learnt some took to shorthand either Gregs or Pitmans which assisted in Employment. Cyprians book is an insight into his first job application and career. His experience can be mirrored by many of us. Some years ago I attended a crowded seminar at Ibis Earls Court London England organised by an American the theme was how to make money with the bottom line –Write a Book. The room was full of cheers I must be from a different generation as I could not understand what the cheering was about. Having read Cyprians book with shed loads of information I found it a sincere down to earth story and life experience and take this opportunity to appreciate his work and sharing with us condensed into a paperback with bite size chapters. The views expressed in this article are personal and should not be regarded as any authority to purchase a copy see paragraph one or email Skip for your nearest outlet skip...@live.com.au Thanks for the Memory. Melvyn Fernandes Thornton Heath Surrey, England 8 October 2017