[Goanet] 2008 International Goan Convention , Part 2

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 2008 17:25:44 -0400
From: "LISETTE SALDANHA" <lisette_saldanha@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Goanet] 2008 International Goan Convention , Part 2 - July
23, 2008

The July 22, on Tuesday night, a showing for Wendell Rodricks held on the
evening before the Convention was described in Wendell's own words as,
"Lisette and Kevin Saldanha got Placido involved and he swung the show on
the road. Between him and Olinda they gave me the best "In house" boutique
show I had in my entire career." This was a fitting debut to the exciting
2008 International Goan Convention which promised interactive learning and
inspiration from high caliber speakers to a fun filled social calendar.

On Wednesday July 23,2008, delegates were welcomed to the University Of
Toronto Mississauga (UTM), with a hot breakfast, and registration was
underway from 8am-10am. At approximately 10am delegates were led to their
choice of workshops. These included a Konkani workshop led by the seniors
and coordinated by John D'Souza, a writers craft workshop led by author
Victor Rangel Ribeiro, a fashion and design workshop led by Wendell
Rodricks, A Goan Identity Workshop for the youth facilitated by Christine
Pinto and Ranvir Jangi of "Facilitation at work", and last but not least a
music workshop led by GNAT's president Francis Rodrigues.

The Konkani workshop was the result of many months of hard work put in by
the seniors and coordinated by John D'souza. In the end the seniors showed
us that commitment, experience and wisdom can master the most challenging
tasks and they produced a Konkani book called "Konkani for everyone" that
includes such gems as Konkani prayers, hymns and proverbs. An excellent
handbook for all seeking an introduction to the Konkani language. These
seniors were "determined to see that Konkani has a place in every Goan
Cultural Organization. The highlight for Kevin and myself was when we
checked in on the group late afternoon and they read us a thank you speech
in Konkani. The group then proceeded to sing Konkani songs which set the
mood and flavour for a nostalgic moment in Goa.
Paul Nazareth, Frank Fernandes, Lynn Souza-Marques, Lourdinho Rodrigues,
Pliny Noronha, Lazurus Pereira, Joao Manuel Pereira and John J D'souza were
the team that produced The Konkani For Everyone Book. Special thanks should
also be given to Joao M Pereira and Frank and Lucy Fernandes for their
courage to stand up and lead the Konkani Workshop together with John J D'Souza.
The seniors were an inspiration to those attending the class, and their
enthusiasm and love of Konkani was the motivation needed to propel this
class forward, and leave the attendees looking into the windows of a world
where Konkani is a beautiful language not only to have and hold close to our
hearts, but to also speak with pride. To the seniors, Deu Borem Coruum.

The Writers Workshop was filled with potential novelists eager to learn from
the experienced Victor Rangel Ribeiro. His small, diminutive stature does
not prepare you for his great sense of humour, wit and finesse with which he
delivered his writer's craft workshop, and left all the participants hungry
for more. The participants from this workshop formed a writer's club and
will continue to master their craft and complete their works with
confidence.

The Fashion and Design workshop run by Wendell Rodricks was filled with
participants ranging from age 16 to over 70. This three day workshop was
exciting, inspiring and fun as Wendell had promised. Participants worked
hard and in the end left artistically challenged and fulfilled.
As one participant Margaret de Souza wrote:
" The Creative Fashion workshop was fascinating and illuminating. It tapped
on one's inert creativity. The workshop provided us with tools, tips, visual
and verbal metaphors bringing the art to life in three days. We all were
honoured to be at this prestigious workshop because Wendell Rodricks is
definitely the world's most renowned fashion designer and creator."

The workshop that represented the theme of the Convention was the "Goan
Identity workshop" for the youth. Professional facilitators Christine Pinto
and Ranvir Jangi were the ideal duo for this workshop. Christine, although
petite had a force and presence that won over the youth, and captured their
attention while bringing out their thoughts and perspectives on various
identity issues. Many delegates were observers and sat in on this workshop.
The preparation and professionalism with which this workshop was carried out
was evident in the room and later in a summary that Christine gave on the
last day of the convention.
Here is a comment from a youth who attended the session;
"Thanks for inviting me to the workshop, it was definitely time well spent
Met some nice people and learned a lot about my heritage", A.V. (23)
The response by the youth about the workshop was summarized in part, as
being
" an extremely necessary action you are taking to educate Goan youth about
our culture and it is extremely appreciated."

For those who were not inclined to attend workshops, a viewing of Rajan
Parrikar's "Rape Of Goa" was shown in the lecture hall, and was followed by
discussions moderated by renowned architect and Goan activist, Dean D'Cruz.
Goan artist Alexyz had also set up an exhibition of his works which
delegates visited, and took advantage of the opportunity to get a caricature
of themselves done by the well known Alexyz

After a hot lunch where guest speakers and delegates sat comfortably
interacting with each other in an informal setting, the delegates met in the
lecture room to listen to a presentation by Andrea D'sylva on "Food and
Identity". After briefing the audience on her research, Andrea presented
information that generated much discussion and left the listeners
questioning their own relationship to food as a link to Goan Identity.

Workshops resumed after the presentation, and an inauguration of Alexyz'
exhibition was also done in the afternoon. As a surprise to all present,
Alexyz unveiled a special caricature of Victor Rangel Ribeiro and his lovely
wife Lea.

The day sessions ended by 5 pm, because a Welcome Opening Reception and
Awards ceremony was scheduled for the evening at 6 pm at the UTM Faculty
Club lounge.the evening at 6 pm at the UTM faculty lounge.

(Will write about the evening reception in my next post)
Lisette

A short perspective by Mrs. Acaria Almeida

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 2008 15:23:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: George Pinto <georgejpinto@yahoo.com>
Subject: [Goanet] Toronto Goan Convention

A short perspective
by Mrs. Acaria Almeida, Treasurer, Goa Sudharop

A reflective question as a delegate who attended the convention: What were our take aways from this convention? My hope is that all delegates ought to have left the convention with more food for thought which will translate into fruitful action. What can each of us, either individually or as a group, from every nook and corner of the Globe, do for Goa? First we must begin with ourselves, then our families, then the immediate communities we live in, and then of course Goa. This ought to be the expat focus.

My family and I left with more friends and ideas from this Convention. Upon our return to California, Goa Sudharop has committed to the following in addition to its other volunteer work:
1. Sponsor Fashion Design workshops for the young and booming talent in Goa in co-ordination with well-known fashion designer Wendell Rodricks who we met at the convention.
2. Sponsor environmentally-friendly Natural Dye projects (also with Wendell) to help poor and village women in Goa.
3. Sponsor the USA distribution of the book "GOA, of Sun and Sand", a thoughtful and serious look at Goa's tourism, by Goa-based Valerie Rodrigues.
4. Organize an awareness day in California to promote some of the challenges facing Goa and how expat Goans can connect to the motherland.
5. Initiate a program so young Goans who have never been to Goa, can visit and discover their Goan idenity on their own.
6. Spread information on current land-abuses in Goa as indicated by architect Dean D'Cruz during his excellent presentation at the convention.
7. Support Goan wild-life activists and environmentalists like the young Clinton Vaz whose presentation was shown at the convention (he could not attend).

I am pleased to write we have already begun action on each of the seven ideas above. To all those in Toronto and elsewhere who wish to support Goa financially, you are welcome to channel your financial support through Goa Sudharop (click on the DONATE button - PAYPAL) on the Goa Sudharop website, www.goasudharop.org.

Please accept my deepest thanks and appreciation to the Toronto Convention organizing team for doing an amazing job in bringing great quality and content to this convention. The cultural flavor took us back to our roots through the Tiatr and Mando Mogi's performances. We are very grateful for this rich and entertaining experience the convention made available to us.

Also, thanks to the ALL the doers. Those who made time, at personal cost and hardship, to organize the workshops and events which Filomena has written about in detail from a doer/activist perspective.

May you sail on Goan winds and soar and touch the sky.

Thank you Toronto.

[Goanet] From Lisbon to Toronto Part I

Message: 4
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:29:19 +0000
From: maria gomes <sontos@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Goanet] From Lisbon to Toronto Part I

>From Lisbon to Toronto
Part I

Being at the Toronto Convention was a most enjoyable experience for many reasons. I was not sure I would be able to make it since I was in India on work for 2 weeks immediately prior to the Convention. But we thought it would be important for Casa de Goa (in Lisbon) to be present since, after all, the process began there.

And I am really glad I made it!

The message from Casa de Goa to the Toronto Convention is self-explanatory and I post it here because in some ways it addresses the issues that have been floating around.

"It is my great pleasure to bring you warmest greetings from Casa de Goa in Lisbon, in particular from the President, Prof. Narana Coissoro, who deeply regrets not being here, as well as from the other members of the Managing Board and all the associates. In spirit they are here sharing the sense of togetherness and of a common commitment to Goa and to the reception countries where goan communities have carved a place and a role for themselves.

When we decided to host the 1st Convention a year ago, in Lisbon, we hoped that there would be a continuation of the celebration of our individual and collective achievements and that someone else would carry the torch. We were therefore very happy when Kevin and Lisette Saldanha offered to do so. Their promise was our guarantee ? the rest, organisational details, programme, etc. would come later. And it did!

I was just looking at some photos of the Lisbon Convention recently and I realised that 2 of those photos pointed to the future ? the group of very young violinists who during the closing ceremony, filled a few eyes with tears when they interpreted a verse of our very beautiful mand? Sontos bhogt? r? jivak? and another photo of all our participants from aboard with the Saldanhas in the first row, a few moments before the conclusions were read and the responsibility had been passed on.

If the theme for the Lisbon Convention ? From Goa into the World set the context for a celebration of our achievements, the theme of the Toronto Convention ? Goan Identity and Networking Today builds on them to further pursue our quest for an ever changing Goan identity that also takes on board the aspirations of our children in a globalized world where the notion of identity no longer conforms to place of birth or culture of origin.

Certainly this is not the place for a debate on the notion of ethnicity and of its different indicators. We are aware that there are different opinions on this sensitive issue but we think it would be relatively easy to accept that the Goan communities in the diaspora are groups that often share a national identity, but preserve specific cultural traditions, norms and references, that are distinct from those of the reception country.

We are deeply convinced that such cultural identity has to be cherished in order to reinforce the sense of individuality of our children understood in John Blacking?s definition as a "consequence of sharing with others, in a variety of social and emotional situations, experiences derived from capabilities that are common to the species, such as the abilities to feel joy, sadness and excitement, to categorize, to abstract and transform, to speak a language and to learn and transmit skills".

In Casa de Goa, we have been striving to cherish our identity and to make our children proud of their Goan heritage through music as a symbolic element of representation and cultural reconstruction that will hopefully remain an element of cohesion. We know other Goan Associations have been using other tools. The important message is that our children need to be aware of their heritage before they can become proud of it and to be part of the process of culture in the making in the countries where they live.

Networking capacity is one of the reasons we are here today. It is so much easier to be in contact and to exchange opinions, ideas, facts and mutual concerns about Goa and ourselves. At Casa de Goa we continue to be ready to be part of networking in the diaspora and to put our skills at the service of the global Goan community. We hope to strengthen our ties with other Associations during this week and we look forward to working together with all of you in the future.

Casa de Goa is the house of all Goans and their friends in Lisbon and therefore we wish to offer all of you a standing invitation to visit us".

For those of you who are interested in reading some more about the objectives, the participants and the programme of the Lisbon Convention, you are welcome to go to www.casadegoa.org and look up the information on the Convention of the Goan Diaspora.

In order to set the record straight, I need to go back to last year.

I was sitting by the computer regretting that we had not been able to convince anyone from Canada or from Australia to come to Lisbon. Knowing what huge Goan communities live in both countries, it was a setback. We were very glad of the final confirmation that a number of young participants from Goa (Wendell Rodricks, Jason Keith Fernandes, Clinton Vaz, Ethel da Costa and Chandan Bandekar) would be attending and that all of them were prepared either to make presentations (the first three) or to organise a painting exhibition with the contributions of young contemporary Goan painters (the last two). It was just then that I received an e-mail from Kevin and wrote back immediately that he and Lisette were most welcome to join us which they did.

Like other participants, they paid an enrolment fee and took care of their expenses.

It was part of the objectives of the Lisbon Convention to carry the process further and not to loose the momentum and the very strong ties that had been forged among representatives of so many communities in the diaspora. We had not taken any decision on whether it should be an individual or an association; it did not seem important at the time because any association would be represented by one or more individuals anyway and it would be up to them to garner the support of the other associations in their country.
In our understanding (as I wrote to Eugene on the 1st of August in reply to a direct query from him) Kevin and Lisette were given the opportunity to host the 2008 Convention simply because they offered to do so. In fact, as referred to in the memorandum of understanding before the conclusions in Lisbon "Kevin and Lisette Saldanha, on behalf of the Goanetters Association of Toronto, have expressed their intention of coordinating the various organisations that will participate in the next Convention of the Goan Diaspora, in Canada, in 2008, the significance being the 20th anniversary of the international convention held in that country, in 1988".

Therefore, Casa de Goa was very glad to have the torch carried by Kevin, Lisette, the GNAT and whoever else would be part of the effort and support the Convention in any capacity.
Let me come back to the present and to the reasons for the success of the Toronto Convention. I will not go into a detailed description not only because I arrived at the end of the 1st day but because others have already done so much better than I could have done.

Because of the late arrival I did not attend the workshops. I did sit for a while in Victor?s creative writing workshop where everyone was most interested in defining what the horse said to the bear when they both met in the forest (and from the very creative lines of dialogue that came from participants, I can assure you there was a lot of imagination, humour, and literary talent in that room, and environmental concerns too! I also did hear of how much fun and "inside" designer?s information there was for participants in Wendell?s workshop, and of his charm as well!

Virginia Bras Gomes

(to be followed)

[Goanet] From Goa to Toronto Part II

Message: 4
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:08:59 +0000
From: maria gomes <sontos@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Goanet] From Goa to Toronto Part II

>From Lisbon to Toronto Part II

I liked and learnt from the presentations. They were informative and related to Goan identity one way or another because they reflected the lived experiences of people who either live and work in Goa, or people like me who have been away from Goa for a long time but still remain emotionally attached to the land, to its people and to its culture. I belong to those who feel we should make every effort to help our children understand our ethos, without forcing anything down their throat (which does not work anyway) but rather by letting them choose if and how they wish to remain connected, besides visiting their grandparents and loving and loved extended families. But we have to provide the opportunities for the connections to happen.

The blow in the stomach came from Dean d? Cruz. It is one thing to read and to be informed about the extremely negative impacts of mega-development in Goa, but quite another to watch a succession of ppt. screens that make it all so real. It was one document that did more to contribute to awareness-raising than many other documents I have read and events I have heard about (like the on-going agitation in many villages, including my native village of Benaulim)! This document can be put to very good use by all of us and I am sure Dean will receive many requests for further information, including in relation to the 2021 Regional Plan.

The fact is that mega-development (or re-development, or beautification or renovation, or whatever else you may choose to call it) is causing environmental degradation and taking away people?s homes and livelihoods elsewhere in India and in other developing and developed countries without proper consideration for the protection of the human rights of displaced communities by way of adequate respect for their opinion, or compensation or rehabilitation in case of forced evictions. It only shows how extensive the problem is and how much we have to gain by uniting our efforts under common banners in order to look for viable development alternatives.

I haven?t had the possibility of looking at all the books that were launched at the Goan literature panel. It was a great idea. I have enjoyed glancing at Alexyz?s cartoons, in his book Goa, Goan, Goaing, Gone?? and out of his book, including one of me, drawn up in a paper napkin, the day of the reception. He is super at picking up your weak points (like my long nose?.)!! I was glad to know from a message from George Pinto that Alexyz?s Great Goan exhibition at the Indian Community Centre in California was a great success. Cheers, Alexyz and George!

Of the books that were launched I have only read Cheryl Antao?s ?The Dance of the Peacock? that I recommend not only because the poems are beautifully written but because, once again, her lived experiences as a woman belonging to a minority strengthen every word she writes. I look forward to re-reading Tivolem after Victor Rangel Ribeiro reminded us of Maria Santana?s suitors in her grandmother?s village and to reading Ben Antao and Marinella Proenca for the first time.

Francis Rodrigues gave us a good half an hour on Goan music of the last 50 years. It was an unexpected but really interesting take because he holds a wealth of information and personal knowledge of many of our music icons like Frank Fernandes, Chris Perry, Lorna, Alfred Rose, Remo and others. The work done on the transcription of musical pieces for the book he will be publishing soon on the favourite songs of the Diaspora provides yet another and (relatively untapped) approach to Goan music. I wish Francis would comply with my request to post his presentation on the website. We will of course miss his humming of the tunes, but we will certainly benefit from the written word.

And for that matter, the request is extended to all those who made presentations. It would enable those who did not come to Toronto to read the contents. Obviously, the pleasure of renewing old friendship ties and of meeting people for the first time is only possible if one is physically present. I was fortunate. Besides meeting some of the participants in the Lisbon Convention and sharing fond remembrances of last year, I also reconnected with friends like Joao Manuel Pereira and Aires Manuel Barreto whom I had not seen for many years and met people like Francis, Cornel, George Pinto, Filomena, Acaria, Ben Antao and others of whose existence and ideas I knew from Goanet but am now able to link their faces to their names.

The participants in the Goan Diaspora panel discussion provided food for thought. Though Coralie D?Souza did not speak, we know what she thinks from her article in Ekvott (Convention souvenir). Coming from different points of departure and different generations that naturally made for differentiated life and work experiences, Lea Rangel Ribeiro and Christine Pinto gave us insights on Goan identity and what?s more important to me, they did it from a woman?s perspective. I was privileged to have spent some time with my good friends Victor and Lea in their New Jersey home a few months ago and was therefore familiar with their integration experience. But I could listen to it over and over again and I am sure they would always provide new angles.

The social programme was diversified. Some of the events lasted for too long. I talked to Jr. Meneses director of the Tiatr ADEUS about the exaggerated length of the piece and the fact that it was almost impossible to pay attention to what was happening on stage for almost 4 hours. One of the reasons given by him is that the dressing rooms in the Living Arts Centre are very far from the stage and therefore many precious minutes were spent running up and down. Probably, in spite of being a fine theatre hall, the Living Arts Centre was not the most adequate setting for ADEUS. I enjoyed the singing and the dancing of the young Mando Mogi performers. They came from very far and I am sure the opportunity to come to Toronto to show case their original mando and dulpodam will encourage them to pursue their musical initiatives in Goa and abroad.

It was a pity that more people were not in the room to exchange views with the representatives of the different Goan associations who took the opportunity to tell us about their activities, their management experience, the positive results and the difficulties they face. I understand that only people closely connected with an Association would find this debate interesting. I certainly did and consider that it should continue to be a part of our networking efforts. There are some common across the board needs, like finding diversified sources of funding, motivating the younger generations to get involved, not only to help their parents in organising events but rather in wanting to impact the future of the associations and, more generally, in trying to get the wider community to contribute by making proposals and providing critical input to the annual activity plans and reports.

Certainly there must have been organisational hitches. Anyone who has ever organised any event knows that it is absolutely impossible to plan all the details in advance. Something is bound to come up for which you are not prepared and have to find a quick fix. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn?t! I am sure the organisers have already identified what could have gone better and their assessment will be important for the next Conventions.

Here ends my personal report but it would not be complete if I did not thank all those involved yet again. Mentioning names is always a risk, but I will take it anyway. Cheers and many thanks to Kevin, Lisette, Emmy, Francis, Clare and their son (Kurt?), Bosco, Olinda, Ben, Mervyn and John, and all the others whose names I do not know, for their efforts, for their warmth and for making the Convention an opportunity for learning, dialogue and fun.

A few brief comments in reply to some of the queries that have been posed in relation to Diaspora conventions in general.

To Victor?s reply to Gabe?s question on the legitimacy to hold conventions, I can only add that we organised the Convention in Lisbon because for a long time we hoped to bring people from Goa and the Diaspora communities together, to discuss issues of common interest, but we did not have the premises nor the resources. Rene Barreto with whom Casa de Goa had been in contact over the World Goa Day event was very encouraging when he first visited Casa de Goa?s new premises (while construction and renovation work was still going on). He suggested that we made use of them to hold some kind of a global event. We remain grateful to Rene who was instrumental in providing the contacts of many of the Goan associations and potentially interested individuals who ultimately did join us in Lisbon.

The request for the presence and the support of the NRI Commissioner was sent by Casa de Goa when the organisation was under way. We did get his backing and financial support.
As far as we know there are no rules that stipulate as to who can or cannot hold a Convention and no single model for organising it. That depends on the organising committee, on the objectives and the themes. Many different groups have come together and organised themselves to hold Conventions (or other meetings) and there is no reason for them not to continue to do so, in Goa or anywhere else in the world where Goan communities live. I do not share the view that Goan Conventions should only be held in Goa any more than I would agree that they should always be held in the Diaspora countries irrespective of the fact that 500.000 people of Goan origin live in those countries.

To me it seemed natural that the offer (in this case, of London) for the venue of the next Convention would come at the end of the Toronto Convention just like it happened in Lisbon. Australia as the next venue emerged after the end of the Convention, at least for the participants.

I tend to agree with Cornel that perhaps holding the Convention every 2 years would allow for a better organisation and a more creative programme and not make the event a compulsory repetition! But wherever it is ultimately held, the main concerns are how to ensure that the Goan community of the host country feels sufficiently motivated to rally behind the initiative and contribute in a constructive manner and that it yields positive results. On both counts, there are lessons learnt from previous Conventions. The more recent ones, in Lisbon and Toronto, certainly provide food for thought.

Virginia Bras Gomes

We Came, We GNAT-ed, We Conquered! - Part II

Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 21:38:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: Filomena Giese <filomenagiese@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Goanet] 2008 International Goan Convention - Part II

2008 International Goan Convention: We Came, We GNAT-ed, We Conquered!
Part II - Poetry, Writing, Goan Identity, Konkani, Drama, Music, the Ball

Writer's Workshop and Book Releases:

Noted Goan author, Victor Rangel-Ribeiro, gave workshops on the art of writing. He ably led us into the drawing of a character and developing a story line. We learned to create a situation and dialogue. A fascinating and stimulating workshop! Ben Antao chaired a session where some interesting books by Goan authors were released and excerpts from Goan novels were read. Marinella Proenca who lives and writes in Goa, released her volume of poetry, titled "Heart Beat: Poems Awakening Goan Memories" which has illustrations of Goa and Goan life by Mario Miranda. A stanza from her poem "Beach-Bumming":
Summer Bungalow -
Sitting on the sands of Time
Palm fronds waving to and fro
Beach-shrubs hedging the shore
Watch waves come and go'
Cheryl Antao-Xavier, a Goan from Karachi who now lives in Canada, released her collection of poems titled "Dance of the Peacock." From her poem, "Dance the Peacock Dance":
Dance! Peacock. Dance!
Do what you do best
Strut your stuff to all the world
And dance your peacock dance!

Ben Antao released his travel book on Sicily where his wife, Marinella, hails from. The book is a result of their trip to Sicily last year to research her ethnic roots. It has bilingual sections in English and Italian and is a really good read. Ben read from his novel, "A Tailor?s Daughter", and Victor read a passage from his novel "Tivolim."

Goan Identity Workshop and Presentations:
The workshop on Goan identity that I attended was facilitated by Christine Pinto. Christine has her own facilitation seminar group, Facilitation at Work. It was forward looking of the GNAT-ers to have such a professional and well thought out workshop for the Goan youth who might be wondering where they fit into the global identity melting pot. She gave 5 topics to the group to choose from:
1) What does 'Goan' mean to you?
2) Does racism in Canada affect Goans?
3) Are caste distinctions relevant to Goans?
4) Do intergenerational questions affect your career choices and other goals?
5) As part of the diaspora, would you consider getting involved in the economic and cultural development in Goa over the next 1-3 years?

As most of the youth chose topic 1, we explored their views of Goan identity.
Christine summarized their views at her presentation as part of the panel discussion on Goan identity. Christine started out by giving a revealing picture of her own transition and encounters with racism in school as a young immigrant in Canada. She recounted her own journey toward a multiple Goan and Canadian identity.
She said that Goan youth were interested in learning about their history as well as the history of Pakistan and India. They asked for more parent involvement and inter-generational debate on identity, on Konkani, on present day Goan issues. The youth generally do not know where to start. Perhaps travel to Goa and their adopted lands of birth and family heritage would be invaluable to help them understand their roots and identity. Important feedback from the youth besides educational tourism for the diaspora to Goa, the youth would also like to see education forums, future conversations on Goa's economic and cultural future and on Goan identity and the problem of its loss. On tourism, the young participants said that they didn't want to see a re-make of Caribbean style tourism without roots. So Goan identity and Goan roots are important for our Goan youth. And networking is the key to preservation of identity, something that we Goans have to continue doing and researching.

Lea Rangel-Ribeiro, Victor's wife, talked about what makes the Goan diaspora tick. She recounted her early days as teacher and principal of the U.N. International School in New York where cultural diversity was fostered. Her perspective on the immigrant experience, while interesting and well-received, was perhaps not typical of that of most Goans. She gave us valuable ideas how she helped her own children appreciate their Indian and Goan roots.

Konkani:
While I could not attend the Konkani workshop, I bought the book 'Konkani for Everyone' printed for the convention by the Fifty-Five Goan Seniors Association West GTA to help me brush up on my somewhat rusty Konkani. It comes complete with Konkani proverbs, Mandos, hymns, and sayings. Well done, Seniors and GNAT convention organizers! I look forward to sounding authentically Goan!

Music Workshop:
I didn't attend Francis Rodrigues' Goan music workshop which everyone has been raving about. But I did hear his final presentation on Goan music of the last 50 years. The man is a mine of information and is a masterful speaker. He took us through the contributions of Alfred Rose, Frank Fernandes, Chris Perry, and Kamat Vasolnar, the roots of Mando in the Portuguese Fado, the social commentary, metaphors, and gossip of the Dulpods, and the temple dances of the Dekhnis. Francis took us through examples of how the diaspora Goans took melodies from the west and other cultures and used them in Tiatr and film. This includes the use of a Tanzanian lullaby, 'Malaika', meaning angel, for a Konkani song of longing. We all look forward to his forthcoming publication of the music of Goan songs.

Cultural Events:
The highlight of the cultural events was the Mando Mogi Margao who came from Goa to perform. The Goan Mando music ensemble, complete with beautiful costumes, violins, guitar, and gumott, was the final icing on the outstanding Goan cultural cake that the Convention organizers presented. The Convention gave us wonderful singing, great instrumental accompaniment, and some folk dancing (dekhni and kunbi) provided by one of Goa's best Mando groups. They performed during the Goan Idol talent show and the Convention Ball to enthusiastic applause.
Many young Goans performed in the Goan Idol show, some in Konkani and some in English. Joe Vaz, star of the Tiatr production 'Adeus' gave us a Konkani number. But two 13 and 14 year old sisters from Montreal, Shannon and Fiona, gave us a glimpse of the future of Goan singers and entertainers. The winner of 'Goan Idol' was Shannon who sang a very modern pop song, 'Tatoo'. Even though she had no accompaniment, her musicianship and stage presence was tops. The audience voted her the winner, with Joe coming a close second.

The Tiatr was held at the elegant Living Arts Center and was a night of drama and fun music in Konkani. The stage show was the already successful production of "Adeus", written by the famous Jr. Menezes. His successful Tiatrs include Adlear Tempar, Rinnfar, and Deu Nith Kortolo. The cast included Goan and Manglorean stars. Sitting next to me were Goans from Africa who had never seen a Tiatr before. They thoroughly enjoyed this immersion in popular Konkani culture as their parents had enjoyed it. A brilliant addition were the English subtitles (Kevin Saldanha's idea) which enabled many more in the audience to follow the story line. The comedy acts done between the shows were hilarious. We can't forget the village socegad scoundrel who hides his 'black' money in his underwear, the kunbi woman who now refuses to work because she has a son in Dubai, the 'ganti' who now does the work in Goa while Goans look on and also becomes a
police informer, and the Dame Edna 'take off' in drag! And like Francis Rodrigues said in his music workshop, the Goan band was totally professional as always and played with passion and fire as the drama unfolded.

The GNAT organizers of this Convention did not forget that we Goans love a good Party! The Convention Ball at the elegant Platinum Convention Center was a glittering and fun event. First of all, we had the glamorous Miss India Canada to open the Ball and interview the contestants for the Miss Goan Convention title. Then we had the very witty Chrystal Gomes do stand up comedy. Mando Mogi Margao did their beautiful Mando and folk dance floor show. Plus their guitarist and gumott player gave us a virtuoso duo demonstration of pop/rock music and demonstrated how the gumott actually plays different notes and creates a tune of its own.
I must say I had a ball, literally! I got my photo taken, in my bright red Bollywood outfit, with Wendell Rodricks, Mr. India 2001 (Savio Bruto da Costa), and even managed to get a dance with Kevin.

By the way, our large party was not surprised that Emerald Saldanha won the Convention Queen title. We picked her out as the winner right away and the audience gave her an enthusiastic round of applause. She is very pretty and has a great figure and stage presence. She'll be a great representative of the Goan community. Hopefully, organizers will take note of audience feedback that we have a 'Mr. Goa' at future conventions.

To be continued...

We Came, We GNAT-ed, We Conquered! Part I

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 14:09:50 -0700 (PDT)
From: Filomena Giese <filomenagiese@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Goanet] 2008 International Goan Convention
To: goanet@lists.goanet.org

2008 International Goan Convention: We Came, We GNAT-ed, We Conquered!
by Filomena Saraswati Giese

Part I

Having just participated in the very successful bi-ennial GOA 2008 Convention in San Jose organized by the Hindu Goans of North America, Goa Sudharop Board members, Filomena Giese (President), George Pinto, and Acaria Almeida came to Toronto with an open and even skeptical mind: would there be new and positive outcomes from yet another Goan Convention?

Here's a run down of our impressions and what we learned:

1. First of all, kudos to the very small Committee of GNAT-ters who undertook the planning of a Convention within less than a year! While we cannot name all the volunteers and helpers, special thanks are due to Kevin and Lisette Saldanha, Francis and Clara Rodrigues, Ben Antao, Mervyn Lobo, Bosco and Pamela D'Mello.

This small core of organizers (the new GNAT) attended to the complicated details of having a Goan Convention. They were on hand, unfailingly, to answer our questions and solve problems. They chose an outstanding theme, the issues facing Goans today in Goa and the diaspora, and combined it with a series of cultural events to showcase Goan artistic and musical talent. They brought together representatives of various Goan organizations and recognized some of their contributions to the Goan community. They gave a chance to Goan youth to attend workshops and give their views. Any one of these themes could have filled an entire Convention. But that they managed to give us a series of excellent and varied presentations was nothing short of remarkable!

2. Attendance: Goans came from London and the U.K., the Mid-East, Portugal, Australia, the U.S., and Goa. However, the Goan community around Toronto did not seem to avail themselves of a great opportunity to hear speakers from Goa who were knowledgeable about issues of development and preservation of heritage. Or, the opinions of diaspora Goans on the new challenges facing our community. But hopefully, the word will be spread by representatives of our Goan organizations who attended and through the DVDs made of the workshops and presentations. The cultural events were really well attended and brought in the Goan, Mangalorean, and Anglo-Indian communities of Toronto. It was a great experience to exchange views with Goans from so many far-flung parts of the globe.


3. The Chief Guest, the NRI Commissioner Eduardo Faleiro, spoke on a number of occasions about what the Goa government could do for NRI Goans. But some who attended the special question and answer session with him reported that he was somewhat evasive when questioned about specific questions such as property issues and gross violations of land sales and building codes. His answer seemed to be that we NRGs could email him and he would investigate. We came away with the impression that the present government of Goa does not have a serious plan to help Goans preserve their identity and heritage in Goa. According to Mr. Faleiro, it is, however, looking for investments from NRGs in their villages and will match up to 10 lakhs of any community project they sponsor. Perhaps overseas Goans could take note of this offer if they want to leave their mark on their native village.

4. Alexyz Cartoon Show and Book Launch: The incredibly good cartoonist, Alexyz, exhibited his collection of cartoons of Great Goans (Shenoy Goembab, Abbe Faria, Manoharrai Sardessai, Bl. Joseph Vaz and others) and political caricatures about the Goa political scene. Lea and Victor Rangel-Ribeiro released his book, Goa?Goan? Goaing? Gone??. When they unveiled the book, they found a cartoon of themselves in their New York apartment to everyone?s delight and surprise! Alexyz participated in the presentations and shared his first-hand views of the deterioration in Goa which Goans are valiantly trying to deal with. Like all the speakers from Goa, Alexyz appealed to the Goan diaspora to support them in the struggle for Goan preservation and for help in coping with AIDS, alcoholism, the sex trade, and the negative impact on Goan youth and families of tourism.

5. Workshops and Presentations:
Wendell Rodricks: Acaria attended all 3 exciting workshops in fashion design given by Wendell Rodricks. These brought in several young Goans and their friends. Wendell demonstrated how design, color, and fabric are used to make a fashion product. He had the participants develop their own designs and create a garment for the market. Wendell capped this by giving us a slide show presentation on how the landscape and architecture of Goa has inspired his fashions. He passionately asked overseas Goans to take an active part in saving Goan heritage and identity

Architect Dean D'Cruz gave an outstanding workshop on environmental issues in Goa. He showed us slides of his architectural designs as examples of how beautiful designs and colors of Goa can be utilized for new and interesting architectural design. But he also showed slides of the devastation caused by strip mining of mountain sides and lush fields. I recommend that we Goans get the book, Goa: Sweet Land of Mine, recently published by Goa Foundation to educate people about this devastation. Dean also had on hand a large report on similar mining destruction all over India. The harsh reality is that Goa, along with vast tracts of mountains and valleys all over India, is being dug up and exported to China, Japan, western Europe at a huge human cost to displaced tribals and villagers!

Dean's final presentation was on the "Rape of Goa" DVD that Rajan Parrikar had recently released. He then gave us the facts on the garbage and waste management crisis in Goa, using slides by waste management expert Clinton Vaz who was unable to attend the Convention.

Dean asked overseas Goan to meet these challenges and try to save the agricultural land and architectural heritage that is being bought up by industrialists and mine owners for conversion into ugly cement blocs of housing. This would require raising capital to buy such tracts of land, a sentiment echoed by Goa Sudharop and others who would like to save Goan heritage for future generations. He also asked overseas Goans to write to government officials and departments in India to ask for policy changes. He said that he himself had written to Sonia Gandhi who responded and did contact Mr. Rane. This resulted in saving some Goan architectural heritage. Dean's presentation was factual and gave the delegates a challenge to get involved in Goa's future.

To be continued....

Convention Photos

After a very successful convention .. you be the judge
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12794161@N00/show/with/2699365276/

Kevin