Adolph de Sousa's Global Postings: THE GOAN DIASPORA EXPERIENCE

Adolph's Blogspot address

http://adolph-desousa.blogspot.com/

THE GOAN DIASPORA EXPERIENCE - Part 1 & 2

PART 1

The East African Goan Diaspora (A Social History Perspective)

PART 2

The Challenges Ahead (A Planning Perspective)

Adolph de Sousa

PART 1

The East African Goan Diaspora

Community, Memory and Migration in a Globalizing World: The Goan Experience, c 1890 -1980. Frenz, Margret, Oxford University Press, 2014, p345
Goans of British East Africa, 1895 – 1980: A Railway Runs Through. Carvalho, Selma, Cinnamon Teal Publishing, 2014, p193

Commentary By Adolph de Sousa

Preface to reading Part 1
The author states there are eight phases in the history of migration of Goans. They are

Pre 1830 (The Adventurers);
1830-1896 (The Early Coastal Settlers);
1897-1910 (The Pioneers)
1911-1945 (Goan Consolidation)
1946-1960 (Goan Blissfulness)
1961-1975 (Goan Exodus and Expulsion)
1976-1999 (Goan New Life in the Western World)
2000 Onwards (The New Millennial Goans)

The text is arranged in such a way that for every phase there is a Context. The Context explains the world situation, and the situation in India and Middle East. The Context is then followed by a description of Goans who operated in that phase.

1 Introduction

Despite the titles the two books roughly cover the same periods and is a social history of Goans starting from a similar geographical area in East Africa. Goans have formed an interesting community to study, partly because most of the subjects interviewed spoke English and it is true to say that most researchers, if not Goan, are English speaking academic or social commentators. Secondly, as minority communities the research subjects have been of a reasonable size from which to manage studies. (Hence in the early 1970s there have been at least two PhD theses on Goans – one on Nairobi and the other on Kampala Goans.) Of course, we Goans, would like to think that we are somewhat unique and therefore offer researchers the opportunity to extend their theories on diaspora communities and migration studies.

Why East African Goans? Goans have migrated at least since the 17C. There is no evidence they moved outside the confines of the Indian Ocean before the Europeans discovered the route to India via the Cape of Good Hope, but archaeological findings in Goa and neighboring parts of mainland India suggest

movements of peoples into and out of the coast today known as Goa. However, these could not in any way be regarded as organized migrations of a people, even if wars, occupations and settlements were the feature of the Indian Ocean trade wind movements of craft, commerce and peoples along the West coast of India. There is some evidence that Goans were lascars, stewards and chefs on ships that traded the Indian Ocean littoral and went east to the shores of Malaysia, Indonesia and China. However, the epoch of Goans in East Africa probably presents the best attempt to make organized sense of what it was all about so that we can now dwell on the pleasures of intellectual discourse.

It is in that context that the two books add a refreshing record to the story of Goans. Both books are well written and clearly espouse their themes in the chapters that head each section. Both approach the format of storytelling in a similar vein. Quote from the interview subjects, then explain the context of the era through a backbone of archival documents and records in London, Goa, East Africa and Lisbon. Both are fascinating, well researched and stimulating. They add to our knowledge of Goans as a community. To them we owe gratitude for records for posterity, even if one believes both are weak in their coverage of Goan migration in the pre 1830 era. For without knowing our past we cannot hope to guide our way to the future. How we differentiate ourselves in a global world and carve a niche for ourselves? Does that not matter in a world of increasing competition?

1.1 Our Brief History in Phases

Before we try to enter a discourse on the above issues let us summarize our history. Historians find it convenient to partition history in terms of phases. However, the end of one phase does not mean that events typical of that phase did not occur in other ‘phases’. For example, in 1967 a Goan, with the assistance of a Masai, discovered tanzanite whilst fossicking in the Lake Manyara region in the typical pioneer style. Yet such an event would have been typical of Goans who had reached the shores of Africa in the earlier phase of Goan East African migration.

1.1.1 Pre 1830 – The Adventurers

Context

Arab and Persian traders knew the East African coast since pre-medieval times. The kingdom of Zanj was referred to by Ptolemy and was associated with the supply of black slaves – known for their strength and used on plantations as well as soldiers and bodyguards. The Bantu tribes were mixed with Arabs and led to the emergence of Swahili. Persians, Arabs, and peoples from Mesopotamia led to a culture distinctly Swahili and a subgroup known as Shirazi. Afro-Shirazi peoples were centered around Zanzibar, Mombasa, and Malindi and as far south as Kilwa and Sofala. These people traded with the Arabs in medieval times who came down the coast with the northwest trade winds in December and returned with the south westerly in April-May. Much of this trade was centered on present day Oman where the dhows were repaired and prepared themselves to move southeast along the Indian west coast down south as far as Moluccas in present day Indonesia on one side, and to the southwest to East Africa on the other side.

As early as 1AD Assyrians and Jews arrived along the West Coast of India where Christianity was introduced, and spices were exported through Asia Minor to Europe. Christianity could have arrived on Goan shores prior to the Portuguese arrival in 1499 as evidenced from archaeological finds in Goa in 2001 with Nahlavi inscriptions on a Cross. What we also know is that Vasco de Gama sought the help of a mariner in Malindi who came from Western India and who knew how to navigate the seas that landed him directly to Calicut and then on to Cochin via Goa in 1499. Was that mariner a person from Goa? Evidence suggests that Vasco da Gama was encouraged to invade Goa in order to drive the Moslem rulers by some Hindu leaders, but he decided that he liked Goa and overstayed his welcome. With the help of Christian missionaries, before the arrival of Francis Xavier, the conversion of Goans began. Most of it was not voluntary, but occurred because of a combination of incentives and persecution, eg land confiscations of Hindu possessions and redistribution of land to those who converted. Francis Xavier himself did not think much of the Goan converts and even wrote to his boss, Ignatius Loyala how the native converts could not be trusted to take on divine ministries. He was genuinely concerned that they had not been adequately prepared and in today’s language he might have been regarded by some as racist. When the Inquisition was brought to Goa, this forced conversion and catholic piety took a new meaning in the persecution stakes. There is emerging literature and oral history being collected to document the first two hundred years of Portuguese occupation, which seem to suggest that written records were destroyed as were the attempts to change the written script.

Goan adventurers

Following the European discovery of the sea route to India, there is increasing evidence of Goan lascars accompanying ships on their voyages both south and west along the Indian Ocean routes. Goans would have initially migrated to British India and from there to overseas countries. These were mostly Catholics and Hindu expulsions from Goa took place, but not much is known about this from current written sources. Evidence suggests that the early Catholic migrants to British India after the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty were essentially brahmins who were accomplished artists(eg Antonio Xavier de Trindade), and medicos amongst others. By 1830s Goan sailors had been found to have landed in America on British ships, in London as transit points and all along the East African ports. Portuguese trading ships took slaves from Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique west to South America. Some Goans went with them. A few were found serving their colonial masters to the south and east in places like Mollucas, Timor, and later in Malacca, Macau. An interesting number of pioneer Goan priests from the Goa seminaries travelled along with the Portuguese ships to Portugal, Rome and Paris to advance their studies in philosophy and Christianity. Better known amongst these was Abbe Faria who pioneered in oriental hypnosis in 1814-15 in Paris. Abbe Faria is credited as an oriental Portuguese – in keeping with the concept that dominion subjects were the subjects of Portugal. However, a characteristic of these early Goan travelers was just that, travelers or adventurers. They did not migrate as such. They went with their work; they did not travel with the aim of settling in new environments. They were mostly single men who left their families in Goa. They waited for the

next person to hire them to take a sailing ship to the next port. The fact that a number did stay on is a practical example of how some found it hard to return or move on from place to place.

1.1.2 1830 – 1896 the Early Coastal Settlers

Context

This was the period (spanning 66 years) of rapid opening of the East African littoral.

The Portuguese were not the favored Europeans as far as the Omani Arabs were concerned and so were discouraged from berthing their ships in the realm of the Sultanate. Their rivalry went back to the period when the Portuguese took the port of Muscat and it took a concerted and sustained effort by later Omani Arabs to drive them out and keep them out of the Arabian Peninsula and from the northern East African coast. The Portuguese were discouraged from moving north or northwest of an imaginary line from Zanzibar to Diu Heads in India as this was considered the sphere of influence of the Omani Arabs. However often, in the days of sailing ships, this line was broken. Also, there is evidence that when the Europeans agreed to abolish the West African slave trade, the Portuguese diverted their slaves on sailing ships which regularly offloaded their human cargo in the upper coastal ports of what are now parts of Pakistan and India. In 1849 the British negotiated with the Sultan of Oman to police his realm so that slaves would not be carried on European ships in his sphere of influence. This suited the interest of the Omanis well since it legitimized the outlawing of Portuguese ships inside the Zanzibar-Diu line.

The Europeans were also busy exploring the interior of Africa from the East Coast. At this time the Europeans were in their zenith in colonial expansion and rivalry primarily was between the English, the French, the Germans, the Portuguese, and the Dutch. The Portuguese were consolidating their hold on Sofala and Beira south of the German possession to the north in what became known as German East Africa – later Tanganyika. The Portuguese brought Goan settlers from Goa on their ships on-route to Portugal via the Cape of Good Hope.

Speke and Burton were veteran explorers from Arabia and India who were dispatched to find the source of the Nile. They hired Goan cooks and caravan leaders from Zanzibar. David Livingstone also went into the interior. In Zanzibar he befriended Tippu Tib the great Swahili-Arab trader in ivory and slaves and through him hired his personnel for his caravans into the middle of Africa. Amongst those hired were Goan cooks and caravan leaders or butlers.

The European scramble for African possessions culminated in the Berlin Conference of 1884 where Africa was partitioned.

Zanzibar had been ruled from Oman since 1698. The Al Said Dynasty ruled since 1804 but in 1832 or 1840 Said bin Sultan moved his capital from Muscat (Oman) to Zanzibar. In 1856 following the death of the Sultan, the Sultanate was divided with Zanzibar becoming a Sultanate with the Eastern African possessions and Oman was ruled by the other brother in the dynasty with port possessions in

what is now parts of Pakistan. Following the phasing out of the slave trade, the Sultan saw an opportunity to get his subjects to become landholders who developed clove plantations with the freed slave labor. To grow his commerce, he encouraged the settling in of South Asians. These came among the Omani subjects from parts of what is today Pakistan and northwest India where Oman had century old trading ports. They were Bohras, Cutchis, Khojas, Ishnasharis, Ismailis and Sunnis. Goans who initially came to Oman through Daman and Diu – the Portuguese enclaves which were surrounded by Moslem communities - also moved with the Sultanate to Zanzibar.

The Stone town architecture was firmed up at this time. A typical Arab landlord would build a three-level house rectangular in shape with a main entrance leading to a central courtyard. The rooms and apartments within this house would skirt the rectangular with stairs leading to the different levels. On the top floor lived the Arab landlord with his principal wife and children. On the second level lived his other wives and their children. On the ground floor were the concubines or eunuchs. This then was the standard architecture which also denoted the status. Several early coastal settlers would have lived in these types of quarters at the ground level, including a few Goans.

The Berlin Conference recognized the Sultanate of Zanzibar as a protectorate kingdom whose Sultan at various terms wooed the various European nations’ for favors. The Omanis played off one European power against another, until the British finally settled the issue in what is known as Anglo-Zanzibar War - the shortest war on record in 1896.

Goan Early Coastal Settlers

Goans were amongst the first settlers in Zanzibar when the Sultan of Zanzibar established his court on the island.

The early Goan settlers also came on Portuguese ships, which were travelling back to Portugal and were literally dropped off in Malindi, Zanzibar before the bulk of them settled in Sofala (Mozambique). There are two versions on these early settlers. One was of voluntary settlement of Goans who serviced the colonial masters’ ships with supplies and water. The other version refers to deportees from Goa who had been making trouble for the colonial masters.

However, the Omanis had no grudges against Goans who came to the East Coast of Africa on Arab dhows through the port of Muscat. In fact, there is evidence that a few Goans were amongst the court of the Sultan of Zanzibar advising the equivalent of the Prime minister to the Sultan’s government. Some spoke both English and Arabic and knew Portuguese and Kiswahili. The Goans used the former Portuguese Fort (then referred as the Arab fort) to meet and they had a chapel where they regularly had services with French missionary priests. Some came to find their fortune in Africa along with the Arab traders. A number went regularly with Tippu Tib in his mainland expeditions to retrieve slaves and ivory. The goods were brought by boat from Bagamoyo to Zanzibar. In Zanzibar there was a regular auction of slaves between December and April each year. The slaves were then shipped on dhows to Oman and South Asia where the

descendants are today known as Siddis. A few Goans ran their own businesses, general stores with food supplies, dispensary drugs, and alcohol. A couple of enterprising Goans took up photography and news printing. A typical Goan store located in Portuguese Street in a Stone Town Arab architecture house comprised of a food store at the ground level, a bar with alcohol served at the second level, and a third level which were kudds, for mariners or new settlers who wanted accommodation. They had skills in tailoring, music, cooking and bar skills. There were a few Goan elites who had a background in medicine, chemistry, bookkeeping and veterinary medicine. The Sultan built a civil service and a royal court of advisers and interpreters, and he employed a few Goans. The Sultan’s personal physician was a famous Goan. The Sultan provided the infirmary, the constabulary with horses and carriages; a band entirely staffed by Goans and collected revenues through customs where a few Goans worked.

The proportion of Goans in businesses and as persons available for hire on mainland expeditions relative to those who served in the Sultan’s civil service was relatively high.

They were mostly single, and returned to Goa occasionally, sometimes on Omani dhows with the trade winds, where they got married and had children. But a few Goans came with their spouses who returned to Goa where they had children so that they could get an education. Yet others are known to have had sexual relations with indigenous peoples, but most of this was frowned and hushed up. There is evidence in the village registers in Goa that some Goans brought “poskos” or adopted children from Africa. Whilst it was taboo to have illegitimate children born to Africans, the idea of “poskos” - adopted children presumed from

different parents – was acceptable, particularly if they were used as domestic help. They did not have DNA testing in those days!

Some on returning to Goa reminisced about Africa, the ivory and slaves, and went back to Africa as single men to find greater fortune. They introduced Goa ‘mankurad’ mangoes to Zanzibar. Although their spouses never ever followed them again, they enticed their teenage male children to come along for the adventure. A few Franciscan missionaries (of Goan descent) went with the Portuguese and built churches along the coast in places like Malindi, Kilwa and Sofala. In Zanzibar and Mombasa, they had a chapel within the confines of the Portuguese forts. There emerged in this group a distinct set of settlers on the coast of East Africa.

1.1.3 1896- 1910 - the Pioneers

Context

Having confirmed to the Sultan that the British were the only European power to be reckoned with following the bombardment of Biet la Jaib in Zanzibar in 1896, they convinced the Sultan that slavery was an evil his subjects had to abandon. They encouraged him to get Arab slave traders to become plantation landlords using freed slaves to plant cloves, which they promised to buy because of the enormous demand in Europe before the days of refrigeration. With the introduction of plantation agriculture, the Sultan also introduced goats from the

Middle East along with the shepherds, and cattle were brought to the island from the mainland. Mango and tropical produce were encouraged and Goans played a part in the agrarian reform as did the Indians who had migrated with the Omani dhows.

Cecil Rhodes had already published his belief of painting Africa red for an Empire with a Cape to Cairo railway. The Berlin Conference of 1884 thwarted his plans as the Belgians and the Germans had signatures from local chiefs that blocked the path northwards from Northern Rhodesia to Uganda and claimed the territories that became German East Africa and Belgian Congo. Nonetheless the British were intent on opening the interior and the Uganda railway project emerged. This meant the importation of indentured labor - mostly Gujaratis and Lohanas from Maharastra who Hindus were, as opposed to the previous settlers who were mostly Moslems. However, amongst the more elite Indian communities the Khojas (Ismailis – liberal Moslems) and Parsees (Zoroastrians) were encouraged by the British in Bombay to come to East Africa.

Although steamships were started in the 1800s, it was only after 1840s that the British started using them in India. The first routes were from Calcutta to Rangoon and on to Australia and beyond. Shortly thereafter the routes were extended from Bombay to the Gulf States and the BI steamship called into the port of Zanzibar from the UK on its way to India. Most of the South Asian migrants could not afford the fare and travelled on Arab dhows.

Goan Pioneers

Whereas in the previous phase Goan settlers were mostly confined to the coastal settlements of Omani Arabs, in this phase with increasing European influence the Goans tagged along in the mainland expeditions and worked for the Europeans. An altercation between the Portuguese Consul in Zanzibar and a handful of Portuguese subjects also of Goan origin resulted in some Goans going to German East Africa and serving the German administration in Dar es Salaam and Arusha. (The British were allies with the Portuguese - they did not look favorably on such individual Goans.) However, a few Goans increasingly went to assist with the British colonial administration in Kenya and Uganda. Zanzibar was the launching pad for the Goan pioneers who decided to go into the hinterland of East Africa. British entrepreneurs who had their offices in India planned the Uganda Railway project. A few Goans found jobs on the project itself and the inevitable opening of the hinterland. European District Commissioners increasingly depended on administrative and clerical staff. McKinnon Mackenzie and Co in Bombay engaged a number of Parsees, but Goans who had English language skills and were educated in Goa in English speaking schools augmented the supply of such clerks. Typically, such Goans were single men, or men who left their spouses in Goa. But toward the end of this period a number brought their spouses with them. However, amongst their privileges was a ticket paid every three to four years to India by their colonial masters, which in turn meant a boost to the patronage of the British commercial steamships that frequented these routes.

On their return these “Afrikander” Goans were regarded as wealthy individuals who remitted money to their families and such stories only fueled the more rapid emigration of Goans particularly from the talukas of Bardez and Salcette.

They came from an era where marriages were arranged by village matchmakers and people married within their own caste.

In Zanzibar, the British slowly took over a few functions of the Protectorate from the Sultan’s administration. As a result, the British employed an increasing number of Goans. They were engaged in the postal services, Cable and Wireless, customs and the public works department, (with responsibility for the colonial stores of imported goods from the UK and Europe as well as from India) and for health and agriculture. The proportion of Goans involved in their own businesses, such as tailoring, bars, photography, hotels etc declined relative to those who worked as civil servants, teachers and nurses. The proportion of these two groups almost reversed compared to the figures of the “Pioneer’ Phase.

Goans have always been a devote Catholic group. Their place of regular worship was at a chapel in the Portuguese fort which the Sultan (now renamed “Arab” fort) had made available to the French missionaries who had arrived in this part of the world via Reunion Islands. Together with the Goans, Mr. Beranger, a Frenchman, negotiated with the Sultan for land where a neo-Romanesque style church, was replicated similar to the Church of Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseilles and became one of the tallest buildings in Stone town. The church grounds provided for a presbytery and a community hall where Goans now had a formal place to worship, get basic religious education and socialize from 1898 onwards. Towards the end of this phase the Goans were granted land on the outskirts of the Stone Town to build their club premises where the first Goan Institute in East Africa was opened. Churches and clubs were basic needs of Goans. This pattern of Goan involvement in the building of churches (in partnership with the Catholic missionaries) and the hiring/building of clubs was a feature of Goan development in East Africa although this occurred later in the mainland.

1.1.4 1911 – 1945 Goan Consolidation

Context

This period takes in the two World Wars. The victors of the First World War dismantled the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Whilst this affected the political map of Europe and the Middle East, Germany lost its colonies and along with its German East Africa from which was formed Tanganyika, Rwanda and Burundi Trust Territories. Tanganyika was mandated to the care of the British, whilst Rwanda and Burundi were oriented to a French speaking administration, under the control of Belgian.

For the European nations this was a period of consolidation of the colonies or protectorates. This meant the growth of the civil service, customs, railways and basic services such as hospitals. The opening up of the interior of Africa required some manual and semi-skilled labor and the main source for this was India. Education was still the primary domain of the missionaries. In Zanzibar the Moslems had a long-established system of madrasas where religious teaching also incorporated basic mathematics, Kiswahili and general studies. For the British, their foreign policy objectives were to have their commercial interests in

the Middle East secure. Oil discoveries meant that the UK government was interested in boosting Arab regimes that would favor their commercial interests. The multinational operations of BP, and the Anglo-Dutch Shell in the Gulf States and the sea route via the Suez meant that the civil administrations of the Persian Gulf States and the Horn of Africa had to be boosted. Consequently, just as the British were opening Africa and opportunities arose for South Asians in Africa, so did the opening of the Gulf States cause the labor migrations from the subcontinent of India. Goans started also going for work to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and South Yemen(Aden).

By this time steamship travel was becoming more affordable and much of the Indian labor to open East Africa came through these steamships. Along with Indian labor came some Indian entrepreneurs. The Madhvani and Hindocha families are two well-known names for opening up Buganda (Uganda) and the Kisumu area(Kenya) by introducing sugar plantations, tea plantations and later coffee plantations They too brought large numbers of Indians and set up rural towns.

Consolidation also meant there needed to be consideration to the financing of the projects without draining Whitehall. Europe was facing one of its greatest depression periods following the collapse of Wall Street. In the colonial office new thinking was demanded from those in the Colonial Office. After all the East India Company had long completed their loot of India in the process of subjugating the local rulers. The rupee had already been established for India based on the value of silver. By definition it was a weak currency to the then prevailing currencies pegged to gold standards. Nonetheless it afforded the British with a medium of currency local to its Afro-Asia-Pacific colonies and so formed the logical base from which to launch the currency to Zanzibar, mainland East Africa, Southern Arabia and the Persian Gulf. Long before the term ‘quantitative easing’ was invented, printing of money for East Africa and India in rupees only helped bolster the coffers of British companies like Mackinnon Mackenzie and Smith Mackenzie who were the growing giants in export and trading in this part of the world. Therefore, the remuneration of Indian and indigenous people in the Indian currency was of marginal consequence to the British whose primary currency was governed by what happened in Wall Street. The export of Indian spices and goods which had an appeal in the USA also enabled these trading companies to send their ships to Boston, Salem and other ports in America where the gold standard was used in determining currency transactions. Several politicians in the UK had shares in such companies. By the end of this period and as the economy was seen to be growing rapidly, the rupee was divorced from its Indian base and the shilling was established, pegged to the British Sterling. It was determined that twenty East African shillings made one British pound sterling and the idea of an East African Community was born.

Much of the basic needs to build the infrastructure of East Africa came from India paid in Indian rupees. ‘Luxury’ goods from Europe also found their way in paid by those who were enormously wealthy and could afford to convert their rupees to the European currencies pegged to the gold standard. However, the protectionist policies of the colonial masters meant that high value items came

from the UK or if they were European in origin, they were imported through UK agents only. In this way the Whitehall continued to consolidate and expand its colonial wealth. The World Wars had brought years of belt tightening in Europe, but in East Africa the local economy expanded with increasing trade with British India.

In Portuguese Goa the period between the Wars was also a period of depression and bad harvests. The First Republic in Portugal was a period of anarchy, chaos, turmoil, and political upheaval. Salazar took over in 1926 and apart from restoring order in Portugal was a virtual dictator who did not understand or comprehend the nature of his dominions – which he regarded like his predecessors as an integral part of Portugal. (Although Brazil effectively became independent in 1822 when the capital of Portugal was moved back to Portugal, Salazar understood that course of history as an aberration and reward for Brazil who did give refuge to Portugal when the French invaded it in 1808.) The local economy was so bad, many Goans decided to migrate to mainland British India and into the Bombay area where there was vibrancy and opportunity. Bombay had been a stagnant delta since the Portuguese gave it to King Charles II as dowry in the 17C. A few attempts to drain the swamps and encourage Indian settlement finally succeeded in making Bombay a growing and thriving metropolis of Indian entrepreneurs. There were pockets of Parsis, Jewish and Persian communities in this city, to which Goans were but another. The introduction of the railway network since 1853 headquartered in Bombay for the whole of India opened up vast range of opportunities for Anglo-Indians, Maharastra Christians (who were later called East Indians) and because the British favored Christian Indians – the Goans readily got jobs for the railways. The Catholic missionaries from Goa continued their work after Portugal ceded Bombay to the British. As a result, by the beginning of the 20C there were schools, junior colleges, infirmaries. This environment was ideal for Goans to be brought up in. Bombay then became another source of migrants to East Africa, as indeed they were later for the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula. One is often asked the question why is it that only Goans from Bombay went to East Africa rather than the other ‘Christian’ groups who the British favored? The only plausible answer is that the pull factors for migration were not as compelling to the Anglo-Indians, East Indians and Mangolerans. Goans were strongly attached to their ‘village’ and ancestral home in Goa. Bombay was just another port in their diaspora DNA.

Goan Consolidation

The consolidation by the British depended on an efficient civil service. The Goans who had already demonstrated their reliability to their colonial masters were ideal candidates for recruitment in the civil service, the railways and the district administrations. The colonial masters learnt to depend on Goans as their main subordinates and therefore gave such Goans some leeway in decision-making as far as employment was concerned. This then was the basis of the development of the subaltern elite – a term coined in the British army in India when they engaged Gurkahs as captains of the British army in India. Margret Franz in her book has now applied it to the Goans in East Africa. The trusted Goans were allowed to send word to their village folk that they had openings for their young

sons in the colonial civil service and a stream of Goan migrants followed. The ‘subaltern’ system ensured that the Goan ‘boss’ had control over his village Goan employees in his department, as any misbehavior would mean that the family name back in the village would be blacklisted in any future recruitment. Consequently, in some Civil service departments the Goan employees were more likely to be from the same village their Goan boss came from. For example, in Zanzibar the Goan staff of Customs were more likely to have come from same village or taluka in Goa quite distinct say from those that worked in the Treasury who came from other talukas. However not all Goans came directly from Goa. Many of them with connections to their home villages had settled in Bombay where they were better educated in religious institutions. These too found an opportunity in the opening of Africa. In opening the health sector including hospitals, the British engaged Indian trained staff. Hence the chief District Health Officer in Kenya, Tanganyika and the Principal Government Doctors were Goans recruited through Bombay medical schools. It was believed that a number of contagious diseases spread amongst the migrants and the British were anxious that none of the white health professionals should be sent to the front lines. Goans were therefore sent to deal with such contagious outbreaks. This is in deep contrast to later pandemics such Covid 19.

The opening up of the interior of Africa meant that there were some opportunities in British conglomerates of the time. The steamships trade from India to Africa opened up opportunities for Goans to work with Smith Mackenzie Co. Similarly, when White farmers started looking at establishing sisal plantations or coffee plantations in Tanganyika and Kenya, a few Goans found themselves engaged as farm managers or go-betweens the African and the White settler.

Increasingly it became the norm for Goans in this phase to migrate with their spouses and as result several Goan children were born in East Africa. This brought in new challenges. The education of the children needed to be catered for. In Zanzibar the Catholic missionaries brought in nuns first from France then from the Catholic states in the south of Germany to run schools. However, the Goans ran into a funding problem. For all purposes the Goans were considered Portuguese subjects and therefore the financing of schools for them was as a matter for the Portuguese as an issue of principle. In Zanzibar and in mainland East Africa a separate colonial office inquiry into the education needs in East Africa established that there was a case for the colonial government to establish and finance “government aided” schools for its ‘subjects’. The definition of ‘subjects’ excluded the Goans but included the Indians from British India, the indigenous and the children of the white colonial masters. It took a lot of representation by the Goan leadership to make a case to the British that there was a case for the colonial government to pay for the schools with Goan pupils. One case was made that since the Goans paid taxes, (particularly since a tax on liquor was introduced to fund the new school regime, and Goans ran Bars) it was Goan taxes that in fact subsidized the schooling of other communities! This did not go well with the colonial masters in London, but eventually the pleading by the Goan subalterns to their white bosses got a sympathetic ear in Whitehall. It was argued that although the Goans were “Portuguese subjects” their children

were in British Africa for the long haul, and it made no sense to deny them an education which in the long run would only help to strengthen the Colonial administration of the colonies. Hence the Goans were complicit internalizing the civilizing mission of the British. The generous Goan benefactors who helped build Goan schools in the capital and regional cities could now see that they got a share in government grants in their maintenance. This in turn was used to engage Goan teachers initially from Goa but increasingly from other places. The lengthy period during which it took to negotiate a reasonable education system for Goans meant that growing teenagers had a looming problem. Many Goans sent their children to British India (Bombay, Poona, Dharwad, Belgaum) where there were colleges and universities. A few of those went on to do medicine or to the UK to study law. It is here that few Goans were exposed to the current debates of the time. They became politically and socially aware of economic and political theories and would bring these values to Africa when they returned.

A second issue also loomed for Goan civil servants. The most senior subalterns were provided with housing, furniture, and some allowances toward the education of their children. A few tragic deaths amongst the breadwinners left the colonial government in an embarrassing position. How to evict the widow and children from their government provided bungalow? This exercised the mind of several British District Commissioners and the then Governor of Kenya as it did amongst the most loyal of subalterns. Upon the return to the UK of one District Commissioner who then took up a position in the colonial office negotiated and discussed this problem with the politicians in Whitehall. Coincidentally the problem had also occurred in the other colonies in Hong Kong and the West Indies. Therefore, there was a sympathetic hearing from White Whitehall. A few academic papers were shown to state that life expectancy amongst to locals in the colonies were shorter than the Europeans because of tropical diseases and diet. Actuarial studies were undertaken, and a policy was devised where it was determined that the retirement age was 55 for Asians and the Asiatic Widows and Orphans contributory pension scheme was devised.

In Zanzibar, Goans now had a Catholic church, staffed by the Holy Ghost Fathers from Ireland, a school staffed mainly by German nuns from Bavaria, a social club where table tennis, cards, billiards, badminton and more importantly a bar operated. The Goan women had an Asiatic widow and orphans scheme to look after their needs in the event their spouses succumbed to the vagaries of disease and weather. The Goan club premises ran dance and music classes where the evenings would be fruitfully used. The British Government in taking over the administration from the Sultan now ran a public hospital, staffed by Goan, Arab and Indian doctors. And where increasingly babies were being delivered. The only thing left to complete the fabric for the newly arrived cosmopolitan population was to decide on cemeteries and burial places within the local rites of the diverse communities. From the 1920s Arabs were discouraged from burying their dead in household compounds and the Catholics were aware of the limitations of space in church grounds. Consequently, the Government assigned land to the various church or ethnic communities outside the Stone town for the purpose of burial or funeral rites. Hence Parsees, who were Zoroastrians, were allowed to build their temple of silence where their corpse were left to the

elements of the Sun (although this is disputed); the Hindus were granted a site for their cremations by the south shore and the Catholics, Moslems and other sects were given land for their cemeteries. Catholics essentially meant Goans at this time, as they were the main community, although there were a sprinkling of Seychellois, Mauritians and other Catholic Indians from Kerala and Maharashtra.

By the end of this phase the proportion of Goans who worked as civil servants, teachers, and nurses as well as those who worked for banks and other companies such as travel agencies far outstripped the number that worked in their own businesses. Unlike other Indian communities, Goans became primarily identified as civil servants and mid ranked managers in foreign companies and banks.

1.1.5 1946 – 1960 The Goan Blissfulness

Context

This period immediately after the World War created a new World order. Britain was reeling from debt created by the War and the US could not continue the Lend-Lease program in 1945. The incoming British Labor Government was able to renegotiate an Anglo-American Loan, but its conditions were restrictive and not designed to soften domestic policies. The British Labor governments from 1945-51 created a few policies, which meant that the colonies were not to take, for granted that the colonial master would bail them out in times of hardship. This inevitably led to the raising of taxes in the dependencies and consequently the demand for political representation. The cry for “no taxes without representation” echoed again in Whitehall from the original calls by the Americans in their call for independence in Philadelphia nearly a century and half earlier. Britain lost its jewel in the crown with the partition and independence of India. (In Holland a similar debate led to the Dutch relinquishing their control of Indonesia.) Although the UK Conservatives returned to power on a mandate to undo some of Labor’s colonial policies, by 1960 Harold MacMillan after touring Africa had to recognize that the winds of change were inevitably moving through Africa.

The East African Shilling had already been firmly established by now and the concept of an East African Community took further root with the reorganization of a single East African tax system. The EAC was established in Arusha.

Higher educational opportunities were somewhat limited in East Africa. The Indian community established a technical college in Nairobi. Lord Asquith, a Liberal Prime Minister and a graduate from both Oxford and the Inner Temple was asked in the 1940s to investigate the higher education needs in the colonies. Out of his recommendations Makerere University College was born with emphasis in medicine, Education and the Humanities, and the Indian Technical College became Royal Technical College incorporating a Veterinary school in Kabete –both offering degrees from the University of London. The Lord Asquith report did foreshadow that when finances permitted a new campus was to be built in Dar es Salaam with a focus on law thereby completing the range of basic higher education needs for the East African countries. The concept of a federal University for East Africa again under the governance of an East African

Community was mooted so that the expensive facilities for the professions were not replicated in each country. A scheme of government scholarships was commenced to ensure that the colleges were a success. The idea was that these colleges were to prepare for the leadership of the countries when the British eventually relinquished control.

Although British protectionist policies meant that most luxury goods available were usually British made, the effect of Hollywood brought in entertainment through movies, music, and theatre. So, there were cinema houses built and other concert halls and band groups.

Goan Blissfulness
A few Goans in East Africa were aware of the profound impact the “Winds of Change” speech made to the South African Parliament. They decided to start making the move to the UK. But for most Goans, oblivious of the events in Europe, life in Africa was at a high peak.

With school education for their children settled, with churches built with their generous donations to the missionaries, and the development of Goan clubs in both capital and regional centers, Goan social and cultural life took a new turn. As civil servants many more now got subsidized government housing. The size and the quality of houses and furnishings usually indicated the rank and status in the civil service. They could now afford domestic help. Again, the number of servants was usually an indication of status. Some Goans were provided with housing with outhouses for domestic servants. So, a typical Goan with a middle level civil servant rank would have a cook, a gardener, and a nanny. The cooks learnt how to cook for Goan tastes and were so specialized that they could only look for jobs within the community. The nanny (ayah) was usually judged by how well she had been trained, the quality of her uniform and of course references on how well she could bring up children. Ayahs oversaw the children during the day whilst the spouse now went out to work or if they were the nouveau riche – the ladies parties they attended. A typical routine would include the ayahs meeting with their charges in their prams usually at some park. Here the children would be compared for the way they were dressed and as a result a sense of competition and pride developed amongst the nannies – often translated by demands for the ‘memsab’ for better children’s clothes etc. The gardener (shamba boy) was usually assigned the task of maintaining the lawns around the house, depending on the size of the shamba, he would also have other duties such as cleaning the home. In addition, there might have been a dog or African parrot to feed etc.

Although Goan children graduated through local high schools, the number of bursaries available to them was limited. Consequently a few got scholarships to study at Makerere and Royal College Nairobi. The majority sent their children to India and the UK for higher studies through private sources of funding. Toward the end of this phase, as the British recognized the need to prepare their colonies for independence a few countries were allowed to offer scholarships in the colonies. Hence for example the Australian government extended a few scholarships under its Colombo Plan – even though these were designed for their

Asian interests. Other examples were USAID scholarships, Indian government scholarships, USSR scholarships, DAAD scholarships and a few Commonwealth scholarships. Several Goans in competition with other communities got such scholarships.

The number of Goans in business was nominal compared to other phases, but now there were new opportunities for Goans outside the civil service. New branches of British and South African banks were being established and with the growth of the local economy the banking needs of the subaltern elites grew. Export and Marketing companies started operating offering new opportunities for Goans in stenography, accounting and management positions. Newspapers were established and some high-quality journalists from India took up junior positions to White only editors. In short Goans found themselves being appointed as clerks, accountants and branch managers.

With the household chores taken away from the Goan middle class families, the club and church were the place for weekend social pastimes. The Goan populations in the capital cities were large enough that there were opportunities to create more than one club usually based on caste or occupational lines as for example the Tailor’s clubs, Goan Gymkhana or the Railway Institutes. These clubs were meeting places where dances were held, billiards and cards were played and of course a liquor bar. Sports activities were also developed with cricket and hockey competitions with other Asian communities. Once a year there was an East African Sports meet between the East African Goan clubs under the banner of the M R de Souza Gold Cup.

In addition, the village feasts and the celebration of the patron Saint of Goa, completed the mosaic of Goan activities. Unless of course there was a wedding or a baptism one had been invited to.

In Zanzibar Stone Town the typical civil servant worked from 7.30am till 1.30pm. Then it was off to the club, where cards and booze was the order of the midday routine. After that it was home for a quick lunch and then a siesta to evade the tropical heat. At 5.00pm the Goan would then take a walk down the alleyways of Stone Town to Forodhani. Sometimes at the Jubilee Gardens the Sultan’s Band would perform. On some Sunday evenings Indian girls would parade their dresses and walk along the main street to the wolf whistles of the men. Then too at 6.00pm the Sultan would drive down the main road in his red limousine and everyone had to salute as he past. By 7.00pm the civil servant would then wind his way back to the club for more drinks and some eats before retiring home for the night. The few (in percentage terms) Goans who were in business did not have these civil “perks” which the expatriate colonialists had mastered and the Goans had emulated.

The Goan children in Zanzibar were under the protective custody of their parents. Parents made sure they went to morning Mass at 6.00am, and then returned home for a quick breakfast and on to the St Joseph’s Convent School. Here they received pastoral education, taught the curriculum for the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate Ordinary Level, and took part in school activities. The

Convent School was within the confines of the Stone Town – so most pupils got there walking or on bicycles. German nuns and a few Goan female matriarchs taught them. Any misdemeanor by a pupil was quickly communicated through these Goan teachers so that the pupil was further disciplined at home. In the confines of the Convent School students felt no compulsion to integrate with the blacks, the local Arabs or indeed other Indian communities. Each lived and shared the space in blissful ignorance of each other. Neighbors being Hindus, Moslems etc. would distribute sweets to their neighbors’ homes during festival times, the Mosques would call their faithful to prayer through loudspeakers, the Church would toll its Bells to announce Mass times or the Angeles prayers etc. A culture of performance consciousness did evolve through the Convent School. On report day each student individually went up to the Head teacher to receive his/her report card and perhaps some counseling. If the report was good, one rushed home to show anxious parents how well they had performed – and news spread fast when the brightest were given ‘double promotions. At the other end of the spectrum were those report cards where an assessment had been made that a student had to repeat the year. Such students usually waited or more aptly, ‘hung around’ the campus, gathered as group and then went on a walkabout to the “shambas” – much to the anxiety of their parents. At some stage this phenomenon got so bad, the pupils decided to take the run from home and show up elsewhere in another country – lest they face the ‘music’ waiting them at home!

In the 1940s and early 50s, “O” level students had limited opportunities in Zanzibar. They could join the Police training academy, the Teachers college or join the hospital and train as nurses. There was no High School or Intermediate school for advanced study in Zanzibar. Such students usually trekked to Makerere, the UK or India to advance their education. However, with the development of a Government High School in the second half of the 50s, the brightest in the Convent School were selected through a competitive test to attend the King George VI High School where the HSC curriculum was conducted. Since all schools in Zanzibar sat for the selection tests to the High School, Goan children got their first exposure to pupils from other communities. The staff of these schools initially came from the Overseas Development Ministry (former Colonial Office) and paid for by the British taxpayer.

This was blissful life. Goans did not have to integrate with the blacks, whites, or indeed other Indian communities. They married within their own communities – and within their own caste. However, the connections to Goa and Bombay remained strong where every 4-5 years they went back and spent time in their villages. Here too eligible bachelors would be matched so the village matchmaker had a lucrative and thriving business before the classifieds in newspaper started taking over. Perhaps this was more aptly a carefree blissful life. A few returning graduates could see the change about to happen and participated in the local movements for independence having learnt what happened in India and having watched how political movements were organized in the UK and Europe. They were generally considered as eccentrics and therefore ignored by the rest of the Goan community.

1.1.6 1961-1975 - Goan Exodus and Expulsion

Context

There was a wave of independence celebrations in Eastern Africa in the early 1960s. Tanganyika got its Independence on 9 December 1961, Uganda a year later in 1962. Zanzibar exactly two years after Tanganyika in December along with Kenya in 1963. In 1964 Malawi and Zambia achieved its independence. There was generally an orderly process towards total independence. The British held elections and then a legislative Council was established when self-rule was granted. Once self-rule worked –within six to twelve months – independence was granted. The period of self-government was a period of rapid negotiation. What expatriates would continue to serve, who would be promoted to new civil service positions what were the terms of hand over, of officer benefits etc.

There were expectations created for the general populace. The people were made to believe that they would be better off without colonial masters; they would be free; they would not be exploited and finally they would enjoy a life of peace and prosperity. There was a surge of nationalism. People and particularly minorities were being told “if you are not with us, you must be against us”. The minorities, Europeans and Asians had to choose to become citizens or stay as British subjects. All East African Governments gave the minorities some time to reflect their choice of citizenship. But policy decisions gave priority for citizens in things like jobs, business permits, scholarships etc. And non-citizens were only acceptable if there was no citizen qualified for a position. Africanization was first interpreted as those being citizens, but increasingly it was interpreted as being ‘African’ (indigenous).

It was only natural that an African country fully independent would want to have an African administration to give it advice on policy matters.

The economy was mostly in the hands of Asians. It is estimated that with 5% of the population Indians controlled nearly 75% of the economy. Naturally the only way the African could hope to prosper was for Africans to share in that wealth. A few policies to Africanize business only helped create an environment of uncertainty for the Asians and the economy suffered.

In this context it was only a matter of time before Asians had to make a firm decision to migrate once more. This process started prior to independence with increasing number of children of Asians going to the UK for education and their parents followed. But this gradual transition and movements to new lands was not always that orderly. Within the first year of independence, Nyerere who had been influenced by the Fabian Society on socialism while in Edinburgh, introduced his Ujamaa policy. This was a concept of self-reliance, based on the use of one’s own resources from one’s own land. If the local society was not ready or did not have the skills and technology to exploit the natural resources, those resources were to stay in the ground till society had advanced and was able to exploit the same. In the meantime, everyone had to unite and pull together their resources for a more even spread of wealth. It was based on the

concept that the rich shared their wealth with the poor; but Nyerere’s socialism was more about distribution of poverty, because unlike France there were no pockets of extreme wealth from which to spread the wealth. While non-racial, this policy affected the Asians disproportionately and they started to migrate. They naturally wanted to take their wealth or possessions with them and the only way of not emptying the coffers was to impose currency restrictions – a policy which the Africans learnt from India who had gained their independence a little over a decade before.

Zanzibar was not so fortunate for an orderly retreat of Asians. Within a month of independence in January 1964, a bloody revolution by blacks, (not native to Zanzibar), had managed to overthrow the Arab Sultanate and his government, and claim the island for blacks, the descendants of freed slaves who were working for the absentee Arab farming landholders. They decimated the Arabs and there were causalities amongst Asians who had been by and large non- participants in the political process. So chaotic was the situation and with it the reputation of Africans in international forums, Nyerere as a world statesman, extended a hand to Zanzibar to form the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar into what is today Tanzania. This union enabled the Asians in Zanzibar to use the mainland as a steppingstone on the way to their new homelands.

Similar uncertainty for Asians in Kenya also caused a migration to the UK. What started as a trickle in 1967 became a flood of Asian migrants to the UK when the UK government decided that Passport D holders (that is British passports issued in the ex-colonies) were no longer entitled to automatic domicile rights in the UK.

The worst treatment awaited the Asians in Uganda. In 1972 they were given ninety days to pack up and leave Uganda. Much has been written about Idi Amin’s expulsion of Asians and in no way, this tries to tell the story. Idi Amin had created such revulsion in the Western press that any action of his was the subject of ridicule and criticism. Consequently, the expulsion of Asians only helped stimulate a sympathetic response for their plight in Western countries that has not been repeated since. Britain, India, Canada, New Zealand and even Australia was asked by the Commonwealth Secretariat to bear the burden of displaced persons from a British Commonwealth country. These countries therefore became the main destinations of the Asians.

In the earlier part of this era, a few Goans had gone to the USA as students. Some on scholarships. They were never to return. They were exposed to the hippie movement and to the effects of the Woodstock Festivals, to the protest movements against America’s involvement in Vietnam. They encouraged their families to migrate to the USA and many now led accomplished lives having fully integrated with their communities

Goan Exodus and Expulsion

Most of the pressures to leave East Africa did not happen in mainland East Africa in the first part of the decade. Therefore, the blissful era of the late 1950s continued into the 60s. There were sports meets, regular dances at the Goan clubs, there were the usual weddings and celebrations of births and the

mourning of the parted. The cinemas and bars were thriving businesses as were travel agencies and shipping companies.

By and large, Goans who were now mostly civil servants continued to work for their new political masters. The new political masters needed to learn how bureaucracies worked and how the machinery of government operated. Who better to observe than the Goan civil servants who now told the black masters what the whites had taught them? Some Goans who were the subalterns under the British Raj and who chose to become citizens of the new countries were rewarded in that they took over the positions from their White bosses. For example the heads of the Treasury, District Development, Immigration and Urban and Planning, Health and Education Departments had some Goans heading them as they became citizens in Uganda, Kenya and even in Tanganyika. However newly created Departments such as Foreign Affairs which were started up upon independence and the Army were headed by Africans. Some Goans who held British passports and who chose not to become citizens decided to leave East Africa. Most went to the UK. Those in the professions such as law and medicine were able to scan the annals of their professional journals and apply for positions wider afield in British Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the West Indies etc. and took up positions in the medical fields or the legal system in those countries. Australia was just dismantling its White Australia policy and since its economy was booming it had opportunities for teachers, nurses and generally people in the professions. Australian industry was also expanding and the few Goans who had skills in the mining, motor and allied industries were hired directly because of the acute shortage of skilled labor. The Goans who became citizens felt a short spell of security. They retained their jobs in East Africa and as stated earlier even got promotions. But then they felt they were no longer subalterns. The Blacks were not interested in leaving them alone to run the civil service as the British had done. The Africans wanted a slice of the civil service. Consequently, such Goans too had to make plans to migrate.

Such smooth transitions did not occur in Zanzibar. The bloody revolution had claimed the lives of eight Goans some from one family. Working in the Zanzibar civil service was untenable. Treasury records and records of pension entitlements were burnt. Many simply lost jobs overnight and had to leave. The Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar was a hidden blessing. Many of them made redundant by the new revolutionary government moved to mainland Tanzania. There, there were openings in new quasi-government bodies such as Cooperatives and State Marketing bodies which were created because on the nationalization of some private enterprises. Major companies such as Shell and the Banks also had openings for Goans from Zanzibar. This made it possible for Zanzibar Goans to use the mainland as a transit point on their journey to the UK, India or other countries such as Canada and the USA.

The Goans in Uganda were also affected by Idi Amin’s expulsion. Many of them sat in queues to get visas to the UK, Canada and even Australia. Australia did not have a High Commission in Uganda but sent a special attaché to process only those migrants who they thought would integrate well in Australia’s

predominantly white society. The Goans being Christian and those that appeared lighter skinned are said to have been favored. There is a story one Goan who could almost be taken for a white, went for the selection interview and left his wife outside the interview room because she was dark skinned!

The Goans in Malawi were also expelled. The story goes that a couple of Goans landed in the Goan club and were drinking in the bar. The TV above them broadcast a speech by the President – which usually went on for hours. When someone suggested that the station be switched to another channel the local African barman interpreted it as an affront to his newly elected president. Having dobbed them in. The security agents scanned through the membership of the club and the Goans were first incarcerated and then expelled from Malawi.

By the late 1970s emigration of Goans to their new countries was complete. That does not mean the emptying of Goans from East Africa. There were those who did not have the resources or skills to migrate to the new world. Goan Overseas Associations who established clubs etc simply did not provide for their less fortunate. They continued to etch a living in their domiciled countries and they or their children are still there today. This is much the same as Anglo-Indians who migrated in mass from India in the post-Independence wave left several less fortunate ones in India. This was the pattern amongst most Asian Communities. An exception was the Khoja (Ismaili community). Their spiritual leader, the Aga Khan, used his Foundation and his influence with Pierre Trudeau of Canada to strike a deal and resettle his faithful in British Columbia. In this instance all Ismailis, -rich and poor - were able to migrate from East Africa. In 1997 when one ex-Zanzibari went back from Australia to visit Zanzibar, he met a Goan ex- classmate who was left behind. He was shown his usual hospitality but was somehow bitter the Goans who had left for better pastures had forgotten those left behind.

1.1.7 1976- 1999 – Goan new life in the Western World

Context

The Western world was watching the fallout from the departure of Americans from Vietnam. Jazz was becoming popular, as was soul music; the Beatles were challenging Rock n Roll. Hollywood was taking over the world of entertainment.

Early settlement of East African Asians in the Western world was not always easy. Many struggled hard to establish themselves and get used to winters much more severe than they were ever used to. Generally, the Asians who left in the orderly process made sure they had connections in their new countries that would host them for a few days. Asians set up shops in parts of London and other towns. Some focused on particular suburbs. They now sent their children to the neighboring schools. Already established mosques or temples in earlier waves of migrations into the UK from the ex-colonies met their religious needs.

Those who had to flee in a hurry such as those from Uganda were met by organized NGOs established to make them welcome in their new countries. There were reception centers and help was provided with clothing and furniture

in the UK. There was also help in making such new migrants seek out jobs and housing, particularly since some landlords were averse to colored tenants. The Canadians helped Asian migrants by providing special airlifts from Entebbe airport and special escorts of vehicle transport from Kampala to Entebbe, as the security in Uganda began to break down. In Canada they were encouraged to settle in the developing Provinces and given some assistance by church and voluntary agencies. The Australians who had dismantled their White Australia policy started making their migrant hostels for British migrants available to Asians. This was a boon as it helped such people meet their financial obligations through Social Security payments each fortnight. The subsidized rents helped the Asians to save enough for a deposit on their first home. The Ten-Pound fare previously reserved only for UK migrants was extended to the Asian migrants. This in effect meant that that the Asians were refunded their fares from Africa in Aussie dollars and this all helped towards meeting the deposit costs for building new homes.

Goan Settlement in the West

The pattern of Goan migration from East Africa to the Western world was in no way unique from that of other East African Asians.

There was the usual search for jobs. Once that was determined then that determined the suburb they would reside. That in turn determined the schools their children went to. Most Goans sent their children to Catholic schools in Canada, UK and Australia, although a number would have sent their children to private and as well as public schools.

The Goans went to their local parishes and now were active in the parish communities, serving on the choir and ancillary services of the church. Once their lives returned to some stability, thought was given to recreate the East African institutions: The Goan Overseas Associations.

The constitutions of these Associations were modeled on the East Africa experience, tinkered here and there to the new environment. For instance, the Western Australian GOA was modeled on the New South Wales association, but now Equal Opportunity principles were built in. That meant each adult male and female became separate members of the Association, with separate voting rights. There was no such thing as Family membership. Membership was generally open to the wider public who had some association with Goa, even if it was simply a liking for the place as tourist.

As incorporated associations there are some public responsibilities, which must be satisfied, such as the proper conduct of elections and proper keeping of records – all as part of good governance. There is a story that when the Western Australian Goan Overseas Association was formally registered in accordance with legislation, the inaugural secretary would receive calls from West Australians interested in knowing whether the Association was a travel club encouraging going overseas on vacations!

These Associations created the opportunities for former East Africa Goans in Canada and UK to meet, socialize and most importantly reminisce their past lives in Africa. Interested social anthropologists and writers of Goan stories only fuel their nostalgic cravings. Heritage funds in these countries fund the recording of such stories. The Goans encouraged their children to participate in the new clubs, often having Children’s Xmas parties or youth activities. Some bought premises or land on which to build their clubhouse; others have long term lease arrangements with local governments for such ‘club’ premises. Such
Associations attract newer Goan migrants. When the older ones get established
in their societies, they leave the Association. They focus their attention to other things around children and grandchildren and thereby move away from active participation. Therefore, the churn rate of membership of these Associations is high, and membership is now at a stable number. More importantly the next generation of Goans have less affinity with such Associations. Many have intermarried with other races, are highly occupied in their own professions and careers. Associations which bought land have had to rethink their futures as did the ones who already owned premises. In countries where there are pretty strong suburban clubs often funded partly by local authorities or sporting organizations it makes no sense to have ethnically based premises in the way they were created in East Africa.

Most importantly, the “East Africaness” of the East African Goans was disappearing. In the UK the ex-East African Goans were meeting up with Goans migrating from the Middle East or directly from India and Goa. They met them in parishes and other social groups celebrating village feasts became important. In Toronto the number of Goans from India and the Middle East were sufficiently large so as to form their own club – now called the CanOrient. In other places such Goans joined the Goan Overseas Associations initially established by the ex- East African Goans.

The opportunities for education and commerce widen through migration. No longer were the new migrants to the old world limited to a few careers in the civil service. Opportunities widened with other industries and so the children of the East African Goans have generally seen the GOAs are less relevant to their needs. As India opened its economy and as the Western countries sought ways to make their industries more productive and cost efficient, a number of the new Goans joined the ‘C’ Suite level positions in the corporate world and decided to help outsource many of the operations of their European and North American companies. So Goans have linked up with professionals in places like Bangalore and Hyderabad to take full advantage of the low cost of labor in India. Hence a number have helped establish call centers and to do all IT, marketing and accounting work in India for their companies headquartered in the Western world.

By the end of this period Goan children of the 60s were beginning to have their own children and another generation of Goans mixed more than the previous generation was emerging. They are more diverse ethnically, and more diverse in the range of set skills and professions they occupy. The traditional Goan values of the 1930s and 40s were truly beginning to break up. The new generation are not

so reverent and committed to Church – except that the need to send their children to Catholic schools, forces them to intermittently attend Sunday Mass and make their presence felt at christenings, weddings, and funerals. The new generations of Goans have adopted accents and values of mainstream society and from countries they are domiciled in. Their children are the millennials of today. Today such Goans and their offspring make trips to Goa occasionally and spend their northern winters in the tropical cool of the Indian Ocean. Their more adventurous teenagers will stroll the shores of Goa and India. They love the place just as Aussies love Bali – a cheap destination with booze, good food cheap accommodation and the of course the joints.

1.1.8 2000- onwards -The Millennial Goans

Context

The 9/11 bombing brought a new awakening to the West. The intense hatred of the West, what it stands for have been taken up as a cause for further terrorism of our societies. Economically the world has moved towards globalization and liberal trade barriers. Some scandalous adventures in bank lending have led to volatility of economies and personal wealth. Trickle-down economics have helped elevate some poor from abject poverty but not enough. However, the gap between the poor and the rich is only getting bigger. There are concerns regarding climate change. There are endless skirmishes within the Moslem spheres – these wars are between themselves and the West. Technology has advanced to a point where on balance there are more challenges to our established norms. All this has the potential for making a better world.

The new migrants and those since the end of the last century are moving to Western countries. Yet in this century the big powerbroker is probably going to be China. It is already happening. Yet the droves of refugees are flooding the shores of Western countries. They seek the promise of freedom, democracy, and individual enterprise which they feel they have been denied in their own countries. There are now an estimated 70 million displaced peoples living in refugee camps around the world – never so large in the world’s history. Despite the West’s rhetoric of freedom, enterprise, and civilizing role where we talk about human rights, we have failed to alleviate world human poverty. Hence the refugees. If China is the new source of enterprise, why is it that the refugees do not seek asylum in that country? Or is it a case where our media have not reported on the refugees streaming into the borders of China to seek a share of their wealth? Will China challenge our traditional sense of economic development? Do we need the absolute freedoms we have in order to progress our societies? Or is this notion of democracy an outdated mantra but what we need is more dictatorship without corruption. The only example the world has had is the founder Prime Minister of Singapore. An in corruptible dictator. All other dictators have held to power, corrupted their societies, and accrued personal wealth at the expense of their subjects. When the late Prime Minister of Singapore took over his country, Singapore’s GDP was almost the same as that of Zanzibar when it got its independence from the British in 1963. But see it now – the contrast is there for all to see.

The Goan Millennials

The older generations of Goans have truly joined or formed seniors’ clubs, many of them take to travel both within their own countries and overseas. There was a short pause to their travels when the Covid 19 virus went rampant. They as a group have saved and grown their personal wealth in pension funds and assets. Visits to Goa and East Africa is on their done list - many never to return except for Canadians who have run away every winter to warmer pastures and seek another home away from home. Now that the Goan Diaspora extends to several countries, opportunities for travel become even more exciting, taking in new countries that would otherwise not be on their bucket list and catching up with mates not seen for the past forty years. Western businesses have found a niche market amongst such grey nomads. Senior book clubs and regular morning coffee meetings help such seniors of the post baby boomers spend their twilight days away – and reminisce. Some have devoted to recording their past in the hope of leaving something of interest to their offspring.

It is the new millennial Goans that attention now focuses on. These are often the cappuccino youth for whom their grandparents have some interesting stories to tell. But they are brought up with a new sense of urgency. Many see the opportunity to serve the less fortunate, whether within their own countries or in developing countries. Their parents have left them with a sense of security. They do not bother to build assets too hurriedly. They have a genuine missionary zeal – although that is not what they call it. For them helping the less fortunate is both exciting and a cool thing to do. Many grandparents and parents lay praise on their millennials whist at the same time reminding them that if they look after themselves first then they will be to help others. That is not to say a whole generation of millennials have become NGO workers in developing countries. Many have taken opportunities to advance themselves in careers such the traditional professions of medicine, law, accounting, teaching etc. as well as the new emerging professions of information technology, artificial intelligence, marketing, public relations and digital enterprise and media. Alas there are those who do not make it have fallen down the cracks of parenthood and influenced by evil winds in Western societies.

Some professionals are highly successful, others are caught up in global competition and seek ever new opportunities. They are in short no different from mainstream society in which they live. A few in Britain and in the new world have entered politics. For them the Goan Overseas Association is of little relevance. An antiquated Association does not attract new members.

These millennials have an exciting future. But before they progress many will have to ask themselves the fundamental questions we are grappling now. Is absolute democracy needed for their success? Remember we served the British and had a comfortable lifestyle while there was no democracy in place. Would we be happy to live in China where guided dictatorship has seen millions raised from poverty – yet many others are displaced internally for the nation’s greater good and feed the corruption that many dictators simply cannot eradicate? These are fundamental questions we leave unanswered for the next generation to sort out.

1.2 Introduction

Part 2

The Challenges Ahead

For the Goan Diaspora

Facilitated By Adolph de Sousa

This is the part of the discourse the author is really interested in developing. In short this is the question: What happens to the Goan Associations in the future?

History and contextual background are important, but more important if they
are used intelligently to guide our future, to help us shape and seize control of our destiny. Whilst Selma’s book has a subtle sense of humor strewn through it, she is quite correctly writing a record of past events. She barely passes her own views on the subject. As any good journalist would. Wherever there were divides in the community she has impartially recorded all sides of the issues and leaves you to make up your own mind. However, the end of the book came too soon. Reminiscences and the feelings of Goanness by millennials born in the UK are all bundled together. It does not make one reflect the future. Margret’s book is
much more serious. None of those subtle ironies of what happens when men are left alone in the jungle, but she has a chapter on memories and nostalgia titled ‘Remembering East Africa’ in which she arrives at some conclusions about us, baby boomers, and generations X and Y and even the millennials. On an academic discourse she has been able to identify us, East African Goans, as subalterns – subaltern elites at that, who benefitted and helped the running of a colonial empire. In this she is contributing to the theories of Imperial history and her discipline. However, she does go beyond Selma in coming to some conclusions about reminiscences and nostalgia. There is a very telling sentence “Overseas Goan communities are in the process of dissolving or disappearing” (pp287). It is not her business to tell us what we should be doing. Nor does she stray to do that. She is making an observable comment. In 1998 a Dr Cornel DaCosta (G O Digest, July-Sept 1998) posed the question” Is the Historic Goan Association in Terminal Decline?” This author was younger then, involved in the Goan Overseas Association in Western Australia. He had dreams. In a piece in response to Cornel,

he stated that Cornel might be saying something that might become a self- fulfilling prophecy. We had a responsibility to challenge him. Only we can do it. We had achieved much in East Africa. Ours is a story of success, of a model community despite the odds. We are unique in some ways. We have challenges as a community. Twenty-two years later are we still at the crossroads? Or is this all too late and too hard? Can we change ourselves, modernize our thinking and continue to explore the strengths we have, the uniqueness we have and enter a market of global services through being niche communities? Against this background, the ex-East African Goans in Toronto pulled an extraordinary feat in building and opening their own Goan Community Centre (GCC)in Brampton in Greater Toronto in October 2021

1.3 The Approach to this Discourse and its Limitations

Before we discuss our options for the future, this paper will be structured as if it is written for the business community. It will be a simulated business consultant report. Pretend for a moment that you are a consultant appointed by one of the overseas Goan Associations to give it advice on how the Association can become a sustainable and enterprising Association or organization in the future. Generally, a classic approach would be as follows:

Get the community together – have a workshop.
Write up a SWOT analysis
Agree on a Vision, Mission, Values and Goals
Prepare a living document which is the Strategy to get to the Goal. It is
living because one is has to be periodically reviewed and bring it up to
date.
Lastly highlight examples of success and encourage people to achieve the
goals.

In this Part the style of discourse will be different from Part 1 – which was contextual and historical in nature.

It is important to recognize the limitations of this part of the report. They are as follows:

The paper has been informed by a few written sources on Goans and from global events
There was no ‘workshop’ used to collect the data. Rather the technique used was one of gathering information from community leaders in Australia and Canada (Ontario to be more specific). No discussions have been held with UK Goans – a major point for the Goan diaspora community. For that matter Goans overseas in the non-English speaking countries, particularly Brazil – a growing BRIC economy – or Portugal and other parts of SE Asia are not consulted. Yet going global means being inclusive and multilingual.
The paper lacks the input of Goan millennials generally, though some have observed and consulted. It is important that they be included in the process since they must have carriage of the report.

4. The model Vision, Mission, Values statement was one primarily developed at the turn of the millennium through a workshop of Goans in Western Australia. Generally, as a statement it remains relevant today – with very few refinements.

The report does share the example of another country-based associations and their reported success stories. These are only described as models of successful associations.

It is proposed to circulate this ‘draft,’ draw comments and criticisms and then rewrite sections of this document. Repeated revisions will only make this document more universally acceptable. When that happens the ownership of this treatise can truly be regarded as collective rather than a piece by this author.

1.4 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for Goans Abroad 1.4.1 Strengths

During the discussion and collection of views from peers, the following strengths have been identified:

Diversity of occupations within the Goan community
A culture of club orientation
A spiritual base
A sense of integration with mainstream communities
An acceptance of social assimilation
An infrastructure and organizational structure
A socially dynamic and mobile millennial generation
The ability to share these thoughts, without fear of retribution
from the community.
There continues to be the need for new migrants in the New World
and therefore the membership of the Associations is sustained despite the high “churn” level. In a post-Covid world enormous shortage skills in the New World will only lead to new migrants from source countries.
Goans have diverse Occupations. From peons and lascars in the 18C to the subaltern elites of the of 1950s in East Africa we have moved to the Western world where we are savants, poets, artists, literary critics. We are represented in most of the professions: in the medical and allied health fields, in the engineering and architectural fields, in teaching and the caring professions, in legal and in the judiciary and in academia. We are represented in the new and evolving fields of the digital age. We pride ourselves as head chefs on cruise lines and proudly display our culinary skills. We are increasingly represented in the corporate and financial sectors, and for our numbers we are participating in the political life of our community. Our high aspirations for our children have meant that in certain sections of the trades are perhaps currently under-represented.

The world is our oyster. In short, our diversity of skills is our strength. We can have connections and networks to make us successful in business, in the arts etc. This is our strength.

Goans are club oriented. That means we do not like our own isolation. The adage that two Goans form a club and three form two clubs is still evident. There are village clubs, card clubs, sports clubs, over fifty-five clubs etc. Some countries have societies noted for their individualism to the extent they do not socialize or form close bonds between families, and neighbors. During a visit to Canada the author attended two community picnics one a village feast picnic and the other a country-based picnic. Both were well attended. The attendance seemed to include persons from those communities from all ages. It was truly inter-generational. Whilst these social clubs have no formal links with the incorporated Goan associations there is no reason why the incorporated association should not be inclusive of them – assisting them in their marketing etc. The same popularity in community day events has been evident in Perth. These are generally low cost and effective means of connecting people at a social level. On the other hand, Association dinner dances with the sixties and seventies music events tend to attract less and less members in places like Perth. Whilst our club orientation is a strength our events within them need to attract the diversity of tastes and interests within the community. There are some genuine attempts to bring Goan activities to the attention of all communities Viva Goa celebrations of community fairs are popular events. It is understood to have attracted over 2500 people in Ontario recently. Similar events take place in the UK and Sydney.

Goans are spiritual based. Older diaspora Goans are deeply Catholic and committed to their church-based activities. They support their parishes which are multi-ethnic. Although they donate to the church, they are not bound by the concept of tithes which some other religions have. The newer generation of Goans do not necessarily have the same unquestioning devotion as their parents; their upbringing in the spiritual values have made them question themselves, their church and therefore become more socially tolerant and ethical. Equity, human and social justice principles come high in their agendas. These qualities being a strength can be transformed into opportunities for the community.

Goans are integrated with their mainstream societies. They will have no reluctance to participate in business functions, network in contexts where business matters. They may keep business colleagues apart from their social networks, but they understand the impact of business networks on their professional lives, and they will use modern tools to establish those links.

Goans have socially assimilated. They meet their partners in business, social contexts (not necessarily of the same ethnicity), and in their workplaces and they marry with whomever they choose to do so. They are no longer restricted by caste and class as their forefathers were.

Concepts of dowries arranged matches are generally things of the past. As a result, in Australia their offspring are affectionately referred as to the ‘cappuccino’ race. Our community is cosmopolitan in complexion and outlook. Our roots may be Goan. Increasingly our newer generations are racially diffused. We are part of the global community. This is our strength as we move on to the next twenty-five to fifty years. Despite our mixture our curiosity has not stopped us from visiting our ancestral homes whether in Goa or Africa. Our intermarriage has brought us to appreciate other cultures, to be respectful and be able to negotiate a world of diversity.

Goans have built for themselves an infrastructure and organizational base. Their Associations are formally incorporated within the laws of their countries. They are empowered to raise funds. They can hire and fire if they so wish. They can sue and be sued. Several them have sizeable monetary and physical assets. An association that does not have assets lives from day to day. Registered Associations can form a strong backbone to any community almost like an incorporated company with limited liability. Therefore, it is an imperative that associations like corporations have a purpose – a mission. When Associations do not have a strategy, a mission (or even if they have one – and their members are not committed to it), assets tend to dwindle and questions are often raised as to why such bodies retain assets, and ultimately why they exist at all.

Some assets are not tangible perhaps but are powerful creations of individuals as a service to Goans everywhere. An example is the creation of the Goan Voice UK an eNetwork by Eddie Fernandes, which keeps Goans informed of developments almost within twenty hours of the event happening. For some diaspora Goans, the internet might be the only visible sign of belonging in a community. Leadership and foresight by an individual with a strong records and information technology background has enabled such a blog to exist through the support of paid advertisements from the Goan community. This author is not aware of any other community having such an international reach for its members as the Goan Voice UK. Another example is the establishment of Global Goans in October 2020, a multidisciplinary journal edited by Salus Correia out of Melbourne, Victoria. This journal has contributors from throughout the Diaspora as well as from Goa itself. It has contributors from all ages, all religions, and from the associations themselves. It covers topics from recipes to comedy skits and poetry, from music to art, from history to economics. Whether by design or not, the journal appears balanced and caters for the diverse interests of Goans. If there is one area not adequately covered it is the discussion of, where do we take the Goan Diaspora in the future. Infrastructure is our strength, although we sometimes fail to consciously promote more infrastructure projects eg the need for community housing for and ageing population, the creation of Foundations and global aid.

Goans in the diaspora have a sound well-educated and informed millennial generation living within their community. Unlike their villages in Goa -some of which faced depopulation of their youth as they migrated in droves in the last century- the Goan Diaspora have a generation of up-and-coming youth who are making headway in their societies. They are in many ways indistinguishable from the general millennial society. To understand what this means requires us to be familiar with the surveys of millennials. Basically, they have a greater sense of social justice than any of the previous generations. They believe that business is good for society as a whole, but they believe business can do more for society than they currently do. They believe business should do more about climate change, managing food security, ensure adequacy of clean water supplies and alleviate poverty. They believe in the need to get involved in social projects to alleviate hunger and homelessness in the world. Most of them want to work for themselves rather than for big corporations where they currently start out and find themselves. They feel biggest obstacles to their advancement when working in companies is the internal bureaucracy, the lack of transparency, and their inability to be innovative. Millennials offer our community a hope for a better organization. Many of them feel a bit distant from the Goan associations.

This does not mean that the older generation need abandon in what we plan. The older generation has seen wealth not necessarily shared by their previous generations. They are the grey nomads of Australia, the snowbirds of Canada. No previous generation has travelled so often and so widely as the present retirees. Because their sons and daughters are generally well established they can afford to spend their kids inheritance or indeed distribute part of it whilst still living so that they may see the joy of their investments in their children and grandchildren.

1.4.2 Weaknesses

Our findings have also revealed our weaknesses. These can be explained as follows:

Our Associations are not nation based
Our people have not created foundations or trusts to support our
communities
A number of us find it difficult to accept change
Some of us have limited horizons
We are not a nation based ethnic association. Goa is a State within India. Nation based Associations tend to be better known than state based. An “Indian Society” will host visiting dignitaries from India and prominent national performers or dignitaries from that country. This is important as it helps raise the profile of the Association in the eyes of the wider community. When such nation based ethnic associations are small, very often an honorary consul may be appointed from within the local association to represent the nation state at host country events. For

example, the Indian Society will often be the channel by which the Indian Government may choose to communicate with Indians domiciled in host countries; Goan associations do not have that role.

Our Associations are not backed by the concept of solid foundations or trusts. Or rather we have not seen the need to establish such foundations or trusts. For example the religious leader of the Ismaili community supports their subjects in times of crises and need. Their leader has established the Aga Khan Foundation who has supported the community in scholarships, schools, hospitals, and dispensaries etc. The Foundation is funded through the concept of tithes. Goans do not observe the ancient Christian concept of tithes. As a result, many of our weaker members of the community may be left behind in their social and personal development. That does not mean we do not have welfare aims or projects. The scale of these is miniscule and ad hoc compared to some other communities. Foundations and trusts help to unite groups. In the USA, whilst Indian Americans have the resources to build gated seniors homes in places like Florida and New Jersey, these essentially cater for those who migrated in the 1960s as skilled professionals. A few Indians who migrated to the USA to ‘help’ their relatives in the 1960s in domestic situations now need help themselves in assisted living which is currently not available within present structures.

A few us, especially the elders and those in a position of influence in the community find it difficult to accept change. Some have a purist definition of “Goan” even when their offspring through intermarriage would not be ‘pure’ Goans. Hence the example of the “zonekar” who is not even a Goan in separate Case study, by this author, is in stark contradiction to this situation They feel impassioned about a change of name for the Association, for instance. They reminisce and are nostalgic of the past – yet the past is no more. They see change as negative. Their native Goa has an influx of ‘foreigners’ from neighboring states and they cannot accept that these immigrants are indeed the new Goans just as they are the new Canadians or new Aussies.

Some of us, elders in our community, have limited horizons. By that we mean they are not capable of thinking outside the box. Yet thinking outside the box is precisely what we have to do if we are to survive. It is through thinking outside the box that we can become more relevant to our younger generations, as they have been trained to think in innovative ways and move on to new and exciting and challenging careers. People who have limited horizons cannot move on to a new way of thinking which in turn leads to new types of services and products.

1.4.3 Opportunities

A brief survey of the young Goans –Gen X, Y in Western Australia and Millennials give hope for new opportunities:

Networking to form business relationships within the diaspora
Influencing policy changes to cater for the diaspora ageing
Continuing on the opportunities already seen to be developed by
Goans, whether in business, leisure, hospitality or sporting
industries
The post computer industry has scope for applications of AI in
every facet of our lives, and several Goans trained in IT are well
placed to move forward in this exciting environment
The Climate change ‘crisis’ is both a threat and opportunity – an
opportunity to address new forms of technological innovation, ahead of lagging governmental policy or leadership. Goans are increasingly environmentally conscious.
( Themes to be developed further)
1.4.4 Threats
Some threats exist

Current opportunities for access to public purse support for
things like aged care, child care, business skills training,
networking etc may not last long;
With the current development of “nation” based associations,
there could be a danger that ‘sub-associations’ might dissolve if
good relations are not closely maintained across the spectrum
The longer the associations do not respond to the changing needs
of millennials, the more difficult it will be to bring them home to
the ‘association’ culture.
( themes to be developed)

1.5 A Proposed Vision, Mission, Values and Goals for Diaspora Associations

In order to propose a business model for a Goan Association some thoughts have been proposed by the author of this document that may form a template for Goan Associations generally. We may criticize the wording, wordsmith it further but let us not get hung on the words alone. It is the sentiment and thoughts that matter. Therefore, a typical Vision, Mission, Values and Goals for Diaspora Associations could read as follows:

Vision

"To be an exemplar of a modern community organisation in pursuit of highest standards."

We fulfil our Mission by

1.6

•

• •

promoting social, cultural, spiritual, welfare, educational, sporting and business activities
recognizing excellence amongst our community
contributing to mainstream events and other associations for the benefit of the wider community

A model of an Association – the Chung Wah Association: 100 years on

Mission

The Goan Association is established to

promote the social, cultural, welfare, education, spiritual, sporting and business aspirations of the community
establish close links with mainstream organizations and with other associations both in (Canada/UK/Australia) and overseas
develop a wider appreciation of Goan culture and of the Goan community in (Toronto/Western Australia/Manchester)
Values
Our Mission is guided by the following Values:

a respect for the diversity in the community
an attitude for inclusiveness of those desirous to promote these Goals
a concern for others and a commitment to ethical behavior and social
justice
a spirit of advancement of all members of the community in a modern
social, economic, and technological society.

Goals

In this section I am going to tell you a story of a successful overseas Association. The Chung Wah Association of Western Australia. The Chinese had migrated to Western Australia in the late 19C because of the gold rush. They worked hard but, in the end, the racist concerns of the White Settlers got the newly formed federal Government to pass an Act – commonly referred to the White Australia Act. That was in 1901. In 1909 the Chinese in Perth formed the Chung Wah Association. It was established to look after their own community, their welfare and social needs. They maintained their culture, through language and importation of foods, clothing and Buddhist rituals, and they looked after their aged. As the White Australia policy got disbanded in the late 1960s, their children went to mainstream schools whilst still getting after school cultural courses. With the growth of the Chinese migrants the Chung Wah Association has grown. Their children no longer aspire to the things their grandparents aspired – the retention of cultural practices per se. They speak with Aussie accents, are influenced by Western media and many intermarry with other communities or

mainstream communities. They are professionals and have the same or similar values to Goan millennials. Yet they have remained members of the Chung Wah Association. So what makes them different from Goans? An analysis of the objects of the Chung Wah Association has shown their ability to adapt to new circumstance. Whilst running old or senior homes for the elderly is still important, more important are the activities of the Association which attract their millennials. The Association has become the de facto Chinese Chamber of Commerce for the community. The Association connects Chinese business men and women from mainland China with the young Australian Chinese professionals in medicine, law and industry – mining , manufacturing and tertiary services and commerce. In this way the Association is fostering the welfare of its millennials through facilitating business links. More importantly they have not forgotten their Chinese origins

Is there a lesson to be learnt from this association? Google for “About us-Chung Wah Associationhttps://apac01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chungw ah.org.au%2Fen%2Fabout- us%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C681c80491433481f80b108d9b89d5b36%7C84df 9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637743808256770705%7CUnknown %7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJX VCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=jpN4ONemO1dPHw6agoOoulrHNwLcxS1NeY3Bl P5HEfQ%3D&reserved=0

For the Brief History of the Chung Wah Association copy and paste:

There is no comparison between the Goan Associations and the Chung Wah Association. The latter is highly regarded in the general economic and political community. It hosts ministers from China and connects them to Australian Government interests.

However, the Goan past enables us to think about a future we want to be. Only if it's a future we really want it to be. What about connecting Goan Overseas Associations as Chambers of Commerce for our millennials? Globalization brings new opportunities – are there opportunities for connecting professionals of our membership for the benefit of trade and commerce between individuals?

Many years ago the Goan Community of Toronto in organizing an International Goan Convention (IGC) showed leadership to the rest of the associations. Many of us returned well fed and feeling good for ourselves. Does that idea need resurrecting? How do we go about it?

A framework for further development

This is an unfinished paper. We need people in the diaspora to add to this paper.

https://www.chungwah.org.au/wp-

content/uploads/2017/05/IntroCWA100YrsFinal.pdf

Hopefully when I have finished the paper it can be considered a living document – a document which can be developed further and kept constantly abreast with newer developments and opportunities

Lets add to this discourse.

2 About the writer

Adolph de Sousa lives in Perth, Western Australia. He has lived and worked in all the four East African countries. His account is unashamedly biased toward Zanzibar where he was born. For a profile check LinkedIn for Adolph de Sousa, Trainer and Consultant.

The writing has been informed by a number of publications on Goans and from sources in Zanzibar, Oman, UK and East African Newspapers. They are however secondary sources. The author’s own personal experiences have shaped many of the observations.

The second stage of this project is informed by views collected in 2015 from some leadership Goans in Ontario. Specifically the author is grateful to inputs from :

Mr Al Mathias
Mr George Periera
Mr Jonas Norohna
Mrs Greta Dias
And many others yet to be listed.
It is now hoped to circulate this document wider, particularly to those in leadership positions in the UK, East Africa, Portugal, Goa so that this document through criticism can become truly inclusive

Adolph de Sousa's Global Postings

Pages

THE GOAN DIASPORA EXPERIENCE

No comments:

Post a Comment