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A friend of mine once sent me the note below. I often return to it when I am in the dumps. It is such a beautiful story I thought I might share it with you all. Dear Cyprian, My family and I thought that your email was so sincere and beautifully written. You summed up all that he represented so well. Many thanks for your kind words and sentiments from us all. As you can imagine, having gone through losing your beloved Rufi, I am still in a daze after all that has happened and I just can’t get motivated into doing anything. I feel so empty and miss him so much, especially with Christmas round the corner. Things you take for granted all come to mind now, like there is no one to greet you at the door or share a cup of tea when you get home. There is no one to tell you how nice you look or take care of or cook for. I miss his warm and tender love, hugs and kisses, his smell, his lovely smile and our little chats at night. I smile sometimes and cry sometimes, mainly tears of joy w...

Hi Eddie, I would just like to make the following observations ( without prejudice!), regarding Ms.Carvalho's comments about the recent London Goan meet, and the ensuing imbroglio. Personally, I found her musings about the recent Goan arrivals (P.P.F.) 'with jangly gold bracelets' and the 'aging' and 'doddery' East African Goan somewhat cynical and tasteless. Cyprian Fernandes, in my view, correctly took issue with her. Her rhetorical statement about being unaware that it was a crime to age, deliberately misses the point entirely. It is no crime to age, but it is almost criminal to randomly use the term 'aging' to try and mischievously diminish a segment of the Goan diaspora. Referencing the 'quasi' English accent is equally provocative, disingenuous and certainly designed to ridicule and raise one's ire.   Perhaps Mr. Fernandes has a point when he blames the controversy on an editorial lapse, citing a failure at the 'risk ...

Just Matata Sin, Saints and Settlers A novel set in Goa and Kenya Braz Menezes   For four hours at a medical centre in Sydney, Australia, I was a skinny runt of a kid back in Nairobi, Kenya, Eastleigh to be precise. My guide was a young Goan boy, Orlando aka Lando, who is the hero of Braz Menezes’ charming contribution to Goan historical fiction. While I have no doubt whatsoever that it is historical fiction, I am somehow fixated that it is an autobiographical work. It has all the hallmarks, but it isn’t. Braz’s attention to detail in both Kenya and Goa had me smiling a lot. I knew Plums Lane where Lando lived with his family. I also visited the Nairobi Museum, St Francis Xavier’s Church in Parklands and a myriad sights, sites, sounds, and people who were a part of both our childhoods. What is more, this is a very important contribution to the historical record of growing up in Kenya from Braz’s own perspective and he paints a detail rich portrait. There ar...

JULIET PEREIRA 9-8-1928 – 23-8-2012 A tribute by Cyprian Fernandes Julie Coelho was born in Nairobi and attended the Dr. Ribeiro Goan School in Parklands. She had three brothers: Cassie, Johnny, Valentine and, Irene, (married Oscar D’Souza) was her only sister Besides her regular job as an administrative assistant with C.J. Valentine, she worked at the Nairobi Races with Ben every weekend Julie loved people, life and everything to do with it. She and Ben had many friends - old and young alike and were always the centre of attraction at any event. Here are some of the comments we've had these past few days: Braz Menezes: "Ben and Julie were an institution to us growing up" Tina de Mello: "Julie was an icon of fashion, laughter and happiness to many of us in our generation" Pam Gonsalves: "They were lovely role models for us growing up. Their tricky dance steps and Ben's cow cow boogie/singing we admired and maybe tried to copy...

Eddie's being daft: try telling it (below) to the girl who wrote to me saying: My father is not a dodderer! Dear Cyprian, What is your agenda? Selma Carvalho had a column in Goan Voice UK with an avid readership. She has written an excellent, critically acclaimed book on the Goan diaspora. She has, against the odds, secured funding for an oral history project involving East African Goans. She has provided up with examples of her video interviews, each receiving over 1,000 hits. She has received hundreds if not thousands of congratulatory messages. Have you ever had anything positive to say about her? Why not OK, she is only human and can make mistakes. Point them out to her by all means. But why, oh why, write to your friends, sorry contacts, and then ask them to “share this with as many people as you can!” Talk of sick minds. But what is the mistake that Selma made? Not in what she wrote but in underestimating how people like you would pick on it and turn it around to sui...