Skip to main content

Posts

Goan clubs and Goan culture

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, I HOPE OTHER PEOPLE WILL CONTRIBUTE WITH THEIR MEMORIES OR EXPERIENCES This is not a criticism. I have the greatest respect for Goans of many echelons of life in East Africa. I count many, many from all walks of life as my very dearest of friends. This is how I saw things first hand, from stories I was told, and some of the written material I was able to get hold of during my young years. I ate with my hands at home, especially if it was rice and curry. My friends used cutlery. But outside of the home, I used cutlery except if it was fish head ambot tik. Not a problem. Tell me I am wrong, or how you saw it and I will happily record it, if only for the sake of balance. The Goan Clubs and Goan culture Goan Clubs in East Africa did not always foster Goan culture or the Konkani language. They couldn’t. There was a directive from the colonial Minister for Education that all Asians, especially the parents, should stop speaking to their children in their...

Fitz de Souza: Death of Kenyan freedom fighter

Dr Fitz de Souza: Death of a Kenya freedom fighter By CYPRIAN FERNANDES* THE former Deputy Speaker of Parliament, MP for Parklands, solicitor and a fighter for Kenya’s freedom died in London on March 23. He was 90. He is survived by his wife Romola, and children, Veena (Justin), Maya (Prashant), Roy (Aisha), Mark (Antke) and his many grandchildren. Dr de Souza was a lawyer and a politician by design. In 1943, after finishing his secondary school education in Zanzibar, he headed for Magadi in Kenya where his parents worked. He was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to become a lawyer and “carried within me a burning sense of justice on behalf all those to whom it was denied.” He would graduate as a barrister from Lincoln’s Inn and do his PhD at the London School of Economics. London at the time was spawning young fighters for freedom from many parts of the British Empire/Commonwealth. In Spring 1952, Fitz returned to Kenya “an idealist, determined to fight for equality for ...

Heart to Heart

Update 2/4: Doctors in NSW are no longer treating patients with colds or flu in person. They do it on the phone. FOR MOST people a visit to the hospital is a daunting task at the best of times. Can you imagine the trauma that people must be going through during these CV times. For a start, the biggest fear would be that of catching the pandemic monster. That is perhaps the only reason why Accident & Emergency is suddenly devoid of the throngs of people that crowded the waiting rooms. On any normal day, it is nothing to spend a whole day waiting to be checked out. That in itself is a traumatic experience, a major one at that and often has own set of new emergencies. So, there you are, sitting patiently, reading your book or your mag, or fiddling about with your cell phone, or just twiddling your thumbs and awaiting God’s will. You lift your head and look at the hospital clerical staff logging in new patients, or the triage team allocating patients to various doctors. Wi...

Skip retires

R.I.P Dr Fitz de Souza, true greatness!

Dr de Souza and me pictured a few years ago at his home in Goa ON March 23, 2020, the Goan community worldwide lost one of its greatest sons with the passing of outstanding politician and lawyer,  DR FITZVAL REMEDIOS SANTANA NEVILLE DE SOUZA, in London. He was 90.   He is survived by his wife Romola, and children, Veena (Justin), Maya (Prashant), Roy (Aisha), Mark (Antke) and his many grandchildren. For further details, watch this space. He became a lawyer and a politician by intent. He explains in his book Forward to Independence “As I set sail for Zanzibar the war in Europe was coming to an end, yet India’s future lay still unresolved. By now a keen and devoted disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, I had decided to spend my life fighting not only for the freedom of India, but Goa too, and carried within me a burning sense of justice on behalf of all those to whom it was denied.” He met and was greatly influenced by Pio Gama Pinto, who was destined to become the first poli...

THE DRGS MEMORIAL SAFARI TO KENYA

IN MEMORY OF LEWIS DE SOUZA FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF VISIT AFRICA LTD EST 1984 www.visitafricalimited.com Lewis De Souza was a great supporter of the DRGS alumni (CRF) 8 nights in Kenya at a slow relaxing pace with an extension to Mombasa or Zanzibar from US$1526 PER PERSON November 2020 At the heart of the holiday is a program we have designed for you to centre around the DRGS Memorial Mass at your Parklands Church and an itinerary jam-packed with things to do, things to see, things to celebrate ... catch up with old friends. Make some new ones and experience so very special surprises we have packed for you. In addition to your time in Nairobi and the game parks we have chosen, you can lengthen your stay in East Africa by visiting the unforgettable Zanzibar and replenish your nostalgia with memories of yesterday in Mombasa, doing your very own very special things.   Walking down memory lane 1. Goan Institute - Koroga 2. St Francis Xavier’s Church - Memorial...

Victor Menezes Obit

VICTOR PAUL MENEZES  Victor passed away peacefully at his home in Rohnert Park, CA surrounded by his loving family. Victor fought lymphoma bravely for 3 years, enduring many treatments. Victor was born in Somalia, and lived in Nairobi, Kenya with his parents and younger brother. At the age of 28 in 1974, he immigrated to London, England and married his wife Maureen. They then immigrated to the United States, settling in San Francisco, California, with their first child, Louise. Victor worked as a plumbing and electrical engineer for many successful companies and for over 50 years. It truly was his passion and he was very skilled. Before having their second child, Andrea, they moved the family to Northern California, and bought their house in Rohnert Park. Victor recently retired from his career as an engineer and was enjoying spending time with his 3 grandchildren, Hannah, Jack and Emerson. Victor is preceded in Death by his mother and father, Carmen...

GOA TORONTO TURNS 50

By Armand Rodrigues Fifty years as a vibrant social and sporting club is a significant milestone in the life of the G.O.A.(Toronto). Its Golden Jubilee is on April,23,2020. A historical perspective of this iconic club follows. Whether in the humble “khudds” (village clubs) of Bombay or sophisticated institutes and gymkhanas elsewhere, the Goan has always been a gregarious creature with an inborn need for camaraderie. This characteristic has endowed him/her with the propensity to form clubs for social, sporting and literary purposes wherever they go, after coming to terms with the basic necessities of life -- food, clothing and shelter. Back-pedalling now, prior to 1970 there were only a few amorphous Goan groups in Toronto, and their interests were either religious, social and sporting, but only marginally, as they were loosely-knit and accountable to no one. In the broader sports arena, field hockey was the common factor that brought several Goans together, though the...