Goan Comedian at Club 54
Thu May 22 19:15:34 PDT 2008
Posting by Mervyn Lobo on GoaNet

Fos,Here is a video of Toronto based stand up comedian, Chrystal Gomes, at Club 54 in New York. Chrystal is the daughter of Danny Gomes. Danny Gomes was the General Sectary of the Dar Institute, Tanzania. http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=x_NEJfJQv6Y 

Flashback - Forty Years Ago
Photo Credit: http://www.marionkaplan.com/lib/mkosm217.jpg

In Kenya, 1968, an Asian exodus was provoked by Britain's quota system on entry for British Asians.

( Click to view large )

Excerpts from:-

A Quest for Identity: The Asian Minority in Africa By: Nandini PATEL
Senior Lecturer in Political Science and International Relations at Chancellor College,University of Malawi - http://www.federalism.ch/files/documents//Patel_FINAL%20VERSION.pdf

Kenyan Asians (Un)Welcome in Britain?
A red carpet welcome did not await Kenyan Asians who arrived in Britain during the large scale exodus in 1968. A major immigration scare gripped the U.K. and the British parliament rushed through the infamous 'Commonwealth Immigrants Act of 1968' in a record three days. Thus the Kenyan Asians were denied the right of entry into Britain under this legislation despite holding British passports. This ensured that some 150,000 Asians were rendered effectively stateless by a stroke of the pen, through which the British government deliberately sought to shirk it's responsibilities by barring desperate immigrants from claiming the entitlements as British Citizens, whilst, at the same time, the Indian government chose to feign indifference.
.
This was probably due to the fact that the Non-aligned Movement was gaining momentum at the time and India, who was at the forefront of the movement under the Prime Ministership of Nehru, needed the support and cooperation of the newly independent countries of Africa. It was thus not in the interest of India's foreign policy to take up the case of the Indian community in Africa. Indeed, Prime Minister Nehru was reported to have said that Indians overseas had a double loyalty, one to the country of their adoption and other to India.24 This statement may have been the cause of serious misgivings among the Asians on the one hand and their African hosts on the other. The policy of Africanisation with its emphasis on de-Asianisation, coupled with attitudes of evasive indifference from the British and Indian governments served to instill a
feeling of statelessness and helplessness amongst the Asians in Africa who came to see themselves as the 'unwanted children of Africa'.

Writing about Malawi ….
Specific mention should be made of a particular community within the Indian community called the 'Goan Catholics' - members of the Catholic Christian faith from the western Indian state of Goa. This community consisted of about 800 to 1000 and they were ordered to leave the country within 24 hours. There are many different versions of what prompted this action and it is difficult to prove any of these, but all the renditions reveal a vitriolic vindictiveness and malice by a regime that would not heed any voice of reason.

Further Reading:

1. Bibliography of the South Asian Diaspora and East Africa
   http://coombs.anu.edu.au/Biblio/biblio_sasiadiaspora.html
   
   Anon. (1968a). That Asian Exodus: Who's Responsible?. East African Journal, April, 5-7 Argues Asians were much more affected than Europeans by Africanization because of the characteristics of Asian employment and that this was most immediately responsible for the Asian exodus from Kenya during the 1960s. Attributes this to the system of social stratification developed during the colonial period and the lack of efforts by Kenyan politicians and Asians to correct this in the post-colonial period. Suggests there will always be racial variety in Kenya and that it important to exploit the benefits this can offer. Offers the opinion that Ismailis have done no better than other Asian communities in identifying with the ordinary Kenyan and predicts that Asian emigrants will be worse off in their new homes than in Kenya.
   
   Bibliography of the South Asian Diaspora and East Africa: an annotated bibliography by Andrew Mickleburgh mickleburgh@gyosei.ac.uk
    

2. Ruth DeSouza " Migration & Culture " Africa
   The Immigration Act of 1968 deprived Kenyan Asians of their automatic right to ... Bibliography of the South Asian Diaspora and East Africa: an annotated ... www.wairua.com/ruth/culture/africa.html   - 48k - Cached - Similar pages
    

3. Asians In East Africa - A Brief History
   http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A32016241

Goan Welfare Society - Kuwait -May Ball 2008 - A Grand Event
Excerpts from http://www.kuwaitsamachar.com/Associations/GWS/gws_25.5.htm

In a display of sheer elegance and poise a large no of couples & singles attended the 15th May Queen Ball 08 organised by the Goan Welfare Society - Kuwait at the Grand Istiquilal Ball Room, Ramada Kuwait Hotel, Riggae, Kuwait, on the night of 8th May 2008.

The audiences were treated to some unmatched spectacular music from the two popular bands - The Bandwagon & Deep Impact. The band from Goa “Bandwagon” stole the show with a rendition of their specially selected popular musical extravaganza. Kuwait’s band “Deep Impact” performed equally well and earned tremendous applause from the revelers.

At the onset of the grand celebration the President of the Goan Welfare Society Mr. Alex Wilson Coelho, welcomed the guests and expressed happiness at the manner in which everyone contributed towards the making of such a big event.

The chief Guest of the function Shri. V.K. Mahajan, First Secretary Education at the Embassy of India who spoke on the occasion highlighted the various contributions of Goans with particular reference to the wonderful work of the Goan Welfare Society in bringing together all the Goans and raising issues pertaining to Goan interest, repatriating the destitute maids, charities, donations etc. He termed the Goans as a vibrant community and praised the society for preserving the Goan cultural identity in foreign countries.

Good will messages from H.E the Ambassador of India to Kuwait Shri. M. Ganapathi, the Chief minister of Goa, Shri Digambar Kamat, The Commissioner for NRI Affairs, Shri Eduardo Faleiro also lauded the efforts of the members of the Goan Welfare Society in promoting Goan culture & heritage beyond the periphery of Goa.

The may Queen Pageant was organized very diligently and the contestants were given enough time and opportunity to put on their best performances while exhibiting their beauty and brains. All the contestants played their part very well & after the final round the winners were selected by a panel of eminent judges.

Ms. Michelle Dias was crowned GWS May Queen 2008 & was showered with loads of valuable prizes. The main being a return air ticket KWI-LHR-KWI plus UK 250 pounds for expenses, a Pioneer Home theatre, Designer bag, ipod, L’Oreal beauty hamper, gift vouchers and several other handy household goods.

Men Prefer Beer Over Sex... And The City
-- Rather walk the dog than see movie's premiere --

TORONTO, May 25 /CNW/ - As millions of women hotly anticipate the revival of their beloved Manolo Blahnik toting foursome, men in contrast, are not waiting with bated breath for the May 30th premiere of Sex and The City. In fact, according to a survey of 500 Canadian men commissioned by Moosehead Lager, only four per cent (voluntarily or not) plan to attend the movie's premiere.

Instead the majority (36%) will be drinking beer watching the hockey playoffs while 28 per cent plan to walk the dog and 12 per cent will reaffirm their masculinity by pumping some iron at the gym.

Green Chicken Curry
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/recipes/rec.htm

Ingredients:
2 cups large boneless pieces of chicken cut in 2 inch cubes
To marinate the chicken:
2 tbsp fresh coconut
2–3 tbsp coriander leaves
4 green chillies
½ tsp garlic
½ tsp cumin seeds, roasted
3–4 tbsp curd
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
¾ tsp salt
8–10 whole black pepper
Blend all these together to make a fine paste and marinate the chicken cubes in it for half an hour.

Other ingredients:
¼ cup oil
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
½ tsp garlic, crushed
2 tbsp coconut milk powder dissolved in ¼ cup water
10–15 curry leaves
1 spring onion cut in 2-inch diagonal pieces

Method:

Heat oil and fry crushed garlic, then add the marinated chicken. Cover and simmer till the oil rises to the top. Add in coconut milk and cook until thick.

Before removing from heat, add the spring onion and coarsely chopped coriander leaves. Serve with garlic rice.