Friends of St. Francis Xavier Feast Celebration in Toronto.

The Friends of St. Francis Xavier with the Knights of Columbus and the Parishioners of St. Francis Xavier Church in Mississauga, celebrated the feast of St. Francis Xavier on December 6, 2008 with a Solemn procession in the bitter winter weather on the Church grounds followed by Solemn High Mass. The weather had been severe the week before and continued after the feast day as well. So Divine Providence did play a part in the weather being so winterish but pleasant on the feast day.

Five priests officiated in this 8th anniversary celebration. The main celebrant was Fr. Joseph Rodrigues, from St. Michael Cathedral, assisted by Fr. Henry Alva and Fr.Robert O’Brien. (Pastor), Fr. Hansoo Park (Assistant Pastor & Master of Ceremonies) and Fr. Steven Murrin (Assistant Pastor). For the newly appointed priests of the parish, this must have been their first experience of a Konkani celebration. Fr. Rodrigues is a Pilar Seminarian and it took a lot of time and searching to get a priest to say a Konkani Mass.

Despite poor weather predictions, the outdoor procession took place as usual, with the Knights of Columbus in the lead, a canopy held by 4 committee members with the President holding the Relic of St. Francis Xavier, the celebrants and the long stream of Goan community members affirming their faith.This Year's President was Walter (Romeo) Dos Remedios, popularly known to everyone as Romeo, the professional soccer player who played for Dempos and Salgaoncars, the best teams in India. Romeo had vowed that no matter what, he would see to it that this year the Mass would be entirely in Konkani. He had some initial set-backs as he could not obtain the liturgy for the feast Mass from Goa. However, his sister Ethel from Oman came to his rescue and provided him certain parts of the Mass. Taking the assistance of Fr. Rodrigues and his brother-in-law Everest, who provided the other portion of the Mass, they all worked day and night to put it together. His wife, Belinda Remedios did the painstaking task of word processing. The Mass Book, the first of its kind in Konkani has become a keepsake. (A revised version with English sub-text is planned, and will be made available on request to Goan communities’ worldwide.) The booklet was masterfully printed, by Lazarus Pereira, the originator of the feast celebration, who also single handedly did the same for all the past years.
 

Romeo, who for many years led the Konkani choir with his daughter Nikita playing the organ , performed the same role this year. The twenty-member choir included young and senior talented musicians on the violin, guitar, percussion, and organ. The Eucharistic celebration was followed by the veneration of the Sacred Relic of St. Francis Xavier. Despite the cold weather, for many of those, joining in the procession, singing familiar hymns, and seeing the Church filled with their country folks, it was like being in Old Goa.

Following the Mass, a Family Fair was held in the expanded Church Hall. The twenty-four stallholders included many serving hot Goan food, snacks, pickles, balchanw, Goan sausages which was relished by the crowd and soon sold out.

For More Photos see: http://picasaweb.google.ca/jsferrao/SFXFeast2008?authkey=UnMvZex65_8#

Emcee Joe Rodrigues conducted the event with the help of Romeo. The popular Goan Band "Goa Amigos" led by the amiable Selwyn Colaco, kept the crowd entertained, with Dekni dancers, Tom and Anita Fernandes providing an authentic touch of Goa.Thanks to the generosity of many sponsors who donated gifts, a raffle was held to raise funds, which combined with the stallholder fees and proceeds of the bar run by the Knights of Columbus, will be used to pay for the Church renovations..

The Friends of St. Francis Xavier acknowledge and thank the following:

Knights of Columbus Council #12067
The St. Francis Xavier Feast Mass Honour Guard was led by 11 Sir Knights from the 4th Degree Father Gregory Assembly of the Knights of Columbus under the direction of Faithful Navigator, Sir Knight Anthony D’Souza, and Commander, Sir Knight Joseph Remedios and Grand Knight of St. Francis Xavier Council #12067, Sir Knight Valens Almeida. The Knights from St. Francis Xavier also helped set up the hall and run the bar for – the bazaar, and cleanup of the hall..

The Friends of St. Francis Xavier thank the following Knights for all their hard work in making this year’s feast a very successful event.

Knights: Deputy Grand Knight Simon Mendes, Hilary D’Souza, Godfrey Mathias and daughter Nicola, Joseph Remedios, Kelvin Netto, Agnelo Mascarenhas, Venant Ferreira, Patrick Bajcar and Sathu D’Sa.

Goan Konkani Choir
Singers: Belinda Remedios, Yolanda and Agnelo Gracias, Rhino & Rhisa Gracias, Bernice & Agnello Mascarenhas, Elia Netto, Elaine Kulkarni, Francis Afonso, Luisa Fernandes, Blanche D'Mello, Myra Fernandes, Clara De Sa, Victor, Joe Moraes, Nash D'Souza and Romeo Remedios Musicians: Malcolm Oliver, Nikita Remedios, Alexandria, Peter Nazare, and Orville Maciael

Members of Parish Office
Joanita Miranda, Marilou Alinea, and Hillary D'Souza

The Friends of St. Francis Xavier also thank the youth who helped in selling the raffle tickets, Tony and Tina Fernandes who organised the Raffle, stallholders for their participation, and all those (too numerous to list) who assisted in the setup and cleanup of the Church Hall

Young People Of Goan Origin Trace Their Roots In Goa
December 8th, 2008 - 5:52 pm ICT by IANS

Click image to view large

Panaji, Dec 8 (IANS): As a group of 12 young people of Goan origin (POGOs) return to their homes abroad after a familiaristion tour of Goa, they will take with them memories of silvery mackerel braised in traditional recheado masala as well as more and more casinos cramming the Mandovi river.”There are five casinos right now. How many more will you have after five more years… 30?” Aaditi Pramod Dubale wondered during an interactive session with mediapersons.

The 22-year-old was part of the 11-day familiarisation trip, beginning Dec 28, arranged by the Goa government’s department of NRI affairs. Dubale, an Illinois community outreach coordinator, traces her roots to a small north Goan town of Mapusa. She was the only US citizen in the 12-member group that included people from Canada, Mozambique and Australia, many of whom had never visited Goa. Aaditi said the Know Goa Programme exposed her to the Goan culture and heritage, but she added that the five riverboat casinos bobbing on the already cramped Mandovi river was an ominous sign for Goa. Rachel Castelino, a singer and engineer from Ontario, Canada, said the trip was a catalyst of sorts for her.

“Earlier, if you asked me about my identity, I would say I am a Canadian. But after travelling around Goa, I’m proud to say I’m a Goan Canadian. I am a lot surer about my identity now,” she said. The dozen POGOs visited temples and churches dotting the state and interacted with people and professionals from different walks of life. “We saw everything right from the way a Goan potter makes his pots to how a district council works,” said Donovan Fernandes, a sociology student from Canada.

NRI cell commissioner Eduardo Faleiro said: “The programme was intended to acquaint youth of Goan origin, who are not Indian nationals, with Goa in particular and India in general. Most of them have never visited the state, despite the fact that their forefathers were born here.” There are nearly 300,000 Goans who have settled abroad.

Christmas Newsletter 35 Years Ago

Click image to view 1973 Copy of Newsletter G.O.A. UK
(In the pre word processing era)

Read:

- 1973 President’s Letter
- Saint Francis Xavier Feast Celebrations
- Christmas in Goa 1573
- Christmas in Goa 1973
- Goans in Canada
- Goan Crossword Puzzle
- Having a Party
- Christmas Mando
- Sorpatel a la Inglez
- Job Vacancies – Office Junior (UKP 14 per week !)

MY LAST DAYS IN UGANDA
By: Rowland Rebello

(Rowland Rebello lives in Mississauga and is the grandson of the famed Kenya/Uganda pioneer, Manuel Anton (Sonny) da Silva 1871-1951 – See The Hunter - GOACOM ARCHIVES ~ OF HEROES - http://www.goacom.com/culture/biographies/silva3.html )

Article from: A Collection of Goan Voices 2: Writing by People of Goan Descent
http://www.lulu.com/items/volume_54/812000/812171/6/print/812171.pdf
by Susan Rodrigues

I was living and working in a small town called Jinja, which is approximately 50 miles from Kampala, the capital of Uganda. I had to travel this distance from Jinja to finalise my emigration formalities. It must be noted that within this short distance of 50 miles from Jinja to Kampala, there were 5 roadblocks manned by Uganda Army soldiers who were usually drunk and unruly. The purpose of these army roadblocks was to check on all emigrating Uganda Asians. At each of these checkpoints we were forced to open our car trunks and suitcases at gunpoint. An eventful and disturbing trip happened to me and two of my friends, Kenneth Antao and Brian D’Silva in early November 1972. This is what happened on that unforgettable afternoon.

We left Barclays Bank in Jinja after completing our final banking formalities. I said a very tearful and heart breaking farewell to my very trusted servant and friend Antonio Okoti. He had served my maternal grandparents) the Da Silva family in his homeland Ngora in the Teso District) for well over 40 years and my family, the Rebello family for over 20 years. After this last goodbye we Kenneth Antao, Brian D’Silva and myself, left Jinja in Kenneth’s car for Kampala and Entebbe Airport, which was to become our final departure from Uganda, the country of our birth. As we drove very carefully through the streets of Jinja one could clearly notice how dead this once thriving town was by way of business activity and traffic.

The only activities were the army tracks and soldiers patrolling the streets. We drove past these soldiers trying our best not to attract attention because the soldiers were always drunk and disorderly and one mishap could cost us our lives. We wound our way through the streets and eventually came to the Jinja Bridge, which was the first main roadblock between Jinja and Kampala. At this checkpoint we were made to open the car trunk and suitcases at gunpoint. Here one could actually see and sense the hatred by the Uganda soldiers against the Asians. The soldiers were rude, aggressive and unnecessarily pointing their guns at us and the other Asians in the cars behind us.

When we got the green light from the soldiers to go ahead, we got into our car and to our surprise there was a drunken soldier sitting in the back seat with a pistol and army rifle. He refused to leave the car and with the situation in Uganda at that time and with so many soldiers around, we could not use force to get him out of the car. He demanded to be taken to Kampala and, under the circumstances, we complied. We noticed that this soldier was terribly intoxicated and he was bleeding profusely from the face. From his wounds it appeared that he was probably beaten up days earlier and before the wounds could heal, he was either beaten again or due to his drunken state he may have fallen on his face causing the blood to pour from what appeared to be old scar tissue.

As we left the bridge, we were all very tense not knowing whether, further ahead, he would hijack the car at gunpoint or if this was a trap, working in collusion with other renegade soldiers. During the drive to Kampala he kept on pointing the gun behind our heads in a menacing manner.

Kenneth Antao was driving and during this ordeal he and Brian, who was in the back seat with the soldier, were very calm and collected. I was in the passenger seat, sitting in such a position that if a dangerous situation arose, I could grab the pistol from the soldier’s hand. Fortunately that opportunity did not arise as one mistake on my part could have been disastrous.

The next check point was Lugazi and we were very clearly concerned about our safety because this soldier was bleeding so profusely that he could have easily have told the soldiers at the Lugazi road block that we attached him and we were the cause of his wounds. We could not take the risk of reaching the Lugazi checkpoint with this wounded soldier and by this time each of us was formulating a plan in our minds to get rid of this soldier by whatever means possible. But the question was, by what means? It must be noted that he was intoxicated and still waving the pistol behind our heads. A few miles before reaching Lugazi we were passing a row of houses occupied by the small farmers of that area. He asked us to slow down, which we did and suddenly asked us to stop the car near one of the houses because he had spotted a number of young teenage girls standing in front of one of the houses. He asked us to accompany him because he obviously wanted to satisfy his sexual lust with those girls, and being a soldier he thought he could easily have his way. We agreed to accompany him but with the intention of leaving him there as soon as the opportunity arose. He got out of the car, but was very unsteady on his feet and it was then that I told Kenneth Antao to keep the engine running.

Kenneth very calmly waited for me to tell him the next move, and Brian D’Silva in the rear seat looked as calm and cool as a cucumber but anxiously waited for the next move. I was in the front passenger seat with my car door open when the soldier came out of the rear seat next to Brian D’Silva and stood in front of my open car door and, as a result, I was unable to close my door to get away. The only alternative now was to push him away so that I could close my car door. I gave him a push and he stumbled backward into a small ditch and as soon as this happened, Kenneth made the right move and drove off as fast as he could away from the surprised soldier. Brian and I looked back expecting to see the soldier shooting at our moving car, but what we saw was to our advantage. The soldier was struggling to get to his feet and therefore in no position or condition to do any shooting. That was the last we saw of him.

When we reached Kampala that afternoon we kept a low profile just in case he reported the matter to his superiors or the other soldiers. I would like to emphasise yet again that the life of any Asian was not worth a dime during the crisis in Uganda. Throughout this ordeal although we were uneasy, not knowing what to expect next, Kenneth, Brian and myself maintained a very calm exterior. That night we stayed in a hotel and the next evening we got to Entebbe Airport by a special bus reserved for expelled Uganda Asians.

Needless to say we had to pass through 3 roadblocks between Kampala and Entebbe Airport. Kenneth, Brian and myself traveled on a Red Cross passport destined for Italy, as refugees. Kenneth left 5 hours earlier. Brian and myself, joined by Philip DeSouza, eventually boarded a plane after sleeping on the Airport floor for 24 hours. When the plane eventually got into the air we knew we were now safe at last and, when we looked down, we saw Uganda for the last time.

I must say I was sad leaving the land of our birth and the wonderful trusted servants we had to leave behind, especially Antonio Okoti, but deep down we knew we were going to a better life in far away lands. We would not see out servants again. I guess that was our destiny, and it was meant to be that way. As the plane picked up height and momentum, we knew we were out of Uganda and literally out of Africa.

The above-mentioned incidents, as you all know, happened in 1972. Since that time we learned that my trusted servant Antonio Okoti died in 1975 or thereabouts. Kenneth Antao is in Vancouver. Brian D’Silva is happily married with a family in Michigan. And I, Rowland Rebello, am living in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, with a wonderful family.

AFRICA, THOUGH GOAN EYES: OF CLUB HOUSES, AFRICANIZATION, AND HUNTS
By Mervyn Lobo of Toronto.
From: goanet-news-bounces@lists.goanet.org
on behalf of Goanet Reader (goanetreader@gmail.com )
December 18, 2008

I am a fourth generation Tanzanian. My fore-parents left Goa in dhow, got ship wrecked on the Somali coast and arrived in Zanzibar in the 1860's. To put this era in perspective, the slave trade was still going on and Livingstone had not yet 'discovered'  the source of the Nile.I was born in Dar-es-Salaam in the late 1950's. Dar had an established Goan society then with most Goans employed in the banks, schools and in the civil service as administrators. My "wonder years" in the 1960's were lived in a society where most people could take a look at a person walking down the street and point out, without having met that person before, "that person is a Goan."

We had Goan teachers in all the schools, including the convent school I attended. We had Goan doctors, dentists, lawyers, architects and even priests. Most of them were born and raised in Tanzania. During this period Goan bands dominated the music scene and one extra-ordinarily talented guitarist, George D'Souza, had his own 30 minute program on Radio Tanzania every Saturday night. Goans had built a school, a church and even a two storied club house in the centre of town. The Goan Institute (later Dar-es-Salaam Institute) was the centre of social life.

The Institute had to be the best club house in the world. The building itself was designed in the shape of a "G" with an outdoor sunken dance floor in the shape of an "I". When viewed from above, the club house and dance floor revealed the shape of "G.I." In the 1960's, the Institute had members participating in badminton, tennis, table-tennis and snooker every evening. The bar was well patronized and had a lively group of dart players. The largest social gathering was the weekly tombola, where two hundred plus members would compete every Sunday evening.

Christmas celebrations started every year at the D.I. on December 9th (Independence Day). There were activities every day including carol singing and a Xmas sweet contest. Santa would arrive at the D.I. on the Saturday before Christmas and there would be over 500 kids waiting for him to distribute their presents. The finale of the season was the "Anniversary Dance" held on 31st December. This dance was for members only and every member made it a point to attend in all his or her finery.

In the 1960's, Tanzania started experimenting with socialism. In 1967, the Government nationalized all the banks and industries and then began a program of "Africanization." Those who chose to hold on to their British or Indian passports were told that their contracts would not be renewed and they were told to train indigenous employees as replacements. At the same time, countries like Canada were actively recruiting bankers. Some of the braver Goans began to relocate to the U.K. and Canada. My parents chose not to leave Tanzania. That decision allowed me to enjoy an almost carefree youth. I got to spend a lot of time playing hockey and playing keyboards in a band. I was also able to develop my passion for spear-fishing.

In 1967 my parents decided to drive their VW Beetle around East Africa. We went through central Tanzania, got on a car ferry in Mwanza and crossed Lake Victoria. After visiting the parks along the Nile we drove to Nairobi and then to Mombasa on the Kenyan coast. We stayed with friends and relatives along the way and returned to Dar without even a single tire puncture. That trip planted the seeds of adventure in me. Hockey was my first love. I captained the secondary school team and then used the same players to form our own club, the Dar City Rollers. We were the worst team in the league. However, we had the most fun at the out of town hockey tournaments. There were two hockey tournaments held each year outside Dar-es-Salaam. The unofficial hockey championship was the "Guru Nanak" tournament held every year in Tanga during the Idd holidays.

Every December we went to Arusha to compete in the Uhuru Cup. The official hockey club championship was held in Dar. The Dar, Tanga, and Arusha Institutes always sent a men's and women's team to compete in the tournaments. The Institutes in E. Africa all had reciprocal facilities. When we went to Arusha, the Arusha Institute would hold a dance which meant the players from the visiting institutes got a chance to meet and mingle with the youth of the host Institute. Needless to say, these hockey tournaments, especially the "sports visits", lead to many romances and marriages.

Dar-es-Salaam had a rivalry between two Goan teams, the D.I. and the Tornadoes. After high school you joined one of the two and did not change teams until you retired from the game. The rivalry was so intense that we prefered to loose in the finals to the Sikh or army team than to lose to each other. The rivalry was the same with the ladies teams. A strange twist to this rivalry was that many a captain from the D.I. men's team married the captain of the Tornadoes woman's team, and vice-versa. Spear-fishing was a hobby I picked up after buying my first car, a beach buggy. Unlike Goa, the Tanzanian coast is protected by coral reefs. This means that the white coral gets ground up and ends up as sparkling white sand on the beach. It is so white that at times the beach appears to be a sparkling silver in colour. The coral reefs host my two favourite creatures: rock cods and lobsters. A typical Sunday would start with the gang collecting me at church after the 7.00 am mass. A Gujarati, a Bohara, an Ismaili and myself would head out of town to a Government run tourist hotel.

Sundays were the only day another Government firm, Seafaris, ran a shuttle boat to Mbudya, an uninhabited island about three miles off-shore. We would go to the Seafaris captain's house, wake him up, and take him to the hotel with us. He would then drop us a mile up tide from Mbudya. We used to free dive to sixty feet. At that depth, you had two times the atmospheric pressure acting on your mask. The capillaries in the whites' of your eyes start bursting and you returned to the surface with blood shot eyes. If you were lucky, you also had a lobster or rock cod as a reward for your effort.

On a normal Sunday, the gang would shoot about twenty assorted fish as well as some lobsters and squid. The one guy who could dive better than me would only shoot lobsters. For religious reasons, he did not want to kill anything unnecessarily. However, he claimed that lobsters where the cockroaches of the sea and thus, he was shooting them to clean up the reefs. We soon realized that we could barter lobsters for almost anything at the tourist bar on Mbudya island. The best crab curry in the world comes from using a recipe from Porbandar and Tanzanian crabs caught during a full moon.

Once on an overnight trip to Mbudya Island, we ate the crab curry late one night and discarded the crab shells on the beach where we slept. The next morning, a local fisherman pointed out python tracks, weaving in and out of where our sleeping sleeping bags had been. Apparently, the python hunted the mice who fed on the discarded crab shells. Paradise is a deserted island in the Zanzibar channel called Pungume. Whenever we could gather enough people, we hired a boat and headed to the island for a weekend trip. The island had a large light house and was surrounded by coral reefs and rocks.

We sometimes arrived at the island around dusk and had to carefully navigate our way, in the twilight, in the ebb tide, through the corals, to the beach. Every time I went to Pungume, I thought about the great irony of me purposely heading straight for those rocks. My grand-dad was the Chief
Engineer on one of the Sultan's coastal steamers. The crew on his ship must have always been on the look out to avoid those very same rocks.

At Pungume, at low tide, we would dive just 15ft, go waist deep into a rock and spend the next 30 seconds letting our eyes adjust to the darkness of the rock which was often the size of a small room. Just as we would run out of breath, we could see the white antennae of about 10 lobsters dancing on the ceeling of the rock. We took our time picking out the biggest antennae, estimating the location of the lobster's head, and pulling the trigger. On my best day, I shot thirty-one lobsters. On one of the trips to Pungume Island, we watched an American whizz by us in a speed boat. He had two 150 hp engines on board. The boat we had, with ten of us aboard, had a 40hp engine. At Pungume he soon started to follow us when he figured out we knew the dive spots.

One of our gang decided to gift him the last fish he shot. When he swam up to the American's boat he noticed beach toys on the floor of the boat and asked the American where his children were. The American answered that he had drooped his wife and kids at a sand bank in the middle of the Zanzibar Channel. It took us a full fifteen minutes to convince the American that the sand bank only appeared at low tide. Our guide raced back with the American to the sand bank. When they got there, they found his wife in waist deep water, holding an orange beach umbrella while balancing a baby on her hip. With her other hand she was trying to keep the second child, perched on a cool box, from floating away. I still see this image every time I pass a sand bank. The best fishing spot I experienced is Mafia.

Mafia Island is at the mouth of the Rufigi River. The Rufigi brings a lot of nutrients to the sea. It seems that every sea creature there is twice as big as those in the rest of E. Africa. Fifty feet from the shore, the sea bed drops from ten feet to five hundred feet. The water there is so clear that you can see over one hundred feet. While scuba diving, I have watched what looked like a two inch fish turn into a eight foot hammer-head as it came from the depths to the surface. An Indian government firm discovered natural gas underwater near Mafia and later a Canadian company built a pipeline from Mafia to the capital.

On one of our fishing trips to Mafia, we met a bunch of hunters who invited us hunting. They had the same problem we had. They needed "x" number of people to make their hunting trips affordable. We went hunting in Selous, which is a game park the size of Switzerland. Unlike the northern circuit where tourists abound, Selous remains one of wildest places of the world. There are still areas in the park where man has not yet set foot. Selous is infested by the tse-tse fly. Each fly is about an inch long. The bite of a single fly is so painful that it seems like someone has inserted a needle into your skin and broken it off. The bite causes sleeping sickness and the sting of a single bite pains for six weeks.

I have been to parts of Selous where the tse-tse flies were so numerous that when they appeared on
the windows of your vehicle, it seemed like darkness had descended. It was only the windshield wipers, going furiously, that swept away the buzzing flies and allowed for light to enter the vehicle. Our hunting trips included a truck so well equipped that it could provide major repairs for any of the vehicles in our expedition.The organizers had all the supplies required for a forty man expedition. Key elements were enough ice for three days and a mincing machine for kabobs.

Driving 50 miles into Selous took eight hours since we were driving where there were no roads. Animals would make tracks when trekking to the Rufigi river. Larger animals would then follow these tracks for prey. When elephants followed the same tracks, it would seem like there was a highway in the bush. Just before reaching camp, we would look for dinner. Guinea fowls always walk on these tracks in a straight line. One parent leads, five or six chicks follow and the other parent brings up the rear. This means that a single shotgun blast would provide dinner for twenty people. After a shot is fired, wildlife usually disappears for half an hour.

The Rufigi river in Selous is also known as the "Rivers of Sand" as it changes course frequently. I have seen western prospectors pull up cat fish eight feet long. I have also seen people cross the river in dug out canoes that were only three inches above the water. A slight shift in weight of any of the passengers or cargo meant that the canoe would capsize into the river which was teeming with crocodiles and hippopotamus. On the banks of the Rifiji, we often saw people illegally cutting down ebony trees. An ebony trunk that is thick enough for carving a clarinet takes forty years to grow. The wood is so hard that a eight inch trunk takes days to cut down with an axe.

There is a spot in Selous that looks like a golf course. The area is four or five square miles with no trees or shrubs. The grass is closely grazed every day and is smooth as a carpet. Whenever we could, we used to walk up against the wind to the "golf course". The animals would scatter when they sensed us, which was when we were about sixty feet away. Most cats and hyenas hunt at night so we were safe during the day. One of the saddest sights in Africa is seeing a wildebeest or another large animal, furiously running around in a tight circle while trying to scoop something off his shoulder. This is an animal which has had flies lay eggs in its ears. The developing eggs have penetrated the ear drums and have destroyed the animal's sense of balance. Whenever we saw animals in such agony, we would shoot it, load firewood on its head and then burn it.

One campsite we used frequently was an abandoned primary school. When Tanzania started its program of universal primary education, funding was tight. Primary schools in the villages were built with corrugated iron roofs and mud walls. There were large gaps where there should have been doors and windows. One morning, pupils arrived at this school to find a pride of lions in their classroom. Since the villagers believed that lions would always return to a place where they had urinated, they abandoned that primary school. I have often spent restless nights thinking about the pupils of that primary school who never got a chance to complete their primary education.

I left Tanzania in the late 1980's to study in the U.S. The previous year, my youngest sibling won a scholarship. She followed the footsteps of my uncle who had won a scholarship in the 1950's. He became a civil engineer in the U.S. and returned to Tanzania after starting his studies for the priesthood. I too, had to find out what surprises the 'new world' had to offer.
--
Mervyn A. Lobo wrote this essay in September 2008. He is based in Toronto.

GOA, DAMÃO AND DIU COMMUNITY IN MACAU
Posted on wagoa@yahoogroups.com  on behalf of renebarreto (goanint@yahoo.co.uk)
Sent: December 19, 2008 1:19:00 PM

Message from Rene Barreto

Goemkars !

It is with great pleasure That i share a post - message received from Oscar Noruega of NÚCLEO DE ANIMAÇÃO CULTURAL DE GOA DAMÃO E DIU and the coordinator of the WORLD DAMAN - GOA DAY in Macau.

Excerpts from: http://nacgdd.blogspot.com/2008/09/goa-damo-and-diu-community-in-macau.html

The small but dynamic community of Goa Damão and Diu in Macau, has very much made their presence felt here in Macau, a Chinese dominated, multicultural territory with people not only from the Portuguese speaking countries but also from other walks of life.

The art, culture and gastronomy of Goa, Damão and Diu are well known and very much appreciated in Macau. For years through the ‘Grupo de Danças e Cantares de Goa Damão e Diu’, the folk songs and dances like, Aum Saibá Poltodi Vétam, Barra de Damão, O` Divan de Mogará and others have been virtually instilled in the hearts of the Portuguese, Chinese and other communities. The people of Macau are so familiar with the historical and religious monuments through the construction of replicas of the Arco de Vis Rei in Goa, Fortaleza de São Jerónimo in Damão, Fortim do Mar in Diu and other monuments. They have also captured the taste of our Sarapatel, Samosas, Bebinca, Aranha do Céu, Bolinhas de Coco and many more.

With its mark strongly inlaid in Macau, the cultural and diplomatic event-organizers of Macau specifically those linked to the Portuguese culture, can’t simply exclude our participation. The Grupo de Danças e Cantares de Goa Damão e Diu, has been promoting and livening the occasions such as “Dia das Camões.. das Cumunidades e de Portugalidade” or 10 de Junho, Dia de Cidade de Macau, which is on the 24th of June which coincides with the Feast of São João, and until the erst-while Portuguese rule was a holiday - unfortunately not any more. This popular ‘Festa do São João’ has been revived after being suspended for a couple of years. ‘Grupo de Danças e Cantares de Goa Damão e Diu’, has always been invited to perform on this day where we do not hesitate to show that we too celebrate São João by singing São João, São João. São João..dai nos…, Rio Sandalcalo etc. Even papdi and Gunn, a locally available fruit seasoned in vinegar and water - (the Damão aceitonas).

The most significant of all is our involvement in the ‘Festa de Lusofonia’, (Lusofonia-portuguese speaking countries) organized by the Institute de Assuntos Cívicos de Macau, (formerly Leal Senado de Macau) and the Macau Government Tourism Office. This yearly event was started in 1998 and has become an important event to the local government as a tourist attraction. Participating countries such as Macau, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Brazil, Sao Tome e Principe, Cabo Verde, Brazil, Timor, and Goa, Damão e Diu promote their art, culture and food.

Not to boast, Goa Damão e Diu has been prominent with its magnificent exhibits and our pavilion has won either 1st, 2nd or 3rd prizes, practically every year. With its life size replicas of monuments which have been interior decorated with, traditional clothing, arts and crafts, caju fenni, posters, Indian condiments, not sparing the grinding stone (rogdo in Konkanni and pedra de moeira tempeira in Damão-Diu portuguese), clay water pot (gurgulo in Konkanni and calão in Damão-Diu Portuguese), coconut grater (gantonem/…… in Konkanni and ralador de coco-in Damão and Diu Portuguese), All these brought all the way from Goa, Damão or Diu. Thanks to the talents of some of our community members - visitors, tourists and organizers are overwhelmed. Participating countries never doubt that we should be awarded a prize for the most original and artistic pavilion where our effort, time, dedication, craftsmanship and above all the originality is portrayed year on year.

The Grupo de Danças e Cantares de Goa, Damão e Diu with its local talent, but of high quality have been commended for our traditional songs, dances and costumes. Even the locals and notably the Portuguese kids who are part of the group can sing: Aum saibá poltodi vétam, Damulea lognacú vétam, maka saibá vattu dacoi maka saibá vattu collonam....,
Barra de Damão......

Our delicious sarapatel, xacuti, espetada, samosas, bhajias, bhaji de batata, apas (chapatti) bebinca, bolos, aranhas do ceu etc, have brought mouth-watering locals and tourists returning to our pavilion for more. On the religious aspect, the local community of Macau has realized how devoted the Catholics of Goa-Damão and Diu are. For years, the 3rd of December is celebrated, remembering our patron saint, Saint Francis Xavier. An Eucharistic celebration in Konkanni/Portuguese/English, with the culminating hymn…..Sáo Francisco Xavierá…. Tuji kuddi Goem xará……… to the Patron Saint of Goa, is attended by the community of Goa, Damão e Diu as well as the local devotees of St. Francis Xavier.

And with candles in their hands, the same way the Damaneses do it on the steps of Câmara Municipal de Damão, the local Damão community here has been celebrating the ‘Festa de Nossa Senhora das Candeias’ on the 2nd of February for the past 14 years.
And undoubtedly a spread of traditional food, singing and dancing goes with it. All this is savoured by our local invitees. To be frank, people from our community long for our traditional, zesty and mouth-watering spread too.

The Rosary with a Litany and the Way of the Cross are also held by our community where the locals also join in. Through all this, for years, the Goa-Damão-Diu community of the past and the present has strongly made its presence felt in Macau.

Posted by Oscar Noruega of NÚCLEO DE ANIMAÇÃO CULTURAL DE GOA

TEGSA’s 2008 BLAST

On behalf of the members of our Executive and our families, we would like to take this opportunity of wishing you all a joyous Christmas, and pray that Love, Joy, Peace and bountiful good health will be yours in 2009 and always.

Once again, we would like to reflect on our contributions and proudly submit a brief summary of events held during the year, the executive organized some very creative activities which were overwhelmingly supported by our members. Allow us to take you down “Memory Lane” to the past 12 months, as we reminisce on our 2008 events:

Valentine’s Day, with its message of love was celebrated on February 8th. Members all dressed in red, came prepared to have a good time. After a sumptuous dinner all were on the floor dancing to the music of the 4-piece band “Demboys”.

On Sunday, February 10, 2008, members and guests were happy to get away from the sunny but very windy and cold afternoon to enjoy a buffet brunch at the Stage West and then relax and go back in time to enjoy one of their childhood stories - ‘Beauty & the Beast’.

An unexpected snow storm did not deter the whist enthusiasts to come out and enjoy an evening of whist on February 29th. Guests were treated to a ‘Fisherman’s Platter’ and prizes were awarded to both winners and some losers.

Back to the 50s, held on April 25th, was a night of fun and frolic, so reminiscent of the 50's, that most of us forgot it was 2008!. We jived and cha-cha'd, hula-hooped, rock and rolled and line danced to DJ Symphony's fantastic music till we were ready to drop!. In fact, no one watching us would have called us Seniors! It's a good thing the scrumptious meal was served before all the activity – it gave us the energy to Shake, Shake, Shake our Booty.

Then on a lovely sunny April 29th morning, a full bus load of members piled into the bus to enjoy a trip to Niagara Fallsview Casino. Regardless of their luck at the machines. members enjoyed the buffet lunch and the fun, treats and surprises on the bus.

“Our Mothers’ Day special ” held on May 9th should have been called the” Mothers' Day Spectacular”. Every lady that walked in was greeted with a chocolate flower to celebrate all Mothers. Guests were treated to great Goan food and performances from our very own members doing their renditions of Sway and “Woolly Bully”. People were on their feet, clapping their hands and stomping their feet to the music provided by DJ Symphony and most people did not want the evening to end.

On June 6th 2008 TEGSA members once again came out in full swing to play their favorite card game – WHIST. Cash prizes were awarded for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd highest score. The evening ended, as all of our events do, with a round of Bingo. Were you one of the lucky winners?

45 people set out on June 23, 2008 for Casino Rama from Agincourt Mall. Although Lady Luck was not on our side, that is for most of us, everyone had a great time at the Casino.

The name itself - Masala Chow Patty Nite - held on June 27th, evokes visions of the hustle and bustle of those warm, sultry nights in India. And indeed, none were disappointed with the aromatic Indian food that included a generous serving of bhel with all the trimmings and the mango ice cream and ladoos for dessert. After dinner our famous Richi’s DeeJay took over and played a wide range of present and yesteryear music in various languages to the satisfaction of a most enthusiastic crowd.

Bollywood Night, held on September 5th was a resounding success. Keeping with the theme, many folks came dressed in traditional Indian outfits. There were colourful saris, lehenga’s and shalwar - kameezes. Even some of the men were daring enough to come in traditional outfits; it was a sight to see!. A traditional Indian dinner was followed by a fashion show; the models comprised of Ample Annie, Sugar Bush Barbara, Naughty Natasha and Juicy Lucy. As each model was introduced by our M.C. Joachim Menezes, they came out in full traditional outfits with makeup and accessories. They danced and enticed the crowd with their sexy manoeuvering and at the end of the fashion show the winner, Ample Annie, was crowned Miss TEGSA Hollywood 2008. On a side note, everyone was surprised to find out that each of these beautifully dressed models were all men who were sporting enough to agree to put on such an event. First prize for best Bollywood participant, went to Uvy Lopes who dressed as a “BiddiWalla” character.

It was a balmy September 13th morning when TEGSA members filled two buses headed for Rama to try their luck at the tables and slot machines. An afternoon buffet was provided once our hunger for great food overcame our hunger for playing the slots. At 4:00 p.m. sharp members once again boarded the buses to head for an evening cruise in Barrie. The “Serendipity Princess” set sail at 5:00 p.m. along the Kempenfelt Bay where members floated away to either revel in our winnings or forget our losses. The atmosphere on the boat was lively. For our sailing enjoyment, a delicious feast of roast beef, potatoes, chicken parmigiana, salads and rolls was enjoyed by all. To wash it all down, drinks were served at the cash bar. Live entertainment featured a selection of songs from yesteryear which got everyone singing, rocking and rolling. The evening ended with a smooth ride home to a selection of Golden oldies that had many singing along.

TEGSA members came prepared to laugh, to have fun and be merry and of course to dance at the Comedy Night presentation held on Friday, September 19, 2008. And they were not disappointed! During dinner our guest artist, Jay Franco the One Man Band entertained us with light music and a violin solo performance. Then came the moment we were waiting for – our star performer Mel Collie, kept us in splits of laughter as he entertained us with his tales interspersed with his Banjo playing. Our next item was a professional dance by Team E.H.S. led by Humphrey Fernandes, called “GO GREASED LIGHTING”. Next was a rendition of Bhangra admirably performed by Ruth and Vasanth Kumar. Dancing soon took over as Jay, the One Man Band kept us on our toes until it was time for BINGO.

When a Night in Goa comes to mind, you would imagine sandy beaches and a beautiful sunset, while sitting beneath some palm trees on the Indian coastline with a group of friends and a glass of “FENI” listening to the sounds of lovely Goan voices singing in the background. The only thing missing from this fantasy on Friday, October 3rd, was the tropical scenery.

His Excellency Bishop Max Rodriques of Hyderabad, honoured us with his presence and after saying a few words prayed over the food and crowd. It was a night filled with laughter, great food, lively music and wonderful entertainment. Definitely the place to be!

The TEGSA community is both a fun-loving and a prayerful community. On October 17, 2008 the TEGSA community lived up to both these traits. The evening started with a candlelight procession led by our very own President, Charles Fernandes, to venerate Our Blessed Mother. This was followed by the recitation of the Holy Rosary recited in 5 different languages - English, Portuguese, Swaheli, Konkani and Hindi and then the Litany in Latin led by Bruno Saldanha. The evening was complete with the traditional “gram and coconut”, excellent snacks, line dancing led by our Natty Viegas and Bingo, of course.

TEGSA'S "HOT SPOT" - MIXED BOWLING NITE OF NIGHTS!! 
19th Oct,2008 by MuLu
The Markham Bowling Centre was the "Hot Spot" venue reserved exclusively to a team of "Hot Shots" -i.e. "TEGSA" members who took full advantage of the lounge facilities, including the cash bar, the free shoes and of course, bowling, to muster up a "Hot Sizzilin' session - before the cold blistering winter sets in!! The atmosphere was electrifying as an enthusiastic & exuberant crowd gathered at TEGSA's annual Bowling event for its "MEMBERS ONLY" sold out extravaganza. 
72 players - minus Uvy - participated in a 5 Pin - 12 Lane - 6 in each lane - 3 games of 10 frames bowling competition.

Over 200 persons were present as TEGSA celebrated a mass for the Deceased members and their families on Friday, November 7th. 2008. A candle light procession was led by our President, Charles Fernandes, as he carried a beautiful wreath in memory of our departed members. Rev. Fr. Martin Pereira celebrated the mass. The Canorient Choral Group, all dressed up in their signature outfits, sang some heart wrenching hymns and Paul Soares played the Saxophone to the tune of Amazing Grace.

On November 10, 2008, a group of TEGSA members attended the “Tribute to Elvis” at the Stage West Theatre. Stephen Kabakos, the Elvis impersonator. not only looked like him, but sounded and spoke like him. Stephen was entertaining and sang a number of songs that we could sing along with, and some of us had to restrain ourselves. Between his leather outfit, the white rhinestone outfit and his fancy footwork, he got the audience to be interactive. The side show with the little old ladies, drooling all over him, was very hilarious. It was well worth the evening of entertainment.
Due to the huge popularity of line dancing at many of our events, Natty Viegas, our member has agreed to conduct line dancing lessons twice every month in October and November. These lessons have been very well attended and members are looking forward to classes to resume in 2009.

Benefits of being a TEGSA Member:
To promote social and cultural activities in a friendly caring atmosphere and strengthen community ties that will help towards the well being of seniors. We have 649 members.

Departed Members
We regret the passing away of our members, John Dias, John Arakill and Cynthia Vaz and extend our sincere condolences to their families.

Life Lease Housing Project. TEGSA hosted the first information session for the East End on Sept. 7th. 2008. The results of the questionnaire were:
Number of responses 40
EastEnd Location Preference 26

The true spirit of Christmas reflects a dedication to helping those in need, to giving hope to those in despair, and to spreading peace and understanding throughout the Earth. Giving warmth, love and hope. That's what Christmas should be all about. A time to share our good fortune with our neighbours in need . This year we have taken up a collection of warm clothes and unperishable food which will be given to the St. Vincent de Paul to help those in need.

On behalf of the Executive Committee, this is the time of year when we would like to convey our deep appreciation and sincere gratitude to all our members who have contributed and volunteered their time unselfishly to the success of our Association in the past and look forward to working again with them in the future!

May the joy of this Christmas season, when we gather with family and friends to celebrate The Greatest Feast of all, the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, renew our commitment to working together for a future of peace, opportunity, and hope.

Carmelita D’Souza
December 10, 2009