The statements, opinions, or views in the articles may not necessarily reflect that of the Goan Voice Canada.

Goa is No Rape Capital
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile
Armstrong Vaz (India) | 23 February 2010

India’s smallest state has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The recent rape of a 9-year-old Russian girl in Goa’s Morjim village has resonated far beyond the beaches of this former Portuguese colony.

Foreign journalists have picked up a quote here and there, and used the stray incident of rape to create an element of sensation for their story. It is not entirely their fault. They have to do their job. Controversy sells, and Goa tourism officials have certainly provided enough fodder for the news corps.

Micky Pacheco, the provincial minister of tourism, went so far as to call Goa the “rape capital” of India. More damage was done by the deputy director of tourism, Pamela Mascarenhas, who told New Delhi’s Mail Today newspaper: “You can’t blame the locals [for acts of sexual violence toward foreign tourists]; they have never seen such women. Foreign tourists must maintain a certain degree of modesty in their clothing. Walking on the beaches half-naked is bound to titillate the senses.” To call Goa a rape capital, as Pacheco did after one particularly horrible act, is going too far. Moreover, to say that rape occurs because of what someone is wearing is woefully misguided.

I am a native Goan, and for me the place still retains its old charm, despite the vices of tourism. The real Goa thrives in the villages, where the rich cultural heritage is on display. Folk songs, dances (fugdi), music, dramas (tiatrs), visual arts and stories are the key to the true Goan experience.

In many ways, Goa is a progressive state. Daughters are treated better than they are elsewhere in India, and women play prominent social and economic roles. The “free love” beaches, which gained notoriety among hippies in the 1960s and 1970s as places where drugs are rampant and anything goes, are, truth be told, limited to only a few, isolated areas. Referring to all of Goa as a “free love” zone where questionable acts go unaccounted for is an insult to the entire Goan society.

Admittedly, Anjuna and Vagator beaches in North Goa and Palolem beach in South Goa are known for nudity, and the odd foreign tourist strolling without a speck of clothes on can be seen on almost every beach in Goa, even though the law forbids nudity.

Notice boards announce this law to the world and warn of penal action. But, that is only on paper. I haven’t heard of anyone arrested for nudity. Who has the guts to the do it? Tourism is king of the land and sea, of the sand and surf. Goa’s heart and soul is distinct from these so-called “free love” beaches, but their growing influence threatens a way of life. Hordes of local tourists come to Goa from neighboring states to ogle at the scantily clad and naked foreigners. Coastal village children drop out of school and end up drug pushers or addicts after becoming involved with the beach party scene. These are side effects of tourism-related vices.

Many Goans want to steer clear of these beaches. A Goan planning a family beach vacation does his homework before taking off, in order to avoid the nudists and the party scene. Western permissiveness is a problem that threatens a culture. It can easily be misinterpreted by locals and Indians from other states; it may have even led to some stray incidents of sexual assault. But rape has nothing to do with how a victim is dressed.

After Mascarenhas commented on what foreigners wear, there has been much discussion of a “bikini ban” that would limit how much skin a foreigner is allowed to show. This proposed ban will have no effect on problems of sexual misconduct because whether or not someone is dressed in a bikini is not the reason she is raped. Rape is a crime of power, control and dominion over another. It happens everywhere in the world, and everywhere in the world where it happens it is a heinous act.

Armstrong Vaz is a journalist based in Goa and covers tourism and sports

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games: Whitest opening ceremony ever?
http://www.straight.com/article-289674/vancouver
February 13, 2010 | By Alden E. Habacon

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

Overall, I thought the opening ceremony was pretty impressive visually. But I've got say, other than our beloved Governor General Michaëlle Jean, the incredible display of aboriginal culture, a lightning-quick shot of Patrick Chan, a few Asian-looking dancers, the performance of Measha Brueggergosman and Portuguese-Canadian Nelly Furtado, and a black Mountie...this was by far the whitest-looking opening ceremonies.

It wasn't really noticeable because of the visual effects and possibly all the international athletes. But then the Olympic flag came out, carried by an all-white cast of Canadian heroes.

Don't get me wrong-I love all of them.

The picture of a white Canada was reiterated with the unveiling of the final torch bearers. Seeing Rick Hansen was really powerful. I'm a huge Wayne Gretzky fan (having lived in Edmonton during their Stanley Cup domination), but as Jian Ghomeshi tweeted: "Love Anne, Bobby et al...but maybe bit of an oversight to have not one Canadian of colour carrying flag?" Oversight? To say the least.

Does it matter?

Absolutely. Especially since Vancouver won their bid on the argument that Vancouver is the most diverse place on earth, with the highest rate of mixed-race marriage in North America, a city that is considered by many (including myself) as part of Asia (forget that "gateway to Asia" analogy—that's so 10 years ago). The ceremony was hardly representative of Canada's (and especially Vancouver's) multicultural diversity.

Listen, if you're going to reflect Canada's diversity, you can't go full out on aboriginal representation and then fail to represent the visible diversity of the local population. Vancouver is a city where "visible minority" and "ethnic minority" don't mean anything anymore, because of the sheer size of the Chinese and South Asian populations.

Oh, I can hear the producers now..."But where would we find...?" Oh no, you don't. There's at least one South Asian RCMP officer. There's gold-winning Olympic hockey player Jarome Iginla! Yes, half is better than none. In this case, token would have been better. The point is, if you were watching the opening ceremonies on television, you wouldn't even know that it took place in the most Asian city in North America.

Have any of the producers been to a high school in Vancouver?

Alden E. Habacon is the founder of Schema Magazine (where this posting was originally published).

What Does it Mean to be a Citizen?
http://www.responsiblecitizen.co.uk/What-it-means-to-be-a-citizen.htm

The question of what does it mean to be a citizen has no simple answer. On a purely definition based description, what it means to be a citizen is that a person is a legally recognised inhabitant of the country they live in – in the UK, this means they pay taxes and are entitles to the help of the benefits and NHS systems. However, in practice, answering the question what does it mean to be a citizen is far from easy. As new rules and tests for people wanting British citizenship show, being a citizen is about far more than a legal status. It is about understanding and accepting – and being a part of the culture, rather than an observer from the outside.

Understanding
Cultures are complex thing to get a handle on. Depending on how different one person’s home culture is to another’s, there may be huge gaps in understanding of each other’s cultures. To truly be a citizen of a country, the person must fully understand its culture. This does not necessarily mean that person must blindly agree with the ways of doing things – but an understanding of how and why things happen is vital. In fact, the greater their understanding of a culture, the more people – citizens – may want to question it. But in many ways, this is human nature at work. And, if a deeper understanding of the culture leads to a deeper dissatisfaction of the way things are done, then so be it. A right to protest and the act of protesting are all signs that a person is a citizen in the truest sense of the word – because they understand the culture and, although they disagree with things, they are involved enough to want to make a change, hopefully, for what they believe to be the greater good.

Accepting
But protestors who have the country’s best interests at heart – and moreover those of the people who live in it – must take care not to damage the culture or the country. And in that way, they must be accepting of the culture. For example, a person in the UK who was anti-monarchy may set up petitions and hold organised and peaceful protests calling for its abolition. This is their right, and one would hope that in line with their views, what they would like to see happen. However, a non-peaceful protest against the monarchy would not be a good citizen’s way of doing things – as it does show an acceptance of the culture, and, moreover could be harmful to the people who live there.

Being a Part of a Culture
To truly be able to answer the question of what does it mean to be a citizen, a person must become part of their culture and part of their community. This is why there is now and English language requirement for new citizens of the UK. Not speaking the language the other people in your community and culture speak is a major hindrance to becoming a true citizen – with regards to being part of the culture. Being part of the culture though goes much further than this. It is about integration with others, about bringing your views and experiences to the table and sharing them to make the whole culture richer from the experience of everyone in it. It can be about having a public service job, about volunteering and about giving back. It is about working together for the greater good.

And therein lies the eternal answer to what does it mean to be a citizen. Legally, a citizen is someone who has the required passport, a piece of paper. But truly, a citizen is someone who shares with their communities and who gives back what they take out. Make no mistake, there are plenty of people in the UK who were born here but could not be said to be true citizens – it is about an emotional state and mindset just as much as geographical and legal term.