TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2024
Mervyn Maciel
Not content with bearing the title, “Goencho Festakar”, my friend, Marius Fernandes embarked on an East African safari of a lifetime following in the footsteps of his grandparents, and taking with him his son Ashley, daughter Gemma and sister Maria.
Unlike his grandparents, who had travelled to Africa by dhow – quite a risky undertaking in those days, Marius and his party chose the more luxurious way and travelled in style with all the comforts modern travel affords.
From Goa, they travelled via Mumbai to Kenya’s bustling capital, Nairobi, the land of my birth. Every trek reminded them of the arduous and at times danger - filled journeys undertaken by their pioneering grandparents – grandfather, affectionately known as 'Moti' and grandmother, Maria Emilia Fernandes.
This pioneering couple ventured where no Goans would dare go in those early days, starting a business in the remote Northern Frontier town of Isiolo. It must have taken great courage to have ventured almost into the unknown yet, not only made a life for themselves, but embarked on this mini-supermarket type business, attracting among its customers not only the senior European government officials like the Provincial and District Commissioner, but also the Superintendent of Police and the entire Goan Civil servant community of Isiolo and farflung districts of Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir and Mandera!
The icing on the cake had to be the visits of well-known film stars like Clark Gable, Ava Gardener and Grace Kelly who were filming in the area at the time. I am sure many of your readers will remember the 1953 film MOGAMBO which was filmed on this location.
Despite being a dusty, desert-like town, Isiolo attracted many famous people including big game hunters, ornithologists, and several others as it was also the headquarters of the Northern Frontier District.
The young safari-bound Fernandes marvelled at how their grandparents had ventured into the unknown areas of the Dark Continent exploring places where the family had played a pivotal role in building communities – places like Lare and Meru where their grandparents had established the first provision store, brought an emotional pang as they mentally recreated what their elders must have gone through. The lush surroundings of Larre, with its plantations of mira tea, coffee, pineapples and flowers of varied hue brought a tear to their eyes, conscious of the hardships their grandparents must have gone through.
Continuing their journey on the world class SGR train from Nairobi to Mombasa, which really was the highlight of the trip, they were treated to breathtaking views of the abundant wildlife Kenya has to offer – majestic elephants brown with the Kenya red dust, zebras and giraffe.
While in Nairobi, they also visited the graves of Kenya’s first Vice-President, Joseph Murumbi whose father, Zuzarte, was a Goan, and also of Kenya’s first Goan political martyr, Pio Gama Pinto – both at the Nairobi City cemetery.
They also visited historical landmarks like the Mombasa (formerly Goan) Institute and were overwhelmed by the hospitality shown to them by the Goans, and also local African people – something they will never forget.
One of the most memorable aspects of their journey was being part of the highly acclaimed book programme on the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation hosted by Kainga and arranged by their dear friend, Professor Elizabeth Mazrui.
This in itself, was a fitting conclusion to their adventure celebrating their family's connection not only with Kenya's past, but also the present.
As one who has known their grandparents and entire family during my own stint in Kenya's Northern Frontier Province, I feel very privileged to have been asked to contribute this article.
