Alexandre Moniz Barbosa
A programme for orphaned girls, a book on Goan artist Antonio Xavier Trindade, a Shark Tank kind of initiative for youth are three of the many initiatives that are set to unroll in Goa as the Fundação Oriente celebrates its 30th anniversary in the State this 2025.
Fundação Oriente, a privately-funded foundation, opened its India office in 1995 in Goa. Says Dr Paulo Gomes, the foundation’s director in Goa, “We are a private entity, but we work with both – public as well as private entities and we have very good relations with the Portuguese public entities as also Indian public entities. In India we are working under the guidelines of the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations), which is a public entity.”
This 30th anniversary milestone for the Fundação Oriente, unveils with the publication of the book ‘Antonio Xavier Trindade: An artist from Goa’, penned by Fatima Gracias and Paulo Gomes, which will be released by Dr Carlos Monjardino, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fundação Oriente, on January 28. Present will also be João Amorim a director of the foundation and the directors of the Macau and Timor offices of the foundation.
Anyone who has visited the offices of the Fundação Oriente at Fontainhas, Panjim, will have returned in awe of the works at the Antonio Xavier Trindade Gallery. The paintings are amazing, the artist equally so and the collection that has found find a permanent home in Goa, is owned by the foundation.
“Since we are the guardians of such an important collection, we believe it is important to keep promoting and maintaining this great Goan artist. In the last year, the number of visits to the art gallery has triplicated, which is a big achievement,” says Gomes.
Immediately following that, will be the three-day Monte Music Festival at its iconic venue – the Monte in Old Goa, with the unparalleled view of the River Mandovi, its riverine islands, the World Heritage Monuments and the setting sun. But this year, after three days in Goa, the festival will move to New Delhi for a concert.
“Since we are celebrating 30 years in India, I thought we needed to do something different and suggested we take it to Delhi. ICCR offered its auditorium and agreed to support with an Indian musician. Since this is also the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Portugal and India, I spoke to the Ambassador of Portugal and he agreed to do it together,” says Gomes.
That’s the start, there’s more planned in the course of the year and includes a programme that is a new area for the foundation in Goa, working with orphaned girls. “This programme means a lot to me, as it is with orphanages. It is called New Opportunities to Abandoned Girls. We will be going to the orphanages and developing a lot of activities there – classes in English, French, Portuguese, workshops in hair styling and beautician techniques, art. We are also preparing a criteria whereby selected girls will be eligible for a scholarship to continue their studies after their Class XII,” says Gomes.
The foundation’s programmes are based on the requirements of the areas where they work. While in Goa it has always been cultural, heritage and conservation activities, with support for Portuguese language, this is the first time that Fundação Oriente is taking up such an activity in the State, and Gomes says it is ‘fortunate that the Board of Directors approved his proposal’ for the orphanages programme.
While it starts with girls, the boys won’t be left behind. “We felt that the girls don’t have the same opportunities. We are starting with the girls and in the future we will involve the boys too,” says Gomes.
Another plan for the year arose from the session that was initiated last year of ‘5 Talks Under 40’ and has shades of Shark Tank in it. “The idea is to put the youth at the centre of it all, by having different activities where they have to create their own entrepreneurial projects. They could be guided by teachers, but it has to be their projects – concept, technicalities, finances – and then they will have to present the projects to a jury that will choose the best project which we could finance,” explains Gomes.
Simultaneously, the regular programmes of the foundation will continue, and the Chapel of Our Lady of Monte that had been restored by the foundation earlier is due for some more work. “The chapel is under repairs. We’ve already had meetings with the Director of Archaeology and we are willing to work again with the Goa Government to undertake the repairs. Of course these things take time. We already have done a study of what we need to do and the government already has it and the figure of what we will support with,” says Gomes.
Looking back at the past three decades, Gomes feels that the foundation has indeed grown in Goa. “I think the tough moments were when we started, for suddenly there appeared a Portuguese entity in Goa where there was none. With time, people have seen that we are here to cooperate, collaborate to do something together. We are not here to 100 percent promote Portuguese culture or something like that. It is something joint,” says Gomes.
He stresses that one of the reasons for the foundation growing is that each of the directors brought something new to the list of programmes that made Fundação Oriente what it is today and that the response from the government for any initiative has been ‘amazing’. He says, “They know we are not here for political reasons only for culture, art, education.”
As he signs off, Gomes says, “We have a good connection and Fundação Oriente is a house with open doors for those who come with goodwill.” Anybody who has been there will wholeheartedly agree.