After eight successful editions, Panijm-based Communicare Trust took its annual language
quiz competition ‘Kaleidoscope’ from the shores of Goa to Macau earlier this
year. Two lucky students from Goa were chosen to participate in the event and
flown down to Macau for the grand event, which was conducted at Escola
Portuguesa de Macau (EPM), who were also the supporters of the 9th edition of
the language quiz.
The previous editions of Kaleidoscope were conducted at Goa
University, where students from various higher secondary schools have been
participating in the language quiz. However, this year, a giant leap was taken,
when two lucky students from Goa were chosen to participate in the event that
was hosted by EPM in Macau. The event was recorded and supported by TDM
(Television of Macau).
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Brett Jerome Sequeira from Don Bosco Higher Secondary School and
Naomi Angelo Dias do Rosario from Our Lady of the Rosary HSSE, Dona Paula,
winners of a writing competition organised by Communicare travelled to Macau
for the event.
A unique writing competition organised by Communicare Trust, it
offers students of 10th, 11th and 12th standard, the opportunity to get their
winning articles written in Portuguese, published and distributed in all the
higher secondary schools that teach the Lusofonian language. The winning
articles are then incorporated as a part of the study material for
‘Kaleidoscope’, the annual language quiz competition organised at Communicare.
The students received a warm welcome by the school staff and the
students of EPM. They were introduced to the rich culture and heritage of the
city through its history, landscapes and cuisine.
“The experience was mind blowing. Everything was a culture
shock, in a good way, especially the food, the education system and the
lifestyle. It was a brilliant opportunity to practise Portuguese with students
who use it as their first language,” says Brett Sequeira from Don Bosco Higher Secondary School. He jokes, “I also overcame a big challenge
by learning to pick up a peanut with a chopstick.”
“The whole journey was really unique. The students were so warm
and friendly. They took Brett and me out for lunch. I thoroughly enjoyed the
variety of food available, even the street food,” says Naomido Rosario, student at Our Lady of
the Rosary HSSE, sharing her
experiences.
Nalini Elvino de Sousa, Manager,
Communicare Trust, says, “Without the
support of Escola Portuguese de Macau, this would have never happened. I was
also very happy that TDM arranged for the whole recording of the programme,
which will be aired soon on Macau Television. I did count on them for almost
everything, but their organisation and support was beyond my expectations.”
Instituto Camões in Goa and Fundação Oriente in Goa, who have
been supporting Kaleidoscope for the last 8 years, continued their support in
this year’s edition as well. “Delfim Correia da Silva constantly stayed in
touch by sending us words of encouragement,” says Nalini.
The students also had an opportunity to meet the senior
government official of Macau, Alexis Tam, Secretary for Social affairs and
Culture of Macau. “He received us all at his office and was very enthusiastic
about this cultural exchange,” says Namitha Nair, Project Manager, Communicare Trust.
Zélia Batista, Vice Principal ofEscola
Portuguesa de Macau (EPM) said,“The
IX Kaleidoscope in Macau was a breath of fresh air at the school.We are often
visited by theatre, literature and music groups that come from
Portuguese-speaking countries. This time, we were lucky enough to have among us
a fantastic team, full of enthusiasm that showed us how to overcome all
obstacles and achieve our goals. Having the team from Goa was a wonderful
experience and an asset to us, as we feel we have become richer in knowledge
and culture!”
Nalini
added that the idea behind the quiz is to take the concept forward with the
participation of all the Lusophonia countries namely Mozambique, Angola, Cape
Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Timor, Sao Tomé and Principe, Brasil and of course, Goa
and Portugal. The language quiz which includes various questions on general
knowledge, sports, grammar, music, amongst other topics, will be aired in all
these countries.
