They contribute to the cultural life in the state. They screen movies directed
by film directors who don’t usually showcase their work in Goa. Or even bring
in writers or singers who would not have come to Goa during their regular
travels. Cultural organisations like the Alliance Française, Fundação Oriente
India who conduct a large number of cultural events in the state. However the
virus has put paid to all the events on the yearly schedule.
Evelise Silveira
administrator at Alliance Française said events were all stopped due to the
Covid virus. She said “However classes were conducted online. There were
smaller numbers due to the poor internet connectivity. We invite painters,
cultural groups from France, authors but that has not happened due to the
virus. We used to screen movies on Thursdays but that was stopped. Teacher
training sessions had to be stopped”. She said they used to train teachers to
improve their ways of teaching a foreign language.
Another organisation
doing a lot of work to ensure a level of vibrancy in the cultural life of the
state is Fundação Oriente. Inez Figueira, Director, Fundação Oriente said they
usually had a very active plan during the year which included talks which
required crowds to congregate. But in the past two years it was interrupted.
Inaugurating an exhibition without people did not make any sense. She said they
had to adapt a lot. She said they accepted the fact that they would not be able
to do the things they wanted to. They had to choose what was important to them.
They had conferences every year involving scholars who would come from Portugal
but they were not able to come. Since research was not taking place they could
not have conferences about books. However, for events like the Monte festival
which was the biggest festival for them which was held at the Chapel of Our
Lady of the Mount it was decided to take them online. She said “We pre-
recorded the concerts and played them on the day the concert was supposed to
take place. So people had a vision of what was happening there. The background,
the Chapel is the same; the magnificent view from Old Goa is there. I will say
this; it will never be the same like a live concert where the people are
present. We would like to go back to what is what, when it was real. All this
went online and one has to remember a lot of people don’t come for these
concerts because either they were not in Goa or more specifically the Goan
Diaspora.” She said they went crazy. Vem Cantar, the Mouth Festival which was
purely local events got an international audience which had not happened
earlier.
She said it has been an interesting
experience and now they would want a live show in an ideal situation which
would be recorded and then shown online. She said they would have to adapt and
evolve for a lot of activities. This she said would also show them different
ways to talk to their public.
Asked what they intended to do if the
situation improved in the coming months; she said they had decided to err on
the side of prudence till March 2022. She said one had to remember what had
happened after the first lockdown was relaxed and the problems that ensued.
The virus has certainly affected lives as well as
activities. One can only hope the situation improves and the cultural life in
the state goes back to how it was before the virus.
