What started
with humble beginnings in the backyard of a school in the 1960s by East Africans Goans who had
migrated to the UK is today a grand festival with an audience of over 15,000
people. Goan Association (UK) in collaboration with Goan organisations will be
organising the biggest Goan festival outside Goa, the UK Goan Festival London
which will be held today, August 4, 2019, at Cranford Community College High
Street, Cranford, Hounslow. The event will begin with a traditional Konkani
mass at 11 am with the main celebrant His Excellency Bishop Patrick Lynch and
concelebrated with seven Goan priests from the UK and Europe with a Konkani
choir.
Ravi Vaz from
Cuncolim has been the president of Goan Association (UK) since 2012 and made
the festival stand out from the rest. “We have made a mark for ourselves by
endorsing our presence in the UK. In Goan cultural events, this is the largest
event in the world. We have representations from the Indian High Commission,
the Council and Portuguese Consulate. More than song and dance, we want to
create a festival to stamp our presence out here and across the globe,
promoting our culture, food and music,” says Ravi. The festival will have 50
food and business stalls, many by Goans who promote their business in the UK.
This year’s main
attraction is Goa’s nightingale, Lorna. “This year, we are celebrating Lorna’s
75th birthday which is on August 9 and we will have a great fanfare with the
cutting of the birthday cake on stage at 6 pm at the festival,” adds Ravi.
Norman Cardozo has
toured different countries along with Lorna and is all set to give an
outstanding show for the Goan crowd in the UK. He will be performing on the
keyboard along with Nolvert Cota (trumpet), Mathias Sequeira (drums) and Franko
(bass guitar). “I am excited to perform in the UK, especially getting the Goan
diaspora together with loads of energy in the air. It is a very festive spirit
and a spectacular performance by Lorna is in store,” says Norman, who will be
heading home to enthral the audience in Goa for Herald’s Goencho Avaz on August
8, 10 and 16, 2019.
Adriano Pinto from
Oualim, Aldona has been very active in Goa during his students’ days. Now
living in the UK, it hurts him when Goans treat Goans badly just because they
are earning a living abroad especially in the UK. “All NRIs should be given
postal ballots which is their right. It is done by all western countries. All
NRIs are contributing to the GDP of India, even Portuguese passport holders. No
one is sending money to Portugal as they have bank accounts in Goa. Today’s
generation has no patience to listen and they are jealous with crab mentality.
When they are losing an argument everybody jumps to the passport issue. It is
not that people who live abroad don’t love their motherland. They have gone
away just for their livelihood,” says Adriano.
Ann
Faleiro from Navelim has been working in the UK for a travel agency. With the
help of social media, she stays in touch with the news coming out of Goa more
often than Goans in Goa. “With the current scenario of politics and with almost
every elected person jumping like monkeys, the question arises that does our
vote even count. I am very much concerned as to what’s the solution with
ministers playing musical chairs,” explains Ann. Natalia Palha from Agassaim has been living in the UK for the
past 17 years with her family but has kept in touch with her Goan roots by
visiting Goa almost every year to visit her family and to keep track of her
property. “I feel it is important to vote for a good government. We want good
leaders for the future. With the current happenings in the political field over
the past few days, you don’t know whom to trust. This also worries me about my
property in Goa and I am very much concerned about my land, both physically and
metaphorically,” says Natalia.
Babit Fernandes from Utorda will be setting up a stall at the
festival to support the cause of the beatification of venerable Fr Agnelo.
Living in the UK for 19 years, his rigour to work for Goa has strengthened over
time but the only platform available to vent his angst is social media. “Land
frauds are definitely a concern for all of us. I come every year to Goa and
sometimes twice a year. My views are only centred around social media users. It
is confined to a certain section of society where it is talked about and
debated, it doesn’t get transmitted into action on the ground. When it comes to
the crux, nothing is happening”, says Babit.
But
on Sunday, August 4, all these thoughts will be on the back burner and
thousands of Goans will keep their worries and concerns aside and raise a toast
to and dance to our nightingale, the one and only Lorna, and celebrate the role
of Goans in the UK for decades.
