Two essays of mine published on Tiatr and F. N. Souza

[Carvalho]

(includes both archival and extensive field research)

Tiatr: Who you calling working-class?

To understand tiatr audiences we have to reflect upon late nineteenth century Goan high-culture particularly in the diaspora. The elite Goan diaspora manifested the “institute” or “association” which was tied to the Portuguese consulate in the British colonial towns of Bombay, Zanzibar, Mombasa, Nairobi—where Goans sought employment. The constant preoccupation of these “institutes” was the celebration of Portuguese and British monarchy—birthdays of the kings of Portugal and the queen of England. This curious organism, the “institute” became the lifeblood of all that was religious, cultural, social and political within Goan diasporic communities. It existed almost as a mini-republic, directing the lives of Goans who lived away from Goa. It was, however, hopelessly elitist and casteist, which meant it excluded the mass of Goans. 

In Bombay, the “Gremio Lusitano” was formed by 1872 and later the “Amigos das Letras” came about. Eventually, in 1883, the Instituto Luso-Indiano began to represent the growing Goan community. In 1889, a meeting chaired by Portuguese consul in Bombay, Meyralles Canto e Castro, discussed the need for a hall, for which subscriptions were already underway.8 Reading rooms, institutions and associations—whatever the term used, followed in Hubli, Karachi, Mombasa and Nairobi—grand, prestigious and exclusionary. One crafty exclusionary measure used by these institutes was ensuring the lingua franca was Portuguese and then later a mix of Portuguese and English. This ensured the Konkani-speaking masses never crossed their threshold. European languages became a formidable tool in gatekeeping. Konkani became the “language of the kitchen” to be spoken with the domestic help and never used in polite company. Language stigmatisation in Goan society is so strident that even today it remains one of the most crushing impediments to social mobility

F. N. Souza: A Childhood

F. N. Souza was born in Saligão on 12 April 1924. Much like his cousins, he was likely birthed in Leopoldinha’s house, where in a darkened quarto, a four-poster bed groaned with the misery of Lilia’s birth pangs.18 Less than a month later, on 8 May, around the baptismal font stood maternal uncle Cirillo Vitore Antunes as Souza’s godfather and Adelina Saldanha as his godmother. 

Both essays appear in the newly released anthology "The Brave New World of Goan Writing & Art 2025" published by Cinnamon Teal. A book event is planned at Museum of Goa in December. Details will be announced to the general public. Do attend if possible. Meanwhile, the book is available at Dogears Bookstore.

All best wishes,

Selma