FOREWARD

Source: Proceedings of the International Goan Convention - August 7 -21, 1988 Toronto

Zulema de Souza had a dream. She saw it come to fruition. Mobilizing and motivating an army of volunteers was no mean achievement. The International Goan Convention has come and gone. It was history in the making and is history now. It may be the catalyst for even greater things to come, in the future.

We have carved a new identity for ourselves in the lands of our adoption but, as time goes by, matters Goan may regress to the point of dissipation. Memory is not an entirely reliable faculty. Video may have captured the theme and the movement for posterity, and for those of us who participated in the various facets of the Convention, some facets will certainly be etched in our memories on the published record.

In the academic component of the Convention, we were treated to a potpourri of scholarly gristle in workshops and seminars by Goan literati from various parts of the globe. Also, distinguished local speakers did justice to peripheral topics conducive to our well-being. Because of simultaneous presentations, it was physically impossible to be in two places at the same time. Fortunately for us, the transcripts are ours to share and are presented herein. Some had to be condensed, and others are a gist of the original text. We hope the reader will enjoy them and that their authors will forgive us for any unintended transgressions.

Each speaker's theme will endure ad infinitum, and may well constitute a microcosm of what we are today. We acknowledge the invaluable help that Zulema de Souza gave us in assimilating and reviewing all this material and providing us with meeting facilities at her residence.

Al Mathias
Myra Tavares
Armand Rodrigues