LONDON
The first-ever Romi Konkani Bookshelf in Brent, UK, was inaugurated on at the Brent Civic Centre, Wembley Library on September 3.
The bookshelf was inaugurated following a proposal put forward by Cllr. Angela Joyce De Souza, Labour Party Councillor for Wembley Hill Ward, Brent Council.
Cllr De Souza expressed her sincere gratitude to the staff of Brent Libraries who took the proposal forward with enthusiasm and in no time procured and displayed the books.
The bookshelf is located on the mezzanine floor of the library, among the Community Languages Section that includes Hindi and Gujarati.
At present, there are 25 books in Romi Konkani available for the community to borrow using their library card. The library staff will keep a record of how many books are borrowed. Councillor Joyce said that if demand persists, more books will be added to the collection.
“For the first time in Brent, U.K., the Goan community in Wembley/Brent who reads, writes and speaks in Romi Konkani will have a dedicated shelf in a public library. This is for all of us who love our language, our stories and our culture,” said Cllr. De Souza.
“Please do visit the Wembley Library, borrow the books and encourage our children to read in Romi Konkani. This is a big step to keep our mother tongue alive, even thousands of miles away from Goa.”
