With over 5 K fans, the Facebook Page Memorias de India Portuguesa evokes feelings of nostalgia among the older generation in Goa through picture posts, while for the younger folk it is an educative experience. In conversation with Mario Guinapo Ferreira, the person behind this popular pag. What gave you the idea of starting the page Memorias da India Portuguesa?
The idea of creating the page Memórias da India Portuguesa came one day just by chance. In June of 2014 I was on Facebook visiting similar pages and I thought 'Why not share the hundreds of photos I have about Portuguese India'. So I immediately created the page and slowly started to post pictures. It never crossed my mind that this page would invite much interest apart from a few curious people.
What is it about Portuguese India that fascinates you?This fascination is only a reflection of my love for Portuguese History. Since a very young age I used to watch Indian cinema which was very popular in Portugal in the late 1970´s and early 80´s and was completely amazed by the colours, songs, music and dances. Later I met some old people who lived in the former Portuguese territories in Africa but were natives of Portuguese India. Listening to their stories and seeing the women wearing sarees was such an amazing thing for me. Also, in school we only learn about the Age of Discoveries. Every time people talk about Portuguese India, it was only about the Inquisition and the church. But I knew that there was more than that. My curiosity made me buy some books about the Portuguese Empire - several about Africa ,Timor, Macau and of course India Potuguesa. The photos and postcards were amazing, showing that there was more indeed, than what I was told in school.With the multiplication of sites and blogs on the internet I started to collect photos from there and from books and some archives.
Tell us a little more about yourself. Do you have any Goan roots?I never visited Goa.Damão or Diu and have no Indian ancestry. I´m a native Portuguese and an assistant nurse assistant at Hospital Nossa Senhora do Rosário,in Barreiro where I live.Tell us about the photo contributions that come in? How do you select the ones that finally go up on the page? The contributions are mainly from Portuguese people that lived in Goa ,Damão or Diu before 1961. I have had some amazing contributions from the great grand child of the Governor-General Fernado Quintanilha who sent me a lot of photos from his family albums regarding his ancestor's stay in India. Others have come from some soldiers that were stationed there.I don't have any selection process while posting the photos. All of the photos have a story to tell and for me they are all historical documents
How has the response to the page been? The feedback has been very positive. Many people send me messages of support and tell me that they have learnt that Portuguese India was a different place and they can see through these visual documents the stories told by the elderly members of their family.
Noted musician Remo Fernandes was one of the people who discovered an old picture of himself on this site? There must have been many other interesting stories of this sort.Some people see photos of their houses,as they were in old days, or photos of some members of their family that have already passed away. In one instance, a yong woman recognised her grandmother in a photo of a garden-party where she was invited, at the Governor-General´s Palace in 1957. It is incidents like these that make me continue the page. There have been people who have opposed the celebration of our old Portuguese culture here in Goa. Have you had any negative feedback of this sort?
Of course a couple of people have made rude comments against Portugal and the Portuguese, but this is only the reflection of some prejudice and most of all a deep political intoxication. But I have had the support of many Goans against them. Why do you think there is a need to collect and preserve such old photographs? The need to preserve all these photographic treasures is most urgent. It's the basis of a common history of two people - Portuguese and Indians. Despite all the bad things that happened in the past, the history of mankind is made of that. Many doctors played a very important role in medical history in Portugal and all over the Portuguese empire.One of the most important oftalmological hospitals in Portugal was named after Dr Gama Pinto, a Goan born man.The Luso-Goan has always played a very important role in Arts, Science and politics in Portugal from the mid XVII century until now. Today, our Secretary of State of Culture is of Goan descent Jorge Barreto Xavier,so as you can see this reflects even in our days.This is the most amazing thing “ You don't see this in Britain or France although those nations were present in India for many centuries. I think both nations, Portugal and India, should have closer relations.I´m always standing for Goans because I think they should be considered different from the rest of India.Today I´m not so sure of that but until recently Luso-Goan culture was in fact the distinctive trace that made Goa 'a world apart' from the rest of India.
