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Unfazed by Brexit, Goans revel in London festival
LONDON: There is anxiety among European Union citizens about their future in Britain after the June 23 Brexit vote, but not much of it was evident as more than 12,000 Portuguese citizens of Goan-origin revelled at a festival here on Sunday.
The “UK Goan Festival London” was celebrated in characteristic “susegad” (contented) style with a colourful carnival parade, music, alcohol and traditional cuisine, with Britain’s exit from the EU rarely in the air.
The day at Cranford Community College ground in west London began with mass by Bishop Gracias of Mumbai and hymns in Konkani.
Savio Menezes, a young Wembley-based worker who arrived from Goa last year, said as he jived to live music by a Brazilian group: “Polou-ya kide zata (Let’s see what happens), nothing will happen for two to three years. If I have to leave, I can always go to France or Germany.”
The British government has so far refused to confirm that nearly 3 million EU citizens in Britain will be allowed to stay after Brexit, a process that is yet to commence.
The festival saw senior Labour MP Keith Vaz, who is of Goa origin, promoting his diabetes charity Silver Star, which is supported by Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty. Prominent individuals at the festival included Valerie Vaz, Labour MP, and noted writer Selma Carvalho.
Organised by the Goan Association UK (which was set up in 1966), the festival saw one of the largest gatherings in recent years.
Ravi Vaz, president of the Goan Association, told Hindustan Times: “Nobody knows what will happen after Brexit but I think those already here will be fine. My advice to Goans thinking of taking Portuguese citizenship is to think twice. Job prospects are not exactly bright here, and Portugal itself has tightened rules for acquiring citizenship.”