“Music really flows in the veins of Goans...”

...states Portuguese writer Joaquim Correia who recently released his book ‘A Última Dança em Goa’ at Casa de Goa, Lisbon. The book focuses on the Goan music scene in the last years before Liberation and how the scenario changed post that

CHRISTINE MACHADO | JUNE 03, 2018, 02:42 AM IST

The Goan: What was it that made you decide to pen a book on the dance and music scene in Goa of yore? 

Joaquim Correia: After visiting Goa as a tourist or for working seminaries (I worked in the University of Macau for many years), I found  that the ambience in Goa is very special and that music really flows in  the veins of Goans. I wanted to know more about it 

Tell us a little about how you went about doing the research for this book. 

I consulted lots of magazines and newspapers from those years (middle  fifties until 1961), I talked with many Goan musicians and non musicians that enjoyed those times. I got in touch with musicians like  Loyola Orsino, Basilio de Goa, Remo Fernandes, Omar de Loiola Pereira,  Sonia Shirsat (all through the net), Mario e Sousa from Regie & His  Melodians de Siolim, Luis Faro and Gonzaga Coutinho (all in person), and many others. I read books about the subject. Also I had the help of Professor  Susana Sardo who is working on The Goan Encyclopedia  of Music and Musicians. 

What are the interesting things you discovered while writing the book? 

 I spent about a year writing the book and I found that Goans have a very deep and particular culture, not only related with music, but also in literature, theatre  (tiatr), of course cuisine, etc. 

You have also touched upon the academic life and made mention of  Abbe Faria and hypnosis. How does that tie up with the music scene exactly? 

Apart from music, I also talk about other cultural subjects related with Goa. And in many of those subjects, sometimes clearly sometimes indirectly, I found music associated with it. Inside academic life, music was very present, like Tuna Académica, serenatas by students, etc. In the chapter about Abbe Faria, I recall a story about  somebody that used hypnosis with music as a therapy. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself and previous written works, if any. 

 I lived in Angola and Macau, besides Portugal, for more then 20  years. I graduated in Law Science and began as a librarian in Law  Faculties and Public Libraries. I wrote books about music in Angola, Indonesia and the Portuguese influence krokong style, etc. I enjoy the  studying of Portuguese culture in the world. 

What are some of your fond memories associated with Goa 

 I found that Goa is exotic for Indian and Western people  alike: a church near a Hindu temple, the mix cuisine, the names of the roads. It is easy to find Portuguese influence. In my book I compare Goa a little bit with Macau, but I also mention the differences, in my opinion. 

Are there any plans to release the book in Goa? 

 I hope so, I am working on it.  

What are some other themes that you would like to write about in future? 

 There is a possibility of preparing a film or a TV documentary  about this book, realized in Goa. Then I intent to go deeply in the  subject of my book.       


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