E
By Armand Rodrigues
History
shows that economic necessity is what led many a Goan to the unquantified
shores of the African continent. To
understand how they then reached the hinterland, we have to take a journey back
in time.
HEADING INTO THE UNKNOWN
The
ubiquitous and hardy Goan trekked hundreds of miles and crossed the hippo- and
crocodile-infested waters of Lake Victoria, in native canoes, arriving in
Entebbe at the turn of the 19th century.
The fragile canoes were made of roughly-hewn planks bound together by
flexible jungle vines.
Even
white Government officers lived in grass-thatched houses made of mud and
wattle, at the time. Everything was
surrounded by wilderness and miles and miles of trackless country. If the denizens of the deep did not get you,
there were their wild and hungry counterparts on land ready and waiting. If you managed to evade the insatiable
appetite of all these, there was still the omnipresent mosquito to contend
with. Malaria, blackwater fever,
sleeping sickness and yellow fever were the order of the day. In other words, it was survival of the
fittest. The unyielding Goan struggled
through it all and emerged still on his feet.
PUTTING DOWN ROOTS
In
those primitive conditions, our stalwart predecessors carved a niche that will
remain forever Goa. On Monday, April 24,
1905 the community of thirty (30) souls got together and unanimously resolved
to form a club. It was resolved that
every member would pay one half of his month’s income as Entrance Fee. Most paid on the spot; some paid more than
called for.
Goans
scattered all over Uganda, and even as far as Kisumu in Kenya, immediately
enrolled. Entebbe (meaning seat)
understandably became the home port for all Goans in Uganda.
By
September 11.1905 our enterprising pioneers had acquired a lot on a 49-year
lease, at peppercorn rent of one rupee per annum (about four Cdn. cents
today). They then addressed themselves
to the question of collecting funds for a clubhouse.
In
those days, all building materials -- including timber but excluding bricks --
had to be imported from Mombasa (Kenya) 860 miles away. The railway had just
started. Those were the days when the
man-eaters (lions) of Tsavo had their heyday dragging their human diet out of
moving trains!
On
Easter Sunday, March 31, 1907, the clubhouse -- a 30’ x 18’ single room, with
veranda fore and aft --was formally opened.
It cost Rs.6, 000 (about $200 today). It was a triumph for our brothers
and equally-determined sisters.
The club was originally named “The
Goa-Portuguese Institute”. But this was
found to be misleading and somewhat incongruous. On January 1, 1912 the name was changed to
Goan Institute, a nomenclature common to similar Goan clubs that had since
sprung up in East Africa.
It is
noteworthy that half a month’s income remained the Entrance Fee from
April
24, 1905 to May 1, 1926.
From
1911 until Independence in 1962, the British Governors in office were Patrons
of the Entebbe Goan Institute.
THE CLUBHOUSE GROWS
The
tiny original clubhouse was extended in 1922 and again in 1929, with major
improvements in 1947. In 1947, the old “bucket
system”, and basin and stand, were relegated to oblivion and replaced by
“modern” plumbing and fixtures. In
1960, a totally new structure was erected on the existing main foundation. Unlike other sister institutions, no outside
funds were borrowed for the purpose.
A HIVE OF ACTIVITY
The
Institute’s social, sporting and moral activities were legendary. Other than dances, sundowners, whist
drives,”trook” sessions, and housie-housie (bingo), there were concerts from
time to time. And, of course, all Goan
weddings were held at the club. From
1949, mass was celebrated in the E.G.I. on one Sunday each month, as was
midnight mass at Christmas. (And who can
forget the serenades that followed midnight mass!) In the month of October, it was customary to
have nightly recitation of the rosary at the club.
Goans
got on well with all communities and, in sports, E.G.I. interacted with
all. Ordinary membership was open to
anybody, and a handful of non-Goans remained members and frequented the club on
a regular basis. A few Africans joined
after Independence in 1962; the liberal constitution needed no change to
accommodate them. Some of the non-Goan
members represented the club in cricket, tennis, volleyball and bridge
tournaments.
STARTING
POINTS
The
following milestones cannot pass mention:
Activity
commenced: Tennis 1907, Soccer 1907 (fizzled out), Badminton 1908, Concerts
1908, Bar 1909, Soccer (revived) 1913, Field Hockey 1916, Spirits at bar 1918,
EGI Hockey Cup 1922.
It
must be noted that the EGI Hockey Cup was the equivalent of the Gold Cup in
Nairobi and that, later, it became the catalyst for Uganda’s Olympic Hockey
Team.
THE SAD FINALE
With
the forced exodus of Goans in 1972, an unforgettable era in Entebbe came to an
abrupt and unexpected end. The abandoned
clubhouse fittingly became a parting gift to the true sons of the soil. For the immeasurable benefits received by
members, the consensus has to be that on a relative basis only a pittance was
left behind in repayment.
I
would be remiss if I did not say that the club employees, like Sabakaki,
Toontoonu, Luka, and those before them, deserve our undying gratitude for
serving us so well over the years.
(Acknowledgement:
Historical data was researched by the late Mr.Antu Rodrigues, M.B.E., a
high-ranking civil servant with access to the public archives in Uganda)
Copyright
@ arodrigues, 2003
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