memories of Goans in Tanzania

 Memories of the Goan past in Tanzania

 

By Edwin De Souza

 

(Compiled from various club magazines and brochures)

 

The magnificent Tony Almeida design Dar Institute

“I walked into the Zanzibar Institute four years ago and it seemed in good condition for its age. The caretaker opened all closed doors and gave me a tour of the place. He showed me where the bar was (now removed) and the stage had acoustic musical instruments on it, including a double bass. 

 

“Brendan, I don't think those instruments were from pre-1964. I tipped the caretaker with the equivalent of two US dollars and he seemed happy with that as it is about a day’s wage in Zanzibar.” (Anonymous) 

 

The Mwanza Institute had members like Tommy Carvalho, Junior, etc and as with all Goan clubs, there were fractions within the members. The stories I heard were from one side, so I am not going to repeat them here as they are funny only when you know the temperance, or lack thereof, of the characters involved.

 

I have no idea if the club house belonged to the members of if it was a rented premises. There still are Goans in Mwanza who would know the answer to that question.  There might be people here too who have the history of the Mwanza Institute. The guy who sent me the M.I. picture also sent me pictures of a car museum in Mwanza owned by the Fortis family. That museum has a 1940/50s era Rolls Royce.

 

In 1980 I was in Moshi and Chargas Fernandes drove me past the former Moshi Institute, that had been sold. I remember it as a bungalow type structure. Chargas later became the secretary of the D.I.

Great memories. Chargas was also the Chairman of the DI. During the DI hockey teams EA tour in 1973 that that took us to Tanga, Mombasa, Nairobi, Moshi and Arusha, about 25 of us were put up at the Moshi Institute for the night.

 

I am not sure about Zanzibar and Mwanza, but Tanga, became Tanga Gymkhana, Arusha I believe became Arusha Institute, Moshi I believe was closed down.

 

On the subject of the Mwanza Club, I have some news from Santan Demello, who was there in that town for quite a few years.

 

The Mwanza Institute had a lot of great memories for me. Schooling there I was a boarder at Anthony Gomes(Danny Gomes brother) home at a property owned by Mrs. Fortes, right by the lake.

We had a lot of the Dar-es-salaam folk like Junior Fernandes, Manu Pinto (Auditors at Coopers), Bertie Carvalho, Maurice , Diego/Ann Simoes, Florence Vaz, Francis/Dixie de Souza, Linda de Souza and her family now in Vasco, Satiro Fernandes, Roque Fernandes, MaryAnn de Souza (Tanzanite deSouza, family), Peter de Souza and a few more. Later Francis/Lina de Souza (Sandra Rocha's parents). The Fortes' are still there.

 

 

 

 

"Mwanza Institute was owned by members of the Goan Community. Non-Goans were not allowed to be members. As the Goan population was decreasing non Goans were allowed to be members. Around 1974 -75- 76 Goan  population was almost minimal. Now although it is still called Mwanza Institute it may have only one or two Goans as members.

 

Here’s the current face of the old GI.  Goan Institute in Zanzibar.    Courtesy of Raymond Pinto.  This facility is now converted to a musical Museum.

There was another Club called the # 13 Club it was an exclusive Club with very limited membership.  There were some strange stories on who could be members of this Club

 

I recall the late Mervyn NUNES telling me he was thrilled that his Dad was a member of both clubs so he got two Toys at the Christmas Tree party held at each club

 

The Mwanza Institute had a lot of great memories for me. Schooling there I was a boarder at Anthony Gomes (Danny Gomes’s brother) home at a property owned by Mrs Fortes.

 

 

Mwanza Institute: Once upon a time