The fascinating Goan migration from Africa to the West

We often hear stories of Goans who migrated from Goa to East Africa and eventually resettled in the UK, Canada, and other European countries. Some of them eventually returned to their roots in Goa, driven by financial challenges faced while living abroad.

Nalini Elvino de Sousa’s documentary film, The Club, focuses on the experiences of Goans in British-ruled East Africa which call for discussion and deliberation.

The film traces the of Goans who ventured abroad in search of better opportunities, establishing their lives in East Africa, before being compelled to leave Zanzibar and resettle in the UK, Canada, or return to their roots in Goa.

Known for their deep appreciation of diverse music, vibrant social circles, and rich cultural traditions, these communities carried a unique identity wherever they went.

College students should be encouraged to delve into the nuances of cross-migration and Goan diasporic identity as portrayed in the film The Club.

Filming for the 'The Club' took Nalini Elvino de Sousa and her team to Zanzibar to interview Prof Abdul Sheriff.

Through interviews with several Goans in Dar-es-Salaam, embarks on a journey down memory lane, as the interviewees fondly recall their past and celebrate the shared identity and cherished moments within their cultural hub, The Club.

This club was their sole space to belong in a country which had adopted them and they struggled to adapt to. They picked up the regional language, besides preserving their own mother tongue, Konkani.

FOND MEMORIES: Based in Dar es Salaam, Sabby and his mum also share their stories in the documentary.

Sharing her as the director, Nalini de Sousa recalled, “Pedro Pombo (anthropologist) and I visited Dar-es-Salaam for the second edition of the Africa-Asia: The New Axis of Knowledge conference. After presenting the documentary Special Envoy, we decided to travel to Zanzibar — and were immediately taken up by the place."

"We received numerous messages from Goans who were born in Zanzibar and had left the place as children. They shared fond memories of the place, and that’s when we began to understand the depth and scale of the Goan community in Zanzibar and later in . That realisation led to the decision to make the documentary,” she added.

“Although Pedro was not involved in making my previous documentary,” Nalini continued, “he accompanied me in the discussions about the movie because of his extensive knowledge of the Afro-Asian migration along the Indian Ocean.”

“The thought of a filmmaker and an anthropologist coming together to make a documentary together looked interesting. Inter-disciplinary work was important because it allowed us to look at the world around us from a different perspective, and that is visible in this documentary,” she informed.

“The film is especially dedicated to the musicians who once performed at the Dar es Salaam Institute (DI), as well as to the architect of the building, Anthony Almeida,” the director shared. “It is also dedicated to all the , who had to migrate for better prospects.”

This , a collaborative Indian-Portuguese production between Real Ficcao (Portugal) and Lotus Film & TV Production (Goa), has been screened across Germany, Portugal, Tanzania, India, Brazil, Mauritius, and the UAE, with its next showing set for Senegal at the third edition of the ‘Africa-Asia: The New Axis of Knowledge’.