Encontro 2007
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Vol. 30. No. 4 A Publication of UMA, Inc Oct - Dec 2007 Editor: Daniel Gomes, 4394 N. Sweetbriar Ct, Concord, Ca 94521 E-Mail: [email protected] Encontro 2007 The Fifth Encontro das Macaense from November 25, through December 2, 2007 drew over 1400 Macanese from the USA, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Portugal and other European countries. The United States alone had 450 signed up with the three local clubs, UMA. Inc, Lusitano Club, USA and Casa de Macau, USA In 1993, during the first encontro, 600 people returned for the celebration. This year, our numbers reached an astronomical 1400. A survey of some of the people who returned for the encontro included “to relive old memories”, “revisit old haunts”, “eat good Macanese and Portuguese cuisine”, “meet up with old friends and relatives” and “see the miraculous transformation of this sleepy old city to a 21st Century Metropolis”. The skyline has changed dramatically, and the old buildings and streets have received a much needed face lift. Leal Senado Square, Barra Square and the Ruins of St. Paulo never looked this good - I look forward to continued progress in this area. The new building boom currently in progress will ensure that Macau will receive the deferred maintenance she so richly deserves. Armed with a copy of “Macau Attractions” published in the April – June issue of the UMA Bulletin we were able to explore all the historical and cultural sites of Macau. The Leal Senado square and surrounding walkways to Saint Agostinho, Ruins of Sao Paulo, Monte and the Macau Museum is totally cleaned up and a pleasure to stroll through, even for an anti-shopping guy like me. The people who love shopping never got beyond the Leal Senado Square. Leal Senado Square UMA NEWS BULLETIN – Winter Issue 2007 Page 1 of 36 Encontro 2007 The display in the Macau Museum is fabulous, especially the display of old Macau Villas along Praia Grande in the 18th Century. There are far too many fabulous displays for me to describe in this article. Suffice it to say, this is a must for any future visits. Here are some pictures of the displays – hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Model of Macau in the 18 th Century Model of 19 th Century Chinese style houses They have even cleaned up Barra Square and the area surrounding A-Ma Temple and the Maritime Museum. When I used to tour this area before, I always felt a little uncomfortable - this time, I enjoyed strolling the area and even the walk to Litoral where our family enjoyed a super Macanese meal. Model of Macau in the 17 th Century with the fortifications to repel Dutch aspirations (Macau Museum) The Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Center where we celebrated a dinner hosted by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture has a spectacular view of the city and is a great addition to the city. One of the popular books launched at the Macau Dome in the Convention Center was a pictorial history of “The Portuguese Community in Hong Kong” by Antonio M. Pacheco Jorge da Silva. The closing ceremony was held at the beautiful Venetian Resort in Cotai. Tables were set up outside the Grand Ballroom, in the lobby, to provide all the attendees an opportunity to purchase books including all the books launched at the encontro. The huge elaborate ballroom was beautifully decorated and the attendees, from the many Casas all over the world, were all dressed up for the last event. The members of the host committee gave their talks including Dr. Jose Manuel de Oliveira Rodrigues; the presidents of all the Casas were introduced and each delivered their addresses; several Casas showcased their vocal UMA NEWS BULLETIN – Winter Issue 2007 Page 2 of 36 groups; and all the youth attendees were presented. There was also a delightful showcase of Portuguese Folk Dancers. The food was delicious, and more importantly the crowd was able to enjoy the company of friends from all over the world. Confraria da Gastronomia Macaense The photos above were taken on Wednesday, November 28 th , at the Confraria da Gastronomia Macaense at the D. Pedro V Theatre. It was a presentation by two experts on Macanese food pictured on the left, and the photo on the right captures all the representatives of the Confraria de Gastronomia from all the Casas after they received their award medals on bright green ribbons. Our representative Eduardo de Assis is third from the left in the second row. Following the presentations, a superb Macanese lunch was provided by the world re-known Litoral Restaurant. Members of the Youth Group were also invited to this event, and some of them are pictured below as they wait to go on their group excursion following the sumptuous lunch. UMA NEWS BULLETIN – Winter Issue 2007 Page 3 of 36 Macau Encounter By Chris Jones Macau is a city in a rush like nothing I have ever experienced. The mopeds wiz by at a constant rate, and outnumber the cars 10 fold. The size of Macau is not very big but very dense. We were able to walk to most of the places we visited, so we got to really take a good look at our surroundings. Both my grandparents (Neil & Joy Xavier) telling me about what the city center was like when they were young. As we stroll through Leal Senado. It becomes apparent from the multiple story buildings surrounding the streets filled with hundreds of people, block after block of street shops, restaurants, and the Ruins of St. Paul. That the city is full of great style as expressed by the design of architecture and brickwork that lay throughout the main center. Diversity in Macau is a very common thing, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese are what make up the various walks of life and style that make up the Macanese. Fortunately, the food is as diverse. The food was exciting to eat because I got to try all different types of food I had never even seen before. The seafood is especially mouthwatering, and well worth the trip. The food alone makes me proud to represent my Macanese roots. The ruins of St. Paul still remaining give you a strong sense of the rich history of our people. The Monte fort was place right next to the church to protect it from pirates, and is a beautiful area for a lookout point. Standing on top we could clearly see the skyline. The massive canons, most dating back to the 1640’s, lined the entire fort, which made the Monte very affective defensively. The Museum below gave me a historical background on Macanese life of this era. We got to see different styles of homes, ways of cooking, entertainment and art. I was very interested in the beautiful woodcarvings, because of the intricate detail of the 3-dimensional masterpieces. Involving Macanese Youth The Macanese youth is becoming more involved in UMA, just by giving us the opportunity to be a part of this experience - continuing to do this is a must. The Californian clubs are getting more involved by hosting events for entertaining the youth more actively. Bowling, concerts and party events are the most common ways of getting more people to involve themselves. For the smaller groups, the greatest issue is getting people to even show up. The smaller groups need more attention for the youth to be more involved in their community. Attention in areas like college scholarship funds to the communities that really need it, are what our group as a whole, needs to focus on. Our Macanese community has recognized our youth, but the youth must come together to make sure future generations have the opportunity to have such experiences. Helping others accomplish academic goals will help our community thrive intellectually. The smaller groups are holding on by a thread from what I experienced in our youth meeting. This is the most troubling conflict that these groups have to face. The youth of these groups need the most attention, and have to work the hardest at staying involved with this community as a whole. Helping them with academic aspects of life is key to helping the smaller communities stay involved. Going to Macau showed us how Portuguese and Chinese work together to create such a city. These problems will not fix themselves and we must continue to work together. More youths will become involved if we keep meeting together and stay in contact. The impact of this encontro should continue so that many others can have the opportunity to learn more about themselves and their roots. UMA NEWS BULLETIN – Winter Issue 2007 Page 4 of 36 Encontro 2007 By Michael Poirier In order to tell you about my Encontro experience, I think I need to first explain my heritage. My mother is Macanese (maiden name Mercia da Silva) and my father is French Canadian, Arthur Poirier. They met in Los Angeles in the 1950’s where I was born and raised. Having this kind of background can cause a child to feel race-less in some ways. As a kid, I couldn’t understand how on earth my mother was Portuguese from Hong Kong. I definitely remember coming home and asking my mother repeatedly, “So you’re from Hong Kong right?” “Yes” “So aren’t we Chinese?” “No”. When I’ve had to fill out applications I’ve checked “Other, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Asian, and White.” I’m sure many Macanese have had a similar experience. Traveling to Macao is really a great way to reconcile this identity crisis.