The Goa Familia Project: A Visual Archive Of Goan Family Histories

I’ve always felt that what makes a city and adds character to it, is perhaps the people that live there. Their life stories, their interactions with each other, the sense of communal living, this sense of belonging to a place. It is individual lives that all add up to make a community, offering their own unique personalities, joys, sorrows, and learnings.

As much as I love Goa’s sense of easiness, its laidback lifestyle, its beautiful beaches and of course feni, the Goan people are what make truly make Goa what it is. Offering an insight into the Goan lifestyle and its social and cultural history is The Goa Familia Project which is conceived and funded by the Serendipity Arts Foundation.

The project is an evolving visual archive that wishes to explore the multidimensional aspects of family histories and offers a participatory space for all stories whether individual or collective that help us tap into Goa’s past and present. The inclusive archive consists of physical material like postcards, photographs, ancestral heirlooms, and memorabilia. They also document oral and recorded histories.

In their own words, “These stories help us reflect on the past and present in interesting ways. It also functions as a medium for active public engagement through which people can deepen meaningful connections with Goa’s past.”

You can check them out here.

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