The relations between Goa/India and Brazil crystallized in the 16th century. After a golden age that stretched from the 16th to the 19th century, a certain lethargy followed in the first half of the 20th century. With the independence of the Indian Union in 1947, and until 1961 when Goa was annexed to India, Goa’s relations with the Portuguese speaking space revived for the last time and rather vigorously. Between 1961 and 1974 there was an eclipse of Goa’s relations with the Lusophony and a neglect of the Portuguese language and culture in the territory. After the resumption of diplomatic relations between India and Portugal in 1974, Goa slowly began to also gain a certain impetus in its relations with Brazil.
Concerning the present situation, Modi’s and Bolsonaro’s pragmatism do not harm but rather favor relations between India and Brazil. Both sides are committed to promoting their bilateral economic agenda, their main goal in foreign policy. Trade exchange between Brazil and India totaled US$ 7.02 billion in 2019, with Brazilian exports worth US$ 2.76 billion and imports from India worth US$ 4.26 billion. Jair Bolsonaro’s visit to India, in January 2020, contributed to a significant push in relations between Brazil and India. The fruitful relationships resulted, for example, in the launch of the first all-Brazilian satellite in India, in February 2021 or in the online event in August 2021 “Goa Tourism Promotion Webinar” organized by the Embassy of India in Brasília with the participation of the Minister of Tourism of Brazil Gilson Guimarães Neto and the Minister of Tourism of Goa Manohar Ajgaonkar.
So to speak, India’s relationship with Brazil is growing stronger thanks to the personalities of Modi and Bolsonaro.
All initiatives between Brazil and Goa seem to predestine Goa again as a preferential platform for India’s relations with Brazil and the Portuguese-speaking countries.
In this online seminar, a partnership between the Consulate of Brazil in Mumbai, the Group for International Cooperation of Brazilian Universities (GCUB) and the Lusophone Society of Goa (LSG), historical aspects and the current situation of Brazil’s relations with Goa are discussed. The Webinar will be broadcasted in English on GCUB’s YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ4jYsMek2w canal do GCUB no Youtube. Registration Form: HTTPS://FORM.JOTFORM.COM/212733974710053
