It was perhaps this thought that inspired Sheila Eleanor DeCosta, president of the Selangor and Federal Territory Eurasian Association (Saftea), to fight for a piece of land in Kuala Lumpur to build a clubhouse for local Eurasians.
DeCosta then asked her friend, author JK Asher, to write a book about her experiences. And Asher soon realised there was much more to the story than it appeared.
“I’ve always loved the Serani, they have always captured my imagination. My first book, ‘The Inverted Banyan Tree’, was all about this community.
“I think they have brought magic into the country,” said Asher, a Malaysian-born author based in Sydney, during the recent launch of “A Light Home: A Portuguese-Eurasian Journey”.
While the book is a biography that traces DeCosta’s personal journey – examining her family’s deep Eurasian roots and following her leadership in championing community rights – it also addresses the broader search for identity, belonging and recognition faced by Eurasians in Malaysia.
DeCosta noted that the acquisition of the clubhouse land was a historic moment: in 500 years of Eurasian history in the country, land had never been bequeathed to the community in acknowledgement of their belonging and identity.
She said the book was originally envisioned as a recounting of how the Selangor Eurasians successfully fought for their club premises, which had been promised to them by the government in 1940, and how the pandemic further delayed the process.
But it evolved into a “record of my own journey of discovery, of self, and about the trials and tribulations I faced, which I hope readers resonate with”.
So, what is it like to read a book about oneself? For DeCosta, who is also a lawyer, it was a highly interesting experience.
“It allows you to have a real good look at yourself, warts and all,” she told FMT Lifestyle with a laugh. “Unlike Asher, I’m not a storyteller. So, it was good to have someone look at how things went from the outside.”
Also within are interviews with prominent members of the community, including the late Kristang-language authority Joan Margaret Marbeck; activist and Serani Sembang founder Vernon Adrian Emuang; and Michael Singho, president of the Melaka Portuguese Eurasian Association.
Other noteworthy interviewees include Shirley Mowe, DeCosta’s mother – and a direct descendant, three generations removed, of the British Raja of Sarawak.
According to Asher, DeCosta’s story was that of a “strong woman in a man’s world”, with her having to battle patriarchy, sexism, and opposition even from her own people. The author admired her friend’s dedication to helping her community to achieve greater heights.
DeCosta, meanwhile, believes her story is simply about her “ordinary life”, saying: “I’m just an ordinary person. It’s not a very big story, of going from rags to riches or anything like that.
“I was just called, in a certain time, to help my people. I feel like we had slowly become forgotten in our country, which was really sad.”
She added: “Some of our young people don’t want to know about our heritage. They are embarrassed because they have different names, when actually, there’s much to be proud of in our community.”
DeCosta believes there is much in “A Light Home” that would intrigue and fascinate readers, Eurasian and non-Eurasian alike.
“I would like anyone who has ever felt marginalised to know that they still have hope, that they can still fight for their rights,” she concluded.
‘A Light Home: A Portuguese-Eurasian Journey’ can be purchased locally here, or from Partridge Publishing for international readers.