There is no change without dream, as there is no dream without hope
Imagination, as a praxis, is important for a people to determine their future so that it can be a way of sharing one’s own culture and aspirations with the world. Imagination is a process for people to express their aspirations, and act on them. For instance, such an imagination for indigenous peoples, means understanding how colonization effected the colonized, and to ensure that the decolonization process recognizes and honors traditional indigenous wisdom and practices, as well as retains the positive attributes of the colonizing culture.
The process of imagination is designed as a deconstruction outline for guiding its own course that ultimately leads to a recovery of the self. This outline will need to examine how to position itself with regard to the status quo and other social standards considered to be norms. The true nature of imagination is not reactionary, rather reflective and introspective. It is essentially about expressing one’s experiences and worldviews, within the personal and social perspective that is constantly informed and evolving.
Imagination ultimately means liberating thoughts and actions from oppressive conditions which will require new forms of expression through imagination and creativity. This process of emerging innovative expressions is characteristic of the dynamic transitions taking place around the world that invites us all to a new way of perceiving and experiencing the world, while at the same time reinforces our interconnected and interdependent nature.
This new understanding is of basic importance in order for us to imagine a different world. The process of imagination involves respecting all human cultures, especially where consent is a core value based on inclusivity, pluralism and full participation, as opposed to being exclusive and elite. Obtaining consent requires trust throughout a sincere and respectful relationship with the understanding that the trust is mutually shared and necessary for building a peaceful co-existence.
Dreaming is necessary in order for an imagination to evolve. Dreaming is part the praxis of reflection and action. How the dream for humanization manifests is always in a process of becoming. Paulo Freire says dreaming is not only a necessary political act; it is part of human nature, which, within history, is always or constantly process of becoming.
He asserts that there is no change without dream, as there is no dream without hope. The act of dreaming becomes a necessity in creating a shared language of freedom and justice because the people can weave the future of their dream together. Increasing self-awareness, self-confidence and self-assurance provides the energy and momentum necessary for people to envision a shared future and move forward together.
A shared imagination primarily involves a process where Naga people tell their own stories, write their own versions, in their own ways, and for their own purposes which allows them to work towards a shard future; one in which all peoples are fully human. For Nagas, survival at the most basic human level is still a priority as our basic needs have not been met. Our aspirations go beyond the present status quo and involve a dynamic praxis at multiple levels and dimensions which are constantly unfolding. In order to enable an imagination, it is essential that in the struggle for humanization “the oppressed must not, in seeking to regain their humanity, become in turn oppressors of the oppressors, but rather restorers of the humanity of both.” As Freire would say it is humanistic and historical task of the oppressed: to liberate themselves and their oppressors as well. In this way our shared future unites the oppressed and the oppressor.
In the process, the political act of imagining and dreaming becomes the most creative and innovative means for Nagas to transcend the past and embrace the future.
