History beckons the Nagas

Yanchen Yanthan
Dimapur | November 14

As much as the slogan ‘Change we can believe in’ chanted by the democrats at the US presidential elections became a reality, a reality never witnessed in the history of American politics, where the US will now be headed by the first Afro-American president. It was a distinct change, a break from the past. America seized the opportunity in making history by choosing Barack Obama to be her president.

It never ceases to amaze us that history is made when nations seize moments in time, most often not knowing that it is going to alter the course of things that is to come. Not many gave the benefit of support to Obama when he announced his desire to run for the US presidential elections. However today history has been made. This would not have been possible had the American public not believed in the dream of a young senator from Illinois, who dared to dream and in the process brought the majority of Americans to rally behind him.

We have a lesson or two to gather from this great American dream. Skepticism has always been the word for many of us, to describe our expectations of any positive outcome from the many efforts made to bring about restoration among the Nagas. Our past has always come to haunt us and the experiential reality of the Nagas over the decades does not hold much to give the next generation a good reason to hope for. However there are reasons enough to give ourselves a chance to dream yet again. And herein I would like to believe that we are at a critical juncture in history, that we are encountering a decisive moment that can either restore us or break us. 

Like many, I was cynical and uncertain in the efforts made by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation for healing and restoration of the Nagas’ land. As trivial as a football match may sound in a strife torn struggle that has gone past more than half a century, it is inevitable for eyebrows to be raised, as to what it would achieve when not much could be done in 50 years.

Yet in the process, this has created an opportunity for the warring factions and civil society groups to come together which in my opinion would have been a near impossible task taking history into account. I was amused at the use of humor in a local daily  right after the reconciliation match held in Kohima. The lighter moments between the erstwhile hostile sides were captured in the form of a comic strip. This only strengthens the fact that humor can be an effective tool and can work wonders in diluting the tension that exists between and amongst different groups. If only we had the privilege of hindsight, would we know what these steps initiated is leading us to. 

Today the civil society and various warring groups among the Nagas are provided with a little window of hope towards restoration through the platform provided by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation. Martin Luther said, “I have a dream.” It is one thing to have a dream and another for that dream to be envisioned by the masses. It was the dream of Barack Obama to run for the presidential elections but the vision of the dream had to be caught by the majority of the Americans to bring it to reality. The American majority gave their verdict.

Given this little window of hope towards reconciliation and restoration much will be determined by how the civil society and the warring groups seize this opportunity. As for the general masses it is pertinent to keep on believing that reconciliation, healing and restoration will be a reality and therefore render support to the process. I cannot but only agree more with what Rev. Dr. Wati. Aier, Convener, Forum for Naga Reconciliation at the DDSC stadium said that this is “the moment in our history in which a new order is being born.” History will judge us and will let us know if we have seized this momentous opportunity to become history makers in the true sense.

 

 

 



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