Moa Jamir
In the run-up to the Hornbill Festival, there was palpable excitement among many stakeholders, particularly the Nagaland Tourism Department. From temporary cosmetic repairing of roads to refurbishing of streets, offices and other activities, the preparation for the ‘Festival of Festivals’ has been chaotic and at breakneck speed, unlike other times, when at best, such activities crawl.
All roads lead to Kisama Naga Heritage village from December 1-10, the Festival enthusiasts would argue. Undeniably, apart from the photo-op, the festival self-described as “a modern day cultural extravaganza of all Naga tribes” showcasing “Naga culture, traditional and contemporary, in the spirit of unity in diversity,” seems to accrue to the local economy. Hotels, homestay, customised accommodations and events, particularly near the epicentre of the Festival, as well as related events, particularly in Nagaland’s commercial Dimapur and official capital Kohima, affirm such hypothesis.
What are the possible reasons behind this preoccupation? Notwithstanding the temporary interruption by the onset COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this entails looking at the political economy of the State over the years. On the sideline, it must be noted that December 1, the start of the Hornbill Festival is also the formal inauguration day of Nagaland as the sixteenth State of the Union of India in 1963. However, the State’s developmental paradigm and trajectories, since then, have not been illustrious as the ‘Festival of Festivals.’ Accordingly, it is pertinent to put this observation in context while seeking answers to the query posed earlier.
No doubt, since its inception in the year 2000, the Festival has gained both local and global prominence, thereby improving the tourism scenario of the State. Thus, it begs another query: Is it the only noteworthy showcase of the State in its 58 years journey? Given the preoccupation with the Festival, sometimes even overshadowing the Statehood Day itself, this seems to be the case. One cannot point to any other successful ‘brand’ related to the State, with immediate recall value. Governance and other developmental parameters, at best, remained mediocre, through the intervening years.
As such, it resembles a ‘milking strategy’ of a single achievement, lulling the citizens into periodic cultural escapism, while ignoring or masking deficiencies in other developmental parameters. However, it is not an argument for the renouncement of the Festival itself, but a call for giving equal attention and energy in solving other governance and developmental issues. Concurrently, the short-term marketing strategy must be replicated with a long-term organic strategy.
According to Nagaland Tourism Department, the goal of creating Kisama heritage village is “the protection and preservation of the ethnic cultural heritage through a common management approach and comprehensive data base for the perpetuation of tourism promotion.” However, whether it is a crass commercialisation of culture or preservation of the ethnic cultural heritage is also a moot point.
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