As part of the Hornbill Festival, Consul General of Germany Kolkata Manfred Auster inaugurated the first two-day Nagaland Literature Festival with the theme “through the looking glass: traversing the past, present and future” supported by TaFMA and Nagaland tourism at RCEMPA on Friday.
Auster said that elements and aspects put in the festival can contribute to knowing more about Nagaland. He pointed out that Naga books translated in German shows that books written by Naga authors are stretching even to Europe.
Auster lauded Naga writers for coming out with creation from writing and reflection from unwritten literature and giving that to the Nagas and the world. He wished the festival a success and hopped that many more will follow.
The Consul General also said that there could be a possibility of exchanges in literature with Max Mueller Bhavan in Kolkata. He also inaugurated the book corner, art exhibition and stall.
Delivering keynote address, Easterine Kire said “we are still traversing the past, let us do it with great wisdom, we are the present and umbilically connected to our past and at this present time we are respectfully drawing lessons from our past in order to hopefully engender a more understanding future”.
She said that Nagas are writing ourselves, rewriting history by using a Naga centric lens to chronicle and set right the very misunderstood and misinterpreted past.
Kire said that many books written by Naga researchers on tribal ways of life are precious as they give an inestimable documentation of Nagaland. She maintained that writing ourselves is an important movement of psychological, intellectual and emotional sovereignty.
Kire said “As we write ourselves, we are interrogating, resisting and blasting stereotypes”. She pointed out that Nagas have had many stereotypical images written down and this is a dangerous trend. She said that there were instances of colonial stereotyping which paved the way for Indian administrators’, mainstream media and non-Naga researchers to construct Naga identity which was far from the truth. Kire said “On the other hand, we have to be grateful for the first writings since we depended on oral narratives passed on from generations”. She further stated that narratives were silenced and interrupted on many points.
Urging writers to take over and find out what was correct and incorrect in the representation of the Nagas, Kire said they have started retrieving their past and not as how it was defined by others. She further cautioned on not to be dictated by cultural thieves but to resist by writing themselves by putting back values on what has been devalued
The gathering was enthralled through a song “Kelhou Kevira” by Petsüsetuo Liezietsu and Khrieyie Belho. Spoken word was presented by Christina Suohu and Marüni Kadete.