Nagaland: Anime masters, tribal storytellers enrich White Owl Literature Fest

Expanding beyond the inaugural ceremony, the opening day of the third edition of The White Owl Literature Festival & Book Fair 2026 featured engaging sessions that explored both international visual storytelling traditions and the rich legacy of indigenous oral narratives, offering audiences a diverse literary and cultural experience.
The first session of the festival on “Anime and Manga” featured Toshiyuki Honda, Hitomi Toyonaga (anime artist), Yoshihide Fujita (sound and media producer), and Paphael Kaido. Honda also created a live sketch, offering the audience a glimpse into his creative process.
Toshiyuki Honda is a highly respected veteran Japanese animator, character designer, and director recognized for his significant contributions to the Doraemon anime franchise, including Doraemon: Nobita’s Dinosaur (1980) and Doraemon: Nobita and the Kingdom of Clouds (1992).
In his keynote on “Manga and Anime as storytelling traditions,” Honda explained that manga is experienced on paper while anime brings drawings to life through motion. He said storytelling is central to manga, while anime requires skill in depicting movement and poses. He credited Osamu Tezuka for popularising manga in Japan and highlighted the role of Doraemon in inspiring children through scientific and imaginative storytelling. Tracing the evolution of the art forms, he noted global influences and said manga’s accessibility helps children learn language and culture. He encouraged young creators to pursue their passions, saying meaningful work often comes from perseverance.
Honda also spoke about the power of anime and manga to foster empathy and global understanding, saying such stories are created from a desire for harmony. He suggested adapting cultural stories from countries like India and China into anime, noting their rich histories and storytelling traditions.
Another session on oral traditions titled “Stories by the Sacred Fire,” curated by Eleutheros Christian Society founder Rev. Dr. S Chingmak Chang, featured narrators Chollen Chang, Tokishe Achumi, Ramdi Nren and B.R. Kemp, with Naomi Kepen as moderator and translator. The session highlighted the importance of preserving oral storytelling traditions that once brought communities together to learn, dream and belong.