Dimapur: Nagaland Literature Festival 2024, organised by Writers Collective Kohima, was observed under the theme ‘Amplifying Our Indigenous Voices’ at the Capital Cultural Hall complex in Kohima on Wednesday.
In his address, former Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu, who was the special guest of the programme, said education reached the Naga people very late.
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He said the first American Baptist Missionary Rev. Clark in 1872 and the first formal school founded by his wife Mary Mead Clark in 1878 spread education in the Naga-inhabited areas.
“The journey of our people in attaining education was very slow due to various reasons,” Liezietsu added.
He also shared past instances where the Naga people faced serious challenges and disadvantages in the field of literature.
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He highlighted that during the Japanese invasion in World War II, Kohima was reduced to ashes and the little literature confined to mission centres was completely destroyed.
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“Again during the Indo-Naga war in the 50s, the few literatures that people possessed were once again destroyed,” he said.
He also noted despite the slow spread of education and the disadvantages the Nagas might have faced in the past, the progress made by the younger Naga generation is really laudable, as they made rapid strides in learning to catch up with the modern world.
Speaking on the theme ‘Amplifying Our Indigenous Voices,’ Liezietsu exhorted all to amplify “our voices” through the writing of books, poems, narratives, epic, and dramatic, as literature is a form of human expression that reflects the intention of the author and also explore ways to promote various voices.
“It also provides a platform for the Naga writers, poets, artists and storytellers to share their works and experiences for preservation and promotion of Naga languages and stories,” he continued.
Liezietsu further said that Naga writing and literature are at a very crucial and exciting juncture as the Naga people are in the process of learning to reclaim their narrative and find authentic voices.