The Forum for Naga Reconciliation-Recover Restore and Decolonise (FNR-RRaD) will host a two-day event titled “September Dialogue on Naga Repatriation, Decolonisation and Healing” on September 6 and 7, 2024, at The Lighthouse Church in Dimapur.
According to an update from the organizing team, a mini pop-up photography exhibition presenting a visual journey of the FNR-RRaD team’s engagement with communities in the Naga homeland and beyond will also be on display.
The ‘September Dialogue’ is designed to be a reflective process of learning and unlearning on issues of Naga repatriation, colonisation, decolonisation, trauma healing and reconciliation, it stated.
It further said that from a viewpoint of healing and reconciliation, the FNR is facilitating a process to formulate a Naga response to determine the future status of the Naga ancestral human remains that were taken away during the British Colonial period without the consent and knowledge of the people.
“The Naga ancestral human remains, though no longer exhibited, are currently kept in storage boxes under the care of the Pitt Rivers Museum in the University of Oxford, United Kingdom,” it continued.
The “September Dialogue” seeks to deepen understanding of the impacts of colonization and explore what decolonisation and repatriation might entail in the Naga context. It aims to foster a collective journey towards wholeness through healing. The FNR-RRaD aspires to create meaningful dialogues, encourage collaborative efforts, and contribute to the broader discourse on ethical practices and repatriation challenges.
The dialogue will serve as an inter-generational platform for collaborative discussions, incorporating lectures, paper presentations, storytelling, songs, and critical reflection. It will bring together students, academics, professionals, activists, theologians, elders, and community leaders to collectively develop a value-based perspective on repatriation, decolonisation, and reconciliation.