The Global Naga Forum (GNF) held an International Commemoration of the 79th Anniversary of the Declaration of Naga Independence on 14 August, a four-hour global hybrid assembly under the theme “The Unbroken Line: Territory, Transit, and Truth.” Moderated by Kilentola Jamir and Guangchunliu Gangmei, the programme brought together Naga voices from Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Myanmar with UN Indigenous-rights experts, the President of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), and Indigenous leaders from Canada, the Arctic, Indonesia, Colombia and New Zealand.
Dr. Villo Naleo, Social Concern Secretary of the NBCC, opened the commemoration with a prayer, followed by a minute of silence for Naga martyrs and a song of resilience, “A Call for Solution,” by singer-composer Thotmung Muivah.
Global Naga Forum Convenor Chuba Ozukum delivered the Welcome Address, calling on Nagas to remember their history honestly and work toward a peaceful and just political solution.
Kolezo Chase, Spokesperson of the Naga National Council, spoke as the commemoration’s ancestral witness, describing the Naga political issue as a bilateral matter between India and the Naga nation.
Two members of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, speaking in their individual capacities, sent video messages. Gam A. Shimray warned: “If we can’t define sovereignty for ourselves, we can’t expect others to honour it.” Ojot M. Ojulu said the militarisation and securitisation of Naga territories “further affect the exercise and enjoyment of Indigenous peoples’ rights, including their ability to participate meaningfully in decisions concerning their lives, communities and political future.”
Dr. Poujenlung Gonmei, Principal of Highland National College, Imphal, briefed the assembly on the withdrawal of the Free Movement Regime and the militarisation of Naga transit routes. “Truth must be spoken to power,” he argued.
Special musical performances featured Miss Kekhrowate-u Wetsah, followed by a Chakhesang folk presentation by Sevolhu, Khosato and Kreveyi. Ambrose D. Kamei closed the programme with “The Sound of the Homeland.”
Advocate Worso Zimik, Delhi, offered a legal reading of the Indo-Naga political issue and the 2015 Framework Agreement. “Nagalim was never a part of India either by conquest or consent,” he argued, presenting the analysis in his personal capacity.
International solidarity messages followed. Kenneth Deer of the Haudenosaunee External Relations Committee told the Naga people: “You are a people. You are a people with a right to self-determination.” Eirik Larsen of the Sámi Council, in a recorded message, said: “The border does not define where people begin or ends. We remain one people.” Ghazali Ohorella, an Alifuru diplomat from the South Moluccas, Indonesia, said: “Keeping the cause alive is one job. But building the power to act on it is a second job.” Luisa Castañeda-Quintana of Land is Life said: “Our solidarity with the Naga people is not solidarity from the outside. It is solidarity among Indigenous peoples.” Kym Hamilton of Kārearea – Institute for Change, New Zealand, said: “Another homeland existed before the international boundary that now divides your people between India and Myanmar. That boundary cannot erase our genealogy or whakapapa.” Dr. Rubina Greenwood, President of UNPO, said: “The direction of the Naga movement must therefore be determined by Naga people themselves.” Dr. Rita Manchanda of the South Asia Forum for Human Rights asked: “Where is the Naga narrative in India?”
Global Naga Forum Co-Convenor Samuel Pou then read the 79th Anniversary Declaration, closing with the words: “The land remembers. The people endure. The line remains unbroken.” The full text of the Declaration will be released separately.
Under the segment “Voices from the Fractured Lines,” Naogang Ngansa of the Naga Students’ Organisation, Myanmar, asked: “Where do we unite?” Chenobu Rengma, General Secretary of the Rengma Naga People’s Council, Assam, said more than 10,000 square kilometres of ancestral Naga land has been alienated. David Boyes, former Vice President of Naga Hoho, Manipur, said: “Let us demand justice. Not revenge.” Elu Ndang, former General Secretary of Naga Hoho, Nagaland, said: “We are not five separate fractures. We are five knots of the same song.”
Prof. Rosemary Dzüvichü, Co-Convenor of GNF, offered words of gratitude to all speakers and the diaspora present, before Pastor Adahe Neli delivered the closing benediction.