A society that does not write is a society that slowly forgets itself. Writing is not merely an artistic pursuit – it is an act of preservation, resistance, and identity. When a people do not write, they leave behind no footprints for future generations to follow. In this light, the situation in Mokokchung is not just disappointing; it is alarming.
The remarks made by Dr Lanurenla at the 23rd Watsü Mungdang General Conference bring this concern into sharp focus. While her statistics exposed the staggering lack of women writers in Ao Naga literature, the problem runs deeper and wider. It is not just the women; it is the entire society. In Mokokchung, not a single voice regularly writes in the newspapers. One must ask why.
Is it fear? Is it cultural conditioning that teaches us to submit to authority and never raise a voice, let alone a pen? Have we internalized the belief that our thoughts are not worth expressing? Or worse, is it intellectual impotence – a failure to articulate, to question, to think critically?
Whatever the reasons may be – whether psychological, cultural, political, or educational -Mokokchung’s silence is deafening. While the rest of the state produces writers who provoke thought, critique power, and preserve culture, Mokokchung seems to have receded into a troubling quietude. Could it be that we have been conditioned to equate silence with virtue, and writing with rebellion?
Writing is not just for writers. It is for anyone with a mind that thinks and a heart that feels. It is how societies document pain and progress, how they interrogate power and injustice, how they dream aloud. Without writers, a society loses its memory, its soul, and its voice.
The absence of literary engagement, especially from the youth and women, does not bode well for our future. If no one writes, who will remember? Who will challenge? Who will lead?
Mokokchung must wake up. It must reclaim its voice. Institutions like Watsü Mungdang must go beyond conferences and spark a cultural awakening – competitions, workshops, awards, mentorships, publications, etc. as suggested by the speaker. But above all, what we need is courage. The courage to write. The courage to speak.
Because silence, no matter how culturally dignified, is still silence. And silence is not always golden – it is sheer cowardice.