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DIMAPUR — The Forum for Naga Reconciliation-Recover Restore and Decolonise (FNR-RRAD) has decided to organise a two-day “September Dialogue on Naga Repatriation, Decolonisation and Healing” on September 6 and 7 at The Lighthouse Church, Dimapur.
An update from the organisers informed that 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 would also be put up on display.
It mentioned that 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.
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“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 stated.
The ‘September Dialogue’ is aimed at increasing the understanding of the impact of colonisation, and what decolonisation and repatriation would be like in the Naga context, all of which implies the nurturing of a collective journey to wholeness through healing return to wholeness through healing.
It stated that FNR-RRAD aspires to facilitate meaningful introspective dialogues, promote collaborative efforts that contribute to the broader discourse on ethical practices, repatriation challenges and developing a Naga decolonisation process.
It added that the ‘September Dialogue’ is envisioned as an inter-generational platform for collaborative deliberations and discussions that support an environment to consolidate the initiative. It is part of the FNR-RRAD’s internal learning journey to develop more knowledge that informs the entire process of building a common understanding through lectures, paper presentations, storytelling, songs, discussions and critical reflection.
It further stated that the dialogue would bring together students, academics, professionals, activists, theologians, elders and community leaders to consciously discern together in developing a foundational value-based perspective while engaging with repatriation, decolonisation and reconciliation.