After a close observation of urban society (with consideration to south-east Asia; it’s export driven economy, status and material obsession or that ‘white-Caucasian’ fascination too) I’ve come to the conclusion that this structure is a very synthetic one, even in the pre-dominant stage of transition in the 20th century. What we have done from that period on is failing to be objective and simply building on that structure. What it results in and what you see is an extraction from the indigenous state and environment, a very lack of contextualization. Let me try to clarify what I mean. I guess we can safely presume we are two, three centuries (if not more) behind what ‘modern’ civilization is today. By that you can compare yourself to the European civilization who underwent Renaissance, religious reformations, Industrial revolution, age of Enlightenment and age of Reason or imperialism, and if you should go earlier then there are civilizations as ancient as China, India, etc. Of course these nations underwent colonization (including Africa) which disrupted their concept of almost everything, replacing it with a westernized notion of civilization (Europe was a land of barbaric tribes where exiles from the Mughal Empire were sent). Anyway, so much about history and nations, where do we come in in the picture? Yes, out from some thickly populated rain forest and half-naked, literally. It is not to undermine our values, beliefs or ethics as such but that we were found in a very primitive state also holds true. Yet, that was somewhat of a savior because we were a tougher nut to break unlike China or India.
Neo-colonization
If you are a college graduate and have still not grasped the concept of ‘neo-colonization’ then it is a shame to your education and a sham of the whole institution of education, whether in Nagaland or India. Whatever it also does it cannot hide what is inevitably hidden within its folds- the influence of neo-colonization. I’ll quote here Kwame Nkrumah who coined the word neo-colonialism ‘The essence of neo-colonialism is that the state which is subject to it is, in theory, independent and has all the outward trappings of international sovereignty. In reality its economic system thus and thus its political policy is directed from outside.’ Outside where, you may ask and the names of the former colonizers emerge on the forefront of that accusation. How strange, we thought colonization was a thing of the past!
You have countries trying to rid the influence of neo-colonization having been woefully exploited by colonization too. But it is still not that simple, although ‘simple’ is as complex as it can be, neo-colonialism does not only dictate a political and economic sphere its tentacles reach into cultural, linguistic, belief realms. Superbly highlighted in a popular culture (western-fixated), ideology (western-fixated), belief-system (western-fixated), ethics (western-fixated) and lifestyle (western fixated). I believe this is what the writer of ‘Decolonizing the Mind’ Kenyan Ngugi wa Thiong’o wishes to repel by also conforming to write only in his mother tongue, Gikuyu and Kiswahili. Then you have countries deeply immersed under the influence of either colonization or neo-colonization (basically I think both are the same in terms of their exploitation). One unfortunate, yet good example of a neo-colonized country is South Korea. No, the whole of Korea actually- the battlefield for the Cold War and the unfortunate victims that emerged from its wake, also not forgetting Vietnam. Korea, the battlefield of the Blocs, lost its own sense of assertion or heritage especially South Korea which also got swept away by neo-colonialism. These are the two aspects of neo-colonized nations: one trying so hard to repel and assert itself, and the other hopelessly immersed within its depths that their definition cannot but inescapably be molded from a western concept and ideology. That is the hard, hard truth about neo-colonialism, the after-effects of colonization.
Meanwhile, in the corners of our world, among the primitive ‘savages’ of the 19th century what leftovers have we taken? Education is neo-colonized, government is neo-colonized, technology too is neo-colonized (at least in our context), and even the concept of Modernity is neo-colonized. And within all these influences, there emerges a class society which itself is neo-colonized!! What measly crumbs do we scamper for in that large heap of mediocrity and white-men’s nonsensical mumblings of superiority? We, well we actually built upon this dismal heap to shape our society or to even set a ‘civilized’ tenet to a once primitive society and people. For example, we have quite an awestruck fascination for white-collared jobs, or a Ph.D doctorate so and so professor from JNU (nothing wrong with JNU I’m sure, I am simply addressing the narrowness of our modern Naga mentality), or a thoroughly read man with a degree (*degree- note, neo-colonized education) to prove his intellect. All this which extracts the person wholly from his rudimentary pedigree. For us intellect is the show of a degree from a prestigious college/university/school of learning or else it is not legitimized. Also, the worth of a person is measured from the fine places he has been to, schools he has studied in, equipments he carries under his belt which not only undermines the whole institution of aesthetics but provides such a flimsy and incoherent presentation of it all! Cambridge University is not famous because it is in Cambridge (!) but because of the quality of education that it provides. Yet, we manage to even undermine that, don’t we?!
Okay, okay, let me not burst every bubble of our aspirations but rather try to concentrate where we wish to attempt all our mediocrity at. A doctor. An engineer. An interior designer and architect. A government servant. A fashion designer. Hmm, alright, but all these are very middle-class oriented occupations and in our new emergent class society ‘middle-class’ is not the criteria we wish to be defined in. It somewhat reeks of mediocrity, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t be bothered if someone was just a doctor, just an interior designer and architect or just a fashion designer. There is nothing wrong in it and it encourages self-assertion or dignity of labor too. But when we wish to self-assert our status, our achievement and indulge in a class society by achieving the above mentioned mediocre occupations, it’s a rather pitiable attempt. This is why I feel we are twisting the concept of neo-colonialism by not only indulging in it, but rather redefining it. We are reveling in this state of mind, being neo-colonized, and we assert a class status BECAUSE of it but in reality it is not just ephemeral but baseless. Other countries try to shake off this exact influence, while others are hopelessly lost in it but our profound narrow-mindedness and ‘primitive’ mindset professes to engage in a rat race for status, material acquisition of neo-colonialism. Have we become modern? NO, not at all.
My summary
My summary can be two-pronged, according to how the urban/metropolitan, educated and still narrow-minded Naga react. And while he is out searching for a new identity so he may alleviate himself in the Naga class society I’ll just to ask you what happened to indigenization? What happened to contextualizing? Why can’t we indigenize education according to our context, or technology, or modernity? And if it is not indigenized or contextualized, of whatever use is it then? I would rather head back to forests and denounce modernity, civilization or industrialization as a waste of my time because of its farce. Why can’t we indigenize this ‘acquired’ religion too? Why can’t we indigenize technology to the context of the terrain? Why can’t we indigenize education? Why do all these features have to be framed in an abstract concept of Western adaptation, far far removed from our context? Imagine what we could achieve if we could think outside of our neo-colonized heads……….
