‘Creating a learning space for the community’

Brothers start community library in Kigwema

Morung Express News
Kohima | August 3

At Nepi Tsekwhe, Merama Khel in Kigwema village, brothers Akho Phira, 25 and Thepfukelie Phira, 33 have set up an open community library - the investments in setting it up being self-funded. The initiative is a personal undertaking to create a learning space, generate awareness and hopefully build an informal learning hub garnering people from all walks of life.

For months, Akho Phira toyed with the idea of starting a community street library. However the concept could not materialize because of his work based in Chizami, Phek. He proposed the idea to his eldest brother, Thepfukelie Phira who took charge of setting up the structure for the library. With the support of family, friends and colleagues contributing in varied capacities, the library opened on July 23 with books mostly chipped in from the brothers' personal reads and contributions from colleagues and friends.

“The library was initiated to revive the dying art of reading, to make books easily accessible and available, to drive positive action and change and to engage youths more meaningfully in the process of community development,” says Akho Phira.

In today’s society where internet culture is thriving and trending, Phira opines that community libraries can play major roles in bridging gaps. He believes that community libraries can reduce the generational gap between older and younger generations. “Such spaces can be utilised as grounds for both the young and old to deliberate and pass down the rich oral knowledge which is the knowledge base of the Nagas, now that Morungs in villages are becoming obsolete and under utilised with the pursuit of modern institutional educations,” says Phira.

The brothers also acknowledge the reliability of libraries in documenting cultural and historical significance, which can be utilised as an archive base for any village.

“It is undeniable that the internet has a lot of information and possibilities to offer without limitation at the fingertips of its users, but components such as deep reading, focused concentration, and other aspects which books have to offer are absent with the internet. The Internet is an expensive luxury which cannot be accessed by everyone, while a community library when made accessible to the public at no cost can play a vital role in community development,” Phira notes.

Through the open learning space, the brothers further hope to create awareness on less discussed topics in the villages such as health and hygiene, menstruation, mental health, gender, etc, and further engage with youths in the activities of environmental conservation and education.

At present, the brothers are seeking sponsorships to subscribe to newspapers in 2 mediums - English and Tenyidie, journals in local languages, about local communities and appropriate reads for children.

“To make community members realize and value the importance of informal spaces for creative learning and fruitful engagements, to build a group of like-minded people with the aim to amplify the initiative and expand to other communities and locations and to further proliferate the interest of reading which is why the library is working towards offering inclusive reading materials for its users,” adds Akho Phira.

Once a traditional place of gathering and learning, Nepi Tsekwhe today, has been revived to strike a balance between tradition and modernity, with the hope to retain the best of both worlds through books.