In a world where war is everybody’s tragedy and everybody’s nightmare, diplomacy is everyone’s business – Lord Strang
Violence takes many forms. Direct physical force, such as armed conflict, is visible to the eyes, while some are more subtle indirect forms which are less visible to the eye yet generally constitute various forms of structural violence. Nevertheless, violence, in any form, has with great sophistication taken away a person’s self worth and human dignity. In essence, violence strips away a person’s humanity and destroys human hopes and dreams.
The institutionalization of violence in Naga society is no different. Unfortunately, the discussion around violence is often limited to the visible direct violence that occurs in our day-to-day lives. But, in reality, it is the unseen violence in its structural form that is responsible for ebbing away the Naga spirit and character through a subtle interplay of Assimilation and Divide et Impera and Define and Rule. In practical terms, structural violence has been the most damaging to the Naga socio-political fiber, and remains the least addressed. Structural violence facilitates the maintenance of the violent status quo and diminishes the possibility of nonviolent alternatives. In doing so the intimidating presence of violence is intrinsic to the nature of the State.
World history reveals the complexity of violence in cases of protracted political conflict that has led to armed confrontation. Such cases have demonstrated how the powers that be create more and more structures to enhance violence so that it supports the status quo. In simple language, structures of violence are created to sustain the violence, which means adding violence to violence. After all, interest groups profit directly from armed conflict. For instance, conflict areas usually have a relatively large budget to sustain law and order, but once the conflict is over, the budget is reduced. Therefore, to ensure that the oversized budget is maintained, new structures are regularly created to ensure the violent status quo. Another classic structural example that the powers often resort to is create new battalions of security forces in the name of employment.
There should be no confusion in understanding that for peace to be achieved, the structures that support and breed violence must be removed. The structures of violence must be de-structured to make space for creating a harmonious society of peaceful coexistence. One caution is to acknowledge that those in power would do everything within in their capacity to maintain the unjust violent status quo. In fact, they would want ordinary citizens to react so that it can justify and legitimize the continued use of force.
So how does one even begin the process of thinking about structural transformation? It needs to begin with developing a reflective consciousness that leads to an understanding that the structures of violence can be replaced by a more inclusive, participatory and democratic structures that respects human life and liberates humankind. The necessity of structural transformation needs to be embedded within a broader peace process where peoples’ empowerment and participation serves as the critical yeast. Only through a peoples’ movement can a peace process recognize that the existing structures of violence need to be eradicated. Grassroots-based people’s movements can be responsive and impactful by intuitively developing a new way of thinking about peace and building alternative societal ways of interacting that will embrace a new praxis of human dignity and human worth.
Eventually, in the final analysis, it requires a peoples-driven response to initiate social transformation. Perhaps, Jewel Kilcher, the singer and songwriter, in her song Life Uncommon is pointing us to that direction when she says …
“… And lend your voices only
To sounds of freedom
No longer lend your strength
To that which you wish
To be free from
Fill your lives
With love and bravery
And you shall lead
A life uncommon …”
Ultimately, a people-driven response will initiate social and political transformation.
