Historical experience has demonstrated the 20th century to be a century of ‘State-determination,’ and one that is now known to have been the cruelest, bloodiest, and violent ever in human history. Yet, in this second decade of the 21st century, the world is witnessing an unprecedented upsurge of democratic consciousness and the desire for human liberation in various parts of the world. The events that the world has witnessed over the last ten years in Kosovo, South Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Burma, and Syria indicate the peoples’ increasing desire to recover their self-determining capacities and to be free from the remnants of colonialism.
The Scottish aspiration that has called for a plebiscite in 2014 to freely decide their political status reaffirms the belief that people want to take ownership in deciding their destinies. These conditions present potentials for the 21st century to be the century of ‘peoples-determination,’ which, in turn, could lead to constructive dialogue, peaceful solutions and JustPeace. The 21st century calls for new ways of political engagement that require the intentional political will for respecting peoples’ rights. It implies bringing alive the praxis of a shared future that embrace, recognize, and respect all human cultures, not simply the juxtaposition of cultures. Within the 21st century’s changing realities, the Nagas too can intentionally explore the path of a shared future.
For the Naga people, dreaming as a process of reflection and action is essential for recovering their capacity to define who they are and their ability to decide their own destiny. Paulo Freire says dreaming is not only a necessary political act; it is part of human nature, which, within history, is the continual process of becoming. He affirms there is no change without dreams, as there is no dream without hope, and says that, “the dream is a demand or condition that becomes ongoing in the history that we make and that makes and remakes us.” It is the yearning for a “freedom that permeates the vocation to humanization.” The Naga self-confidence and self-assurance to know that they have survived and can only go forward provides the momentum necessary for envisioning a shared future.
For most Naga people, survival at the most basic human level is still a primary consideration and need. Their aspirations go beyond their historical and present reality, and involve a dynamic praxis at multiple levels and dimensions, some of which are still unfolding. In order for the Naga people to manifest a shared future, it is essential that in the process of attaining humanization they must not, in seeking to regain their humanity, become in turn oppressors of other peoples, but rather restore the humanity of all concerned. This highlights the political act of imagining and dreaming as the most effective means for Nagas to empower their capacity to become co-creators of their destiny. The Naga shared future recognizes that the right to decide their future belongs to peoples. This embraces the idea of coexistence with genuine respect for the power and dignity of all that constitutes the circle of interdependency.
