Dr. Anungla Aier, Director, Department of Higher Education addressing the 9th Cultural Day of Baptist College held at Ura Academy Hall on February 1. (Photo Courtesy: Baptist College)
Baptist College observes cultural day
Kohima, February 3 (MExN): With the need to examine the current values and to preserve and promote our culture, Baptist College Kohima and Sechü Campus observed its 9th Cultural Day on February 1 at Ura Academy Hall under the theme ‘Our Culture, Our Values’.
Dr. Anungla Aier, Director, Department of Higher Education, Government of Nagaland graced the occasion as the guest speaker.
Delivering her talk on cultural values, Dr. Anungla Aier began by pointing out the complexities in coming to a single definition to what culture or cultural values really mean as it encompasses all aspects of life, the beliefs, values, behaviours, customs, material object, governance and much more.
She stated that culture can be conceptualized as a man-made environment and that culture forms the foundation on which our values are grounded.
Values, she said, can be seen from two levels, individual and collective values where the latter, i.e., the shared values of a society, will always transcend over the former. Collective values form the core values of the society and are inseparable from the cultural values, but while cultural values take time to change, social values change faster. She also reminded on how Nagas promote community based culture unlike the western culture which is individualistic. “So young people should be able to discern what cultural base any new values are coming from and be able to maintain one’s own cultural identity,” she stated.
“Culture determines our perception and so it shapes our behaviour and attitude but for survival and progress, change in culture is inevitable.” Dr. Aier however clarified that change does not mean forgetting one’s cultural root. She lamented that we are on the verge of losing our cultural root thus there is the need to treasure what we still possess. “The sum total of our culture is the accumulated knowledge of our elders,” she said. She exhorted on how our everyday life should glorify our cultural values and to live out the values is to preserve our culture and tradition. Stating the importance of cultural values she stressed on how educational institutions and especially the teachers can play a big role in imparting and promoting the same.
A press release stated here that Dr. Vizovono Elizabeth, Convenor, Culture Study Centre, chaired the programme. In her introduction, she gave a brief insight into the aims, objectives and purpose for the establishment of the Culture Study Centre in Baptist College which was set up in 2003. She stated that our culture is our identity and to lose one’s culture would mean the loss of one’s identity and that it is a fallacy to confine culture to the ways of our ancestors alone, for how we live today also constitutes our culture.
Culture is not just our beliefs and practices but also our values like honesty, integrity, hard work and diligence which form the core of our culture. The challenge is to impart these kinds of values to the younger generation by providing opportunities for interaction between the elders and the youth. She further added that the Cultural Day was being observed with this concept in mind.
The programme was also enthralled by various performances from the students presenting folk song, dance and drama. The winners of the essay competition on the topic ‘Merits and Demerits of Social Media on our Culture’ which was held prior to the event were declared. Earlier, Pastor Kedo Peseyie pronounced the invocation while Dr. Kewepfuzu Lohe said the closing prayer.
Baptist College observes cultural day every alternate year and is one of the biggest events of the college.
