Seeking forgiveness for past wrongs, young Naga girl offers way for healing & hope

Naga Republic News

In a moving testimony of seeking forgiveness for wrongs done in the past, a young Naga lady offered her personal apology for the past killings carried out by Naga national workers against fellow Nagas.

The lady in question identified herself as the daughter of a national worker and sought forgiveness during the course of interaction following the Morung Lectures which was delivered by Dr Kethoser Kevichusa on the topic ‘Forgiveness and Politics’.

Dr Kethoser had earlier delivered a heartwarming lecture on the theme of forgiveness with reference to his own personal story of wrongs done, the pain involved, forgiving the perpetrators and the difficult journey of healing. Dr Kethoser’s grandfather who was a medical doctor with the government and serving in Phek district was killed by Naga national workers in the year 1956.

“My intellectual journey into forgiveness began before I was even born”, said Dr Kethoser during the lecture referring to the assassination of his grandfather, a Lotha Naga in 1956.

Tragedy struck the family again when two of his uncles Chalie Kevichusa and Tubu Kevichusa were killed by Naga national workers in 1992 and 1996 respectively. Recollecting the aftermath of these killings within the family, Dr Kethoser, explained how his father chose to forgive the killers on both occasions, even though it was a painful and difficult human experience.

“What else can I do as a follower of Jesus but to forgive”, Dr Kethoser quoted his father as saying during those heartbreaking moments after both brothers were killed in quick succession.

“I am profoundly touched by the experiences of Dr. Kethoser and his family in the Naga Political conflict. Recently, I have come to believe that as Nagas, we have been victimized and more often than not we are the perpetrators ourselves”, said Atolu (name changed), the young Naga lady, who displayed courage and poise to ask for forgiveness.

Speaking separately to The Naga Republic, Atolu said that her family had been a part of the Naga National movement since the 1950s and that her perspective changed after making friends with people whose families “ suffered injustices and atrocities committed by our own Naga nationalists”. She termed this as a “humbling” experience.

At a group discussion conducted by her friends recently, Atolu shared about what it was like to be a daughter of an underground. She explains that a few days after that programme, a friend came up to her and said, “I apologize for the difficulties you faced. And I apologize because I was indirectly part of that group.”

“Often, we stereotype and label people without trying to understand their perspectives. This particular incident made me realize that at the core of reconciliation building is having the courage to ask for forgiveness, to acknowledge our own wrongdoings, as we discussed today at the lecture, we do this by remembering. Forgiving does not mean forgetting”.

Visibly moved by the offer of Atolu seeking forgiveness, Dr Kethoser reciprocated in like manner.

Atolu who has studied history and did an M.Phil research related to the Naga Political movement, points out that she came to realize that perhaps “Nagas are all victims”. “To stop this vicious cycle, we need to address the issue. The issue is that we have all been hurt. We are hurt, we are scared, we are confused, and we are ashamed”.

She believes that it is through compassion, empathy, and forgiveness (amongst others) that we can truly heal our land. “Being honest and vulnerable to each other opens the door to honest dialogue and reconciliation”, she says.

Dr Kethoser Kevichusa responding to questions during the Morung Lecture held on February 2 at DABA Elim Hall, Dimapur

Earlier, delivering the 11^th Morung Lecture on ‘Forgiveness and Politics’, Dr Kethoser gave a forceful argument that “forgiveness makes politics and the process of peace and dialogue possible”. “Forgiveness has an impact on politics. A lot of the work centering on peace and reconciliation also start by the act of forgiveness”, he mentioned.

“In Indo-Naga relationship we have moved from a situation of war to one of dialogue and negotiation. This could not have happened without a measure of forgiveness”, Dr Kethoser explained. He also mentioned about the ‘covenant of reconciliation’ signed by Naga Political Groups that was facilitated by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR).

On the popular slogan ‘forgive and forget’, Dr Kethoser pointed out that it was humanly impossible to forget and that forgiveness was not the same as forgetting. “It is very easy for anyone to say please forgive and forget. Perpetrators, society or bystanders may want to forgive and forget very easily. Such an attitude does not take wrong-doing seriously”, he said.

Pointing out that it is not right to forget, he added that it is impossible to forget serious wrongdoing. And so instead of forgive and forget, he suggested ‘forgive but remember’. “Community should remember serious wrong-doings of the past so that we do not repeat them again”.

Defining forgiveness as an “appropriate response to an imperfect reality”, Dr Kethoser said that one can forgive someone but not be healed. “Anger resentment can still be there.  Physical and emotional scars may remain”. He however qualified this by saying that it was not a weakness to forgive and that forgiveness was actually a sign of strength.

Dr Kethoser (Aniu) Kevichusa is a Speaker and Trainer with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) Life Focus Society. As a Langham Scholar, Aniu earned a PhD from Oxford Centre for Mission Studies and Middlesex University, London. His doctoral research focused on the philosophical and ethical relation between forgiveness and politics.

Dr Kethoser’s book ‘Forgiveness and Politics: A Critical Appraisal’ is available for sale at Amazon.