HT Correspondent
DIMAPUR, Oct 2: The much-anticipated Hornbill Festival has found a new partner in the form of Wales for its 25th-anniversary celebrations this year at Kisama Heritage Village under Kohima district.
The annual festival is scheduled to be celebrated from December 1 to December 10 to showcase the cultures and traditions of different ethnic groups of Nagaland for which it is also called the ‘Festival of Festivals.’
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Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio visited Wales this week to sign the country as a partner for the Hornbill Festival. This year, Wales has been made a designated partner of the festival, marking the end of ‘Wales in India 2024.’
Wales in India is a 12-month series of events celebrating the links between the two countries, especially across art and culture, education, health, business and human rights.
Welsh Government, the British Council, and Wales Arts International representatives met with Rio at the British Council offices in Cardiff on Monday to sign the partnership agreement. Rio also met with the deputy first minister of Wales and cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs Huw Irranca-Davies MS.
As part of his visit to Wales, Rio held talks with the newly-appointed minister for culture, skills and social partnership, Jack Sargeant MS.
Rio expressed his appreciation to the Welsh Government and the British Council for the opportunity to visit Wales to discuss their partnership for the Hornbill Festival.
“We have confidence that this partnership will strengthen ties between our two countries and increase people-to-people contact and open opportunities for young people,” he said.
He said Nagaland looks forward to welcoming Wales to experience the land of festivals for the 25th edition of Hornbill.
The CM and his delegation also visited the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the School of Sport and Health Sciences at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Rio further said: “We will be exploring avenues for students from Nagaland to embark on courses at these impressive universities as well as for musicians and artists to perform in Wales.”
The delegation met with students and discussed opportunities during a tour of the facilities.
Alison Barrett MBE, Director India, British Council, said: “We are delighted that the Hornbill Festival is part of the Wales in India 2024 celebration of two nations of culture and innovation.”
“We have had a long association with the festival and are looking forward to bringing artists and speakers from Wales for the festival to collaborate, exchange ideas and inspiration, and showcase their work to audiences in Nagaland as one of India’s most spectacular festivals celebrates its 25th anniversary.”
Moreover, on Wednesday, the Nagaland government sought active support and cooperation from 18 tribal organisations of the state to make this year’s silver jubilee edition of the Hornbill Festival a massive success.
The tourism department held a consultative meeting during the day with the tribal organisations regarding the event, which will be organised from December 1-10 at Naga Heritage Village in Kisama.
Speaking at the consultative meeting, tourism secretary G Hukugha Sema said this year’s festival will be a historic celebration, attracting people from all over the world.
Attributing the success of the previous editions of the festival to the combined efforts of the state government, tribal organisations and all other stakeholders, Sema said more efforts need to be given this time to make the event a resounding success.
“All these years, we have been able to showcase our land, tradition, culture and food habits, which were not known to the outside world before,” he said.
“All tourists attending the festival this time would be honoured as special guests. Therefore, all must cooperate towards providing them a comfortable and enjoyable experience,” the official said.
He said the master plan to revamp and renovate Kisama is underway in full swing and is expected to be completed by November 17.
During the meeting, the tribal organisations assured the government of their full support towards making the event a success.
Hornbill Festival is the annual tourism promotional event of the Nagaland government. It began in 2000 as a three-day event at the Kohima Local Ground in the heart of the capital.
However, the venue was shifted to the present site at Naga Heritage Village in Kisama, around 12 km from Kohima, in the mid-2000s.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO), the apex body of the eight tribes of six districts of eastern Nagaland, requested the state government to “push their demand” for Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT) to the Centre so that they can wholeheartedly participate in the Hornbill Festival.
