EDITORIAL DESK
Fieldnotes seeks to give voice to the Zo people
Editorial | April 29, 2023
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere – Martin Luther King Jr.
The launch of this Fieldnotes website, in staying true to our objective, is an initiative to give a voice to the minority Zo ethnic tribes (Zomi-Kuki-Mizo) of Manipur, oppressed and silenced by majoritarian State government, and massacred by its mentee – Meitei radical and militant forces. It is also a collective and contributive platform making a clarion call to all concerned and responsible citizens toward justice, human rights and peace in this part of India.
The timing of the launch, bitter for us as it is for many, witnessed the State-sponsored Ethnic Violence which erupted on May 3, 2023, completing a year. The violence which has caused untold losses and misery to the Zo people was most unfortunate and unprecedented for any democratic country. The Fieldnotes team, through our resolute endeavour of calling attention to structural injustice and commitment to speaking truth to power, would like to pay its utmost respect and condolences to the Zo departed souls and their families, for whom closure remains elusive till today.
To recount the objective of Fieldnotes is to highlight how Zo voices have been silenced in the Meitei militant-majoritarian project to “wipe out” the Zo people. In the year 2015, nine Zo tribals who were protesting against the three controversial anti-tribal bills passed in the Manipur legislature were killed in an atrocious police shooting. Throughout, the silencing of tribal voices and the misuse of State power by the dominant community to intimidate and terrorise tribals has been on the alarming rise. The misery and plight of the tribals, and their struggle to protect their land and identity has barely made it to national attention. The ongoing Manipur State-sponsored Ethnic Violence against the Zo people which erupted on May 3, 2023 is also executed through the same systematic control of State power, agenda-setting and narrative-wielding by the dominant community. With the surge of State-sponsored misinformation and propaganda, the Zo side of the story is either completely missing or acutely under-represented.
It was in this environment that Fieldnotes was launched. Since June 8, 2023, Fieldnotes have been bringing out “Regular Reports from Ground Zero”. It has explored variegated ways of information dissemination, including poetry and visual graphics, to protest against the systematic injustice and counter the silencing of Zo voices imposed through selective internet bans and restrictions on free speech. For over 10 months, despite serious challenges, Fieldnotes has provided reports, which otherwise would have been conveniently filtered out in Imphal.
With the launch of the Fieldnotes website, we continue the struggle for justice as equal citizens of India with firm faith in the democratic values and principles of the Constitution of India. The launch of this dedicated online site accessible across various social media platforms intends to build stronger solidarity for the cause of justice while facilitating greater rigour, increased relevance and wider engagement with structural issues of injustice, discrimination and exclusion faced by the Zo people. Amid the sea of misinformation and propaganda churned out daily from the State capital Imphal, it is also hoped that the launch will facilitate for the public at large, greater clarity and understanding of the nature and root of the ongoing Manipur State-sponsored Ethnic Violence and how it endangers Indian democratic ethos.
Lastly, we are thankful for the overwhelming support of our well-wishers and readers which has made our long-envisioned transition to a more accessible online presence a reality. We continue to look forward to your unwavering support throughout the important journey ahead.
