The 26th Manau dance festival, the biggest cultural event of ethnic Singphos in Arunachal Pradesh State, Northeast India was concluded on Tuesday.
The 26th Shapawng Yawng Manau Festival was commemorated from February 13 to 15 with hundreds of Singphos, also known as Kachin in Burma. The participants included Kachin from Burma other ethnic people.
The faces of the participants were suffused with happiness, enjoyment and satisfaction. It is the largest traditional and cultural event of the Singphos and is being held annually since 1985.
Ethnic people got financial and other support of the authorities facilitating holding the ceremony in Arunachal Pradesh. There were no restrictions or interference. However, Kachins in Burma continue to struggle to hold the festival under a repressive military junta.
At the recent Manau Festival in Kachin State from January 5 to 11 the junta closely monitored the event by despatching three special agents who reported all information daily to the regime authorities. They heavily censored content and photographs of the daily Manau news paper and forced the Manau news department to print also in Burmese language instead of only Kachin language as was done annually.
Bhamo the second largest city of Kachin State also faced severe disturbances by the junta, which destroyed the Manau field with bulldozers after it was constructed with concrete.
“I really want to go to Kachin State as I have heard a lot about it. But it’s not possible as I have no passport,” said one of the participants at the Singpho festival. Applying for a passport and getting visa from the Burmese embassy means going through several steps and entails a lot of money and time, he added.
Photo: Kachin News Group.
Singphos in Arunachal Pradesh are contiguous to Kachin State in Burma. However it is difficult for the two people to communicate with each other given that both governments have not opened the border gate officially.
There is a serious problem Singphos are facing with most young people addicted to drugs.
“We have a long term plan to eradicate the drug problem in maybe five years or more,” said Mayawng Maio the president of the Manau Committee.
He said they have to wait for permission from higher authorities to control the problem which endangers the Singpho population in India.
Use of drugs is also a problem in Kachin State among local youths. The 26th Shapawng Yawng Manau Poi, however was concluded peacefully with a farewell Manau dance again on February 16 morning from about 10: 45 pm to 12:30 pm.
