Digital Initiative, Indigenous Heritage: A Catalyst for Digital Theological Discourse and Digital Activism
TL;DR
It is argued that creative use of digital technologies and platforms by Indigenous communities has the potential to inform digital theological discourse and contribute to discussion of digital activism, particularly among the Indigenous Tangkhul Nagas.
Abstract
This research suggests that engaging in the revisiting and recovering of Indigenous heritage is needed to initiate the decolonisation process, representing individual or community efforts to move away from the captivity of colonial ideologies. It will analyse Indigenous Christian initiatives, namely in the field of contemporary music and fashion, aimed at reclaiming cultural heritage using digital technologies and platforms among the Indigenous Tangkhul Nagas, while making it accessible and engaging for the contemporary generations. These creative initiatives exemplify a form of digital activism and are noteworthy because Indigenous heritage, including their way of life, beliefs, and intellect, was previously described as demon worship and rejected by colonisers. In this exploratory paper, I will argue that creative use of digital technologies and platforms by Indigenous communities has the potential to inform digital theological discourse and contribute to discussion of digital activism, particularly among the Tangkhul Nagas. The proposed work positions digital theology within a decolonial framework, arguing that revisiting and recovering Indigenous heritage constitute liberation from colonial ideologies. Furthermore, rather than a “radical democracy” framework, my contribution to digital activism is reframed as a process that challenges not only current power structures but also their disregard for Indigenous heritage.