Revolutionary Dreams, from the ongoing series
I Have to Feed Myself, My Family and My Country
Hit Man Gurung
Revolutionary Dreams addresses the ironic realties of
contemporary Nepalese society.
This series of works reference the memories associated
with my birthplace, Najaree, and the dramatic
changes I encountered during my recent visit to the
region following a nineteen-year absence.
The series highlights the extent to which internal and
external conflicts, such as continued political instability,
the ten-year Maoist insurgency and global
capitalist forces affect the social fabric of villages in
developing countries such as Nepal. Full of hopes
and dreams for a better future, 1,700 to 2,000 Nepalis
leave the country each day to join a cheap international
labour force, mostly in the Gulf countries and
Malaysia. At the same time, there has also been an
increase in internal migration from villages to small
towns, and from small towns to cities. The villages
are emptying out, and social communal structures
are rapidly disappearing and dying. At present, the
majority of small villages have been emptied and
deserted, as is the case of Najaree in Nepal; the rich
agricultural lands have become barren. Almost all
young and middle-aged people have migrated elsewhere.
Those remaining belong to older generations,
and those unable to afford to leave.
This painting is about the former Maoist militia PLA
(People’s Liberation Army in Nepal) who were inspired
by the revolutionary dream of bringing about
political and social reformation in Nepal. In Nov 2006, the SPA (Seven Party Alliance) and the Maoists signed several agreements, including the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement to end the decade-long
insurgency. Both sides also agreed to an arms
management process and to the election of a Constituent
Assembly. The arms management process
provided three options to former PLA combatants –
integration, voluntary retirement, and rehabilitation.
Thousands of former PLA, who voluntarily retired and
rehabilitated in a desperate plea to sustain their livelihood,
joined foreign cheap labour forces, above all
in the Gulf region and Malaysia.
This painting forms part of my performative photography
project, in which I assumed various character
roles from memory by wearing clothes and traditional
costumes borrowed from the villagers. I also
transformed myself by wearing the garments of
migrant Nepalese labourers. I combined these two
images of past and present in a single frame to depict
the current contradictions in Nepalese society.