“A Letter to President Obama” by a Tibetan Blogger

Posted by High Peaks Pure Earth on Nov 30, 2009 in Global Contributors, SFT Global | 0 comments


Obama's first state visit to China generated huge online discussions amongst Chinese netizens but the Tibetan blogs were generally much quieter due to the political sensitivities surrounding the visit. However, High Peaks Pure Earth discovered and translated a letter written to President Obama by a Tibetan blogger in the form of a long poem which was posted on their blog on November 18, 2009.


The writer demonstrates an astute grasp of world affairs and politics and the poem mixes seriousness with joviality, giving it altogether mostly a sarcastic tone. High Peaks Pure Earth would have translated the poem sooner but had difficulty with the second verse, namely with the sentence: གོ་པའི་བཀག་སྡོམ་ (go pa'i bkag sdom) - it took a long time to figure out that the writer was referring to Guantanamo!


A Letter to President Obama

Respected all around the world,
America, the most powerful country of the west,
The great, first black president of the United States,
Your victory shook the whole world.

Reducing the smoke and clouds of the war in Iraq,
The policy to close Guantanamo detention centre,
Your contribution to world peace became manifest,
For which you recently won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since you’ve come to the Mainland in the East,
On a state visit to the country of China,
Where all the high and mighty shake hands with you,
Citizens like me are listening keenly from a distance. 

The decline of the world economy has been disastrous,
The resources of the world, complex and variegated,
Improvement of critical Sino-US relations for the road ahead,
Is supposedly the purpose of your state visit.

Further, with respect to one or two political issues, 
As well as matters of violation of religious belief,
Appear to have been raised incidentally,
Giving the impression, they are not trivial matters.

Denial of the people’s right to participate in national affairs,
Is the fundamental principle of our country,
And telling the truth to visiting dignitaries,
Has never been a tradition of this country of ours.

Although I have neither witnessed nor heard first hand,
According to what I hear from afar,
Human rights are guaranteed and safeguarded by laws,
And the laws reflect the essence of human values and dignity.

Governmental power is exercised in the name of the people,
And equality of the people is regarded a natural right,
Such liberal and great principles your country represents,
Why can't you, Mr. President, speak a little about these?

Heavenly pronouncements reflect human needs,
And the fate of human beings lie in their own hands,
People enjoy freedom of religious faith and practice,
Religious tolerance and openness, a hallmark of your country.

All phenomenon, big and small, are objects of research,
And truth is arrived at through rigorous examination of evidence,
A culture of respecting material evidence seems to flourish there.
Why can’t you, Mr. President, speak a little about these?

Harnessing atoms you have produced nuclear weapons,
You’ve developed technology to traverse the galaxy,
Such marvellous scientific heights your nation has attained,
Why can’t you, Mr. President, speak a little about these?

Where education is said to begin in the mother’s womb,
And fathers cannot obstruct their children’s interests,
Where students are free to negate their teachers,
Is there really such an unprecedented system of education?

A simpleton like me has said more than I should,
Still, the essence of what I wish to submit is this,
When citizens appeal to the government with hope and trust,
Have you heard of the official response with tanks and bullets?

Wondering about without friends or a place to call home,
A lonely and bereft  monk nearing his eightieth year,
Joining his two hands together in the chest, prays,
Can you see a sparkle of hope in the old monk’s eyes?

When lines are drawn between old and new ideologies,
Nations get embroiled in bloody wars, have you heard?
Placing an innocent child high on the golden throne.
Have you seen how the child’s life is manipulated?

Although I have a lot more to say and appeal,
Being mindful of claiming too much of your time,
The actual state of affairs that I wish to state truthfully,
Can't be said openly for fear of my own safety.

The hustle and bustle of welcome in the Great Hall of the People,
Will leave you no time to visit my tiny black yak-hair tent,
So, should one day you happen to see this short petition of mine,
I pray that you pay heed to the sufferings of the common people.

November 18, 2009

Ottawa and Montreal: RISE UP FOR TIBET!

Posted by Home on Nov 29, 2009 in Global Contributors, SFT Global | 0 comments

Between December 2nd-6th, Prime Minister Harper will make his first official trip to China since being elected almost four years ago. As a send-off, Tibetans and Tibet supporters, as well other China rights groups will be holding a demonstration on December 1st at Parliament Hill. 

 

This will be a peaceful demonstration with Tibetan, Uyghur, and Chinese democracy and human rights groups joining hands in efforts to urge Prime Minister Harper to stand up for human rights when he meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao. 

 

We encourage everyone to attend this historic event to let the Canadian government know that we are counting on them to uphold Canadian values of freedom and justice, and that putting trade with China and the “almighty dollar” above human rights is unacceptable.

 

What: Rally to call on Prime Minister Harper to stand up for human rights while in China

Location: Front lawn of Parliament Hill, Ottawa

Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Time: 9:30am-12:30pm

 

If you’re in Montreal, there will also be a candle light vigil that evening to call on the Canadian government to speak out for human rights.

 

What: Candle light vigil

Location: Complexe Guy Favreau, 200 René-Lévesque Ouest, Montréal

Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Time: 5:30pm

 

If you can’t attend either of these two events, you can still take action by writing to Prime Minister Harper to urge him to speak out for Tibet when he’s in China.  To send a letter to the Prime Minister before he leaves for China, please click here!

 

Let’s all rise up for those who cannot in Tibet and China!

Tibet Saves The World? Tibetan and Chinese Bloggers Discuss “2012″

Posted by High Peaks Pure Earth on Nov 27, 2009 in Global Contributors, SFT Global | 1 comment

Above: Screenshot of a Tibetan blogpost about "2012"

High Peaks Pure Earth has been following Tibetan and Chinese blog reactions to the Hollywood film "2012". Although China-watching blogs such as chinaSMACK have focused on the film's treatment and depiction of China, there has been little translated about the prominent role that Tibet plays in the film.

It seems that Tibetans are also monitoring blog reactions to the film. On November 17, a Tibetan posted an extract of a commentary written about "2012" that had originally appeared in the Guangzhou Daily to the TibetCul Bulletin Boards (commonly known as BBS) :


It is worth mentioning that the film “2012” contains many elements which Chinese audiences are quite familiar with, such as Zhuoming County in Sichuan, a Tibetan monastery or the Himalaya Mountains. Although scenes about the earthquake in May last year add up to less than 20 seconds, the distinct Chinese lines in the film still manage to make the audience’s hearts glow and certainly makes it the most striking part of the movie. The film calls China “the ultimate redeemer”. The characters in the story exceed the margins of life and death, trying to run away from the towering tsunami and it is no other than the Himalayan Mountains which save them like a Noah’s Ark. An American official arrives at the constructed base and can’t help but sigh with deepest emotion: “it is right to leave this matter to the Chinese”.
Although the commentary is praising China's role in the film, the Tibetan who has posted it has used the subject heading: "2012": Tibet Saves The World? The same Tibetan also posted another comment written originally on a Chinese BBS thread with the subject line: Finished watching "2012", China saves the world is perverse fantasy, Tibet deserves the praise. 

The comment reads:
[...] saying that China saves the world is nothing but perverse national media fantasy; of course it might well satisfy some people’s vanity. After the film, I heard a girl next to me saying to her boyfriend “our China is really great, saved the whole world”. In comparison, the wise and calmly affectionate old Lama pours the little Lama some tea and talks to him about Buddhism; he even gives him the vehicle keys and at the end, when the old Lama faces the gigantic waves submerging the Himalayan mountains calmly ringing the final bells, the image of the Tibetan fairyland appears even more perfect (personally, I also feel strongly about Tibet, I quite like it). 

"2012" Film Still

This depiction of Tibet is questioned amongst some Chinese bloggers. On November 19, prominent Chinese blogger Michael Anti sent prominent Tibetan blogger Woeser the following Twitter message:


Woeser @degewa, please watch “2012” and then tell me if the Tibetan they use is actually authentic or not.
The reply from Woeser a little while later was:



I haven’t seen it yet, but I did see the trailer. That most classic scene where the old Lama rings the bell is really not that authentic. Tibetan temples don’t have the custom of striking bells, they play the copper trombone. They strike bells in Notre Dame, they strike bells in Hanshan temple and they also strike bells in Japanese temples but they don’t in Tibetan temples. 
The film's lack of authenticity was also noticed in this exchange between Tibetan bloggers in Tibetan language. On November 15, a Tibetan blogger had written a blogpost urging his friends to see the film and was met with this response the following day:


I waited three months for the film.  After seeing the film yesterday, although the film is good, but when it reached the final stage, (i thought) how is this possible?  How come the director of the film could not find 6 or 7 Tibetan speakers amongst six million Tibetans for the film? Some Chinese were speaking in broken Tibetan and in the background of the film there are some deceitful politics. However, in the film, you can see people wearing lay and religous costumes, and I recognise (that seeing the) the five colours of prayer flags gave fresh breath (to the film).
The most widely-read BBS portal in China, Tianya, has an ongoing heated discussion about "2012", here is a selection of Tibet-related comments by Chinese bloggers:



If you want to be the saviour of the world, just remove Tibet from it.



The question of whether China rescued the world or not is useless. The director simply knows how to survive in the Chinese market. He just added a few scenes showing Chinese people... The fact that he chose the Himalayan Mountains is also easy to explain: when there is a tsunami, would you run towards Tibet or Zhejiang? Don’t overanalyse – this film wasn’t shot by the Chinese propaganda department. Perhaps the only thing the Americans thought about was the box office.

The Chinese parts in the movie were quite cleverly portrayed. It not only pleased the ideological tainted Chinese officialdom, gaining permission to be shown uncensored, it also catered to the Western audiences’ love of Tibetan characteristics.  

WTF! What's the difference between China and Tibet?

Harper: Don’t forget Tibet

Posted by tenzinlobsang on Nov 25, 2009 in Global Contributors, SFT Global | 0 comments

Students for a Free Tibet UK Conference 2009

Posted by From London to Lhasa: Students for a Free Tibet UK on Nov 25, 2009 in Global Contributors, SFT Global | 0 comments

DSC_1056

24th November, London: The 6th Students for a Free Tibet  UK Annual Conference was held in London this year from 21-22 November. More than 30 students, professionals and Tibet supporters, from all over the UK and all walks of life came together to take part in the conference.

A heavily packed schedule full of inspiring workshops and talks were enjoyed by every participant. Non-Violent Direct Actions (NVDA), Media Training, Political Lobbying and Chinese Outreach were just a few of the sessions that kept everyone to their toes over the conference weekend.

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The opening speech of the conference was made by the new Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet, Tenzin Dorjee, with his session on "Vision & Strategy" underlining the various strategies employed by SFT in the Tibetan Freedom Movement.  Some of the very active and strong leaders in the Tibetan Movement such as Thubten Samdup (Official Representative of H.H. The Dalai Lama in Northern Europe), Katie Mallin from Tibet Relief Fund and also Lucy Pearce from Stop Climate Chaos Coalition amongst many others, facilitated the conference. Long-term Tibet friends such as the former SFT UK board members and and supporters who work in other relevant fields including NGOs  Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth Scotland, along with a media professional and fundraising expert, also took part in the conference to share their knowledge and skills with the participants.

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