Language Awards, Lhakar, and Tibetan Education

Recently several photos of a language awards ceremony in Lithang County were sent from Tibet. The photos show Tibetan youth being presented certificates and being offered Khatas for their achievements in Tibetan language and study of Tibetan history. The recipients of the awards range in age from 10 to 18. Because the high cost of private schools and the poor quality of state education, young Tibetans often attend community run schools.

“Most people think that because the government gives free education to Tibetan youth, it’s a good thing. But after 5 or 6 years in these schools, they start to forget Tibetan,” the Tibetan source in Lithang said.

When asked if the awards were given as part of Lhakar (literally white Wednesday), the homegrown Tibetan noncooperation movement, the source said “Some people in Lithang do Lhakar. For example, in Lithang the Tibetan alphabet is written on doorways and graffitied on walls. They need a better way to promote Tibetan [language].”

In recent years, Tibetan students attending schools in Xining, Chengdu, Beijing and other Chinese cities often complain of discrimination, inadequate job opportunities, and the absence of meaningful “cultural education.”

Similar actions to preserve Tibetan language and culture have been taken by Tibetans across Tibet. In the name of Lhakar, many Tibetans have boycotted Chinese-owned stores, made special efforts to speak and write in Tibetan, promote Tibetan culture, and engaged in acts of non-cooperation.

For more on Tibet’s Lhakar movement, go to: http://lhakar.org

SFT in DC

Hey everyone! Elyna here.

I know that its been a while since I’ve posted an entry, but we’re all still recuperating from our trip to Washington, DC and the utter chaos that is Kalachakra 2011. Overall, it was a great, stressful, scorching hot success; thousands of people from all over the world came out in the DC heat to support SFT, Tibet, the Tibetan community, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

As a volunteer, I was able to attend some of the teachings. The earth ritual dance – contrary to what Tendor told me – was nothing like “The Lion King”. It was, however, incredibly beautiful. I found myself in sort of a trance as I sat through the dance; other parts of the dance inspired me to meditate. Many people were prostrating toward the mandala, and others I spotted were fast asleep. But despite the faint snoring coming from the upper levels of the Verizon Center, the arena was filled with peace and compassion.

This spirit of Kalachakra really translated into our “Free Tibetan Heroes” campaign. I spent most of the time standing next to three huge, 6-feet tall posters of Tibetan political prisoners, getting people psyched on signing petitions to set them free. My success probably had something to do with the silly vest I was wearing to gather donations.

Rungye Adak was the political prisoner I spent the most time gathering signatures for. In 2007, Adak openly announced at the Lithang Horse Racing Festival that Tibet will not be free unless HHDL returns home. He then proceeded to call for the release of the Panchen Lama and other Tibetan political prisoners. Just a few moments later, the Chinese government arrested him for attempting to “subvert state power”. Yeah, right. But with the notion that Tibetans inside Tibet are willing to risk their lives for freedom, we were able to obtain thousands of signatures for the release of Adak, and several other political prisoners, too. To learn more about Rungye Adak and other political prisoners inside Tibet, visit freetibetanheroes.org.

We’re all settling in the office now, getting back into the swing of things. Stef and TenDolkar are preparing for Action Camp in Germany, and there’s going to be a bunch of really awesome Lhakar Wednesday events coming up! Keep coming back to stay posted.

Take care!

~Elyna

 

“Peaceful Liberation” & the Potala Square

On Tuesday morning, 20,000 people gathered in the square in front of the Potala Palace, but not to protest.  They were celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the “Peaceful Liberation” of Tibet that took place when the 17-Point Agreement was signed in May, 1951. The stage was erected weeks in advance, much of Lhasa was under construction during the winter and spring, and government officials arrived on Sunday for one week of ceremonies and celebrations–the details of which were kept under wraps.

One thing was a given, that the Potala would serve as the backdrop.  The Chinese government loves using the Potala Palace as its flagship image for their Tibet propaganda. Completed in the late 1600s, the building sits thirteen stories high atop a hill overlooking Lhasa, holds over 1,000 rooms, exquisite temples, ancient scriptures, and remains of previous Dalai Lamas. No other buildings in the city rival the Potala’s height. It made the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994, and the Chinese government has plastered the image of the palace on everything from tourism brochures to beer and barley wine bottles and cans ever since. Not only is the Potala Palace a representation of incredible architectural feats and traditional Tibetan design, to the Chinese government it represents the backbone of a feudal society whose serfs were “liberated” by Mao and the People’s Republic of China 60 years ago.

 

In 2005, the Chinese government cleared the area in front of the Dalai Lama’s winter residence to make way for the new square and the “Tibet Peaceful Liberation Monument” that lay in the center. May 23, 2006 marked 50 years since the signing of the 17-Point Agreement, and the abstract representation of Mt. Everest was unveiled.  In front of the monument, embedded under the concrete, are water fountains synchronized with lights and music, giving the square a Disney-esque look and feel for the tourists who visit each night in the summer. Except for this year.

Lhasa has been banned to foreign travelers since June, and an article published on Saturday by AFP noted that the government is now restricting the number of Chinese tourists to the region. The fact that the number of domestic Chinese tourists traveling to Tibet is restricted is a sure sign that the situation is dire. Lhasa is cut off from the rest of the world, showing that there is fear of potential unrest, and most likely an increased military and security presence in the city–which is not something the government wants foreigners to view.

A China Daily article recounted what the government wanted people to see–Tuesday’s event, which included a speech by Vice President Xi Jinping, who claimed that “speeding up development holds the key to resolving all issues in Tibet”. The article launched into accounts of government aide to Tibetans, noting that Xi’s delegation brought pressure cookers and solar-powered TV sets to villages in Tibet.  Praise was given for the increased number of cars in towns and cities in Tibet, as well as one man’s opportunity to work in a cement factory ten months out of the year, rather than toil at his previous occupation as a farmer.

What the article omitted were the harsh realities of Tibet’s political and cultural oppression, and the continued economic and societal marginalization of Tibetans, despite the government’s attempt to buy Tibetans’ loyalties. It left out the fact that nomadic communities are being forced off of their land to make way for mining operations that destroy the land and poison the waters that flow downstream to 47% of the world’s population; that nomads are forced to slaughter their animals and move into ghetto-style housing blocks, where rates of depression, alcoholism, and suicide are on the rise; that the grasslands are turning into deserts because there are no nomads grazing their animals, whose traditional practices aerate and fertilize the soil, keeping the grasslands healthy and mitigating the effects of climate change.

Apparently pots and pans and television sets are more important.

Read more:

www.NomadRights.org

Celebration marks peaceful liberation (China Daily)

Beijing curbs China tourism to Tibet: travel agents (AFP)

 

Read more from e.v. de cleyre

Episode 10 Nomads’ Rights

RENAISSANCE SERIES | Amplifying Everything Banned in Tibet
Episode 10. Nomads’ Rights
July 14, 2011
Washington, D.C.

One year after the Renaissance Series’ debut in New York last June, Students for a Free Tibet hosted their 10th episode in Washington, D.C. The event was held at International Campaign for Tibet’s headquarters, and highlighted the issue of Nomads’ Rights in Tibet.

Take Action for Tibet’s Nomads

Currently, Tibetan nomads are being forcibly displaced from the grasslands they have dwelled on for millenia, and resettled into ghetto-style housing blocks by the Chinese government in the name of environmental preservation and economic development. This is leading to myriad social, economic, and environmental issues. Watch the video and check out www.NomadRights.org to find out more about the situation and ways you can take action:

Tibetan Nomads’ Rights from Students for a Free Tibet on Vimeo.

The Nomads’ Rights Renaissance Series included an introduction by Students for a Free Tibet’s Executive Director Tenzin Dorjee, as well as talks by guest speakers Rinchen Tashi of ICT, and Lobsang Choephel of Radio Free Asia.

Tendor introduced the Nomads’ Rights video, and expanded on the short film afterward by outlining the issues the nomads are facing and explaining why it is crucial to take action now. Next, Lobsang Choephel—speaking in Tibetan with translations by Tendor—walked guests through the typical day of a Tibetan nomad, eloquently describing their devotion to the land and their animals. Following Lobsang Choephel’s talk, a Radio Free Asia clip on the Tibetan nomads was screened, “The Last of the Black Tents.”

Lastly, Rinchen Tashi spoke, mixing jokes and humor into his discussion on the nomadic way of life and the seriousness of the current situation.

The episode ended with a viewing of a clip from the documentary “Dispatches: Undercover in Tibet,” where Tashi, a Tibetan living in England, visited a prison-style settlement camp to interview some of the nomads living there.

Take Action for Tibet’s Nomads

China’s Policy of Displacing Tibetan Nomads Exposed from Students for a Free Tibet on Vimeo.

DAY OF ACTION | REFUTING THE “PEACEFUL LIBERATION”

On July 13^th,  while Washington D.C. is abuzz with Kalachakra fever, over 50 Tibetans and Tibet supporters staged a protest in front of the Chinese consulate. 

Daily protests continue in Kardze—Eastern Tibet—while the Chinese government is commemorating 60 years since the “peaceful liberation” of Tibet.  Students for a Free Tibet called for a Global Day of Action to highlight the true reality of 60 years of failed Chinese policies in Tibet.

Watch AFP’s video coverage of the protest here: http://youtu.be/9wblX_aN3Es

 

The protest included speeches by former political prisoners Ngawang Sandrol and Phuntsok Nyidron, Amnesty International’s T. Kumar, Dorjee of RTYC, Ngawang Tashi, and Alim Seytoff of the Uyghur American Association.

The International Tibet Network’s “17 Points of Disagreement: 60 Years of China’s Failed Policies in Tibet” pamphlets were distributed.

View, download, and share the pamphlet here: http://www.chinasfailedtibetpolicies.org/

The protest was covered by AFP, and included quotes from SFT’s Executive Director Tenzin Dorjee.

Click here to read the article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j8JeRJKXvv23NDgu6i6W0RuZH0KA?docId=CNG.561caa8da42ba25c5ee1f3158a926c28.da1

Did you stage a Day of Action for Tibet on July 13th? Send us your stories, photos, and videos for us to post on our blog or website! info[at]studentsforafreetibet.org