Not
many people know about Tibetans and their culture. When was the last
time you saw them on the news? Their culture is currently being
bulldozed because the Chinese government wants to have a uniform nation,
which includes a common language, culture, and leader. The naïveté of
American’s knowledge of the world is troubling because they are unable
to see what’s right outside their doorstep. There is murder, genocide,
and cultural extinction, the citizens of Tibet need our help.
Tibet sits at the top of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Tibet was the
highest independent nation in the world with an average altitude of over
4,000 meters. It was a very peaceful nation with its own government and
social rankings. The higher a persons’ rank in their society, the more
embellished and grand their hat would be. The ruler of the nation was
not decided through elections or by a person’s family tree but by
discovering the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama was the
spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet. The People’s Liberation Army of
China invaded Tibet in 1949 because they felt the Tibetan region
rightfully belonged to them. The Tibetans did not go down without a
fight but they were peaceful people so they were slaughtered by the
Chinese invaders. As a direct result of the 1949 invasion of Tibet, 1.2
million Tibetans have died. The Dalai Lama has been forced to leave
Tibet because it has become too unsafe for him to live there because of
persecution by the Chinese.The Dalai Lama travels around the world to
spread the teachings of Buddhism and peace. He has been forced to become
a politician for the rights of his people. He was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize and currently receives great praise from his followers. I
got a chance to see him in person and listen to his teachings. He taught
about being compassionate to others and about being a good person and
listener. He is a very humble and comedic individual. You can feel the
audiences great respect and admiration for him when he speaks. He is a
very wise man who is getting old. The people of Tibet are afraid, for
when he dies, the Chinese government will do whatever they can to
prevent the next Dalai Lama from rising to power. It is said that when
the 14th Dalai Lama dies, there will be no more hope for the Tibetan
people.
After Tibet was taken by China, it
was renamed The Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). The largest city in
TAR is Lhasa which has an urban population of 373,000. The citizens of
Lhasa and the smaller cities in TAR participate in weaving, farming,
animal husbandry, leather making, and the manufacturing of other
materials. These factors of production are great because there is a
growing tourist market in TAR. Tourists come mainly to see the Potala
Palace in Lhasa (on right). The Chinese government feels if they show
how productive and successful the Tibetans are being, Westerners will be
less likely to protest Chinese control. It is said that there are
government officials hiding amongst the Tibetans and if you ask them how
they feel about the Chinese rule, you will be arrested and tried for
conspiring against the Chinese government.
“We urge China to respect the fundamental and universally recognized right of all of its citizens to peacefully express their political and religious views, and we call on China to release monks and others who have been detained solely for the peaceful expression of their views.” -Condoleezza Rice
It is very difficult to determine what a day in the life is like for a
citizen of Tibet but it is known that life has been a struggle for them.
Tibetans are not allowed to express their opinions, practice their
prayers, or even speak their native language.
The Peoples Republic of China has stated that they want to change the
language in TAR from Tibetan to Mandarin. Tibetans and supporters of
freedom in Tibet say that they are taking this too far and need to leave
them alone because their entire culture is passed down through their
oral traditions. There are many other refugees who have left Tibet and
are doing everything in their power to preserve what they can of their
quickly fading culture.
Since it is
impossible for people in TAR to protest, they need our help to demand
freedom. I am a member of Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) which is an
organization of people to fight for the release of people who were
imprisoned for speaking against the Chinese government. The was also
designed to be a central hub for people who are helping spread awareness
about the problems Tibetans are facing and the genocide happening in
China. More and more people in the world are taking a stand for freedom
everyday. But they can’t do it alone. Please visit www.freetibet.org or www.studentsforafreetibet.org for more information on what you can do to give these people a voice. The world needs you.
