Dakini Dancing: A Celebration of Human Rights Violations

I walked down into Mcleod Ganj yesterday morning to find the streets eerily quiet. Metal shutters had yet to be pulled up, locked doors had still to be opened. Even the Takhyil Peace Cafe – where I usually sit and drink chai while reading 'messages to Tibetans' remained with a large padlock bolted to the front door. The scene reminded me of a similar one nearly four years ago, when I woke up in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to find the day delayed in beginning. The reason then had been that President Arafat had died. The reason yesterday was that the Olympic Games had officially began in Beijing. The people of Mcleod Ganj were not mourning a death, but the loss of their country. For the next five days the shops will remain closed in the morning – not in response to a public strike but because the Tibetan shop keepers are demonstrating. Posters plastered around Mcleod Ganj read “A Celebration of Human Rights Violations, Beijing 2008”. And here this is exactly what the 2008 Olympic Games is viewed as - international support for the Chinese violation of Tibetan Human Rights. Each morning women, men and children of all ages and professions are standing together, arms raised high, Mount Kalish waving to the sun, and marching down to Dharamasala. The demonstrations are their way of expressing their frustration, of showing their solidarity with their families, friends and country and of shouting out to the media “We are here! Do not forget Us! Do not forget Tibet!” And these calls to the international community are coming quick and fast.

Yesterday morning, the non-violent Gandhi styled direction action group the Tibetan Peoples Uprising Movement organised a peaceful demonstration of over 2000 people in Dharamsala. World wide Tibetan solidarity groups coordinated a massive public display of international solidarity through the lighting of candles. Countries all over the world participated in the vigil, with protesters in New York even shaving their heads as a symbolic gesture of support for Tibetans. And unlike the passing of the Olympic torch, there were no demonstrations against the lighting of these millions of flames.

Yesterday evening I followed the flags towards the Tsuglagkhang Complex and walked into a court yard full of candles. Nuns, Monks, mothers, fathers, young men and women, Press and tourists stood or sat, together, with one common thought in mind. Yellow t-shirts talking about the 'Rape of Tibet' or with the words “Bring Tibet to the 2008 Olympic Games” stood next to the polyester black jackets with the words 'Team Tibet 08' printed on the back. For others activist fashion was not needed to show their allegiance; old Tibetan women with their hair plated and striped apron wrapped around their padded waists stood next to the maroon colours of the robed monks and the nuns. As posters displayed around the town stated “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet. An Olympic opportunity to Make History for Tibet. ” And some – both Tibetans and tourists have not yet (in this lifetime) been to Tibet, but have either inherited the sense of injustice as second generation refugees or become influenced by emotive stories of injustice. The courtyard was not full, but with several hundred candles being held by several hundred pairs of hands it was an impressive show. The Tibetan flag which is banned in China, but which that same day was hung by Tibetan activists in the Olympic stadium, despite the presence of over 100,000 Chinese police, was everywhere in Mcleod Ganj: waved above heads, hanging off shoulders and wrapped around robed backs. Immediately the strength of the fifty year old exile community made itself clear. The activism here is real. It is not left for the international conflict tourists or protesters for peace.

The majority of activists in Mcleod Ganj are the refugees who want their country back. They want to return 'home' despite being 'free' here, in the Tibetan India which they have 'legally' occupied. And maybe this is why there is a difference between the strength of the peaceful activism in Mcleod Ganj compared to the combination of 'fighting activism' juxtaposed against other refugee communities such as the passive hopelessness felt in the Occupied Palestinian Territory's. Here the Tibetan refugees have the luxury to protest – they have houses, jobs and education. They have a strong communication networks through which to organise and the freedom of expression and movement to then act. In the Occupied Palestinian Territories all to often activism is left to the fighters as the majority of the people try to hold on to a semblance of 'normality' by continuing a 'normal' life within the ever increasing restrictions of the Wall, check posts, prisons and incursions. And it is contrast between the 'Free' and 'Unfree' which was stressed throughout the candlelight vigil.

The vigil began with morale raising speeches in Tibetan to Tibetans. Next came a symbolic speech of thanks to the foreigners in the audience: “You Love Freedom and so do we” spoke the English words from a 'Tibetan' mouth to an international community. This mention of 'Freedom' is one which was repeated in various forms throughout the evening. Freedom is an ideal which is most passionately defended by those who have realised its absence and therefore now realise its importance. The majority of refugees left Tibet precisely because – unlike you and I - they were not 'Free'. They were being persecuted, threatened with imprisonment or torture, prevented from travelling, unable to speak freely about their religion, and in some extreme cases subjected to mass sterilisation. The monks and nuns (who are viewed by the Chinese government as the ring leaders of civil unrest) were prevented from studying the Buddhist philosophy in its traditional form and because of their allegiance to the Dalia Lama, they remain under constant suspicion. The majority of Tibetan Political Prisoners are Buddhist Monks. Ultimately the vigil was “dedicated to the Tibetans still in Tibet”.

The Tibetan voice speaking in English spoke of Our responsibility to “Convince the Global Community that there is No Freedom in Tibet.” Almost as if the inaction of the international community was a result of our lack of knowledge of the situation of Tibet and in Tibet. Which is itself a falsity as Tibet has been on the activist agenda for nearly fifty years. We know of the injustices there. The 'injustices' are - unlike the Occupied Palestinian Territories - not defended by the uninformed. We accept that China is the aggressor, that China invaded Tibet, conducted human and cultural genocide, and took away certain basic freedoms. And yet despite this knowledge, we, the international community actively supported, condoned and made possible the holding of one of the biggest historic international sporting events in China.

It is this contrast between the Tibetans living within the traditional borders and those living in India which has both prompted and allowed the exiles to fight for their brothers and sisters. The exiles are 'free' in that although they have been forced from their country, family and friends, they can live a life like You and I. They can live a life without persecution for being a certain nationality, they can conduct cultural practices, talk about their beliefs and actively learn rather than just inherit their Buddhist religion. The Tibetan exiles in Mcleod Ganj – like You and I - can talk about what they want, travel where they want (within India), work and have minimal interference within their personal sphere and to a certain extent their social sphere. In contrast, the vigil asked us to remember the continuing injustices which we are not experiencing, and therefore which do not immediately effect us and yet that is still within our collective power to do something about. It was the injustices inside Tibet, and Tibetans relative isolation from this 'international community' that the speaker was stressing. Ever since the demonstrations five months ago in March, China has slammed shut it's (and Tibet's) borders. Media coverage has been suppressed even further as have the daily lives of Tibetans and suspected political activists still inside those borders. There is a feeling of comarade and solidarity among the exiles who come from all across Tibet. Such sentiments were vocalised by one of the present Tibetan Youth Congress hunger strikers when he stated “Tibetans in Tibet have to endure much more, so I can also endure much more pain.”

After the speeches came a final call to the individuals competing in the games, which echoed a large banner hung in front of the crowd reading:

“To the Athletes, Speak for the Truth and Justice, Speak for Tibet.”

The words were surrounded by tiny flames growing brighter as the night grew darker and together the appeals really brought to mind the political weight of the decision to hold the Olympic Games in Beijing. Regardless of the athletes own personal motivation to win their medals and represent their country, this politicalisation can not be denied. As the people stood together holding their candles in the Tsuglagkhang Complex and in the hundreds of countries around the world these Olympic Games are clearly not just about sport. China itself used the Olympic torch as a statement of its 'legal' occupation of Tibet by not only passing the flame through Lhasa but also through gaining the passive support of the international community. Tibet is a small country, trying to stand up against a massive nation which seemingly has the backing of all the countries participating in these games. The Tibetan English voice over the microphone remained optimistic: “China is not invincible. It can be beat. The issue of Tibet will not be over.”

The speeches ended with a song. The song was led by a women, and followed by all who understood. I don't know exactly what the song was but I could hear that it was sang in Tibetan, and I could hear that it was sang with passion. Perhaps the ousted national anthem – but I did not need to know the translation to understand the meaning. Standing outside of the Dalia Lama's house and behind a sea of fire, lighting up banners of resistance, the foreign words were incomprehensibly powerful. As I wrote at the time:

“Full of power, filled with sadness. The rhythm changes. Louder. Faster. Energy. Determination. Memories of the Past and dreams of the Future together in this Present limbo of no mans land. Indian Tibet – Tibetan India. Singing together for a remembered Land with different borders – singing together for a different Tibet.”

The united voice ended with a united cheer – fire to the sky. The united voice ended with a cheer of an English English voice, shouting “Free Tibet” and then by the Tibetan English voice shouting, “Let us Unite – the Exiles and the Free.” Finally a message to us all: “Please continue to support Our efforts. Thank you very much”.