March 10th 2010: Because We Are Tibetan
Union Square, 14th Street, NYC
by navema
The 51st Commemoration of the 1959 Tibetan National Uprising
On March 10th, Tibetans and Tibet supporters around the world took to the streets to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan National Uprising against China’s illegal occupation.
In spite of China's brutal repression, there is a powerful new movement growing in Tibet. Tibetans – especially the younger generation – are finding creative, new ways to assert their identity and culture. Their defiance is a true testament to the strength and resolve of the Tibetan spirit of resistance.
-------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT MARCH 10th:
March 10th, 1959, marked a turning point in Tibet’s history. In the months leading up to this historic moment, the atmosphere in Lhasa had become increasingly tense as Tibetans from eastern Tibet poured into the capital seeking refuge from Chinese repression in their towns and villages. Despite Tibetan government officials' orders to disperse, the people refused to leave and the crowd continued to swell.
On March 10th, thousands of Tibetans surrounded the Norbulingka Palace, the Dalai Lama’s summer residence, to protect their leader and to demand that Chinese troops leave Tibet. Despite Tibetan government officials’ orders to disperse, the people refused to leave and the crowd continued to swell. As the protests intensified, Chinese troops responded with fatal force and a full-scale uprising ensued in the streets of Lhasa.
On March 12th, 1959, thousands of Tibetan women marched through the streets of Lhasa to the Potala Palace carrying banners demanding Tibetan independence. The march mostly composed of women because many of the men had been arrested, injured or killed in the previous days of protests. The women gathered below the Potala Palace, Tibet’s most iconic landmark and the winter residence of the Dalai Lama.
When the first round of Chinese mortars fell near the Norbulingka on March 17th, the Dalai Lama began his harrowing escape to India on horseback and under the protection of Tibetan resistance fighters. In the following days, the mostly unarmed Tibetan public clashed with the Chinese army for control of Lhasa. Tens of thousands of Tibetans were killed and imprisoned and thousands more fled persecution by making the dangerous journey into exile in India.
For the past 50 years, the Chinese government has done everything in its power to divide Tibetans and confuse the world about the issue. Tibet’s historical provinces of U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo have been cut up into the Tibetan Autonomous Region and the four Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu & Yunnan. At the same time, the Chinese authorities have tried to convince the international community that the majority of Tibetans are happy under Chinese rule and that it is only a privileged minority who agitate for independence.
But even a quick look at the history of the Tibetan people under Chinese occupation exposes the absurdity of this claim. In the 60 years since China invaded Tibet, Tibetans from all walks of life have sacrificed their lives to resist the occupation and restore Tibet’s freedom.
This prevailing spirit of resistance was witnessed in March 2008 (and in the months that followed) when an unprecedented tidal wave of protest broke out across all three provinces of historical Tibet. Tibetans old and young – including monks, nuns, farmers, nomads, professionals and even Tibetan students in Chinese cities – risked everything by taking to the streets in protest.
The 1959 Tibetan National Uprising signaled the beginning of 50 years of resistance by the Tibetan people. March 10th, 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of this historic uprising.
To honor 50 years of Tibetan resistance and the enduring Tibetan spirit, Students for a Free Tibet profiled 50 Tibetans whose heroic stories exemplify the Tibetan peoples' determination to never give up until Tibet is free.
-------------------------------------------------------
Last year around this time Tibetans decided to observe the traditional New Year — or Losar — as an occasion of mourning for those killed in China’s crackdown in 2008 following the Tibet uprising.
Appeals to forego Losar celebrations spread via text messages, blogs and word of mouth. On Losar, Tibetans stayed at home and ignored the fireworks, defying authorities who wanted them to sing and dance for state media. Overnight Tibetans turned silence — generally a sign of submission — into a weapon of resistance. The No Losar movement was nothing short of civil disobedience in full bloom.
On Feb. 14, Tibetans again greeted Losar with an air of defiance — many did not to celebrate while others embraced cultural traditions as an act of subversive resistance. A couple of days later, U.S. President Obama met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, sending a signal of hope to Tibetans everywhere. The 2008 Tibetan uprising may now seem a distant memory, but the dust of resistance is far from settled. With the new year, a different kind of storm brews over the Tibetan plateau.
Tibetans from Lhasa and Lithang to Markham and Ngaba have been engaging in experimental forms of nonviolent resistance in the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Though China’s intensified repression has created the illusion of normalcy, Tibetans are ushering in a grassroots revolution — one that strengthens Tibetan nationhood and undermines the structure of Chinese colonialism.
This quiet revolution is perhaps best symbolized by Lhakar — a movement whose name means White Wednesday. It’s no secret the Dalai Lama was born on a Wednesday. Every week on this day, a growing number of Tibetans in urban and rural Tibet are making a political statement by wearing traditional clothes, speaking Tibetan, performing circumambulations, eating in Tibetan restaurants and buying from Tibetan-owned businesses.
As a direct response to China’s 2008 crackdown, Lhakar allows Tibetans to channel their protest spirit into other methods of resistance that are self-constructive (e.g. promoting Tibetan language, culture and civil society) and non-cooperative (e.g. refusing to support Chinese institutions and businesses.)
In the fight for human rights and independence, Tibetans have routinely used the most visible form of resistance: street demonstrations. But since Beijing put the streets under lockdown, the resistance has moved indoors into private space. Lhakar participants practice Tibetan tradition in their homes, exercising whatever limited rights they have in their daily lives to strengthen their political, cultural and social identity.
These individual actions, taken collectively in such bastions of resistance as Kardze and Ngaba in eastern Tibet, have compromised Chinese businesses and prompted more than a few Chinese settlers to leave Tibet. In one particular town, all Chinese shops are said to have closed except for one that sells CDs of Dalai Lama teachings. Though humble in scale, these noncooperation tactics evoke Gandhi’s boycott of British textile and are inspiring thousands to action.
According to the 2009 Freedom House survey of over 200 countries and territories, Tibet ranks as “least free” both in political rights and civil liberties. In this environment, noncooperation tactics are often more suitable than protest tactics; they lower the risk of arrest. You can punish people for protesting in the streets, but how do you punish someone for staying at home?
For more information, please visit: www.studentsforafreetibet.org
March 10th 2010: Because We Are Tibetan
Union Square, 14th Street, NYC
by navema
The 51st Commemoration of the 1959 Tibetan National Uprising
On March 10th, Tibetans and Tibet supporters around the world took to the streets to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan National Uprising against China’s illegal occupation.
In spite of China's brutal repression, there is a powerful new movement growing in Tibet. Tibetans – especially the younger generation – are finding creative, new ways to assert their identity and culture. Their defiance is a true testament to the strength and resolve of the Tibetan spirit of resistance.
-------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT MARCH 10th:
March 10th, 1959, marked a turning point in Tibet’s history. In the months leading up to this historic moment, the atmosphere in Lhasa had become increasingly tense as Tibetans from eastern Tibet poured into the capital seeking refuge from Chinese repression in their towns and villages. Despite Tibetan government officials' orders to disperse, the people refused to leave and the crowd continued to swell.
On March 10th, thousands of Tibetans surrounded the Norbulingka Palace, the Dalai Lama’s summer residence, to protect their leader and to demand that Chinese troops leave Tibet. Despite Tibetan government officials’ orders to disperse, the people refused to leave and the crowd continued to swell. As the protests intensified, Chinese troops responded with fatal force and a full-scale uprising ensued in the streets of Lhasa.
On March 12th, 1959, thousands of Tibetan women marched through the streets of Lhasa to the Potala Palace carrying banners demanding Tibetan independence. The march mostly composed of women because many of the men had been arrested, injured or killed in the previous days of protests. The women gathered below the Potala Palace, Tibet’s most iconic landmark and the winter residence of the Dalai Lama.
When the first round of Chinese mortars fell near the Norbulingka on March 17th, the Dalai Lama began his harrowing escape to India on horseback and under the protection of Tibetan resistance fighters. In the following days, the mostly unarmed Tibetan public clashed with the Chinese army for control of Lhasa. Tens of thousands of Tibetans were killed and imprisoned and thousands more fled persecution by making the dangerous journey into exile in India.
For the past 50 years, the Chinese government has done everything in its power to divide Tibetans and confuse the world about the issue. Tibet’s historical provinces of U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo have been cut up into the Tibetan Autonomous Region and the four Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu & Yunnan. At the same time, the Chinese authorities have tried to convince the international community that the majority of Tibetans are happy under Chinese rule and that it is only a privileged minority who agitate for independence.
But even a quick look at the history of the Tibetan people under Chinese occupation exposes the absurdity of this claim. In the 60 years since China invaded Tibet, Tibetans from all walks of life have sacrificed their lives to resist the occupation and restore Tibet’s freedom.
This prevailing spirit of resistance was witnessed in March 2008 (and in the months that followed) when an unprecedented tidal wave of protest broke out across all three provinces of historical Tibet. Tibetans old and young – including monks, nuns, farmers, nomads, professionals and even Tibetan students in Chinese cities – risked everything by taking to the streets in protest.
The 1959 Tibetan National Uprising signaled the beginning of 50 years of resistance by the Tibetan people. March 10th, 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of this historic uprising.
To honor 50 years of Tibetan resistance and the enduring Tibetan spirit, Students for a Free Tibet profiled 50 Tibetans whose heroic stories exemplify the Tibetan peoples' determination to never give up until Tibet is free.
-------------------------------------------------------
Last year around this time Tibetans decided to observe the traditional New Year — or Losar — as an occasion of mourning for those killed in China’s crackdown in 2008 following the Tibet uprising.
Appeals to forego Losar celebrations spread via text messages, blogs and word of mouth. On Losar, Tibetans stayed at home and ignored the fireworks, defying authorities who wanted them to sing and dance for state media. Overnight Tibetans turned silence — generally a sign of submission — into a weapon of resistance. The No Losar movement was nothing short of civil disobedience in full bloom.
On Feb. 14, Tibetans again greeted Losar with an air of defiance — many did not to celebrate while others embraced cultural traditions as an act of subversive resistance. A couple of days later, U.S. President Obama met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, sending a signal of hope to Tibetans everywhere. The 2008 Tibetan uprising may now seem a distant memory, but the dust of resistance is far from settled. With the new year, a different kind of storm brews over the Tibetan plateau.
Tibetans from Lhasa and Lithang to Markham and Ngaba have been engaging in experimental forms of nonviolent resistance in the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Though China’s intensified repression has created the illusion of normalcy, Tibetans are ushering in a grassroots revolution — one that strengthens Tibetan nationhood and undermines the structure of Chinese colonialism.
This quiet revolution is perhaps best symbolized by Lhakar — a movement whose name means White Wednesday. It’s no secret the Dalai Lama was born on a Wednesday. Every week on this day, a growing number of Tibetans in urban and rural Tibet are making a political statement by wearing traditional clothes, speaking Tibetan, performing circumambulations, eating in Tibetan restaurants and buying from Tibetan-owned businesses.
As a direct response to China’s 2008 crackdown, Lhakar allows Tibetans to channel their protest spirit into other methods of resistance that are self-constructive (e.g. promoting Tibetan language, culture and civil society) and non-cooperative (e.g. refusing to support Chinese institutions and businesses.)
In the fight for human rights and independence, Tibetans have routinely used the most visible form of resistance: street demonstrations. But since Beijing put the streets under lockdown, the resistance has moved indoors into private space. Lhakar participants practice Tibetan tradition in their homes, exercising whatever limited rights they have in their daily lives to strengthen their political, cultural and social identity.
These individual actions, taken collectively in such bastions of resistance as Kardze and Ngaba in eastern Tibet, have compromised Chinese businesses and prompted more than a few Chinese settlers to leave Tibet. In one particular town, all Chinese shops are said to have closed except for one that sells CDs of Dalai Lama teachings. Though humble in scale, these noncooperation tactics evoke Gandhi’s boycott of British textile and are inspiring thousands to action.
According to the 2009 Freedom House survey of over 200 countries and territories, Tibet ranks as “least free” both in political rights and civil liberties. In this environment, noncooperation tactics are often more suitable than protest tactics; they lower the risk of arrest. You can punish people for protesting in the streets, but how do you punish someone for staying at home?
For more information, please visit: www.studentsforafreetibet.org