By Tenam
Paris, 27 April: Thousands of Parisians joined the two-day event organised by Tibetan Community of France to highlight the rich culture of Tibet and inform the French public about the present condition inside Tibet this weekend in Paris. The event saw debates, films, calligraphy, sand mandala, photo exhibition, Tibetan food and products by Tibetan artisans.
The first day began with Sang sol, presided by Thubten Ngodup, the medium of Nechung Oracle. Ven Thubten Ngodup is touring France and is promoting the French edition of his biography title ‘Nechung, l’oracle du Dalai Lama’, published by Presses de la Renaissance. Later Geshe Thubten Khedrup from Sera monastery gave a talk on ‘Inner Peace through Compassion’.
Bernard Debord, the director of ‘Tibet, le mensonge Chinoise ?’ (Tibet, the Chinese lie?)was there to respond to audiences’ questions after the film. The film chronicles the recent history of Tibet since its occupation juxtaposing Chinese newsreel and interviews of Tibetan refugees who lived through those period and now are in exile.
“I have absolutely no doubt that the Chinese lie about Tibet. The question mark after the title of film was not my decision,” he said.
Bernard Debord who speaks Chinese and had lived in China for many years and even wrote a book about the Tienanmen Massacre said that the Chinese only respect strength.
“That is why I think President Sarkozy has got it all wrong in his approach towards China,” he pointed out.
At a discussion title “Preserving Tibet’s Cultural Heritage’, Heather Stoddard, Professor and head of the Tibet section at INALCO, French institute specialising in Oriental language said that Tibetans have lost more than just monasteries since the Chinese occupation.
“Tibet had many beautiful forts, manors and libraries that have been destroyed since the occupation,” she said. It is important that Tibetans highlight this part of the destruction of Tibetan cultural heritage, she added.
Katia Buffetrille, anthropologist and specialist at EPHE, a University
in Paris said that she has no doubt that the Tibetan culture is “under
threat today”.
Domed Deputy Lhamo Kyab, who is teaching at INALCO, outlined the history of Tibetan literature since Nyatri Tsenpo, the first king to the period of Songtsen Gampo, classifying it as the age of oral tradition. Then the new period where Buddhism played a very influential role in the development of Tibetan literature.
“Since the 1950s Tibetans have found a new way to expressing and this period can be classified as the modern period,” he added.
Briefly touching on ‘Ling Gesar’ he said that most of the writers today inside Tibet draw their inspiration from this, the world’s
longest epic.
Wangpo Bashi from Bureau du Tibet, Paris spoke on the subject of ‘How the Communist Party of China is trying to control Tibetan Buddhism’.
The second day of the event also had members of Tibetan community presenting traditional dances and singing. Loten Namling wowed the crowd in the evening with his rendition of Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowing in the Wind’. He was also joined by French Choir of St. Germain en Laye and Lobsang Bondopatsang, Music instructor of Tibetan Community in France.
