Tibetan Review Archives

And Nangma for you - Bhuchung K. Tsering (June 1999)

And Nangma for you

Article by Bhuchung K. Tsering (issue June 1999)

I have always felt that some Tibetan artistes do not recognise their own value. At worst they not only underestimate themselves, but also the art. One former TIPA artiste when asked to do a performance is said to have remarked, ‘I have had enough to do with monkeyacting.’

On the other side there are Tibetans, not professional artistes, who take up Tibetan music for their sheer love of it. The members of the Nangma group in Switzerland falls into this category. Nangma initially began as a section of the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe, but today has an identity of its own. Its members work in banks and airlines during the weekday. They spend their leisure hours immersed in Tibetan music. I have had the occasion to see some of their performances in the early Nineties.

Nangma has come out with a new CD titled ‘Sonam Yangchen’, a conglomeration of classical and popular numbers. Among these are Sonam Yangchen (Nangma), Acho Sotop (Toeshey), Tse Potala (an Amdo number popularised by TIPA), a Namthar and a Chang song titled ‘Arokla Nachung’. My favourite is the collage of instrumental music, which begins the album. Performers play the Flute, Dramnyen, Gyumang, and Piwang, which compose Tibetan music, one after another thus giving us a taste of their individuality.

While I certainly welcome Sonam Yangchen as one more choice of Tibetan music on CD, I wish Tibetan artistes would start coming out with specialised albums, whether on Nangma, Toeshey, Changshey, Gorshey, Namthar, etc. instead of mixing them together. There is a good market, commercially speaking, for such albums if they get the right promotion. Unfortunately, Nangma (the group) has not done much to promote this CD. Unless one accidentally comes across it (as I did) one may not even be aware of its existence. I went to a music store the other day. There were over a dozen Tibetan CDs, mostly religious chants, on the Tibet section in the world music department. Sonam Yangchen (the CD) was nowhere in sight although TIPA’s ‘Dhama Suna’ was there. In this regard artistes like Nawang Khechog and Yungchen Lhamo have learnt the tricks of the trade.

Leave alone promoting the CD; Nangma artistes have not even promoted themselves in the CD. No names are given of the performers of the individual numbers. Since I knew some of the performers like Tsering Topgyal Nelung (‘Acho Tom’) and Tsering Tethong, I could identify their voices. Nangma’s album, ‘Trunglha Yarsoel’, released in 1996, lists its artistes as follows: Lobsang Gangshontsang, Kalsang Dhidugong, Norbu Lhakhang, Kunga Tethong, Tsering Topgyal Nelung and Lhakpa Tsering. The listener is left wondering who among them played some of the instruments.

Anyway, for anyone wishing to get a copy of this CD try contacting Kalsang Dhidugong, Zugerstrasse 24, 8810 Horgen, Switzerland (this address is given on the CD).

Bhuchung K. Tsering is a commentator based in Washinton, DC. He currently works with the International Campaign for Tibet.

Studying 'Tibetans' or 'Tibetan' studies? - Bhuchung K. Tsering (September 1998)

Studying 'Tibetans' or 'Tibetan' studies?
Article by Bhuchung K. Tsering (issue September 1998)

The 8^th ‘Seminar of the Intenational Association for Tibetan Studies’ took place between July 25 and 31, 1998 in Bloomingto, Indiana, in the United States. Thirty-six years ago, a ‘Conference on Tibet’ took place in the Italian town of Bellagio. That conference, held from July 2 to 8, 1962, was attended by 15 Western and Japanese Tibetologists. A comparative study of the two meetings reveals the extent of development in the field of Tibetan studies.

Compared to the 15 attendees in the 1962 meeting, the Indiana meeting attracted nearly 200 scholars. In 1962 Tibetans scholars (the current president of the Association of Tibetan Studies, Samten Karmay, being one of them) were regarded more as raw materials rather than finished products and merely served as sources of information which were then packaged by Western and other scholars. In the Indiana conference, 33 participants were Tibetan (17 of them in fact came from Tibet).

The ‘general opinion’ of the 1962 conference, reported by Turell V Wylie, was that ‘Tibetan culture has no chance of survival in Tibet proper where change is being made by force, and it will not long survive the acculturation process in other countries.’. the latter, I assume, is a nice way of saying that Tibetans in exile will not be able to preserve our culture. Indiana has proved Bellagio wrong on both counts. While Tibetans inside Tibet have shown tremendous resilience in the face of challenge, those in exile have shown the world that Tibetan culture, altough aged, is living and well, thank you.

However, Indiana revealed a few other challenges. First, although there was increased recognition of ‘Tibetan’ scholars, the assumption appears to be that you have to be involved with ‘modern’ academic institutions to be considered a scholar. There was hardly a participant from the traditional Tibetan monastic institutions. Were invitations issued to them?

Secondly, the seminar was not open to the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. I would have thought that the Association would have gladly seized the opportunity to relay to the Tibetan people issues which concern them. After all, Tibetan studies is about a still living people.

There is an interesting footnote to this. In the light of the media ban, it appears that one of the radio stations asked some poeple to observe (most likely so that they can broaden their horizon and be able to provide better service to the Tibetan listeners). The response was negative: only scholars who present papers were being invited as delegates and no one else. I do not know whether the response given by this member of the organising committee was a collective decision or his own personal action.

I later learn that there indeed were observers, even if they were not called as such. Out of the nearly 200 participants only 150 or so presented papers. Also, among the delegates was an official from Chinese United Front Works Department whose sole qualification appears to be his ability to monitor the delegation from Tibet rather than displaying any scholarship.

Who said the academic world is free from biased actions?

Bhuchung K. Tsering is a commentator based in Washington, DC. He currently works with the International Campaign for Tibet.

Editorial: Pema Thinley - Getting our priorities right (November 1997)

Editorial by Mr. Pema Thinley - Democratise Or Be Damned (August 1997)

Democratise Or Be Damned
Editorial by Mr. Pema Thinley (released August 1997)

In April the Tibetans in exile will be going to the polls to elect the 12th Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies. This will be an excellent opportunity for them to improve the quality of people deciding their affairs at the national level. Since the outgoing ATDP took office five years ago, the Tibetan parliament has assumed far-reaching powers. Its members not only represent the people, they get to elect the ministers in the cabinet too. This effectively means that if the people don’t make their choices wisely they’ll end up getting the kind of government they deserve.

Last month we reported that only about half the adult population in exile have registered themselves with the Election Commissions. But we’ll still be lucky if only half of that number actually exercises their franchise. Very lucky, indeed, judging from what has been happening so far. The place where Tibetan Review is located is a hostel for about 200 college-going Tibetan students. But I’ve never heard of any of them going to the Tibetan camp to cast their ballots. Perhaps a few of them go on their own initiatives, but there never has been an organized voting day, anticipated and talked about in advance. For that matter, I also don’t remember people who work in the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala ever casting their ballots. There is no reason for believing that other places are any different.

So which Tibetan elect the memebers of their parliament? One can’t be certain, of course, but the pressure groups indulging in odious regionalism and sectarianism would be a safe bet. Plus those who go to the polls simply because they’ve heard the Dalai Lama say everybody should vote and hence the action has taken on an almost religious connotation. But once they get to the polling booth they have no idea who they should vote for. They would seek the help of someone there to guide them, which means that that someone can put the stamp on the name of anyone he chooses. The candidates have symbols but those symbols are not printed on the ballot papers, only their names; so Tibetans who can’t read are totally in the hands of others.

It is no secret that Tibetans in general, at least those in Dharamsala, think that except for the chairman, Samdhong Rinpoche, nobody in the 11th ATPD is worth getting excited about. Tibetans in Dharamsala, and in all other places, should do something about it if they don’t want to see the same, or similar, faces in the 12th ATPD. They should excercise their democratic right, a right many other people risk death to acquire. Perhaps the problem with Tibetan exiles is that they’ve had it too easy in this respect. They didn’t have to fight or undergo any suffering to get democracy: it was given to them - almost forced on them - by their leader. Of course it is not yet a democracy in the full sense of the word, but it is a beginning. The spirit is there. Instead of wasting this spirit, instead of misusing or not using this spirit, they should go out there and cast their votes.

They should try to elect people who will be good for the future of Tibet, which means good for themselves and all other Tibetans. They should try to elect people who have proven track records of commendable deeds. If they don’t know any such person, they should ask around. They should avoid being taken in by fiery orators who have no matching actions to their credit to support their words. Word is no substitute for deed; often it is an excuse for the lack of deed. And they should stay clear of anyone who is known to promote regionalism and sectarianism. Our society has enough problems as it is, thank you very much.

Editorial: Tsering Wangyal - Choosing Leaders (February 1996)

Choosing Leaders
Editorial by Tsering Wangyal (printed in February 1996)

Last month we reported that only about half the adult population in exile have registered themselves with the Election Commissions. But we’ll still be lucky if only half of that number actually exercises their franchise. Very lucky, indeed, judging from what has been happening so far. The place where Tibetan Review is located is a hostel for about 200 college-going Tibetan students. But I’ve never heard of any of them going to the Tibetan camp to cast their ballots. Perhaps a few of them go on their own initiatives, but there never has been an organized voting day, anticipated and talked about in advance. For that matter, I also don’t remember people who work in the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala ever casting their ballots. There is no reason for believing that other places are any different.

So which Tibetan elect the memebers of their parliament? One can’t be certain, of course, but the pressure groups indulging in odious regionalism and sectarianism would be a safe bet. Plus those who go to the polls simply because they’ve heard the Dalai Lama say everybody should vote and hence the action has taken on an almost religious connotation. But once they get to the polling booth they have no idea who they should vote for. They would seek the help of someone there to guide them, which means that that someone can put the stamp on the name of anyone he chooses. The candidates have symbols but those symbols are not printed on the ballot papers, only their names; so Tibetans who can’t read are totally in the hands of others.

It is no secret that Tibetans in general, at least those in Dharamsala, think that except for the chairman, Samdhong Rinpoche, nobody in the 11th ATPD is worth getting excited about. Tibetans in Dharamsala, and in all other places, should do something about it if they don’t want to see the same, or similar, faces in the 12th ATPD. They should excercise their democratic right, a right many other people risk death to acquire. Perhaps the problem with Tibetan exiles is that they’ve had it too easy in this respect. They didn’t have to fight or undergo any suffering to get democracy: it was given to them - almost forced on them - by their leader. Of course it is not yet a democracy in the full sense of the word, but it is a beginning. The spirit is there. Instead of wasting this spirit, instead of misusing or not using this spirit, they should go out there and cast their votes.

They should try to elect people who will be good for the future of Tibet, which means good for themselves and all other Tibetans. They should try to elect people who have proven track records of commendable deeds. If they don’t know any such person, they should ask around. They should avoid being taken in by fiery orators who have no matching actions to their credit to support their words. Word is no substitute for deed; often it is an excuse for the lack of deed. And they should stay clear of anyone who is known to promote regionalism and sectarianism. Our society has enough problems as it is, thank you very much.