By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Feb. 8: An exhibition by two Dharamshala based film makers showcasing last letters of Tibetan self immolators have been forced to be covered up against the threat of punitive measures following a visit by the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh. The organizers at the show at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy have been forced to cover up the installation titled, “Last Words”.
The Indian Tibetan Filmmaker couple Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam started their first solo art show with self immolation as a theme on Dec. 10 last year, coinciding with the World Human Rights Day at KHOJ International Artists’ Association studio in the Indian Capital. The collection of letters showcased in Dhaka was a part of that larger art installation.
Ritu Sarin called the development “bullying”. “This is bullying. The Chinese are asking for the works to be removed in a foreign country. We have just taken five letters that are actually available online; it is not even an interpretation,” Sarin told Indian Express.
Tenzing Sonam, who has been active in highlighting the Tibetan cause in his works, is not new to China’s paranoia. He sympathizes with the organizers saying, “We understand their position. They had to be covered because the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh (Ma Mingqiang) found the works offensive, during a visit to the summit on Saturday,” Sonam told IE.
He added, “We were told by the curator (Diana Campbell Betancourt) that he exploded as soon as he saw it and asked the works to be removed immediately or face consequences.”
Despite the setback, the response by the Bangladeshi public have been that of shock and awe at what has been happening inside Tibet since 2009 when the first self immolation had taken place. “In Bangladesh too the response was wonderful. A lot of people found it very moving and shocking. Many people don’t know much about the Tibetan movement in Dhaka.”
149 Tibetans have resorted to self-immolation as a form of protest so far in both Tibet and India but it has been one of the most underreported stories over the years in the international media.
