http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4KYy3vqPRU

Above link is to a short film produced after the stand up for Tibet day events, on November 2nd. Filmed in London, with a couple of links attached. One to sign the pledge:

http://standupfortibet.org/enough/dk-speakup-petition-1

The other to ask UK viewers to request that their MP sign the following early day motion:

http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2010-12/2327

 

 

Mentally Return from HPeaks on Vimeo.

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated two songs about Tibetan unity. "Mentally Return" was first performed in Rebkong in 2007 for the Losar (Tibetan New Year) outdoor performance by the giant of Tibetan music today, Yadong, and his three most well-known students, Kunga, Tsewang and Gangshung. "The Sound of Unity" is new from July 2010 and it is performed by the Amdo singer Sherten, also a big name in contemporary Tibetan music.

Both songs share the same topic of unity amongst Tibetans but are markedly different in style. Whilst these two songs indicate that Tibetan identity and unity amongst all Tibetans were themes in songs both before and after the turbulent year for Tibetans with the protests of 2008, "Mentally Return" is the more cautious of the two songs in terms of the way the messages of the song are conveyed and the lyrics are arguably even more powerful and poetic in their subtlety. For example, in "Mentally Return", the word "Tibet" (in Tibetan, bod) is never mentioned and instead, Tibet is referred to as the "bountiful land on the roof of the world" or the "Land of Snows". The metaphor of the Tibetan circle dance is used to indicate unity and Tibet is also called both the fatherland and the mother - a place of comfort with the feeling of home. Tellingly, the singers are also from various parts of this "bountiful land", Yadong, Kunga and Tsewang are from Kham and Gangshuk is from Amdo. Their places of origin in themselves are at odds with the map - none of them are from the place marked today as "Tibet" (Xizang in Chinese, known by Tibetans as U-Tsang, central Tibet).

"1958 - 2008" by Tashi Dhondup from HPeaks on Vimeo.

High Peaks Pure Earth presents five music videos by Tibetan singer Tashi Dhondup (also sometimes spelled Tashi Dondrup) from Amdo. According to this report by Radio Free Asia from March 5, 2010, Tashi Dhondup, 30, was sentenced to 15 months of re-education through labour for "separatist activities" related to his music on January 5, 2010.

 

News of Tashi Dhondup's detention on December 3, 2009, had been reported by media, including this short article in The Times and here at High Peaks Pure Earth we had also been monitoring news of his arrest.

 

 

"New Generation" by Yudrug (Green Dragon) from HPeaks on Vimeo.

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a new hip hop music video from Amdo. The group who call themselves Yudrug in Tibetan, Green Dragon in English and Qinglong in Chinese, are from Machu in Amdo and they released their new track on their blog on February 5, 2010, as a gift to fans for Tibetan New Year. The video was subsequently quickly re-posted on other Tibetan blogs.


Although they call themselves "green dragon" in English, Yudrug is actually a name of a type of horse. This horse is very popular in Machu and considered a jewel, a source of wealth, as clearly stated in one of their previous songs.

Interestingly, no individual credits are given for the song, it is presented completely as a group effort. Even where the name of the lyricist should be, there is just the description “strong-willed”. The beginning of the video, below the song title, tells us that the song is "…for the hard-headed people out there".

The group however do appear to be very professional, as can be seen in their meticulously edited video and good sound quality. In the past, they have given due credit to the song composers, even crediting well-known Nepal based exile Tibetan singer Tsering Gyurmey for a cover of his song "Dream" that they recorded.


This bold new style of musical expression heard in "New Generation" has been quite controversial in Tibetan cyberspace with Tibetan bloggers praising Yudrug for their outspoken lyrics but some also criticising Yudrug for adopting a style that is seen as “too western”. Whatever your musical taste may be, the song is undeniably powerful and energetic with a rousing chorus:

The new generation has a resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called confidence
The new generation has an appearance called playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom

In an earlier blogpost, High Peaks Pure Earth commented on the upsurge in online activity about asserting Tibetan identity.  “New Generation” by Yudrug demonstrates that this pride in Tibetan identity has translated to music as well. Furthermore, this pride is imbued with elements of cool and confidence. In fact, this “coolness” that Yudrug have was the initial inspiration behind a Tibetan blogger’s blogpost of August 2009 titled “Be Cool, Be Tibetan”, where he stated:

The Yudruk phenomenon shows not only that Tibetans can be cool, but that it is cool to be Tibetan. This is a radical shift. But not only does it show a kind of Tibetanness that is on the cutting edge of cool. It also makes it clear that a Tibetan image can be created and exist entirely outside of the Chinese imagination. This is a kind of Tibetanness that was made by and for Tibetans.

High Peaks Pure Earth would like to thank our own "Green Dragons" firstly for drawing our attention to this video and also for their help with this difficult translation. Thank you.

 

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This is a very moving video with some very good commentary displaying the ruthless of Chinese soldiers murdering escaping Tibetans.




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Double Click Movie and use controller to start movie.

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The Tibetan Photo Project is creating a voice from the Tibetan community in exile though their photography and filmmaking

The Tibetan Photo Project