Tibetan cultural figures silenced
While government-selected Tibetan dance troupes are singing and dancing with an obligatory smile in Shanghai, Tibetans inside Tibet who sing or write about their true opinions are silenced, detained and sentenced to jail.
"I will sing for the rest of my life for which even if I am killed I have no regrets". -Singer Tashi Dhondup
Since the 2008 mass protests that swept across Tibet, artists have voiced their yearning for freedom and their sadness over the ongoing tragedy of the Chinese occupation of Tibet through music, word and film.
The singer:
Sent to a labour camp for singing about freedom
Popular Tibetan singer Tashi Dhondup was recently imprisoned in a hard-labour camp for singing about the lack of freedom in Tibet and his wish for the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet.
Listen to Tashi Dhondup's songs that landed him in the labour camp.
Read more about Tashi Dhondup
The writer:
detained for speaking about the 2008 protests
"At the top of the houses, in the streets and in the main places, they have hidden secret weapons. Spies are waiting. My flesh is petrified, my bones hurt."
Shogdung, one of the most famous writers in Tibet, is awaiting trial following the unauthorised publication of his new book that advocates civil disobedience and calls the 2008 protests a 'peaceful revolution'. Shogdung who was previously seen as working within the Chinese system has apologised for his failure to stand up for Tibetans during the 2008 protests.
Read more in Shogdung's book
Read more about Shogdung
