Members of Madison’s Tibetan community gathered Wednesday to commemorate and celebrate the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising against the Chinese government.
Assembling on Library Mall, the group took up flags, banners and signs bearing Tibetan rights slogans before heading down State Street toward the Capitol.
Leading the procession was a gold-framed photograph of the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, the Tibetan people’s spiritual leader, shrouded in a white prayer scarf.
The day’s festivities centered on the remembrance of the Tibetan Uprising of 1959 in which Tibetans rose up to oppose the Chinese government’s involvement in Tibet. The uprising was ultimately unsuccessful and led to the establishment of the Tibetan government-in-exile centered in Dharamsala, India.
Since this time, Tibetans and advocacy groups have demonstrated annually to commemorate the uprising and remember those who were killed in the struggle.
“We’re trying to inform people — raise awareness — and we’re also trying to fight for people who are being oppressed in Tibet and don’t have the rights to speak for themselves,” University of Wisconsin alumnus and Students for a Free Tibet member Tenzin Tsetan said.
The Xinhua News Agency, China’s official news agency, reported Padma Choling, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region, denied claims by the Dalai Lama of trying to “deliberately annihilate Buddhism” and accused the religious leader of attempting to divide the unity of the region.
Upon arriving at the Capitol steps, drums and flutes sounded as those in attendance sang the Tibetan national anthem.
Numerous speakers, including State Assembly Reps. Spencer Black, D-Madison and Joe Parisi, D-Madison, and representatives from the offices of United States Senator Russ Feingold, D-Wis. and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., were present to proclaim their support for the continuing struggle for Tibetan sovereignty. Also present were representatives from Madison’s Tibetan population.
Madison Memorial High School junior Maya Dorje spoke to her experience as a Tibetan student in a predominantly white community and educational atmosphere.
“I am proud to be a young Tibetan-American woman and feel it is my duty to give back to my heritage,” Dorje said.
She added Tibetan heritage is constantly threatened as Tibetan-Americans grow further from their roots. The activism found in SFT and like-minded groups has allowed her to preserve some connection to her heritage.
Thubden Sangha, president of the Wisconsin Tibetan Association, said many around the world have come to accept the status quo and fail to actively pursue a free Tibet. The need to respond to China’s actions, he said, is still very great not only for Tibetans still within the region, but all who value human rights and religious freedom.
“We who are here will never really ever have to worry about dying or being threatened with arrests, imprisonment or torture; we are a lucky few,” Sangha said.
Though the weather during the day’s event may have been less than ideal for an outdoor gathering, the emergence of green and springtime, Sangha said, was a comforting reminder of new beginnings.
