In July 2013, A unique musical collaboration between an exiled musician from Tibet and a Tibetan poet still living in Tibet has finally been published internationally., that took five years of work and that I only use online communication.
The first collaboration of its kind, a song called Lam La Che, is an example of how the internet allows Tibetans in exile and Tibetans residing in Tibet to communicate across borders, and also collaborate.
Tibetan musicians making art for Tibet within Tibet they risk being censored and imprisoned for your work. Tibet musicians who live outside the country can freely produce art, but they know that their work will not reach Tibetans living under Chinese control.
Communicating online, Techung, exiled musician from Tibet, and Woeser, Tibet-based blogger, They were able to create a song that crosses borders and attracted attention to them. This article delves into Lam La Che, the story of Techung and Woeser.
Inspiration to collaborate
When the writer, Tibetan poet and blogger Tsering Woeser (known asWoeser) saw online photos and videos of the Tibetan musician Techung (Get up Sharzur) performing at the Tibet Liberation Concert in Taipei in December 2008, was deeply moved. Year 2008 It had been turbulent for Tibet, A large-scale uprising against the Chinese government began on 10 March and spread throughout the country. The severe military measures that followed kept Tibet under tight control for the rest of the year and Woeser, stay in Beijing, He used his blog to document what was happening. The concert inspired Woeser to contact Techung and initiate a collaboration between what she calls Tibet's “inner” and “external”.
The concert coincided with the 60 anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Techung's voice was like a beacon in a sign of hope and peace. In a post about 2008, Woeser wrote, “the tibetans, despite being inside or outside Tibet, can hear voices that come from the heart, “The people of Tibet live united in happiness and sadness.”.
A collaboration between “internal” Tibetans” and “external” It has the potential to be a symbolic bridge to unite the borders that separate Tibetans from their family who live outside the country..
“I have written many letters, one of them called “On the Road”, which I wrote many years ago in Lhasa, that expresses the longing for His Holiness the Dalai Lama”. Woeser wrote in an email interview.. “I was thinking if Techung could put these lyrics to music and perform them.”, “That would be the perfect dedication.”.
Creative censorship and travel restrictions
Techung and Woeser could not meet in person, which presented certain challenges for the project. To politically active Tibetans like Techung, are frequently denied a Chinese visa, What would they need to visit Tibet?. As an activist blogger, Woeser has routinely been denied a passport from the Chinese government. In March of 2013, Woeser was honored with an award by the United States Department of State for the celebration of International Women's Day, but, as AP reports, She “could not attend because her passport application last year was denied due to politics.”, and she was told that the reason was that she represents an unspoken threat to the security of the state, presumably because of his activism.”
The artists, musicians and bloggers who support Tibetan nationalismface high risks. Their music can be taken out of distribution and musicians imprisoned for years. Tibetan Lolo singers, Tenzon and Gebey have been sent to prison for making music that celebrates Tibet. Music made by musicians in exile like Techung, It is frequently censored once it reaches Tibet.
After releasing an overtly political album that was banned in Tibet, Techung tried to tone down his language, imitating the self-censorship practiced by internal Tibetan artists in order to increase the chances of their music being heard within Tibet. For example, Instead of using the politically malicious Tibetan word “Bod” to refer to Tibet, singers will use Kangjong (Snow Land).
Woeser, instead, has been directly censored many times. His writings have cost him his job, and his blogs have been shut down so many times that now he can only maintain them by hosting them on foreign servers
“It has never happened before that someone collaborates with a Tibetan internally or within China”, said Techung.
“In a certain way, Techung is a symbol of the Tibetan exile…”, Woeser wrote.. “As I have written before, the music, like the wings of a bird, can fly over man-made borders. “I wanted to work with Techung to throw some sort of historical and real obstacles.”.
Working together online
“It was a surprise and a great honor when Woeser contacted us”, Techung said in a Skype interview from the United States. Below are the screens of the communication between them:
Dear Techung-La
I love your music, I love every song of yours.
I wrote these letters. If one day you want to sing my song it would be a great honor for me..
I hope to keep in touch. Thank you for your wishes.
Woeser.
Dear Woeser
Greetings from Taipei airport. Very nice to hear from you. Thanks for listening to my music. I don't think my songs are that good but I'm flattered you liked them.
It would be an honor to sing your songs. If you have the lyrics in Tibetan please send them to me. It would be an honor to sing your songs.
All the best.
Techung
Dear Techung
¡very happy! ¡Gracias!
Artist Losang Gyatso-la said:
“I hope that the artists, Tibetan filmmakers and intellectuals collaborate more in the future, creating a synergy between different media and opinions. I think it will be very productive and empowering.”
I hope the lyrics of my songs with you show that to Tibetans inside and outside.
As you know my letters are written in Chinese. However, I have asked a friend to translate them.. ¡He has a very good Tibetan!
My English is written with Google, if there are errors sorry.
¡Rose Delek!
Woeser.
Born and raised in Tibet and China, Woeser can only write in Chinese. Techung, born and raised in India and resident in the United States, feel more comfortable writing in English. Both have heard about each other but had not spoken until Woeser wrote to Techung on Facebook, Using Google Translate to translate your message from Chinese to English.
“There was a language barrier”, Woeser said.. “There wasn't much contact between us.”.
Dear Woeser
I tried to translate his lyrics with Google. I made it through most of it.. Gracias.
When you read the poem, If you can listen to the music we send you and feel it. But in the recording we only need your voice. We will not use the entire poem, just some parts.
“Collaboration is something almost new for all Tibetan artists and musicians, both inside and in exile”, said Techung. “We hardly know how these things work yet. Woeser wrote the lyrics in Chinese and someone else translated them into Tibetan for me.. She sent me two or three poems to set to music and in the end we chose “Lam La Che.”. I sent him some changes to the lyrics… we were exchanging a few times, with several suggestions… we never talk to each other, actually, “Everything was done online”.
Woeser's lyrics:
“The song itself was so poetic. (what to write) the music felt easy and spontaneous, as if it were destined”, said Techung.
Although Techung was the first Tibetan exile with whom Woeser has collaborated so directly, She has worked before with other Tibetan exiles. High Peaks Pure Earth has previously translated its blog posts into English, and researcher and exiled Tibetan Tsering Shakya wrote the foreword for one of Woeser's books. Woeser once wrote an essay inspired by the exiled Tibetan painter Losang Gyatso and his series Songs from Tibet, which Gyatso read aloud at the opening of his exhibition.
As long as internet access is not censored, Woeser expresses optimism about future collaboration possibilities.
Other Tibetans are also using the internet as a bridge to cover geographical distances
With technological advances, Tibetans inside and outside Tibet are finding new ways to communicate and collaborate. He Tara Café Project’s Shining Spirit recorded and filmed a project, created in 2006, like a example early musical collaboration between an estranged Tibetan family, with some living in Amdo, Tibet and others living in exile in Canada. The short shows how, through recordings and the internet, The family was able to record their own version of the traditional Tibetan song “Aku Pema”.
Currently, Tibetans inside and outside Tibet are writing songs specifically addressed to themselves. The young Tibetan rapper “Shapaley” (Karma Norbu) from Switzerland, public a music video on 2011 llamado “Made in Tibet,” with the letter “brothers”, we don't know if they can hear us, but we hope you receive this message, don't worry, we are all fine, …. even though we are far from you, Our thoughts are with you.".
Bantsang Lobsang, a musician living in Tibet, included a message for all Tibetans in his most recent album. Lobsang addresses the camera directly and says: “I wish for the Tibetans of the City of Snow, at home and away, let them meet”.
Keeping in touch with Tibetans around the world
Despite being separated by political and geographical factors, Tibetans in exile continue to work with creations of Tibetans within Tibet and vice versa.
Fans have approached Techung several times to tell him that musicians within Tibet were following the music scene of Tibentans abroad and were inspired by music made by exiled Tibetans.
In turn, Techung admires tenacity of Tibetans inside, “¡musicians in Tibet are more advanced than those in exile! I appreciate how poetic they are. They are using the artistic form to communicate messages and keep culture alive, people really look for them. At the same time, “The risk is so high that they have to be very careful.”
Techung is a fan of Tibet's inner musicians, such as Tsewang Lhamo and Yadong. “Through them we carry the total meaning of our culture and identity.”, this is very important. My message to them is to continue doing the work you do and we will do what we can from the outside. Hopefully one day we won't have to worry about political risks and events, and Tibetan musicians and artists, including Woeser, "They will enjoy the freedom to be able to meet in person and collaborate musically.".
Woeser's favorite Tibetan singers in exile include Techung, Shapaley, Phurbu T Namgyal and Kelsang Chukie Tethong. His message to exiled Tibetan musicians was echoed in Techung, what he wrote, “I really like the music of exiled Tibetan musicians and I have written articles about them. I hope that one day Tibetans inside and outside Tibet can work together and express our common concerns about the future of Tibet.”.
You can support Techung's new albumhere, This includes a cover of a Lolo song, a young tibetan singer, who is imprisoned for his music.
