Bay Area Friends of Tibet is hosting its 18th annual Tibet Day cultural fair at Fort Mason in San Francisco on November 15. Tibet Day promises to be the Bay Area’s premiere celebration of Tibetan art, politics, culture and music. Proceeds will assist Tibetan communities worldwide and also provide support for future Tibet educational events in the Bay Area. This one-day celebration will provide the public an opportunity to learn about the beautiful and intriguing culture of Tibet – a culture struggling to survive in exile. Tibetans young and old will present aspects of their ancient heritage.
One of many events planned for Bay Area Friends of Tibet’s 18th annual Tibet Day cultural fair is a political panel discussion on explorations in Tibetan-Chinese cooperation. At the specific guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Bay Area Friends of Tibet will explore outreach opportunities with Chinese communities.
One of the major attractions of this Tibet day is Ngawang Choephel. He was a Fulbright Scholar, falsely charged with espionage by the Chinese government while recording folk music in Tibet, sentenced to eighteen years, imprisoned for six and released in 2002. He is currently seeking support for his film, “Through the Hollow Bamboo: Tibet in Song,” narrated by Richard Gere.
The panel will consist of Chinese and Tibetan political and cultural experts, including Arijia Rinpoche of Kumbum Monastery and the Marin county-based Tibetan Center for Wisdom and Compassion and exiled from Tibet after refusing to accept the Chinese government-appointed Panchen Lama, Ngawang Choephel, a Tibetan filmmaker and ex-Chinese political prisoner, Peng, Ming, a Chinese Democracy advocate, ex-political prisoner & dissident and Dawa Choezum, a Tibetan woman and Nepal-based Radio Free Asia reporter.
Tibet Day will also feature Tibetan art, music, dance, food and handicrafts. Events include: opening blessings by high Tibetan Buddhist Lamas, live musical performances by world-famous Tibetan groups Chaksampa and Semshug Pundha, Tibetan thangka painting demo by renowned thangka painter, Jamyong Singye, traditional Tibetan song and dance by Tibetan Children’s Chorus, and hundreds of Tibetan arts and crafts for sale. There will also be free cake in celebration of Bay Area Friends of Tibet’s 20th Anniversary.
