By Tenam
Paris, 24 September, 2007: This weekend saw the biggest gathering of Tibet and the Himalayas enthusiast in Paris for the 8th Festival of Tibetan and Himalayan Culture at the picturesque Bois de Vincennes. Organised by Maison du Tibet, the festival offered exhibition from Alexandra David-Neel’s collection, Sand Mandala by Tibetan monks, stories from Tibet and Asia, Tibetan calligraphy and Bharatnatyam dance.
Two evenings of special concerts by Swiss-based Loten Namling and US-based, Grammy nominee Ngawang Khechog enchanted the festival goers with traditional Tibetan music and modern fusion.
Referring to his near fatal accident during his last trip to India, Ngawang Khechog said that he felt honoured to be “a part of the festival at the second beginning of my life”. Ngawang’s original flute music and his fusion with other musical instrument and modern music wowed the audience. Day one concluded with cultural programmes by dance troupe of Tibetan Community in France.
Day two of the festival had a talk by His Eminence the Ganden Tri Rinpoche and a talk on Ecology of Tibet by Mr. Jamphel Chosang, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Francoise Bonzon. Cultural troupe from Belgian Tibetan community wowed the audience with their professional and well-executed dance routines. Children at the festival were also introduced to the Snowlion and Yak dances.
For people interested in keeping a part of the rich culture, there were stands selling variety of Tibetan jewelery, artifacts etc. Various Tibet Support groups and Students for a Free Tibet spread awareness about the Tibet issue with their information booths at the venue.
In its 8th year, the festival has become a part of the Parisian culture and has a very broad appeal, from hardcore Tibet enthusiast to casual everyday people from all walks of life. Its attracts people not only from the city but from all across France. The festival owes its success largely to countless volunteers who are the prime energy and drive behind the smooth functioning of the festival.
It is interesting to note that the the Chinese Embassy in Paris organised a photo exhibition titled, “Tibet in World Famous photographers’ Eyes” at Espace Pierre Cardin that also concluded on Sunday.
Tenam is a freelance journalist based in Paris. he can be contacted at tenam@tibetwrites.org
