November 29, 2008
From time immemorial Tibetans have relished theatrical performances. Even in the more remote areas of Tibet, hundreds of years ago, there was a tradition of traveling minstrels crossing great distances to unpack their costumes and put on shows wherever they could find a crowd. Yak caravans or pilgrims who had seen the minstrels along the mule paths would notify villagers in advance. The actors were a distinctive group: The hats they wore were maroon and conical with pointy tops that flopped from side to side with cream-colored tassels. Their repertoire was based on a mixture of religious teachings and folk tales, with clear-cut villains and heroes – morality plays of good against evil.
After Mao’s People’s Liberation Army invaded Tibet in 1949, the communists brought with them their own brand of theatrical productions, propagandistic in tone and content, and mandatory viewing for the Tibetans. The theme was always the same: The Tibetan estate owners and lamas had kept the serfs in bondage for centuries, but Mao had come to liberate them from the evil aristocracy and the evil monasteries.
Today, theatrical productions written, staged and performed at refugee settlements are still quite popular and a staple of exile settlement existence. The photographs (below) record a political drama recently mounted at a Pokhara camp, illustrating the treatment that Tibetans living in Tibet continue to receive from the Chinese communists, whose ruthlessness remain the same in the 21st century.
On the other side of the mountains, seen from Pokhara, awaits the Tibetan border.
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