Uprising Day

March 10 was the 50th anniversary of Uprising Day, the day Tibetans rose in protest of the Chinese occupation of Tibet. The Chinese entered Tibet in 1949 and after 10 years of increasing repression and increasing concerns about the safety of the Dalai Lama, they rebelled in a non-violent protest. The Chinese government's voiolent response triggered the decision for the Dalai Lama to leave Tibet for exile in India. No one at that time dreamed that 50 years later he would still be in exile. Each year on Uprising Day, Tibetans and their supporters all over the world mark that first uprising. The Dalai Lama spoke, emphasizing the challenging conditions in Tibet where people are not even allowed to have a picture of His Holiness in their homes and can be put into prison for 15 years for raising a protest banner. He continues to call for an autonomous state of Tibet within China (the middle way) and did so again in this year's address, but it's hard to believe that this dream will ever come true. This little girl was born in exile, and although her family are teaching her what it means to be Tibetan and the ways of her culture, she may never see the country that her parents left and still long for.

The ceremony was moving - hearing His Holiness speak and continue to advocate non-violent protest after all these years, and then listening to the songs and the music, a march through the city and ending with a candlelight vigil for all those who have died in this struggle.