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Today, when we think of the country, Tibet, we think of prayer flags, monks, nuns, and "Free Tibet!" slogans. However, beyond these stereotypes lie a deeply rooted culture and intricate political situation that we often overlook. Team Tibet was founded to remedy this lack of knowledge and insight.
Tibetans today wrestle between two worlds, nostalgia for their phayul (motherland) and the reality of their exilic lives. This perplexity is caught in Tenzin Tsundue's poem, "My Tibetanness":
Tibetans: the world’s sympathy stock...
We are refugees here
People of a lost country
Citizen to no nation
in various assimilating cultural hegemonies...
I am Tibetan
But I am not from Tibet
Never been there
Yet I dream
of dying there
Team Tibet is an organization dedicated to fostering cultural and political awareness of Tibet and related issues through guest speakers, collaborative discussions, cultural performances, celebration of festivals, movie screenings, fundraising, and more.
Since its founding, multiple events have taken place to link Carleton College with the Tibetan culture and political situation. For example, the now prime minister, Lobsang Sangay, was invited in 2008 to speak about the Tibetan uprising prior to the Beijing Olympics. Also, in 2011, Team Tibet organized rides to the Twin Cities for His Holiness' talk, "One Heart, One Mind, One Universe."
Ultimately, our club strives to bridge the gap between the general conception of Tibetan topics and issues and their reality.
We meet every other Thursday at Sayles-Hill 212 from 7-7:30pm
Contact: Tenzin Lendey at lendeyt@carleton.edu
