Celebrating a free Tibet
Christopher Paré
www.hour.ca  November 6th, 2008

Well, almost free. This weekend, $5 ($3 for seniors and students) gets 
you A Day in Tibet, a two-day celebration of Tibetan art and culture 
right here in Montreal. And the best part? No torture or racial 
discrimination.

The annual Tibetan bazaar, presented by the Canada Tibet Committee 
(CTC) and Montreal's Tibetan community, goes beyond politics (though 
you can learn plenty on the topic should you so choose) with a look at 
traditional arts and crafts, Buddhist literature, clothing, jewellery 
and even Himalayan cuisine (mmm... momos).

Performances include a Yak dance on Saturday, an Indian dance (a first 
at the event) and performances by Tibetan pop-fusion superstar Amchok 
Gompo Dhondup. The singer/musician, who rocked Ottawa last year when 
the Dalai Lama dropped by for an informal chat with 8,400 Canadian 
friends and supporters, fled Tibet in 2000 and immigrated to Canada in 
2005.

Dhondup is one of the lucky ones: He managed to cross the Himalayas 
and arrive in India safe and sound - many never make it across. In 
2006, a Romanian climber and cameraman on the Nepalese frontier 
videotaped Chinese border guards killing at least three Tibetan 
pilgrims (one of them a nun, according to International Campaign for 
Tibet).

There are more than 6,000 Tibetans who live in exile in Canada. 
According to the Tibetan Government in Exile, the uprising in Tibetan 
areas of China last March and April resulted in 218 dead, 1,290 
injured and 6,705 arrested or detained at the hands of the Chinese 
government, who
categorically refute these numbers.

And given that 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's 
flight from Tibet, Canadians and Quebecers can expect to hear a great 
deal more on the subject over the coming months.

"Tibetans have been resisting the military occupation of their country 
for close to 50 years," says CTC executive director Dermod Travis. 
"This weekend is an opportunity for the local Tibetan community to 
show their solidarity with those Tibetans who are determined to 
protect their culture and identity."

A Day in Tibet at Trinity Memorial Church (2146 Marlowe, corner 
Sherbrooke, Vendôme metro), Nov. 7 from 4 to 9 p.m., Nov. 8 from 10:30 
a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info: www.tibet.ca.