Looking Back at the Future of Tibet Conference, Paris
The second Future of Tibet Conference was held from November 25-27, 2022, in Paris, France. Around fifty Tibetans from US, Canada, UK and Europe came together to brainstorm, discuss and collectively think about, and plan for, possible scenarios for a future Tibet. The first Future of Tibet Conference was held in Washington DC on April 9-10, 2022.
DAY ONE
On November 25, an afternoon opening event was held at the prestigious Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO). Representing the Bureau du Tibet, Paris, Thupten Tsering welcomed the participants and organisers Wangpo Tethong and Chemi Lhamo hosted the proceedings. Organiser Dechen Pemba gave an overview of expectations from the conference which was a summary of a conference call by the core organising group which had been held at the end of October 2022. Important themes which had been identified on the call to be important for discussion were 1, The Dalai Lama, reflection on the transition period, 2, Challenges and prospects for Tibetan democracy, 3, International advocacy and outreach and 4, individual responsibility such as in the fields of activism, culture and art.
The first speaker Phuntshok Lhundrup joined via video from New York, USA, and spoke about Tibetans being custodians of the Avalokiteshvara civilization, referring to the special relationship between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.
The second speaker, PhD candidate Dawa Lokyitsang, had submitted a pre-recorded video with thoughts and observations on the future of Tibet from the point of view of exile. Dawa Lokyitsang pointed out the rise of Tibetan-Americans and Tibetan-Canadians entering politics, spoke on the importance of unity and encouraged Tibetans to be mindful of current important developments opportunities regarding overturning the recognition of Tibet as not being part of China. The final speaker Golog Jigme joined the proceedings in person and mainly spoke of the importance of all Tibetans to take individual action. According to Golog Jigme, all Tibetans have a role to play in the struggle including those who are of mixed heritage and those who do not speak Tibetan.
INALCO Tibetan Studies Professor Françoise Robin offered some closing thoughts and observations about women in Tibetan society in exile.
After the session at INALCO concluded, proceedings moved on to a boat on the Seine nearby where a lively evening event called “TIBET FUTURE(S)” was held with food, music and poetry courtesy of the local talent in the Paris Tibetan community.
DAY TWO
On November 26, the conference moved to a smaller location more suitable for discussions and workshopping. The first closed session in the morning was aimed to provide an overview of the current situation inside Tibet with experts with close contacts on the ground alongside their thoughts on the outlook for the future.
Further sessions discussed the situation for the Tibetan diaspora as well as the political situation in China in general. Thinking about the Tibetan diaspora, MP Thupten Gyatso spoke about the development of Tibetan democracy and activist Tsering Passang raised the possibility of the Tibetan Parliament in the future becoming bilingual, Tibetan and English, to become more inclusive.
On the topic of “Future paths of China’s Tibet policy”, Dr. Gyalo, Sangjey Kep and Tenzin Choekyi spoke on the implications of the CCP’s ethnic policies on the survival of Tibetan society including Tibetan language, culture, religion and environmental stewardship.
The English language youth panel titled “New Generation’s Views on the Future of Tibet” was moderated by Drukthar Gyal from the UK with panellists Chemi Lhamo (Canada), Dorjee Lhamo (France) and Kunsell Dorjee (Netherlands). The youth panel brought to the forefront key issues that need to be addressed in order to be the most effective for the Tibetan freedom struggle. For example, the younger generation pointed out that lack of leadership was a key issue and they felt that the responsibility placed upon them could be a burden without clarity of direction. The importance of sharing intergenerational knowledge was acknowledged as well as the unity of Tibetans inside and outside Tibet.
The afternoon was spent in the first part of the closed scenario planning workshop.
The evening saw an informal “storytelling” session take place, whereby prominent Tibetans such as Tenzin Namgyal Tethong and Dr. Gyalo could relay to the younger generation their stories and experiences from decades of Tibet work, answer questions and exchange.
DAY THREE
The third and final day started with reflections from Dr. Gyalo on the preceding couple of days. Darig Thokmay then also offered his thoughts based on Dr. Gyal Lo’s reflections. They both highlighted key structural frameworks through which Tibet needs to be addressed. Their insights centred Tibetan understandings of its relations to its neighbouring countries, clarity on the relation between politics, culture and society – the last of which serves as the foundation.
The final sessions were dedicated to concluding the scenario planning workshop.
Watch the videos from all the public sessions of the Paris conference on YouTube here.
