Tibet Talks

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Conversations about Tibet with engaging thinkers, leaders, activists and artists

International Campaign for Tibet

Washington, DC


    • Jan 9, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 47m AVG DURATION
    • 74 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Tibet Talks

    Chinese Hydropower

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2025 40:39


    Tibet is the source of the headwaters of the 8 major rivers of Asia. These rivers are the lifeblood of South and Southeast Asia, providing sustenance, livelihoods, and economic opportunity to 1.8 billion people downstream. However, the Chinese government is continuing its a dam building spree that is imperiling the lives and communities of the Tibetan people, destroying homes and religious sites, degrading the natural ecosystem, destabilizing the region, and driving climate chaos.

    Gerald Roche on Language Oppression in Tibet

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2024 62:36


    Language rights expert Gerald Roche stops by Tibet Talk to discuss Chinese language oppression in Tibet, the suppression of minority languages like Manegacha, and his new book. What are the contradictions in China's language policy? What is the status of Manegacha, Ngandehua, and other languages spoken by smaller populations?

    The 1987 uprising in Tibet, and its legacy today

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2024 42:58


    This month on Tibet Talks join us as we speak with John Ackerly, an eyewitness to the Oct. 1 1987 Lhasa uprising who went on to work at the International Campaign for Tibet for two decades.

    Activist and Author Jamyang Norbu

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2024 34:30


    This month for Tibet Talks we sat down with Jamyang Norbu, activist and author of “Echoes from Forgotten Mountains.” Join us as he discusses the people and history behind his fascinating new book.

    HRW’s Maya Wang on Tibetan Relocation

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2024 34:40


    Human Rights Watch's recent report on forced relocations in Tibet is the culmination of years of meticulous research and analysis, drawing from over 1,000 official Chinese media sources and academic studies. In this episode of Tibet Talk, Maya Wang, Interim China Director of Human Rights Watch, sheds light on the scale of China's relocation programs in Tibet that displaces Tibetans from their traditional lands.

    The Tibetan Sikyong (President) on Tibet Talks

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2024 27:02


    Penpa Tsering is the Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration. He is the democratically elected leader of Tibetans in exile. In this chat with ICT, Sikyong Tsering will discuss the role of the CTA, the importance of US support for Tibet and more. Join us for this special conversation!

    Derge dam protests

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2024 46:14


    In this live Tibet Talk, ICT Research Analyst Tenzin Norgay and President Tencho Gyatso will answer your questions about the Derge dam protests. Together they'll explain what the protests mean, how the international community has responded and where we go from here.

    Next Steps for the Resolve Tibet Act

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2024 34:37


    In this Tibet Talk, your questions about the Resolve Tibet Act will be answered live by ICT President Tencho Gyatso and Director of Government Relations Franz Matzner. These ICT leaders will also discuss the upcoming Tibet Lobby Day in Washington, DC and other efforts to mark 65 years of Tibetan resilience and resistance against China's occupation of Tibet.

    China's UN Universal Periodic Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2024 43:17


    ICT Germany Executive Director Kai Mueller will be there in Geneva to monitor the UPR and to help organize a side event spotlighting China's human rights abuses against Tibetans. In this Tibet Talk, we'll speak to Kai about the UPR, the state of human rights in Tibet and the ability of the international community to pressure China into changing its policies.

    China’s Boarding Schools in Tibet

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2023 49:27


    In this Tibet Talk, we'll speak to Lhadon Tethong, director of Tibet Action Institute, an organization that has been raising awareness about the boarding schools. In conversation with ICT President Tencho Gyatso, Lhadon will discuss the impact of these schools on Tibetan families, the response from the global community and what needs to happen next.

    Far From the Rooftop of the World

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2023 35:38


    In this Tibet Talk, we speak to Amy Yee, author of the new book, "Far from the Rooftop of the World: Travels among Tibetan Refugees on Four Continents." We discuss the 15-year journey—and the life-changing interaction with the Dalai Lama—that led her to write the book. We also go over the lives of the Tibetan exiles she got to know and the warmth they showed her as a Chinese American. Plus, we speak to ICT President Tencho Gyatso about the visit of the Tibetan Sikyong (President) to Washington, DC.

    The Rivers of Tibet

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2023 50:30


    Tibet's rivers are beautiful, but they're also life-sustaining. And not just for people in Tibet, but for nearly 2 billion people across Asia who depend on the rivers' flow. But China's large-scale water diversion projects and hydropower development are having a dangerous effect on these rivers, imperiling downstream countries, furthering China's agenda of regional control and threatening the Tibetan way of life.

    The Dalai Lama and The Revival of India’s Civilizational Heritage, Its Value to Today

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2023 45:46


    In our final episode on His Holiness' Four Principal Commitments, we'll discuss his commitment to reviving India's civilizational heritage and its value to today with Rajiv Mehrotra, an acclaimed Indian former TV host and the secretary and trustee of the Foundation For Universal Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, which was started with seed money from His Holiness' Nobel Peace Prize award. Mehrotra has been a student of the Dalai Lama for over 40 years.

    The Dalai Lama and the Preservation of Tibetan Culture

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2023 42:24


    In our third episode on His Holiness' Four Principal Commitments, we'll discuss his efforts to preserve Tibetan culture and strive for Tibet's cause with Tenzin Namgyal Tethong, His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Representative to North America (1973-86), former Kalon Tripa (Minister and Chair of the Cabinet) of the Central Tibetan Administration, as well as the founding President of ICT.

    The Dalai Lama and the Promotion of Religious Harmony

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2023 39:18


    In our second episode on His Holiness' Four Principal Commitments, we'll discuss his commitment to religious harmony with Professor Siddiq Wahid, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research.

    The Dalai Lama and the Promotion of Human Values

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2023 37:29


    In our first episode on His Holiness' Four Principal Commitments, we'll discuss his commitment to human values with Dr. Richie Davidson, a neuro-scientist known for his groundbreaking work in the study of emotion and the brain.

    The Dalai Lama's Four Commitments: A Tibet Talks Special Series

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2023 2:14


    Join us every Thursday in August for a special series celebrating the four principal commitments of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

    Remembering Pema Tseden

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2023 45:10


    Tibet's premier filmmaker has died. By writing and directing movies that won acclaim across the globe, Pema Tseden put Tibetan cinema on the map.

    tibet tibetans pema tseden
    Press Freedom in Tibet

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2023 42:39


    The media have a vital role to play in telling the world Tibet's story. But the Chinese government makes it nearly impossible for foreign journalists to enter Tibet and report on China's human rights abuses against the Tibetan people. In fact, a Washington Post reporter said in 2016 that the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region, which spans roughly half of Tibet, is harder to visit as a journalist than even North Korea.

    10 Years of Xi Jinping

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2023 54:16


    When Xi Jinping took over as China's top leader in 2012, there were hopes that his reputation as a moderate and his father's relationship with the Dalai Lama would lead to a softening of policies. Instead, Xi has proven to be a hardliner whose indefinite rule began this past month, unforeseen a decade ago.

    Resolve Tibet

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2023 49:12


    At ICT, we just wrapped up our 2023 Tibet Lobby Day. It was a record-setting event that brought over 150 Tibetan Americans and Tibet supporters to Washington, DC to build Congressional support for the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act.

    Celebrating Losar

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2023 48:59


    Losar Tashi Delek! That's the greeting Tibetans will use next week when they celebrate Losar, the Tibetan New Year. And on this episode of Tibet Talks, you can celebrate this beautiful holiday with ICT.

    “Heart to Heart” with Patrick McDonnell

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2023 40:30


    At the Dalai Lama's residence in India, an unusual visitor has arrived: a troubled Giant Panda who has traveled from many miles away. Welcoming him as a friend, His Holiness invites the Panda on a walk through a cedar forest. There, in the shadow of the Himalayas, surrounded by beauty, they discuss matters great and small. 

    Tibet's fate and the Dalai Lama's leadership

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2022 48:45


    Tibet's fate is one of tragedy and hope. Because of China's illegal occupation, the people of Tibet have lost the right to determine their own destiny.

    Lodi Gyari’s Memoirs

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2022 55:55


    In the history of Tibetans in exile, Lodi Gyari holds a special place. As the late President and Executive Chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, Mr. Gyari helped build lasting support for Tibet from governments around the world.

    A Reading and Conversation with Author Tsering Yangzom Lama

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2022 55:09


    Tsering Yangzom Lama's debut novel, “We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies,” has become an international bestseller and been longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize.

    Resolving the Tibet-China Conflict

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2022 51:46


    China's government has illegally occupied Tibet for over 60 years. It has refused to negotiate with Tibetan leaders for more than a decade. But a new bill in Congress will pressure China's officials to get back to the negotiating table.

    “Fractured Himalaya” with Ambassador Nirupama Rao

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2022 32:09


    For ages, Indians saw the Himalayas as a wall that protected them. But when China's Communist army invaded Tibet over 70 years ago, an Indian diplomat said, “The Chinese have entered Tibet. The Himalayas no longer exist.”

    When the Iron Bird Flies

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2022 53:09


    “When the Iron Bird Flies: China's Secret War in Tibet” is the second book about Tibet from independent scholar and writer Jianglin Li. In it, Jianglin takes a comprehensive look at six crucial years in modern Tibetan history (1956-62) that culminated in the Tibetan National Uprising of 1959 and the subsequent total Chinese occupation of Tibet.

    Mission: Joy

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2022 57:40


    On Dec. 26, the world lost Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an iconic leader of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement and a beloved friend of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

    The Seed of Compassion

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2022 47:04


    Planting a seed for a more compassionate world with a sense of the oneness of humanity—this is the message of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which he shares in his first children's book, “The Seed of Compassion: Lessons from the Life and Teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”

    The Olympics and Tibet

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2022 26:12


    With the Olympics about to return to China for the 2022 Winter Games—which begin Feb. 4 in Beijing—these three experts on sports and human rights join us to discuss what the Olympics mean for Tibet, and what the international community should do about it.

    Rima Fujita

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2021 59:19


    Rima Fujita is a fine artist and a descendant of Japan's last samurai whose creative aesthetic was strongly influenced by both Bushido and Buddhism.

    BREAKING: Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Uzra Zeya appointed

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2021 16:56


    The US has a new special coordinator for Tibetan issues! On Dec. 20, 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the appointment of Under Secretary Uzra Zeya to this important role.

    Decoding the CCP

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2021 55:41


    Have you come across the terms “common prosperity,” “ecological civilization” or “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble?” Tibetans in Tibet have been bombarded with such slogans every day of their lives over more than 60 years of Beijing's rule in Tibet.

    “This Fragile Planet” with Michael Buckley

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2021 52:22


    As daunting as the climate challenge is, it's important to know what we're trying to conserve—and it's vital to find the inspiration to do so. In this episode of Tibet Talks, we have the perfect guest to help with that. Michael Buckley is the editor of the new book, “This Fragile Planet,” a collection of 80 inspiring quotes about the environment from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, matched with 120 eye-catching photos and visuals from a dozen professional photographers.

    The impact and passage of the 1991 Tibet Immigration Bill

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2021 61:24


    In 1991, the US Congress passed the Tibetan Immigration Act of 1990, which provided 1,000 immigrant visas for natives of Tibet in India or Nepal.

    Town hall with ICT leaders

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2021 60:16


    Join us for this special ask-me-anything edition of Tibet Talks! Three of our leaders—Bhuchung K. Tsering, interim president of ICT, Kai Mueller, executive director of ICT Germany, and Vincent Metten, ICT's EU policy director—kick off the show with updates from their offices.

    Sera Monastery: A conversation with authors Penpa Dorje and Prof. Jose Cabezon

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2021 52:47


    Penpa Dorje and Jose Cabezon are the authors of Sera Monastery, a definitive history of one of Tibet's greatest monastic universities, located just north of the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.

    ICT Board Member Ellen Bork with Michael van Walt van Praag

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2021 62:40


    The new book “Tibet Brief 20/20” by Michael van Walt van Praag and Miek Boltjes is a call to action for governments to rethink their stance on Tibet.

    The Ambassador's Dog

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2021 59:45


    Ambassador Scott DeLisi collaborated with ICT member and award-winning American artist Jane Lillian Vance to create a beautiful illustrated book called “The Ambassador's Dog.”

    The Ambassador's Dog

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2021 59:45


    Ambassador Scott DeLisi collaborated with ICT member and award-winning American artist Jane Lillian Vance to create a beautiful illustrated book called “The Ambassador's Dog.”

    Tenzin Geyche Tethong

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2021 59:30


    Blessed by the Dalai Lama himself, Tenzin Geyche Tethong's new biography of His Holiness features previously unpublished photos and unparalleled insights into the Dalai Lama's leadership, compassion and gentle humor.

    Tenzin Geyche Tethong

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2021 59:30


    Blessed by the Dalai Lama himself, Tenzin Geyche Tethong's new biography of His Holiness features previously unpublished photos and unparalleled insights into the Dalai Lama's leadership, compassion and gentle humor.

    Tenzin Geyche Tethong

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2021 59:30


    Blessed by the Dalai Lama himself, Tenzin Geyche Tethong's new biography of His Holiness features previously unpublished photos and unparalleled insights into the Dalai Lama's leadership, compassion and gentle humor.

    The Tibetan Elections of 2021

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2021 63:35


    Tibetans in exile have a borderless democratic governance system. In over 30 countries, they go to the polls every five years to elect the sikyong, their political leader, and the 45 members of their parliament in exile.

    The Tibetan Elections of 2021

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2021 63:35


    Tibetans in exile have a borderless democratic governance system. In over 30 countries, they go to the polls every five years to elect the sikyong, their political leader, and the 45 members of their parliament in exile.

    The Tibetan Elections of 2021

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2021 63:35


    Tibetans in exile have a borderless democratic governance system. In over 30 countries, they go to the polls every five years to elect the sikyong, their political leader, and the 45 members of their parliament in exile.

    Remembering the 1959 Tibetan Uprising

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2021 59:19


    On March 10, 1959, thousands of Tibetans took to the streets of their capital city, Lhasa. Although their uprising was eventually crushed—with the Chinese government killing thousands of Tibetans in the process—they succeeded in keeping their struggle alive, including by helping their leader, the Dalai Lama, escape to safety in neighboring India.

    Remembering the 1959 Tibetan Uprising

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2021 59:19


    On March 10, 1959, thousands of Tibetans took to the streets of their capital city, Lhasa. Although their uprising was eventually crushed—with the Chinese government killing thousands of Tibetans in the process—they succeeded in keeping their struggle alive, including by helping their leader, the Dalai Lama, escape to safety in neighboring India.

    Special Edition: “Tibet in Chains” Book Launch

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2021 44:13


    In the early 1990s, China's notorious prisons in Tibet held hundreds of political prisoners. Among them was a group of 14 young nuns imprisoned in the dreaded Drapchi Prison.

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