A Sheet of Paper can Become a Knife: reading of Tibetan writings at the Frankfurt Book Fair
At Frankfurt Book Fair this year, where China was the Guest of Honor, writers in the official delegation had minders, and books on the Chinese stand were marked with a green sticker stating: “Any claim denying the One-China Principle in this book will be rejected”.
The world’s biggest and most important literary trade event concluded on Sunday (October 18) amid controversy over Chinese attempts to censor dissident voices. When the book fair, for instance, “dis-invited” journalist and environmental activist Dai Qing and the United States-based poet Bei Ling from a symposium linked to the book fair earlier in the month, negative publicity forced the German organizers to reverse their decision. Dai Qing and Bei Ling did speak at Frankfurt. The Chinese delegation stormed out. They came back, but only after book fair director Juergen Boos issued an apology to the Chinese officials – because Dai Qing and Bei Ling had read short statements in front of the audience that allegedly had not been agreed to before. Kai Mueller, Director of ICT-Germany, observed: “It is remarkable that the book fair director felt he had to apologize to a repressive regime for the two speakers’ comments at this important platform in the heart of Europe.”
The International Campaign for Tibet was initially banned from disseminating fliers about our literary salon, featuring readings of works by contemporary Tibetan writers, at the fair. Organisers told ICT that distribution of leaflets about the event would lead to “discussions between dissenting persons” which could cause a threat to maintaining security in the halls of the book fair. All activities of ICT at the book fair would thus have to be confined to the organization’s official stand and its public reading, the book fair management said. But after the story was covered in the German media, the decision was quickly reversed.
As Guest of Honor, there was no doubt that China had an unprecedented platform at Frankfurt to promote Chinese culture and to undermine expressions that differ from those of the Chinese state.
China spent at least US$15 million in sending more than 150 Chinese authors and scholars, 300 artists and 700 publishing representatives to Frankfurt, and organized 612 cultural events beginning in March. The Chinese stand in Hall 6 was larger than ever before at the Frankfurt fair and featured thousands of titles from more than a hundred publishers, representing a selection of overall Chinese annual book production that exceeds 250,000 titles per year. But most of the books displayed from China at the fair were government sanctioned and contained information that had been censored.
Looking through books on Tibet at the official stand, a group of Tibetan exiles bombarded two hapless Chinese representatives with questions about why there were so many books about Tibet but hardly any of them in the Tibetan language. Perhaps in an attempt to encourage us all to leave, the Chinese on the stand gave me a publication in Chinese about Romance in Lhasa depicting typically idealized scenes of Chinese tourists in a city currently under de facto martial law following last year’s protests at a discounted rate of one Euro.
In order to counter Chinese representations and ensure the voices of Tibetans were heard at Frankfurt, ICT in Germany invested in a stand at the book fair, and hosted a successful literary salon to read the work of Tibetan writers. We called it a “Forbidden Reading”, because some of the extracts we chose are from publications banned in Tibet, or written by authors now in prison or who have “disappeared”.
German actor, film star and activist Hannes Jaenicke and Tibetan scholar Lamajabb appeared before a packed audience to read a selection of work from ICT’s new publication, “Like Gold that Fears no Fire: New Writing from Tibet”, a collection of Tibetan writings translated into English and focusing on Tibetan experiences of the protests and crackdown since March 2008.
In an exclusive essay for the collection, Tibet’s most well-known writer, Woeser, talked about the importance of Tibetans telling their own stories: “In the past half century and more, looking at practically all of the stories about Tibet in official discourse, Tibet is either being ‘introduced’ or mis-represented. In this attempt to forever control Tibet by deleting and revising history and reality, the truth is stifled, the terror is hidden, and the Tibetan people remain silent.”
It is difficult to understand the day to day reality the sheer fear for Tibetans and Chinese in expressing their views and living as artists and writers in China and Tibet today. An exiled Tibetan friend opened a conversation with a Tibetan who was part of the Chinese “official” group of writers, artists, officials and Party leaders, about his work. As they talked in Tibetan, his Chinese escort scowled at us and another Chinese official put his newspaper down and stared. After some discussion about their homeland, and how they both missed tsampa (a traditional Tibetan meal of roasted barley), the exiled Tibetan, not wishing to cause any political problems, ended the conversation.
Tibetan exile scholar Lamajabb concluded our reading at Frankfurt with one of Woeser’s poems, “A Sheet of Paper Can Become a Knife” a passionate statement about the power of language. The poem is included in full below, kindly translated by Andrew Clark (raggedbanner.com):
A sheet of paper can become a knife
- A rather sharp one, too.
I was only turning the page
When the ring finger of my right hand got sliced at the knuckle.
Though small, the sudden wound oozed blood,
A thread as fine as silk, and stung a little.
Startling transformation,
From paper into knife:
There must have been some mistake, or
Some kind of turning point.
This ordinary paper…a chill of awe.
“Like Gold that Fears no Fire: New Writing from Tibet”
Caption: Literary salon, with readings from Like Gold that Fears no Fire – from left, Tibetan scholar Lamajabb, ICT board chairman Jan Anderssen, and actor and activist Hannes Jaenicke. (Marco Stephniak/ICT)
5 Responses to “A Sheet of Paper can Become a Knife: reading of Tibetan writings at the Frankfurt Book Fair”
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[...] launched at the Frankfurt International Book Fair in October, which was blogged about by ICT here. ICT is hoping to get more copies printed in the near future, which will be made available to those [...]
Although they may have to wait a long time, the Tibetan people should take comfort from the fact that, throughout history, empires have come and gone.
The peoples of Eastern Europe suffered over seventy years at the hands of their repressive regimes, dominated by the Soviet Union. But where are the communist regimes now? Gone, all gone. Sooner or later, the repressive regime in Beijing will go the same way.
Everything comes to he who waits.
I am still suprised at how the Chinese delegations manage to manipulate the forum where they are at by staging a dramatic offended attitude when the TRUTH IS TOLD, WHEN PEOPLE DISPLAY THEIR DEMOCRATIC RIGHT TO SPEAK. I salute all who have stood their ground for the truth, for freedom of speech, for letting the world know of the ATROCITIES THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT IS INFLICTING UPON TIBETANS AND CHINESE FREE THINKERS ALIKE. I PRAY FOR ALL.
At 93 I am unable to actively support your program, but I do learn and forward news. The Chinese government must be advised in public that their repression and atrocities are not acceptable. It is a long battle.
I, too, was a visitor at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Not because I´m interested in China, but because I wanted to know how the Chinese dealt with the Tibetan policy on an international presentation. I was shocked by the way they did! But, nevertheless, thanks to the Tibetan organizations and support groups. You did a great job and made a lot of visitors even start thinking about the political situation in Tibet. Thanks for your pride and courage! Free Tibet!