Towards Creative Entertainment
It is perfectly legitimate for use to continue to criticise the Chinese leaders for their suppression of Tibet’s culture and identity. Nevertheless, I cannot help feeling a slight amount of gratitude at the news that a group of Tibetan actors in Peking has recently managed to present a Tibetan version of Romeo and Juliet. We do not yet have any means of determining the authenticity of the translation or its effect on the audience. The only line quoted by the Daily Telegraph’s correspondent sounds nothing like Tibetan, but that may have been due to his unfamiliarity with the language or, even more probably, it was a pinyin rendition of Tibetan words officially provided to him. But the fact that it is now demonstrably possible to bring Western theatre to the Tibetan audience is, in my opinion, a step in the right direction.
Tibetan music and theatre are mainly rooted in religion of folk tradition and are thus faithful reflectors of our cultural heritage. However, in terms of diversity and creativity, it is a mere shadow compared to the rich and dynamic tradition that has developed in the West over the past several centuries. If Tibetans in exile also took up the task of translating and performing famou Western works, their own creativity in this field might receive a much needed impetus; and there may yet come a time when they are able to produce somethig which would find recognition in the established world theatre as a meritorious work of art in its own right, instead of just as a cultural oddity.
This will of course take some time. It will be a great many years before the average Tibetan can be convinced that Hindi films and their songs are not the last word in entertainment. The non-traditional—so called “contemporary”—plays hitherto produced by the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) and amateur schol groups have tended largely to be influenced by Chinese dramas performe din Tibet in the fifties and equally insipid celluloid offerings coming from Bombay these days. Neither of these sources are exactly renowned for imagination, subtlety and creativity; and I see no reason why we should continue to pay homage to them.
Perhaps to start with, TIPA itself can occasionally translate and present shorter Western works—such as one-act plays—so that its audience can gradually get used to the subtler but in the end more lasting pleasures one can derive from these. Possibility may also be considered of holding competitions in such endeavours during the annual gathering of the Tibetan Youth Congress, which have so far been dominated by speeches and sports. The Orient may have an edge over the West in spiritual attainments, but music and theatre are two departments in which the latter remains the undisputed leader. If the Tibetans tried to peep into this vast and exciting world of creative mind I can assure them they stand to lose nothing but their philistinism.
It is perfectly legitimate for use to continue to criticise the Chinese leaders for their suppression of Tibet’s culture and identity. Nevertheless, I cannot help feeling a slight amount of gratitude at the news that a group of Tibetan actors in Peking has recently managed to present a Tibetan version of Romeo and Juliet. We do not yet have any means of determining the authenticity of the translation or its effect on the audience. The only line quoted by the Daily Telegraph’s correspondent sounds nothing like Tibetan, but that may have been due to his unfamiliarity with the language or, even more probably, it was a pinyin rendition of Tibetan words officially provided to him. But the fact that it is now demonstrably possible to bring Western theatre to the Tibetan audience is, in my opinion, a step in the right direction.
Tibetan music and theatre are mainly rooted in religion of folk tradition and are thus faithful reflectors of our cultural heritage. However, in terms of diversity and creativity, it is a mere shadow compared to the rich and dynamic tradition that has developed in the West over the past several centuries. If Tibetans in exile also took up the task of translating and performing famou Western works, their own creativity in this field might receive a much needed impetus; and there may yet come a time when they are able to produce somethig which would find recognition in the established world theatre as a meritorious work of art in its own right, instead of just as a cultural oddity.
This will of course take some time. It will be a great many years before the average Tibetan can be convinced that Hindi films and their songs are not the last word in entertainment. The non-traditional—so called “contemporary”—plays hitherto produced by the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) and amateur schol groups have tended largely to be influenced by Chinese dramas performe din Tibet in the fifties and equally insipid celluloid offerings coming from Bombay these days. Neither of these sources are exactly renowned for imagination, subtlety and creativity; and I see no reason why we should continue to pay homage to them.
Perhaps to start with, TIPA itself can occasionally translate and present shorter Western works—such as one-act plays—so that its audience can gradually get used to the subtler but in the end more lasting pleasures one can derive from these. Possibility may also be considered of holding competitions in such endeavours during the annual gathering of the Tibetan Youth Congress, which have so far been dominated by speeches and sports. The Orient may have an edge over the West in spiritual attainments, but music and theatre are two departments in which the latter remains the undisputed leader. If the Tibetans tried to peep into this vast and exciting world of creative mind I can assure them they stand to lose nothing but their philistinism.
posted by editorla at
8:58 PM
<< Home