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Fair Trade for a Free Tibet is an initiative started by Carrie Lierl, LGS freshman, in order to raise awareness about and funds for Tibetan Refugees, whose grave hardships and injustices are often overlooked by the international community. The initiative will achieve its goals by hosting events such as movies, documentaries, and guest speakers and by selling hand-made Tibetan products. All proceeds will go directly to a monastery in India run by Tibetan refugees.
Recent Initiative Events
On Thursday, October 29th “Fair Trade for a Free Tibet” initiative screened the movie “Seven Years in Tibet,” starring Brad Pitt. The film is based of the book and the experiences of Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer in Tibet during the Second World War. The event provided an interesting and informative overview of the Tibetan conflict for those students who may have been confused about the origins and/or details of the problem. At the end of the movie, Carrie sold items from Tibet to raise funds for the initiative.
Reflection
In Seven Years in Tibet, Brad Pitt plays Heinrich Harrer, a brave Austrian mountaineer who leaves his wife behind in Austria to climb the Himalayas. To his surprise, his adventures are cut short because World War II begins, and Harrer is detained by the British, who began imprisoning any citizens of the Axis of Evil on their territories. While Harrer tries to escape the POW camp, his wife grows impatient and leaves him for another man in Austria.
When Harrer successfully breaks out of prison with his friend and tries to look for a way out of the country, they pass through mountains without much food or anything else. Eventually, they end up in Tibet, where much to everyone’s surprise, they were welcomed as guests. During his time in Tibet, Harrer meets meets the Dalai Lama and they become close friends. While Harrer takes the opportunity to learn more about the Tibetan culture, the Dalai Lama learns more and more about the West.
The audience quickly learns that the peaceful Tibetan culture is threatened by the Communist China after the Chinese Revolution. The film illustrated how the Chinese soldiers raided Tibetan villages, raping and killing people and destroying sacred temples. Although the Tibetans tried to negotiate with the Chinese government and then attempted to protect their territories by military force, they were easily defeated. Thus, China came to occupy Tibet, and Harrer went back to Austria to be with his son. The movie was followed by a discussion on the China-Tibet conflict, next steps for the initiative, and Carrie sold items made by Tibetan monks in Dharamsala, India.
Written by Clifton Demeco ‘11
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