Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
As Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are drawing near, many unanswered questions
are resurfacing, one of which – and probably the most prominent one – is
Tibet. There is no doubt that Beijing Olympic Games will show all the good
that exists in China, mainly the prospering economy. Yet China will soon
learn the duality that is a part of global exposure. Your ability to conceal
or even blur the bad stuff diminishes significantly.
We will all rejoice in a huge worldwide celebration that marks the Olympic
Games. In the background, there will be disturbing facts covering with
darkening clouds the brightness of the Olympic Games opening ceremony. Tibet
lives under a reign of terror. The Chinese occupation has claimed the life of
1.25 millions Tibetan in the 1960's, so claim dissidents. Of course these
numbers do not include those who were sent to concentration and re-education
camps. In addition to such morbid statistics, the Chinese government has
consistently ruined the unique culture and religion that mark Tibet.
The world's most show off façade of the Olympic Games that stand for liberty
and the belief in the human spirit will not go hand in hand with people in
Tibet that can be arrested only for holding the Dalai Lama's picture in the
wallet. Unbelievably true for any Westerner who got used to civil liberties,
a person in Tibet can disappear at any given time by the iron grip of a
secret police that is all-present in the Tibetan life. Phones are tapped,
security cameras record every unusual movement in the streets and common
citizens live in constant fear for their lives and liberty.
The interesting question that arises is how the organizers of the Beijing
2008 Olympic Games will be able to soothe the gushing Tibetan turbulence;
will they be able to temporarily cause to forget the blot on the Games
landscape. I am afraid that beautiful Chinese dancers, shining colors and
optimistic songs that we will see and hear on the opening ceremony will not
be enough.
And not to mention the day after – the Chinese Communist Party has stayed in
power all those years after Mao's death thanks to its ability to restrict its
citizens' access to the global world outside China's borders. This option is
no longer practical after the Olympic Games. These Games will open China to
all the nations of the globe because that is what the Olympics Games are all
about. There is an old saying in Chinese culture which functions as a curse:
'may you live in interesting times'. It is indeed going to be interesting in
China in years to come.