("Actualities Tibetaines," Paris, September 1996)

Dharamsala, August 1996. If I were to describe in two words my visit with European Commissioner Emma Bonino to the seat of the exiled Tibetan government, the best possible definition would be "Official Visit" because of the trip's precise organization and regard to even the smallest detail. But this description would not do justice to something which accompanied us relentlessly in those days; the perception of a warm friendliness that was as intense as it was diffuse.

One single image is able to capture the emotion we were to encounter on repeated occassions: two hundred young people, aligned on both sides of the street they built themselves, greeting us with the prolonged and friendly salute "Tashi Delek," and then dissappearing in the blink of an eye to return to their classrooms. Everything is ordered and clean, but the buildings are made of aluminum. The winter is cold, and the summer is hot. Oh!, what a strident contrast with the "Tibetan Children Village" that I somewhat maliciously advised my friends in the government not to show too much to strangers, even though its success is evident, first and foremost in the faces of the children and young people, although many things remain to be done: space is limited, and there are not enough beds. In the hospital, however, and in the library, where the manuscripts torn from the hands of destruction are religiously stored, we have the proof of the stability that produces Tibetan preparation in an impressive cocktail of orga

nization, tradition, and modernity.This alone deseves the attention of a book to itself.

In the late afternoon we arrive at the Norbu Linka Center; another town located few miles frim Dharamsala in the middle of the hills, where, turning one's shoulders to the mountains, a temple surrounded by barracks rises, where 250 students are taught various traditional and secular jobs under the eye of true teachers. Is it art of artisans? Carpenters, metalworkers, and makers of "Tankas", clothes, embroidery, and statuettes....Everything in this center is made with care: nothing is spared in order to make something "that will remain here when we will return to Tibet." It is a gesture of gratitude to the people of India, who accepted the Tibetans so generously.

But we should not be fooled by appearances. The situation of the Tibetan refugees is far from idyllic. Sure, the government accompished great things from almost nothing: it secured fundamental services such as health care, education, and the conservation of the erudite Tibetan culture. And even if they majority of Tibetan families live decoratively, their means of survival are limited, and rarely surpass minimal levels of poverty. And added to this there is for some time a serious unemployment problem, caused by both demographic changes and the increasing level of education in relation to the continual arrival of new refugees: it is a problem that today affects 18% of the population and that has become the priority of the Tibetan government. In light of this, it is easy to understand the importance of new lines of credit from the European Union for Tibetan refugees. in the meantime september has arrived, and the inititation of new maneuvers in the European parliament has begun, and the threat that these line

s of credit will be sacrificed in budget cuts is real. We will have to fight to secure the autonomy of the Tibetan community as soon as possible.

The monsoons do not relent: it is under a universal flooding that we arrive at the house of the Dalai Lama, and with his great and unmistakable smile he shows us the photographs of the press conference and encounter with the President and Prime Minister of Italy (the conference was held by Marco Panella and Emma Bonino in Rome in 1994), What is to be done about the non-violence, the dialogue, and the liberty of Tibet? We find ourselves in a profound discussion. The Dalai Lama enthusiastically receives the idea for the nonviolent initiatives at the phase of the preparation of Satyagraha for the liberty of Tibet that we have been cultivating with Samdhong Rimpoche. We reflect upon the objectives of this first meeting, and his holiness insists on dialogue, non-violence, and the freedom of the Panchen Lama and Wei Jingsheng: two symbols that are different but at the same time represent the similar futures of the people of China and Tibet. It is decided: there will be three days of fasting from September 29th to

October 3rd, in conjunction the birthday of Ghandi. The hour of the Katas offering has arrived, as well as that of the last photographs and smiles.

Later, during the long dinner offered by the government and then during the discussion with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tashi Wangdi, and the Secretary of State on Information, Tempa Tsering, we talked about these initiatives and those deliberated last June in Bonn. We talked of the best ways to make them effective: the appointment in Geneva on March ninth and tenth of 1997 whhich will be attended by ten thousand, if not fifteen thousand; the objective of three thousand mayors for "A Flag for Tibet"; and that of two thousand signatures appealing to the secretary of the United Nations to begin Sino-Tibetan negotiations; the campaign for the Nobel Peace prize for Wei Jingsheng....The problems are many, but inversely, they do not impede our work, as we have already seen. I do not doubt that we will be able to work together for the coomon objective of Tibetan liberty and democracy in China. In the meantime there is no time to waste: October 2nd is just around the corner.