A portion of Tibetan Freedom Concert proceeds fund

Beginning October 18th, the Tibetan Freedom Tour will kick off its month-long education tour of 17 colleges, universities and high schools. Jointly sponsored by the International Campaign for Tibet, Students for a Free Tibet, the Milarepa Fund, local Tibet-support groups and Tibetan Associations, the tour comes on the heels of June's Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco, which was organized by Milarepa. Since that concert, Students for a Free Tibet's membership roster has grown threefold. Proceeds from the Tibetan freedom Concert will fund the Tibetan Freedom Tour.

The Tibetan Freedom Tour's primary purpose is to awaken people to the injustices occurring in Tibet and elsewhere. Says Diana Takata, director of Students for a Free Tibet, "students have the energy, heart, mind and fearlessness to challenge the world's injustices and stand up for peace, freedom, compassion and beliefs which can inspire the world to change. Student activism can transform the consciousness of our society. We saw this during the civil rights movement, the Vietnam era, the anti-apartheid movement and now the struggle for a free and independent Tibet.

Since the 1959 occupation of Tibet by the Chinese government, 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed and countless others imprisoned and tortured. Over six thousand monasteries have been destroyed, Buddhist monks and nuns are persecuted for exercising their right to worship, and Tibetans are even forbidden to display photographs of their spiritual leader, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama, who was forced to flee into exile in India. "Nonviolence and a deep respect for all life form the heart of the Tibetan people's struggle for freedom." says Erin Potts, director of the Milarepa Fund. "Because of its non-violent nature, their struggle speaks to all of us who are seeking effective ways to combat injustice and violence throughout the world."

The tour will feature education booths; performance of traditional and modern Tibetan music and dance; a moving activist resource center where people will be able to sign petitions, write letters, get information on local human rights groups; multi-media exhibits on the message of non-violence; a training workshop on lobbying local, state and national government leaders; an economic action camp to promote boycott and divestment actions against the Chinese government, as well as encourage consumer activism; and interfaith meetings between members of different religious groups interested in working for religious freedom in Tibet. Speakers will include a Tibetan nun from the Tibetan Nuns' Project, Gyaltson Chotso, a former political prisoner in Tibet who was subjected to torture.

Confirmed dates as follow:

10/18-20 Brown Univeristy 10/30 New York University

10/21 Wesleyan University 10/31 Columbia University

10/22 Boston University 11/1-3 Brooklyn College

10/23-24 Tufts University 11/5-6 Dickinson College

10/25 Hampshire College 11/11 Indiana University

10/26 Middlebury College 11/12 Ball State

10/27 Ithaca College 11/13-14 Chicago

10/28 Syracuse University 11/15-17 University of Wisconsin, Madison

10/29 Tenafly High School

For more information, contact Maria Ma, Perry Serpa or Jessica Ricci at Nasty Little Man at (212) 343-2314; fax (212) 343-0196; e-mail smartnlm@aol.com or (Milarepa at http://www.milarepa.org)

nasty little man

72 spring street

11th floor

new york ny 10012

tel 212 343 2314 fax 212 343 0196

e-mail smartnlm@aol.com

September 30, 1996

For Immediate Release