Do you have a few minutes free? Take a moment to learn about this Tibetan artist.
October 2011: Karma Emchi, a Swiss-based Tibetan vocalist released a new song on YouTube called “Made in Tibet.” The track has received over 30,000 hits since its release. It’s clear in this song that he is trying to send a message to Tibetans living within the borders of Tibet. If you’ve been watching the news in the past few months, you’ve heard about several monks self-immolating themselves for the cause. Although it’s unrelated and there are several Tibetan social commentaries on those events, these videos could not have been released at a better [and more controversial] time. Far from the precarious border himself, Karma Emchi is able to voice his opinion and send a message without fear of direct government retribution – though some of his work is banned in China according to other posts. Listen to this October release, then continue reading:
I’ve already sent an email to him asking about getting a “Made in Tibet” shirt for myself. In addition to disseminating his message via music, Karma is taking a filmic stand. Concerned about identity loss, he directed this 3-minute short:
What else has this guy done? On March 24, 2011, Karma released a comedic song about Tibetan meat pastry. I posted the original video to my Twitter feed when it was first released. It was intended to be funny – listen to the story of what happened here as investigated by Rebecca Novick at The Tibet Connection. It may surprise you!
Finally, are you thirsty? Karma Emchi has more than a spark of humor in his work. Check out his parody on the Red Bull energy drink…. get ready to sip some Red Yak! See the awesome video below:
He’s obviously someone to keep an eye on… if you see/hear of anything new in relation to Emchi, let me know!
Related articles
- Chinese crackdown reduces flow of refugees across the border to a trickle (independent.co.uk)
- The Ultimate Act of Protest (politics.ie)
- Tibet rocked by wave of self-immolation (independent.co.uk)
- India: Tibetan Sets Self On Fire In Front Of China Embassy (huffingtonpost.com)
- Letters: Tibetan deaths violate Buddhism (guardian.co.uk)
Right. That bloody settles it. I’m going to do a rap about a bridie.
You do that. I’ll post it here. lol
I mean it! ‘Twa plain pehs ananingingane anaw’ coming up!
Did you ever get a response to your e-mail about the shirt?
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