Festival of TIBET 19th – 21st Feb 2010
Leichhardt Town Hall, Sydney
107 Norton St. Leichhardt NSW

FESTIVAL OF TIBET – a three-day festival that will engage the senses in a celebration of the unique music and sacred arts of Tibet. The Tashi Lhunpo Monks of Tibet in exile will create a stunning Yamantaka Sand Mandala and renowned artist Karma Phuntsok will exhibit his cutting edge contemporary Tibetan paintings. A Discussion Panel featuring prominent Tibet Experts  on Why Tibet matters will allow a stimulating exchange on issues of Tibet.

Two  Concerts not to be missed.

Mystical TIBET Concert Fri 19 Feb 7.30pm

Evening of beautiful Trans Himalayan music and song where two traditions of Harmonic singing meet. Mystical Tibet Concert brings rarely seen sacred dances and chants of The Tashi Lhunpo Monks of TIBET in exile and evocative and haunting musical collaboration of the Tibetan monks overtone chanting, Bukhu’s Mongolian throat singing and Tibetan musician, Tenzin Choegyal.

Entry Fee $15(Con$10)

Rangzen Tibet Concert Sat 20 Feb 7.30pm

A colourful concert of Sacred Tibetan songs, dances and chants from lay and monastic traditions. Sydney Tibetan Dance Troupe – newly formed by the NSW Tibetan community, Tashi Lhunpo Monks of Tibet in exile, Lhamo Dolma and Tenzin Choegyal.

Entry Fee $15(Con$10)

You will have the opportunity to join in a number of workshops throughout the festival, Guided Meditation, Tibetan Cooking and the Art of sand Mandala

Please join us to celebrate this Festival of Tibet to honour the courage of Tibetan people.

Panel – Why TIBET Matters? QUESTIONS > DEBATE > FACTS > SOLUTIONS

Sun Feb 21 2:30-3.30pm

Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM is a former Australian Human Rights Commissioner, currentlyHon. Professor at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney and a Harkness Fellow. Dr Ozdowski is a prominent human rights advocatewho put the fate of children in Australia’s immigration detention centers on the national agenda and secured their release.He has published on human rights andmental health, disability discrimination,multiculturalism, need for an Australian bill of rights and on international human rights issues, including a paper predicting emergence of Solidaritymovement in Poland. He represented Australia in UN, China and elsewhere and has a hon. doctorate fromRMIT and many Australian and Polish decorations.

Claire Scobie is a writer and journalist. Author of the acclaimed Last Seen in Lhasa, Claire has been to Tibet seven times and supported the Tibetan cause since 1996. Claire teaches writing workshops across Australia and has appeared at international literary festivals as a speaker and facilitator. She is also a scholar at the Writing and Society Research Group at the University of Western Sydney. Claire will be moderating the panel discussion on Why Tibet Matters.

Dhondup Chophel arrived in Australia 10 years ago. He worked for the Tibetan Government in Exile from 1974 to 2001, approximately 26 years as office clerk to Additional Secretary. He returned to Tibet in 1992, 1994 and 1996 and has since refrained from travelling to Tibet. Born in Dhingri, Western Tibet, Dhondup escaped with his parents to India via Nepal in 1960, reaching Dharamsala in August of 1962. Dhondup was educated in Central School for Tibetans, Mussoorie. He is a highly respected Senior member of the Tibetan Community of NSW.

Chen Yonglin is a former Chinese diplomat. He had worked as a political affairs officer in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 14 years before his high profile defection to Australia in 2005. Chen was a university student in Beijing during the\ pro-democracy movement that ultimately led to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

Dr. Simon Bradshaw is the Campaign Coordinator for the Australia Tibet Council. He has previously worked on environment and development projects in Australia, India and on his home island of Guernsey. In 2007 he completed a fouryear research project on the traditional relationship between the land and people of Tibet. Simon now campaigns fulltime for the human rights and democratic freedoms of the Tibetan people.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Date	Morning	Afternoon	Evening Concerts
Fri 19 Feb	Creation of Sand Mandala (10:00 am – 4:00pm)	Opening Ceremony 12:00 noon Sand Mandala Art Workshop with the monks (3:30 pm to 4:30 pm) Free	Mystical TIBET Concert Evening of beautiful Trans Himalayan music and song where two traditions of Harmonic singing meet. Tashi Lhunpo Monks of Tibet, Tenzin Choegyal and Bukhu (Mongolian Throat Singer.) (7:30pm) Entry $15 (Con$10)
Sat 20 Feb	Calming One’s Mind Guided Meditation with the Monks. Creation of  Sand Mandala continues (10:00 am – 12:00 pm) Tibetan Cooking Workshop with Sydney Tibetan Community Members (11:00 – 12:00pm) $15(Con$10)	Sand Mandala Art Workshop with the monks (3:30 pm to 4:30 pm) Free	Rangzen Tibet Concert A colourful concert of Tibetan songs, dances and chants from lay and monastic traditions. Lhamo Dolma, Sydney Tibetan Dance Troupe, Tashi Lhunpo Monks of Tibet  and Tenzin Choegyal (7:30pm) Entry$15 (Con$10)
Sun 21 Feb	Calming One’s Mind Guided Meditation with the Monks. Creation of  Sand Mandala continues (10:00 am – 12:00 pm) Tibetan Cooking Workshop with Sydney Tibetan Community Members (10:00 am – 11am) $15(Con$10)	Kitchen Tibet Lunch Join for delicious Lunch prepared by the Sydney Tibetan community (1:00 pm to 2:00 pm) Entry $20(Con$15) Panel -  “Why Tibet Matters” Facilitated by Tenpa Dugdak – co-author of “My Tibet”.With prominentTibet Experts (2.30pm –3.30pm) Entry By Donation Dissolution of the sand Mandala 4pm.

For tickets and info Please call 0428942095

“From the day we became refugees, our basic objective was to rise to the very place from where we have fallen down.”- H.H. the Dalai Lama

Proudly Supported by Leichart Town hall, AFX Digital, AUSTRALIA TIBET COUNCIL,Dr. Tom, NSW Tibetan Community.