a Good Refugee Podcast

Happy New Year! Gelek and Choeyang caught up with Chitue (parliamentary) candidates Tenzin Kalsang (Kaysang) and Tenzin Jigdal to talk about the Tibetan elections taking place on Jan 3, 2021. They touch on initial thoughts about the upcoming election (02:10), the issues they want to highlight (9:05), how the Tibetan parliament-in-exile is set up (24:50), a literally earthshaking endorsement from Kaysang (70:25), dismantling the U-Tsang confederacy (77:30), and more.

Episode notes

* Initial thoughts about the upcoming election. [02:10]

* Why did they run in these elections as Chitue candidates? [05:30]

* What are some of the biggest issues you wanted to highlight? [9:05] 

* Perception of Tibetan issues as being monolithic, plus lack of class analysis. [14:10]

* General lack of understanding of the parliamentary process. [19:00] 

* Tibetan parliament-in-exile setup. [24:50] 

* Is regional allocation (chölka) outdated? [31:05] 

* What does democracy mean to the two candidates? [39:00] 

* Religious sects getting 10 seats from the 45 total parliament seats. [44:50] 

* Rangzen (independence) vs umay lam (middle-way). [59:30] 

* How unity gets weaponized. [66:00] 

* Sikyong endorsements plus EARTHQUAKE! [70:25] 

* Dismantling the U-Tsang confederacy. [77:30] 

* Respectability and elitist politics and how class and power intersects. [79:00] 

* Why should Tibetans support you? [85:00]

* Closing remarks [89:25]

Bios

Tenzin Kalsang is the co-founder of Drokmo, a feminist resource group working with Tibetan and Himalayan communities on gender justice. She is running for the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, as an U-Tsang candidate.

Instagram

Tenzin Jigdal is running as a parliamentary candidate for one of the Dotoe seats. He’s an international coordinator for the International Tibet Network, and has also served in Tibet Action Institute and Students for a Free Tibet.

Instagram

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Happy Holidays! The esteemed professionals and academics at a Good Refugee Pod get into the festive spirit by partaking in the joyous tradition of identifying people with a*****e tendencies. Gelek and Tsering, along with special guest Nishant Upadhyay, pass judgments on a housekeeper terrorized by plush lizard toys (05:25), the U.S. finding $600 for Americans (14:30), dick pic etiquette (22:40), Modi and the farmer protests in India (31:15), and our millennial casanova Martin Shkreli. Bonus discussion on the Bidens and the whole deal about credentials (52:30).

Episode Notes

* Nishant intro [04:00]

* AITA for refusing to make my son get rid of a toy that scares our housekeeper? [05:25]

* AITA for giving $600 stimulus checks to struggling Americans? [14:30]

* AITA for getting mad at my mom for sending me a dick pic [22:40]

* AITA for passing farmer’s bills in India and causing the largest protest ever? [31:15]

* AITA for having a crush on a universally reviled pharma-bro [41:10]

* Bonus: AITA for talking at any length about the importance of credentials [52:30]

* Closing AITA remarks [60:25]

Bio

Nishant Upadhyay is an Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. They received their PhD at York University, Toronto in the Graduate Program of Social and Political Thought in 2016.

Website

Links

AITA for refusing to make my son get rid of a toy that scares our housekeeper?

COVID-19 relief package: $600 stimulus checks, $300 bonus for federal unemployment benefits in new deal

AITA: my mom sent me a dick pic and is mad I’m mad?

Dozens die during India farmers’ protests; Modi offers more talks

The Journalist and the Pharma Bro

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Gelek spoke with artist, educator, friend and troublemaker Susan Blight to get her take on the best films and music to come out of an impossibly bewildering and isolating year. The episode begins with Susan’s participation in Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto [03:00], what films mean to her and her top five selections [9:45], the Michelle Latimer issue [37:00], and finally, Susan’s connection to music and her top five records, plus song of the year [46:00]

Episode Notes

* Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto [03:00]

* Susan’s connection to the world of cinema [9:45]

* First film pick: Time [13:40]

* maɬni – towards the ocean, towards the shore [16:00]

* PLUCK [18:00]

* POSSESSOR [24:00]

* êmîcêtôcêt: Many Bloodlines [27:00]

* Honorary mention: Mandalorian [28:30]

* The importance of supporting Indigenous artists [34:10]

* The Michelle Latimer controversy [37:00]

* What music means to Susan [46:00]

* First album: It Was Good Until It Wasn't - Kehlani [48:20]

* Featuring Ty Dolla $ign - Ty Dolla $ign [51:05]

* Shore - Fleet Foxes [55:15]

* City on Lock - City Girls [57:00]

* BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE) - DaBaby [58:15]

* Song of the year: Laugh Now Cry Later (feat. Lil Durk) [64:40]

* Close [66:54]

Bio

Susan Blight (Anishinaabe, Couchiching First Nation) is an interdisciplinary artist working with public art, site-specific intervention, photography, film and social practice. Her solo and collaborative work engages questions of personal and cultural identity and its relationship to space. She is a PhD student in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto and her dissertation examines Anishinaabeg geographies of resistance. In August 2019, Susan joined OCAD University as Delaney Chair in Indigenous Visual Culture and as Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences and School of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Twitter

Website

Links

imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto

Sovereign Screen

Language and the Land

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agoodrefugee.substack.com

Gelek and Choeyang speak with Tenzing Sonam and Tenzin Dolker about the growth and evolution of Tibetan arts in the diaspora ahead of the launch of TibetFilms.com: how they first connected with art [02:04]; censorship as both restricting and liberating inside Tibet [16:20]; lack of institutional and community support for non-traditional Tibetan artists [27:00]; DIFF and TibetFilms.com [36:15]; and much more.

Episode notes

* Guest intros and how they first connected with art. [02:40]

* How their art evolved over the years. [10:00]

* Does censorship inside Tibet hinder or boost creativity there? [16:20]

* How free are you as an artist outside Tibet? [21:30]

* Lack of institutional and community support for non-traditional, non-religious Tibetan arts. [27:00]

* How Tibetan artists are supported vs non Tibetan artists. [31:05]

* Dolker’s current and future projects. [34:15]

* Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF): origin, concept, hosting a festival during a pandemic. [36:15]

* Launching TibetFilms.com (Dec 3 - Dec 13). [41:00]

* How people can tune into TibetFilms.com and its different offerings. [46:00]

* Tenzing’s current and future projects. [55:20]

* Situation in Dharamshala. [57:20]

Bios

Tenzing Sonam was born in Darjeeling, India to Tibetan refugee parents.

Working through White Crane Films, Tenzing and his wife Ritu Sarin have made more than 20 documentaries, several video installations and two dramatic features. A recurring subject in their work is the issue of Tibet, with which they have been intimately involved: personally, politically and artistically. Through their films, they have attempted to document, question and reflect on the questions of exile, identity, culture and nationalism that confront the Tibetan people.

They are the directors of the Dharamshala International Film Festival, one of India’s leading independent film festivals, which they founded in 2012. They are based in Dharamshala.

Tenzin Dolker is a Tibetan exile, born and raised in a Tibetan refugee camp in South India. Prior to her work as a photographer, Dolker was a co-founder of Dharamshala Dance Arts where she managed the day-to-day activities of the center and taught Bollywood dance and yoga. She is a vocal advocate and activist in the Tibetan Freedom Movement.

Photography gave Dolker a voice to explore, learn, question and accept her space and existence by observing and documenting people, culture and the uncertain quietness of everyday lives. In 2019, Dolker played the lead role in the Tibetan feature film, The Sweet Requiem. She’s currently based in New Orleans.

Links

TibetFilms.com (Dec 3 - 13)

Dharamshala International Film Festival

White Crane Films

Drung Films

Nangpa la Pass 2006 shooting incident

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agoodrefugee.substack.com

In this sprawling and freewheeling conversation, a Good Refugee Podcast tackles the messy, meandering ways that political and personal identities evolve in the diaspora (03:30), the interplay of politics and religion in Tibetan lives (16:00), revisiting His Holiness’s pretty Dalai Lama joke from 2019 (28:00), Palestine (39:00), and more.

Episode notes

* What does/how should the Tibetan political identity look like in the diaspora? [03:30]

* When did you start being aware of your Tibetan identity? [08:30]

* The easy trappings of Tibetan political tropes in a Western setting. [16:00]

* Buddhism superiority/sincerity paradox. [26:00]

* Revisiting HHDL’s pretty Dalai Lama joke and the immediate aftermath. [28:00]

* President of the Central Tibetan Administration visiting Israel in 2018. [39:00]

* Concluding thoughts on Tibetan identity, Buddhism, justice, freedom, etc. [44:20]

* Final remarks, featuring Korean dramas and hot takes re Attack on Titan. [61:30]

Articles of interest:

CTA President Dr Lobsang Sangay marks fruitful first visit to Israel - Tibet.net (June 26, 2018)

The Dalai Lama on Trump, women and going home - BBC (June 27, 2019)

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agoodrefugee.substack.com

A Good Refugee pod welcomes a new co-host: Tenzin Choeyang!

In this episode, we speak with Kalaya’an Mendoza about his work as an election defender (8:20); mutual aid and community justice in the time of COVID and state violence (12:20); how Kalaya’an got involved with the Tibetan freedom movement (30:20); weaponization of non-violence (44:00); and much more.

Bio: Kalaya’an Mendoza [He/Him/Siya] resides on occupied Lenape territory. He is a Queer, Hard of Hearing Filipino American organizer and human rights activist who has been engaged in nonviolent civil resistance for the past two decades. His work is currently focused on voter protection, community defense and tactical safety and security training in the lead up and aftermath of the 2020 election. He is the co-founder of Across Frontlines, an organization that works alongside frontline human rights defenders to keep their communities safe from state and non state actor violence.

InstagramTwitter

Episode notes

* Tenzin Choeyang intro. [00:30]

* Kalaya’an Mendoza intro. [03:10]

* Kala’s work during the U.S. elections. [05:50]

* Self-care as an election defender. [08:20]

* How is mutual aid operating during this time? [12:20]

* How to separate electoral work from the work of decolonization, police abolition, etc. [17:30]

* Organizing from a space of abundance vs scarcity. [22:10]

* Naruto runs and Avatar bending as resistance. [28:40]

* What drew Kala to the Tibetan cause. [30:20]

* How to resist the unrelenting rise of neoliberal power as an organizer. [38:30]

* Is non-violence civil resistance the best path forward? [44:00]

* Kala’s action during Beijing Olympics 2018. [47:15]

* Kala’s current projects. [54:05]

* How Kala developed practice of self-care and community care. [55:55]

Links

Across FrontlinesInstagram

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Gelek speaks with professor Carole McGranahan about what’s at stake on Nov 3, Trump’s incredible capacity for mendacity (05:00), why Tibetan Americans should think twice about supporting Trump (28:00), China vs the U.S. (40:00), and what’s a good refugee to do going forward (43:00).

Bio: Professor Carole McGranahan is an anthropologist and historian of Tibet and the Himalayas, and a professor at the University of Colorado. She conducts research, writes, lectures, and teaches. At any given time, professor McGranahan is probably working on one of the following projects: political asylum and refugee citizenship in the Tibetan diaspora (Canada, France, India, Nepal, Switzerland, and the USA); Tibet, the British empire, and the Pangdatsang family; the self-immolations in Tibet; the CIA and the Chushi Gangdrug resistance army; and, anthropology as theoretical storytelling. She lives in the mountains outside of Boulder, Colorado.

carolemcgranahan.com

Episode notes:

* State of America heading into Nov 3 election [03:00]

* Do Trump’s lies really break from past American presidencies? [05:00]

* Is Trump the logical endpoint of America as a settler colonial project? [14:00]

* Is a Biden administration really a true, progressive force that people think it will be? [19:00]

* Local state elections and voter suppression [23:00]

* Tibetans, Trump and Tibetan conservatism [28:00]

* American presidents who stood up for Tibet against China [37:00]

* What’s so bad about China’s rise to the top? [40:00]

* Tibetan refugees and good refugees [43:00]

* Final thoughts and go vote (for Biden)! [53:00]

Projects in the works:

Book on Pangdatsang family.

Research project on political asylum and questions of citizenship in the Tibetan diaspora.

“The Tibet Reader” book in collaboration with Dechen Pemba (High Peaks Pure Earth), Lama Jabb (Oxford University), Nicole Willock (Old Dominion University) and Dhondup Tashi Rekjong (Northwestern University).

Reading:

A Presidential Archive of Lies: Racism, Twitter, and a History of the Present,” International Journal of Communication 13, 2019, pp. 3164-3182.

“An Anthropology of Lying: Trump and the Political Sociality of Moral Outrage,” American Ethnologist 44(2), 2017, pp. 243-248.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agoodrefugee.substack.com

A Good Refugee Podcast is your source for news, opinions and questions from troubled (Tibetan) minds. We endeavour to challenge the mainstream imagination of Tibetans (and other refugees) as peaceful, momo-loving mystics—well, many of us are mystical, and we do love momos, but we also want to move beyond the traditional trope of the hardworking immigrant. We want to disturb the conversations about migrants seeking refuge on colonized lands, and imagine how we can help create a just, free and protected Earth for Black, Indigenous and all dispossessed peoples.

A Good Refugee Podcast was conceived by Gelek Badheytsang, a Tibetan Canadian who lives in Toronto and dabbles in writing, photography and now, podcasting. Twitter: @gelekb

He is joined by co-host Tsering Yangzom from Cambridge, MA, who is also Tibetan as well as an American (yikes). She is currently completing her masters degree at Harvard Divinity School, where she is studying Tibetan Buddhism, conflict and politics. Twitter: @sayoyobae

For the first episode, we interview Dechen Tsering and talk to her about why she thinks Tibetans shouldn’t support Trump [16:00], why Biden and Harris represent a lifeline for America [37:00], and why it takes more than a vote to be an active and compassionate citizen [48:00], among many other things.

Bio: Dechen Tsering is a public health specialist at the City of Berkeley where she manages multiple health programs and administers grants funded by the City of Berkeley’s tax on sugary beverages, first in the nation. She has worked in international development, philanthropy, women’s and LGBTIQ rights advocacy and health care through Community Health for Asian Americans, Global Fund for Women, Seva Foundation, and Tibetan Delek Hospital. Dechen is the first out-lesbian in the Bay Area Tibetan community and a former president of the Tibetan Association of Northern California. Dechen is a co-founder of ACHA-Himalayan Sisterhood, a volunteer organization empowering survivors of gender-based violence in and outside the US. She is a trained domestic violence counselor and a member of San Francisco’s Asian Women’s Shelter (AWS) volunteer network. For 10 years, Dechen has been an active participant of a statewide gathering Strength collaborative of Asian American advocates against gender-based violence. Dechen is passionate about civic engagement, social justice, human rights and the rights of marginalized communities. Dechen lives in Berkeley, CA with her partner.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agoodrefugee.substack.com