The Tibetans is the first of its kind: a beautiful but disquieting portrait of both the splendor and ruin that mark contemporary Tibet. Award-winning photojournalist Steve Lehman travels beyond the mountain vistas and timeless temples to uncover a different Tibet; a Tibet of lumberyards and uranium mines, of brothels and discos, of demolished temples and burned-out police stations. Documented over a ten-year period, Lehman’s thoughtful and empathic photographs make real the grave beauty of this culture torn by political conflict.
From his story-breaking coverage of the 1987 pro-independence demonstrations to Newsweek’s 1997 cover story, Lehman’s photographs helped create the wave of international attention now focused on Tibet. Unflinching images explore the critical issues there: cultural assimilation, human rights abuse, political demonstrations, environmental degradation, and religious persecution. Lehman’s penetrating photographs provide a real-life counterpart to such major entertainment events as Kundun, Seven Years in Tibet, and the Tibetan Freedom Concert. Sponsored by Amnesty International, Students for A Free Tibet, Brown Faculty Fellows, and the Watson Institute.
Location: C.V. Starr Auditorium, MacMillan Hall room 117, 167 Thayer St.