Born Tenzin Gyatso, he was recognized as a baby as the 14th incarnation of the Buddha he became the spiritual leader and head of state of Tibet. For decades it has been a symbol of the quest for peace between China’s central government and the Tibetans, whose territory is under Beijing’s rule. His story earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and tributes in at least two Hollywood films in the 1990s. However, in recent years his image has been tarnished by public slips, the most serious of which have been videotaped attempts to improve his tongue in the tongue mouth of a child. To describe the Buddhist leader’s journey and his representation in local geopolitics, Julia Duailibi welcomes Marcelo Lins, GloboNews moderator and commentator, and Paulo Menechelli, researcher in cultural diplomacy in China and cofounder of the Observa China network. In this episode:
- Marcelo describes how Tenzin was identified as the Dalai Lama in his childhood and what the functions and responsibilities of this position are. And it explains why it is “difficult to separate the processes” of its loss of international prestige and the growth of China’s economic, political and cultural power;
- He also comments on the two “reprehensible episodes” starring the Dalai Lama. The first of them in 2019 when he made “a bad and sexist joke”. The most recent, “even more shameful” and which “deprives him of the conditions to lead his followers”;
- Paulo explains Xi Jinping’s strategy of “telling China’s stories well” and how this relates to Tibet and the Dalai Lama, “issues Beijing doesn’t like to talk about on the international agenda”;
- He reports how Chinese media coverage of the Dalai Lama’s episode with the child “integrates the Chinese narrative that he promotes Tibet’s independence for foreign interests” and how Beijing will try to accommodate next year’s succession process to come as close as possible to guides.
What you need to know:
The Podcast O Subject is produced by: Mônica Mariotti, Amanda Polato, Tiago Aguiar, Gabriel de Campos, Luiz Felipe Silva, Thiago Kaczuroski, Eto Osclighter and Nayara Fernandes. Presentation: Natuza Nery.
1 of 1 Natuza Nery, host of the O Subject podcast — Photo: g1 Natuza Nery, host of the O Subject podcast — Photo: g1