The UBC Himalaya Program and the Tibetan Cultural Society of British Columbia (TCSBC) are excited to announce that we will be co-hosting a lecture by Dr. Losang Rabgey, Executive Director of Machik, an organization supporting communities on the Tibetan plateau, and a showing of the award-winning Tibetan documentary “Valley of the Heroes” by filmmaker Kashem Ghyal. The event will take place on February 4th, 3:30-5:30pm, CK Choi Building, UBC Vancouver Campus.
“Valley of the Heroes” offers a rare glimpse into a pivotal moment of cultural and linguistic transition among Tibetans and Muslims in Hualong County, a remote community in Amdo, Tibet, and part of what is now eastern Qinghai Province, China. Over the past several decades, Tibetans living in Hualong have experienced rapid cultural shifts that have been accelerated by language loss – today more than 30% of residents are unable to speak their heritage language. In the film, village residents and elders reflect on the changes taking place in their community, and the filmmakers also document a unique Tibetan language program that is attempting to address the situation.
RSVP for the event here.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Losang Rabgey holds a PhD in gender studies and anthropology from the University of London, SOAS, where she was the first Tibetan to become a Commonwealth Scholar. Losang and her sister, Dr. Tashi Rabgey, co-founded the organization Machik, whose mission is to incubate social innovation for Tibet. In 2006, Lobsang was recognized by the National Geographic Society as one of eight Emerging Explorers from the around world for her innovative work that addresses gender equality and bridges cultural divides.