Skaill Farm, Rousay……From ‘Free Tibet’…..
by Bernie Bell - 09:18 on 18 July 2025
Skaill Farm, Rousay……
https://archaeologyorkney.com/2025/07/17/skaill-wk1-2025/
Maybe at a bit of a tangent – but the ’Memento Mori’ stone brought to mind two things…..
A recent exhibition in Tankerness House Museum…
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=17212
And – very much at a tangent as they’re not gravestones - the carved stones to be seen in Kirkwall….
https://theorkneynews.scot/2019/03/02/looking-up-in-kirkwall-part-1-victoria-street/
https://theorkneynews.scot/2019/03/03/looking-up-in-kirkwall-part-2-broad-street/
https://theorkneynews.scot/2019/03/04/looking-up-in-kirkwall-part-3-albert-street-and-bridge-street/
And……here’s my Rousay tuppenceworth…
https://theorkneynews.scot/2017/05/18/bernie-bell-orkney-walks-with-stories-rousay/
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From ‘Free Tibet’…..
“Last week devastating news broke of yet more flooding in Tibet, this time crossing into Nepal and washing away the Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge.
The disaster - in which hundreds were evacuated, and dozens still remain missing - brought to mind the magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Tibet back in January, and how the global media covered the story.
Tragic events such as these need widespread attention, as through raising awareness, people around the world are able to render aid, fundraise for disaster relief, and remember those who have lost their homes, communities, and lives. With this in mind, it remains essential that news agencies avoid reinforcing the Chinese government’s framing of Tibet as an unquestioned part of China.
As an occupied state, Tibet has been subject to cultural genocide - where the language, religion, and culture of Tibet, is heavily controlled and even erased by the Chinese government. By adopting China’s language around Tibet, using terms such as ‘Xizang’ or ‘China’s Tibet’, global media outlets are only feeding into this erasure of Tibet as a distinct nation, culture, and society.
With this latest natural disaster - suspected to be caused by accelerated climate and ecological damage in Tibet - we have seen Reuters refer to Tibet as “the Tibet region of China”.
Due to the limited coverage of these floods, compared to that of the January earthquake, Reuters is likely the most high-profile outlet reporting on this story. This is an issue only exacerbated by the fact that Reuters is often used as a vital resource by other outlets and journalists.
By contrast, The Independent, which has also covered the news extensively, does not add any qualifiers when writing about Tibet; there is no ‘Chinese Tibet’, no “Tibet region of China”, just Tibet.
This, however, is not the only news that we have seen recently which is relevant to our Tibet, Not Xizang appeal.
On 3 July 2025, four Tibet support groups based in France filed a legal complaint against Musée Guimet for their continued erasure of Tibetan identity from their exhibits.
The museum has been subject to a months-long series of protests, boycotts, and legal disputes over the decision to rename their ‘Nepal-Tibet’ exhibit to ‘Himalayan World’ - a phrasing that aligns with China’s narrative that Tibet has always been a part of China. As Tibet is already facing global erasure at the hands of China, the move is seen as nothing more than an attempt to appease Chinese government investors and stakeholders, while maintaining plausible deniability around its intentions.
Back in March 2025, Tibetan researchers and activists penned an open letter to Le Monde, calling out the historical and cultural inaccuracies in the name change and expressing concern over the ramifications of such a change.
While not a main plaintiff in the legal complaint against Musée Guimet, as we are not based in France, Free Tibet has expressed our support for the action, and signed on to the complaint as a supporter.
To learn more about the Tibet, Not Xizang issue and campaign, follow the button below, and please consider donating to our appeal.
https://freetibet.org/take-action/join-a-campaign/tibet-not-xizang/
One day, Tibet will be free.
Cameron Clark
Digital Lead | Free Tibet
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