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    SOUTH AMERICAN Newsline                                                   MAY 15, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 35

            developments inside Tibet and reinforced support                                           tural  heritage  through  collaborations  with  distin-
            for the Tibetan cause.                                                                     guished Tibetan artists and practitioners.
                In 2025, the Office facilitated and accompanied                                           Programs featuring sand mandala creation and
            a Chilean parliamentary delegation to Dharamsha-                                           ritual arts were conducted with the participation of
            la, enabling direct engagement with members of the                                         Mr. Losang Samten, former ritual attendant to His
            Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and further strengthen-                                        Holiness the Dalai Lama, whose work provided au-
            ing long-standing ties of friendship and cooperation.                                      diences with insights into Tibetan spiritual traditions
                Did you organize high-level visits and official en-                                    and cultural expression.
            gagements during your tenure?                                                                 Online orientations in Tibetan dance and songs
                The Office of Tibet played a central coordinat-                                        were conducted by Bawa Tsering Dorjee and Loten
            ing role in facilitating official visits by senior CTA                                     Namling. These efforts were complemented by ex-
            leadership to the region.                                                                  hibitions and artistic presentations by Mr. Ngawang
                During  the  Sikyong’s  official  visits  to  Brazil,                                  Lodoe, whose work highlighted Tibetan identity and
            Colombia, and Mexico in 2023 and 2025, the Office                                          cultural continuity through both contemporary and
            organized and supported a series of high-level en-                                         traditional mediums.
            gagements. In Brazil, these included meetings at the                                          How were official statements of the CTA translated
            São Paulo State Legislative Assembly, along with in-                                       and disseminated?
            teractions with academic institutions, policy forums,                                         The Office of Tibet, Latin America, ensured the
            and cultural organizations focusing on Tibet’s cur-  With Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche during the 90th birthday   timely  translation,  publication,  and  dissemination
            rent situation and its environmental significance.  celebrations of Dalai Lama at the Tibet House Brasil   of official statements issued by the Central Tibetan
                In Colombia, engagements included academic                                             Administration and the Office of His Holiness the
            dialogues  at  the  National  University  of  Colombia   ducted across Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica,   Dalai Lama.
            and interreligious meetings involving representatives   Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil, and included public   Key statements translated into Spanish and Por-
            of different faith traditions and public institutions,   teachings, interfaith dialogues, and community en-  tuguese included those issued by the Kashag and the
            contributing to greater awareness and informed dis-  gagement  activities  centered  on  compassion  and   Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on the occasion of Ti-
            cussion on Tibet.                            universal responsibility.                     betan National Uprising Day on March 10, His Ho-
                In 2025, the Office also facilitated the visit of   In Brazil, the Office supported educational and   liness the Dalai Lama’s Birthday on July 6, Tibetan
            Kalon Norzin Dolma to Chile in connection with the   outreach  initiatives  including  lectures  on  Tibetan   Democracy Day on September 2, and the commem-
            90th birth anniversary commemorations of His Ho-  arts and culture, programs conducted by the Men-  oration of the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10.
            liness the Dalai Lama. The visit included parliamen-  Tsee-Khang,  public  teachings  by  visiting  Buddhist   Other  important  statements  and  messages  is-
            tary meetings, public programs, and cultural events   masters, and interreligious conferences focusing on   sued by the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
            that further strengthened bilateral engagement.  ethics, science, and peace.               and the CTA were also regularly translated and cir-
                What was your contribution in the area of cultural   In 2022, the Representative had the honour of   culated.
            and spiritual diplomacy?                     presenting letters of appreciation, conveyed on be-  All translated materials were published on the
                Cultural diplomacy remained a core component   half of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sikyong Penpa   official websites of the Office of Tibet, Latin Ameri-
            of the Office’s activities during this period.  Tsering, and Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel of the   ca, and Tibet House Brasil, and widely shared among
                Tibet House Brasil organized three tours with   Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, to the family of the late   Tibet support groups, partner institutions, academic
            Tibetan medicine doctors and astrologers across Bra-  Dr. Alfredo Martínez Moreno in El Salvador. The   networks, and civil society organizations across the
            zil and Argentina between 2022 and 2024 in collab-  recognition honoured his contribution to the United   region. These were further amplified through official
            oration  with  Men-Tsee-Khang  from  Dharamshala.  Nations resolution on Tibet in 1967. The letters were   social media platforms to ensure broader accessibil-
                The  Representative  participated  in  the  “108   received by his 90-year-old wife and daughter in the   ity for Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking audiences.
            Hours of Peace” event held in São Paulo in 2023,   presence of former dignitaries of El Salvador associ-  This  initiative  contributed  significantly  to
            which brought together Buddhist teachers, scholars,   ated with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  strengthening  communication  with  regional  stake-
            and practitioners from different traditions. The pro-  The  Office  also  supported  commemorative   holders and ensuring that official Tibetan perspec-
            gram emphasized compassion, mindfulness, and in-  events including the observance of the Nobel Peace   tives remained accessible to diverse linguistic com-
            terreligious dialogue, contributing to broader public   Prize anniversary on December 10 and celebrations   munities throughout Latin America.
            engagement with Tibetan Buddhist values.     marking His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday.  We have published two books in Portuguese in
                The Office also coordinated two regional tours   How did you promote Tibetan cultural heritage in   collaboration with Palas Athena: A Vida Extraor-
            of  the  “Mystical  Arts  of  Tibet,”  featuring  monks   Brazil through the activities of THB?  dinária de Sua Santidade o 14º Dalai Lama: Uma
            from Drepung Loseling Monastery. The programs    The Office continued to promote Tibetan cul-  Jornada Iluminada and Ver a Nós Mesmos Como
            included sand mandala creation, sacred music per-                                          Realmente Somos, both by Tenzin Gyatso.
            formances, and teachings on Buddhist philosophy,                                              What are the upcoming programs and events being
            reaching  audiences  across  several  countries.  One                                      coordinated by the Office of Tibet for Latin America and
            tour lasted for a month in 2024 and another for three                                      Tibet House Brasil?
            months in 2025.                                                                               The  Office  of  Tibet  for  Latin  America  is  co-
                In October 2024, the Office organized the Latin                                        ordinating invitations for deputies and civil society
            American launch of the documentary Never Forget                                            representatives from Latin America to attend and
            Tibet: The Dalai Lama’s Untold Story in São Pau-                                           participate in the oath-taking ceremony for Penpa
            lo. The event included screenings, exhibitions, and                                        Tsering’s second term in Dharamshala on May 27,
            public discussions, enhancing awareness of Tibetan                                         2026. The delegation will also tour the structure and
            history and the life and message of His Holiness the                                       institutions of the Central Tibetan Administration
            Dalai Lama.                                                                                (CTA) to gain a better understanding of its adminis-
                What regional outreach and educational initiatives                                     tration and activities.
            did you organize?                                                                             At the same time, Tibet House Brasil will host a
                In  2023,  the  Office  organized  a  month-long                                       retreat on July 10, 2026, led by Lama Padma Dorjee.
            regional  initiative  titled  “Connection  with  Com-      With Tibet supporters           In addition, six collaboration program requests are
            passion” to commemorate the 88th birthday of His       in Chamber of Deputies in Mexico    currently under consideration and will be decided
            Holiness  the  Dalai  Lama.  The  program  was  con-                                       upon by my successor in the coming days.

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