So; many of you have expressed to me your anger at label mates 4Lyn for playing in China. Here is my initial response:

I personally am loathe to judge any body elses choices. I lived in South Africa when the world supported a cultural sanction upon that country. I saw Billy Bragg and Paul Weller judging my country as a whole, forgetting that there we real people like me and Neil Aggett and many others making enormous sacrifices in our struggle to change the system. Yet they would play gigs in America.

At that time it was the American government that was supporting the white national regime in South Africa because South Africa provided the largest amount of uranium and other materials that America needed to sustain its military power during the years of the "cold war". Anyhow, I thought these guys were hypocrites for playing in America while boycotting South Africa. Remember, South Africa had studied the "reservation" system of America.

South Africa and Israel were working together in mischievous ways. France was in an oil deal with Suddam Hussein when Suddam was gassing people by the thousands, Japan is determined to hunt whales in the Antartica, and America continues on its path of wrecking the world with its foreign policies and its greedy capitilism; Monsanto is fucking up the entire food chain - turning all food into an unknown poison - rice has tripled its price in 3 months by whose doing? Robert Mugabe is an absolute bastard with no repsect for his hard working people! ..., the Dutch, English, Germans, Canadians and Australians have all particiated in imposing Bush's brand of peace and democracy in Afghanistan - so in the end there is no place to play that is without "sin" so to speak. It's all too close to that ol' saying - those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!

I personally wouldn't play China because I am, by my upbringing, a Tibetan Buddhist having been the youngest initiate of the Karmapa in the west at that time - so I am biased on the Tibetan's side. However, I held the argument in the days of the sanctions against South Africa that even though one can change the politcs of the country, if people's hearts and minds aren't in tune with the change then it will be of no use. Music and art, etc. go a long way to changing the hearts of people and attuning the mind to more noble principles of freedom for all. I actually spoke to Mandela about this on a T.V. show in America and he said "Yes I understand the problem, and I am sorry about that .. etc".

So I personally don't believe in cultural boycotts - sanctions etc .. maybe - but cultural boycotts I think are counter productive - I say let the great message that comes through music be heard behind all curtains of all colors even red or other wise. Let the young people's minds and bodies feel the power of rock and roll and they too will be set free in subtle ways that maybe in the future will be of more benefit to Tibet. If not, those who have been subject to our cultural boycott will become the product of their dogmatic education system and no - one will benefit from that; because remember "what you soak - so you spoke" - so let's not put borders around rock and roll. Let's tear down the walls and let the children play!!!!!

Yea, and free Tibet!
Robbi

Regarding China and Tibet:

On another note - the Dalai Lama was asked what he thought people should do to bring about world peace. His Holiness replied "More picnics and festivals - let every body cool off!" (paraphrased from a scene in a move called Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama)