DHARAMSALA, 30 Oct: The annual “Rendez-vous Bundesplatz” light show in Bern, Switzerland — a 30-minute projection on the façade of the Federal Palace that takes spectators on a visual journey around the world — has removed its planned visual stop in Tibet, citing that the segment was “too political” to be displayed on the symbolically significant parliament building.
According to an article published on Nau.ch, a Swiss independent digital news platform on 27 October, the Tibet projection was removed after the Parliamentary Services, which manages the Federal Palace, deemed it politically sensitive and mandated that only projections without “politicial intentions” are allowed.
A spokesperson for the parliamentary administration explained that Tibet was considered politically sensitive, especially because the projection would have appeared on the highly symbolic façade of the Federal Palace.
Now, spectators are reportedly shown a Thai Buddha instead of Tibet during the ongoing light show, scheduled from 18 October to 22 November. China, which makes Tibet politically sensitive, will not be featured in the light show, a decision by the Swiss parliament that maintains a veneer of “neutrality”.
The removal has drawn criticism for the Swiss parliament’s complicity in China’s colonial project to erase the Tibetan identity and render Tibet invisible on the world stage.
Swiss National Councilor Fabian Molina, co-president of the Parliamentary Group for Tibet, described the removal as a bending of the parliament towards China.
China expert Ralph Weber said the revised storyboard of the night show was an anticipatory compliance towards Beijing, while the projections were originally intended only to showcase the scenic beauty of Tibet.
Kowtowing to China’s expansionist policies has increasingly become the convenient approach in many parts of the world, particularly in European countries. In recent years, the Tibetan community has witnessed pervasive Chinese influence in European public institutions like museums and universities, which actively support China’s colonial narrative of Tibet.
Despite relentless protests and a legal notice by Tibetan activists, the Musée Guimet in Paris has yet to accurately represent “Tibet” in its Nepal-Tibet exhibition, instead using the Chinese colonial term ‘Himalayan World,’ which blurs the distinct cultural and political identities in the region and effectively denies Tibet the agency to present itself as a separate nation.
Those in positions of power may claim neutrality, but true neutrality does not exist in a world without apolitical spaces. Those subjected to the power must understand that claiming neutrality is itself a political act. In an unequal conflict, neutrality is a mirage and to remain silent is to side with the oppressor.
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