Tsering Woeser - Mother, Wife, and Voice of a Nation

Born in Lhasa, Tibet in 1966, Tsering Woeser, or just Woeser, developed an interest in journalism early. At the age of 24, she became published and took on a job as an editor. It wasn't until after the death of her father and her research into the Tibet situation that she became controversial.

Her 2003 publication, Notes on Tibet, was swiftly banned by Chinese authorities. A collection of writings on the political, religious, and cultural traditions of Tibet wasn't something the Chinese government wanted publicized.

After the publication of Notes on Tibet, she lost her job, her house was confiscated, her medical and retirement insurance removed, and she was denied the right to apply for a passport. Her life became one of varying levels of censorship, monitoring, and even periods of arrest.

Woeser became a freelance writer and blogger for the site Invisible Tibet, where she posts reports of Chinese crackdowns in Tibet and Tibetan resistance to Chinese rule. She is also a contributor to Radio Free Asia.

It's interesting how I became a fan of Woeser. Her work A Killing Trip focuses on her discomfort faced on a journey where she witnesses the needless taking of life. Not human life, but different animals. I was taken by the piece, and it stuck with me.

Although I am a hunter and have raised farm animals for food, I hold a respect for all life, similar to what you might read in Native American literature about hunting. I found A Killing Trip to be an outstanding explanation of the respect for life everyone should have, even if they take it.

Woeser has had her accounts hacked, and her sites taken down. She now publishes through a server outside of China. Her family and friends have been detained, interrogated, and threatened. At least thirteen acquaintances have been held in jail at one time or another.

She writes in Chinese, so unless you read Chinese, you can only appreciate what she writes through translation. A site that regularly posts translations of her work is HighPeaksPureEarth.com, which updates with new work fairly quickly.

A new entry that I was especially moved by is titled I Remember, Therefore We Are, and was published in March on High Peaks Pure Earth.

Browse the selections and sense the anguish of occupation through the eyes of someone who understands it and possesses the literary skill to allow us some understanding too.