The Tibetan observations of seasoned French author Maxime Vivas are not to be taken lightly, as he is a writer of 17 books, and counting.
On Wednesday, he conveyed the experience of his 2010 tour of the Tibetan region that was viewed in relation to media reports. Based on a comparison with his preconceptions, Vivas conveyed to Chinese reporters that he was impressed by the manner in which the culture and education of the Tibetan people have been fostered.
Vivas recounted that all of the Tibetan youths he saw attended school, while the population uses an indigenous language that they are well versed in. The author was surprised due to the sentiment conveyed by Western media reports that depicted a downtrodden Tibetan region, suffering under the oppression of a tyrannical government.
The 73-year-old explained: "When I left for Tibet, I had two ideas that had been inculcated in my mind by the media that the religion was oppressed, and the Tibetan culture had been destroyed."
In contrast to the gloomy picture that had been painted for him by foreign journalists and producers, Vivas encountered a vibrant cultural landscape in which he was free to roam and explore. It was Vivas's initial impression, discovered immediately upon his arrival, that set the scene for him, as "we started to see signs in Tibetan . . . and then we saw traffic signs and newspapers."
The richness of a preserved culture was then experienced by the Frenchman through radio and television broadcasts, followed by a university visit, at which students and professors showed off a software application that had been written in Tibetan script.
Vivas stated that he will continue to focus on politics as a writer and has a number of upcoming projects that he is working on. His most recent book, "Marine Le Pen," was co-written with his son, Frederic.