Fanning the flames

Lighting the Olympic torchWould an Olympic boycott really inspire China to improve its human rights record and its dealings with Tibet? Or would it make things worse, asks Nick Young

Tibet’s Himalayan neighbours in Bhutan and Nepal are beginning to build political institutions better fitted to the 21st century, and there is no doubt that Beijing should renegotiate its relationship with Lhasa in keeping with this zeitgeist.

But would an Olympics boycott advance this process or, indeed, advance human rights in China generally? Almost certainly not. Humiliating the government of China is, in this instance if not always, a less astute tactic than campaigners suppose, and is likely to prove counterproductive.

China expected the Olympics to signal the end of a long era of humiliation that began 170 years ago with the Opium Wars. By 2000 it seemed that China had at last emerged from the shadows of western bullying, Japanese invasion, civil war, internecine political struggle and failed development. The political elite saw hosting the Olympics as a celebration of this renaissance. They will take efforts to spoil the Games as a sign that, rather than being ready to accommodate China’s peaceful rise, the west is determined to slap China back down the development ladder.
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Imagine art after: OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS & FILMMAKERS

The open call for artists & filmmakers closed on 1 July 2008. We received applications from artists & filmmakers from 30 countries, and we thank all organisations and persons who have assisted us in distributing our open call around the world.

We are currently in the process of selecting artists & filmmakers to participate in the 2009 dialogues, and will announce and introduce the artist pairs as and when they are all confirmed.

www.imagineartafter.net

Curated by Breda Beban, imagine art after is a multi-stage project for internet, gallery & broadcast that brings together artists and filmmakers who made a home in London with those who stayed in their country of origin.

For its second edition, imagine art after is looking for artists and filmmakers from the following places, who either live there, or in London.

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DEADLINE 1 JUNE 2008