Tibetans received another jolt after a popular Chinese social media platform banned their language, which led to widespread protests and calls for a legal challenge to the decision.
The ban by Douyin, a Chinese equivalent of the social media app TikTok, is being seen as a part of the strenuous efforts by Beijing to replace the Tibetan language with Mandarin which is spoken in the mainland.
Tibetan netizen Youga Ga alleged that the Beijing government was behind the Douyin ban.”
What is the rationale behind Douyin Company banning our language? Aren’t all ethnicities supposed to be equal? Why, then, is the use of our Tibetan language being restricted?” he said.
People are questioning the rationale behind the ban. “I am a native Tibetan speaker and cannot speak perfect Chinese. Why am I not allowed to post in my native language?” said one Tibetan woman.
Almost all popular global social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly, Twitter), and Instagram are already banned across China.
Tibetans have made appeals to the Beijing government citing the constitutional rights of minority communities to preserve their culture and identity. However, there has been no action so far.
Local Chinese apps like Bilibili, Kuaishou, and Talkmate have banned the Tibetan language.
It has left Tibetans with very limited options.“The ban on using the Tibetan language on Douyin raises concerns about digital freedoms & cultural autonomy, significantly impacting Tibetan users’ livelihoods and identity, amidst broader efforts by China to assimilate minority nationalities into the Han Chinese population,” wrote one user on X.
People in Tibet said the ban on their language would hurt illiterate and elderly people, who do not understand Chinese.
A Tibetan doctor said “With the prohibition on using the Tibetan language, I am forced to use Chinese, and since my patients are Tibetan, especially the elderly and illiterate youth, including farmers and nomads, they struggle to understand me when I speak in Chinese. What purpose does speaking Chinese serve if they cannot comprehend it? As a result, I have stopped my online broadcasts.”
Tenzin Dawa, director of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, said the ban did not only prevent people from creating content but hurt their livelihood as well.
“The recent ban a lot of Tibetan netizens who use these platforms to create content, share their lifestyles or run businesses and make a living from these platforms are now completely made impossible to continue what they have been doing so far on this platform,” she said.
Another young woman said many Tibetans like her would face problems in earning a livelihood as they lacked formal education in Chinese.
“We didn’t go to Chinese University and we can’t speak standard Mandarin. We are in the age of the Internet and live broadcasting is a way of earning a living. How will we be able to live in the future if we don’t allow live Tibetan broadcasts?” she said.
Even if the ban on the Tibetan language is problematic, throwing a challenge to the decision will invite harassment from authorities, said Tenzin Lhadon, a research fellow at the Tibet Policy Institute.
While the Chinese government claims that it does not obstruct the promotion of non-Chinese languages, the Code of Conduct for Online Presenters mandates that “online presenters shall use the nation’s common spoken and written language” which is Mandarin.
“It is very difficult to openly criticise the Douyin Company and the Chinese government, as they risk detention, arrest and imprisonment simply for criticising them,” she said.
Yet, some have approached the government for legal action against Douyin.
People will “collectively pool money and sue the company” as the ban infringes their constitutional right to speak their language, said Dawa.
Tibetans have made appeals to the Beijing government citing the constitutional rights of minority communities to preserve their culture and identity. However, there has been no action so far.
“The authorities have been turning a deaf ear to the appeals being made by the Tibetan online presenters”, said the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet.
Beijing has resorted to varied methods to assimilate the ethnic minority groups and their cultures.
Tibet has witnessed several inhuman, unethical and forceful attempts by the Beijing government as a part of the repression of the Tibetan culture and identity.
While the Chinese government claims that it does not obstruct the promotion of non-Chinese languages, the Code of Conduct for Online Presenters mandates that “online presenters shall use the nation’s common spoken and written language” which is Mandarin.
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