By the mid 1990s there were known to be at least 164 female political prisoners held in Drapchi Prison, Tibet. Almost all of them were young nuns, some as young as fifteen or sixteen years of age. They were subjected to inhumane treatment including interrogation, torture, beatings, solitary confinement, and years of malnutrition.

Disgusting food does not sustain body or mind
The severe beatings and punishments are impossible to forget.
(Lyrics from a ‘Drapchi 14’ prison song)

For these political prisoners, singing was a vital source of comfort, a way of expressing solidarity and support for each other – and an expression of determination and defiance. The nuns’ songs often used metaphors to describe their loyalty and devotion to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness the Panchen Lama, and a longing for the freedom of their homeland:

Tenzin Gyatso [the Dalai Lama], the heart and soul of our country
Is my root lama, the wish-fulfilling jewel
When all Tibetans, in Tibet and in exile, unite
The sun will emerge from behind the clouds.

(Lyrics from a ‘Drapchi 14’ prison song)

In June 1993, fourteen young Tibetan nuns, imprisoned for taking part in peaceful demonstrations calling for Tibetan independence, secretly recorded songs on a tape recorder smuggled into their prison cell. A cassette tape was smuggled out of the prison and copies circulated around the world. The nuns’ prison sentences were extended by between five and nine years for making these recordings.

Looking out from Drapchi Prison
There is nothing to see but the sky
Our hearts are not sad
Why should we be sad?
Even if the sun [the Dalai Lama] doesn’t shine during the day
There will be the moon [the Panchen Lama] at night.
(Lyrics from a ‘Drapchi 14’ prison song)

Of the ‘Drapchi 14’, or Tibet’s ‘singing nuns’ as they became known around the world, one died in custody following years of abuse, seven remain in Tibet and six are now living in exile in India, Belgium, Switzerland and America. According to Ngawang Sangdrol:

“We recorded the songs to let our families and the Tibetan people know that we were still alive, about our situation and our love for our country. I had no idea until I arrived in America that people all over the world had heard those songs. This inspires me to continue our campaign for freedom and justice.”

The Tibetan Community in Britain is bringing six of the ‘Drapchi 14’ to London for a reunion – a speaking and concert tour – to help raise awareness of the horrendous human rights abuses in Tibet under Chinese rule.

In the direction of our homeland
We sing a brief song of truth.
Oh wind, if you are conscious,
Carry our song to our birthplace…
Do not be sad.
The time will come for our reunion.
(Lyrics from a ‘Drapchi 14’ prison song)

The reunion commemorates the tenth anniversary of protests inside Drapchi Prison in 1998, after which five nuns died following beatings and torture. A decade later, as China prepares for the Beijing Olympics, things have not improved in Tibet. Tibetans continue to be beaten, tortured and imprisoned for calling for Tibetan independence and religious freedom, and for expressing allegiance to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.