Lucire Living: Looking beyond the mountains – The …...Tibet to their new life in the west...
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3 retweet retweet The global fashion magazine June 13, 2011 our people Yangzom Brauen Model, actress and now author, Brauen has written a memoir of her family’s journey from post-occupation Tibet to their new life in the west Looking beyond the mountains While global beauty Yangzom Brauen came of age in Bern, Switzerland, she has matured into her Tibetan legacy and global consciousness as an author, actress and activist by Elyse Glickman PHOTOGRAPHED BY ADAM SHERIDAN-TAYLOR RATHER THAN INTRODUCE American friends and colleagues to her book in a sterile environment such as a book store or trendy café, Yangzom Brauen goes the creative extra mile by serving preview copies for the US edition of her book, Across Many Mountains, with a side of tsampa, a staple grain food (roasted barley) that sustained her mother and grandmother physically and spiritually throughout their entire lives—including their years of exile from Tibet half a century ago. Brauen, who exhibits a very Swiss sensibility in her hospitality, stages her party at an artist friend’s gallery loft apartment in Los Angeles’ eclectic Silver Lake neighbourhood. She is attired in traditional Tibetan formal wear, looking uncannily regal even as she finishes steaming vegetarian and meat-filled momos (dumplings) and putting out salad and hot sauce to complete her perfect table. The delicate but distinctive aromas waft across the room. ‘I found that when I interviewed my grandmother (Mola) and mother (Sonam, or Amala—mother), for both of them the sense of smell was so important because they triggered a lot of memories, especially with my mother,’ recalls Brauen. ‘Even years later, something like the smell of grass would unexpectedly take my Mom back to her childhood in old Tibet.’ The occupation of Tibet by the People’s Republic ‘My grandmother always told interesting stories about her childhood and youth in Old Tibet,’ says Brauen. ‘However, when she hit 89, I realized how important it was to get them on paper, especially as the old ways are fading, even back in Tibet, with monks and nuns now outfitted with laptops and cellphones’ Lucire Facebook group Digg it | Add to Facebook Sponsored by Canon Lucire Living: Looking beyond the mountains – The global fas... http://www.lucire.com/2011/0529ll0.shtml 1 of 4 6/13/11 8:58 AM
Transcript of Lucire Living: Looking beyond the mountains – The …...Tibet to their new life in the west...
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The global fashion magazine June 13, 2011
our people
Yangzom BrauenModel, actress andnow author, Brauenhas written a memoirof her family’sjourney frompost-occupationTibet to their new lifein the west
Looking beyond the mountainsWhile global beauty Yangzom Brauen came of age in Bern, Switzerland, she has matured into
her Tibetan legacy and global consciousness as an author, actress and activist
by Elyse GlickmanPHOTOGRAPHED BY ADAM SHERIDAN-TAYLOR
RATHER THAN INTRODUCE American friendsand colleagues to her book in a sterile environmentsuch as a book store or trendy café, Yangzom Brauengoes the creative extra mile by serving preview copiesfor the US edition of her book, Across ManyMountains, with a side of tsampa, a staple grain food(roasted barley) that sustained her mother andgrandmother physically and spiritually throughouttheir entire lives—including their years of exile fromTibet half a century ago. Brauen, who exhibits a very Swiss sensibility in herhospitality, stages her party at an artist friend’s galleryloft apartment in Los Angeles’ eclectic Silver Lakeneighbourhood. She is attired in traditional Tibetanformal wear, looking uncannily regal even as shefinishes steaming vegetarian and meat-filled momos(dumplings) and putting out salad and hot sauce tocomplete her perfect table. The delicate butdistinctive aromas waft across the room. ‘I found that when I interviewed my grandmother(Mola) and mother (Sonam, or Amala—mother), forboth of them the sense of smell was so importantbecause they triggered a lot of memories, especiallywith my mother,’ recalls Brauen. ‘Even years later,something like the smell of grass would unexpectedlytake my Mom back to her childhood in old Tibet.’ The occupation of Tibet by the People’s Republic
‘My grandmother always toldinteresting stories about herchildhood and youth in Old Tibet,’says Brauen. ‘However, when she hit89, I realized how important it was toget them on paper, especially as theold ways are fading, even back inTibet, with monks and nuns nowoutfitted with laptops andcellphones’
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of China disrupted the simple pleasures and dailyroutines of life for Yangzom’s mother andgrandmother. Starting around 1959, mother anddaughter would, literally, travel across manymountains—including the Himalayas—into India andan uncertain future. Yangzom and her youngerbrother would live this vicariously during their youthin Bern, Switzerland through profound storytellingfrom their Mola, as well as Sonam’s generational takeon the experience. In the later years of that exile, a forbidden-turned-profound love between Yangzom’s mother andMartin Brauen (a young, Swiss anthropologist), in the’60s and ’70s, blossomed into the necessity to crossanother set of mountains—the Alps, andtechnologies of the new world. This resulted in amulticultural childhood for their children. ForYangzom’s brother, this unique upbringing begat acareer successful artist in Zürich. The same settinginspired Yangzom to pursue acting, starting hercareer in Germany and ultimately landing inHollywood films such as Æon Flux with CharlizeTheron and the soon-to-be-released Escape from Tibet,which boasts an international cast. ‘My Mom was understandably hesitant at first aboutgetting deeper into the relationship with a white man,especially as mixed marriages were almost unheard ofin their Tibetan community,’ Brauen continues.‘Formalities dictated the suitor had to go to themother for permission, and my grandmother went toher guru to ask for permission and guidance. Theguru initially felt it was not a good time for thematch, and ordered Martin to return in a year. Afterdozens of letters, Martin returned to mygrandmother’s guru, who then gave the union hisblessing, but with the caveat that he wasn’t just goingto marry my mother but also my grandmother and byextension, the community, aware that he wouldeventually move them out of India and into the newworld.’ Brauen expresses feeling privileged that that shewas raised in Bern in a multicultural home,celebrating Christmas, New Year and birthdays likeevery other Swiss family, but thanks to the richpresence of her grandmother, also Tibetan New Yearand the Dalai Lama’s birthday. From there came asense of responsibility to preserve the living legacyof Tibet she was fed every day by her Amala andMola. With the editing help of her father, she pennedthe original version of Across Many Mountains, whichbecame a commercial and critical success inGermany, Switzerland and eventually, throughoutEurope. ‘My grandmother always told interesting storiesabout her childhood and youth in Old Tibet,’ saysBrauen. ‘However, when she hit 89, I realized howimportant it was to get them on paper, especially asthe old ways are fading, even back in Tibet, withmonks and nuns now outfitted with laptops andcellphones. Adding to the sense of urgency was theMarch 2008 uprising in Tibet. The whole worldlooked to Tibet, which by then had been occupied formore then 50 years. It was imperative to preservetraditions and stories that could get lost in the ages.’ Across Many Mountains is effectively a journeycomposed of many personal stories. Brauen in theprocess learned authoring the book was quite thejourney to create, as recalling events and memoriessometimes proved painful for mother andgrandmother. However, these efforts were richlyrewarded with a personal story that opens out to analmost a 100-year Tibetan history from the old world
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to the new—revealing just how much the world canchange over three generations. ‘As I wrote down these stories, it was increasinglyimportant to me that people in the west know andunderstand more about Tibet,’ affirms Brauen. ‘Ithink the original German version connected with somany people because there are not many books outon Tibet, and most of these focus on the Dalai Lamaor Rinpoche. Many of those stories are maledominated, and this book presents Tibetan cultureand history through a rare woman’s perspective. Onething I found interesting was my grandmother’s viewson gender roles and how being reborn a man wouldbe better than to be reborn a woman. It has beenfascinating to see how values change with eachgeneration of our family, and how each perspectivemakes the whole story more compelling.’ Being committed to the Tibetan cause, meanwhile,is a lifelong passion for Brauen that came both beforeand after the authoring of the book. Putting heracting career in Germany for her beliefs, shedeveloped an international reputation as a “rebelqueen”. ‘People ask me if I have made sacrifices in myacting career on behalf of my political involvements,’she explains. ‘My answer to that is that I have notsacrificed anything. After finishing my studies a fewyears ago, I felt I needed to do something for Tibet.In that two-year period, I put acting on hold tobecome the president of the Tibetan youthassociation in Europe, encouraging young Tibetansand non-Tibetans to be involved in demonstrations,cultural events and benefit concerts. This was verymuch influenced by my growing up in aTibetan–Swiss environment. As somebodyhalf-Tibetan, and also thanks to my anthropologistSwiss father’s ongoing academic pursuits, I couldnever ignore Tibet is also my home country.’ While Brauen looks forward to the American, NewZealand, French, Italian and Finnish releases of herinternationally heralded book, she enjoys observingthe way people in Switzerland and Germany arereacting to the intertwined and meaningful stories ofher family—especially as political discussions aboutTibet on German talk shows led to the publishingdeal. ‘So many people in Switzerland have read the bookthat when people see my grandmother on the street,they recognize her and call her “Mola”, or“grandmother”, and she’s fine with it,’ Brauen muses.‘Although the women of my family endured so muchpain and loss, the one thing all of us will never lose isour ability to believe and have faith. It doesn’t matterwhat you believe in, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism,Hinduism or something else. What ultimately mattersis that faith gives you strength and lets you surviveany tragedy. However, I also hope youngergenerations of readers will be prompted to dig a littledeeper into their own family histories, becauseeverybody has a family story worth telling andsharing.’ •
Above Yangzom Brauen. Below The new edition ofher book, Across Many Mountains, to be released inthe US in September.
Elyse Glickman is US west coast editor of Lucire.
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