(TibetanReview.net, Nov23’25) – A group of Swiss-Tibetan activists staged their own light show on Nov 22 evening at an event in the Swiss Capital Bern and used Tibetan flags to draw attention to the oppression of Tibet by China, reported bluewin.ch Nov 22. The occasion was the last day of the annual Rendez-vous Bundesplatz sound-and-light show, with this year’s event, the 15th, being held from Oct 18 to Nov 22, attracting around 465,000 visitors.
Bundesplatz is the public square overlooking the majestic Federal Palace (Bundeshaus), the seat of the Swiss government and parliament, on whose façade the “Voyage” light shows are projected.
The event’s organizers had dropped a planned projection on Tibet’s scenic beauty following an intervention from the Swiss Parliamentary Services on the alleged ground that it was “too political”. The latter had claimed that “Tibet is associated with political questions” and there was need to ensure neutrality in state-linked spaces.
The Tibetan show, which lasted 30 minutes, was organized by the Tibetan Youth in Europe (VTJE) association, which criticized its exclusion from the official event as an act of self-censorship that bowed to political pressure from China.
When even symbolic references to Tibet are removed for fear of reactions by China, it shows how fragile freedom of expression and artistic freedom have become in Switzerland, the group said on their facebook.com post.
The “Voyage” featured world-famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Egyptian pyramids and the Indian Taj Mahal. This year’s projections were accompanied by live music for the first time, lasting around 30 minutes, with a show being performed three times each evening.