“Protest” by “Tony” is a very adorable and heart-warming piece. It follows Tony at a refugee protest, surrounded by people like him, and realizing that he can not sing the Gyallu, the national anthem of Tibet. He becomes frustrated with himself as he cannot pronounce the words of his people. Finding a way to fix the situation, Tony prints out the Gyallu and studies it, taking his time to pronounce the lines. When he visited a Buddhist temple, Tony found himself being proud of being able to say the Gyallu and honor his Tibet culture. Using incredibly vivid descriptions, Tony certainly captures the pride of finally feeling part of one’s culture.

I thought it was very empowering to see Tony perform such a simple act. It may just simply seem like he was practicing an anthem but it means so much more to him and his culture. It really reveals a lot about Tony’s character. In a society where people are expected to see you be part of the melting pot, standing up and showing off your culture is, in a way, a protest. Now, more than ever, we need people being proud of their history to show that the world is beautiful when it is diverse. So, thank you, Tony, for sharing your story and I hope it continues to inspire others to show off their pride.