Theo Naunheim, Reporter

In one photograph meditates a small boy clad in green Snoopy pajamas. Just behind it is a picture of a man who had his scalp ripped open, then stitched back onto his skull. These pictures are part of "The Journey Through Falun Dafa" photo exhibit, which started Aug. 26 in Stotler Lounge in Memorial Union and will run until 5 p.m. today. The exhibit profiles the state of Falun Dafa in China and in the global community. Falun Dafa, or Falun Gong, is a system of self-improvement for the mind and body based on ancient traditions. It emerged in its modern form in 1991[corrected: 1992] through the teachings of Li Hongzhi and was outlawed in 1999 by the Chinese government. Practitioners say widespread persecution exists in China. The images on display fall into one of two categories. The first of these categories shows China's oppression of Falun Gong. It includes pictures of dead bodies, the wounds of torture victims and book-burning as well as the generally disagreeable conditions Falun Gong practitioners say they must endure.

Warren Ward, an employee of First Student Transport, said the images enlightened him. "I thought it was a good exhibit," said Ward. "I saw a lot of stuff I had never taken in before." The second group of photographs shows huge crowds of devotees, Falun Gong banners inside the United Nations General Assembly and sets of official state endorsements of the practice. Some people at the exhibit were willing to share what they thought was the purpose of the photographs. "We want to raise awareness of the Chinese government's persecution to the entire world," Falun Gong practitioner [...] Mo said. Falun Gong practitioner Sara Effner, who was held in China for one night for taking a Falun Gong banner into Tiananmen Square, looks to take a more passive role, providing only information and guidance. "We don't push politicians to take certain actions," said Effner. "We just want to make clear the truth about what Jiang Zemin has done."

http://www.themaneater.com/story.cgi?id=13825

Posting date: 9/3/2002
Original article date: 9/3/2002
Category: News & Media Reports

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