Fighting with non-violence | Scilla Elworthy

Translator: Timothy Covell Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: Ḥafiḍ BENḤAḌRIYA Reviewer: Ḥafiḍ BENḤAḌRIYA

In half a century of trying to help prevent wars,

Men beɛd 50 ɛam ntaɛ jehd beš nḥḥeydu el-ḥrub ɛla jiha,

there's one question that never leaves me:

bqa swal waḥed, ɛummer ma ġab men texmami

How do we deal with extreme violence

Kifeš netɛamlu mɛa el-teɛnaf, elli zayed ɛla ḥeddu,

without using force in return?

bla ma nzidu netɛenfu, ḥna tanik?

When you're faced with brutality,

Ki yqabluk b el-ḥogra,

whether it's a child facing a bully on a playground

tkun ma tkun: Ki bezz yetbellaweh f blaṣa ntaɛ leɛb

or domestic violence --

wella el-teɛnaf f el-dar -

or, on the streets of Syria today,

wella, f el-ṭerqan ntaɛ Surya, ḍerwek,

facing tanks and shrapnel,

ki el-waḥed yqabel el-ṭnuga w el-hebheb,

what's the most effective thing to do?

weš elli yfid kter beš tdiru?

Fight back? Give in?

Tdabez nta tanik? Tesmeḥ?

Use more force?

Tetɛennef kter?

This question: "How do I deal with a bully

Had el-swal: "Kifeš tetɛmal mɛa ɛdaysi

without becoming a thug in return?"

bla ma twelli deɛwa't šerr nta tanik?"

has been with me ever since I was a child.

kber mɛaya melli kunt bezza.

I remember I was about 13,

Rani ɛaqla ki kan ɛendi qrib 13 ɛam,

glued to a grainy black and white television in my parents' living room

tsemmert quddam tilivizyon kḥel w byeḍ, tṣawiru mnemšin, f bit el-ḍyaf f dar waldiya

as Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest,

ki el-ṭnuga ntaɛ el-Sovyet dexlu l Budapest,

and kids not much older than me

w el-drari, elli ma kanuš bezzaf kbar ɛliya,

were throwing themselves at the tanks

kanu yetramu quddam el-ṭnuga

and getting mown down.

elli kanu yeɛɛefsu ɛlihum.

And I rushed upstairs and started packing my suitcase.

Zrebt l el-fuq w bdit nlemm f el-valiza ntaɛi.

And my mother came up and said, "What on Earth are you doing?"

W jat mma w qalet-li, "Ya mḥaynek, weš raki tdiri?"

And I said, "I'm going to Budapest."

Qult: "Rani rayḥa l Budapest."

And she said, "What on Earth for?"

Qaletli: "L weš men sebba?"

And I said, "Kids are getting killed there.

Wajebt: "Rahum yeqqetlu f el-bzuza temmatik.

There's something terrible happening."

Tešnaɛ kbir rahu waqeɛ temma."

And she said, "Don't be so silly."

Qalet: "Ma tṭenḥiš ruḥek gaɛ kima n' hak."

And I started to cry.

'Eyya w bdit nebki.

And she got it, she said,

Temma tkaket w qaletli,

"Okay, I see it's serious.

"Ṣeḥḥa, rani nšuf belli el-ḥala ma rahiš zɛaqa.

You're much too young to help.

Raki ɛad ṣġira bezzaf beš tnejmi tɛawni.

You need training. I'll help you.

Yliq tkewni ruḥek w 'ana nɛawnek.

But just unpack your suitcase."

Beṣṣaḥ ġir ɛawdi xewwi el-valiza ntaɛek."

And so I got some training

W hakka, dert waḥed el-qraya

and went and worked in Africa during most of my 20s.

w ruḥt xdemt f Friqya el-kutriya ntaɛ ɛamat el-ɛešrin dyawli.

But I realized that what I really needed to know

Beṣṣaḥ tkakit belli weš rani meḥtaja neɛerfu, b ṣeḥḥ w ṣḥiḥ,

I couldn't get from training courses.

Ma nnejjemš neddih m el-qrayat.

I wanted to understand

Kunt baġya nefhem

how violence, how oppression, works.

kifeš el-teɛnaf, kifeš el-ḥogra, yexxedmu.

And what I've discovered since is this:

W elli fhemtu men dak el-weqt l ḍerwek huwa belli:

Bullies use violence in three ways.

El-ɛdaysiya yesteɛmlu el-teɛnaf b telt sirat.

They use political violence to intimidate,

Yesteɛmlu el-teɛnaf f el-siyasa beš yxawfu

physical violence to terrorize

el-teɛnaf b el-ḍerb beš yrehbu

and mental or emotional violence to undermine.

w el-teɛnaf fi ɛqel w ruḥ el-bnadem beš ykkesruh.

And only very rarely in very few cases

W qlil qlil, f ši ḥalat,

does it work to use more violence.

win el-teɛnaf kter saɛed.

Nelson Mandela went to jail believing in violence,

Nelson Mandela raḥ l el-ḥebs w huwa y'emmen b el-teɛnaf,

and 27 years later

w men beɛd 27 sna

he and his colleagues

huwa w ṣḥabu

had slowly and carefully

b el-šwiya w b el-mḥadra,

honed the skills, the incredible skills, that they needed

tɛelmu ṣenɛat haylin, kanu meḥtajinhum

to turn one of the most vicious governments the world has known

beš ybbedlu waḥda, gaɛ meɛfuna, m el-ḥukumat elli ɛerfetha el-denya

into a democracy.

w redduha dimoqraṭiya.

And they did it in a total devotion to non-violence.

W frawha w huma šadin mliḥ f fekra't bla-teɛnaf.

They realized that using force against force

Tkakaw belli el-teɛnaf mɛa el-teɛnaf

doesn't work.

ma yfidš.

So what does work?

'Ammala weš huwa elli yfid?

Over time I've collected about a half-dozen methods

Mɛa el-weqt, lemmit waḥed el-ṭnaš n' sira

that do work -- of course there are many more --

tfid - bayna belli kayen tanik waḥduxrin-:

that do work and that are effective.

tfid w ɛendha ma tɛawen ṣeḥḥ.

And the first is

el-'ewwel huwa:

that the change that has to take place

el-tebdal elli lazem yeṣra

has to take place here, inside me.

lazem yeṣra hna, fi dati.

It's my response, my attitude, to oppression

Hada huwa jwabi w sirti mɛa el-ḥogra

that I've got control over,

elli lazem netḥekkem fihum,

and that I can do something about.

w elli nnejjem ndir keš ḥaja lihum.

And what I need to develop is self-knowledge to do that.

W elli nestḥeq nkkebru huwa el-meɛrifa ntaɛ dati beš nḥeqqu.

That means I need to know how I tick,

Meɛnatu, nestḥeqq neɛref kifeš netwasa,

when I collapse,

ki nefšel,

where my formidable points are,

win rahum xṣayli el-mxeyrin,

where my weaker points are.

win rani naqeṣ.

When do I give in?

Winta nesmeḥ?

What will I stand up for?

Weš huwa elli ndafeɛ ɛlih?

And meditation or self-inspection

W el-mkakya wella texmam el-bnadem fi datu

is one of the ways -- again it's not the only one --

hiya waḥda m el-sirat – ma kayenš ġir sira waḥda --

it's one of the ways

hiya waḥda m el-sirat

of gaining this kind of inner power.

Beš el-waḥed ynal dik el-ṭaqa el-dexlaniya fi datu

And my heroine here -- like Satish's --

W el-mtel ntaɛi hnaya -- kima ɛend Satiš –

is Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma.

hiya Aung San Suu Kyi fi Burma.

She was leading a group of students

Kanet tseyyer f waḥed el-mejmuɛa ntaɛ nas yeqru

on a protest in the streets of Rangoon.

F waḥed el-muḍahara f el-ṭerqan ntaɛ Rangun.

They came around a corner faced with a row of machine guns.

ḥetta elli lqaw rwaḥtihum fi qent mqablin ṣeff ntaɛ mitrayat

And she realized straight away

W temmatik tkaket

that the soldiers with their fingers shaking on the triggers

belli el-ɛesker b ṣbaɛtihum terjef fuq el-znad

were more scared than the student protesters behind her.

kanu xayfin kter men haduk el-nas, muraha, elli yeqraw w jaw yetḍahru.

But she told the students to sit down.

Beṣṣaḥ qalet l el-ṭalaba beš yeqqaɛdu.

And she walked forward with such calm and such clarity

W tmešat nišan w hiya ratba w ṣafya

and such total lack of fear

w bla ḥetta xuf

that she could walk right up to the first gun,

ḥetta elli nejmet tewṣel l ɛend el-slaḥ el-‘ewwel,

put her hand on it and lower it.

ḥeṭṭet yeddiha fuqu w hewdatu.

And no one got killed.

W hakda ḥetta waḥed ma tneqtel.

So that's what the mastery of fear can do --

Hada weš yeqder ykun ki el-waḥed yetḥekkem b el-xuf ntaɛu –

not only faced with machine guns,

mši ġir ki el-waḥed ykun mqabel mitrayat,

but if you meet a knife fight in the street.

Tanik ida tlaqit mɛa keš debza b el-xdama f el-ṭriq.

But we have to practice.

Beṣṣaḥ, lazem el-waḥed yetderreb.

So what about our fear?

Weš nnejmu nqulu ɛla el-xuf ntaɛna?

I have a little mantra.

Ɛendi waḥed el-mantra ṣġir.

My fear grows fat

El-xuf ntaɛi yzid yekber

on the energy I feed it.

ɛla ḥsab el-jehd elli neɛṭihulu.

And if it grows very big

W 'ida kber b el-bezzaf

it probably happens.

Yeqder yɛud kayen.

So we all know the three o'clock in the morning syndrome,

Rana gaɛ neɛɛerfu el-sendrom ntaɛ el-tlata ntaɛ el-ṣbaḥ,

when something you've been worrying about wakes you up --

ki tkun mehmum b keš ḥayya w tnewḍek –

I see a lot of people --

Rani nšuf bezzaf nas –

and for an hour you toss and turn,

w l zid men saɛa teqɛed tdur w tetqelleb,

it gets worse and worse,

yzid yešyan el-ḥal ɛla ḥalu,

and by four o'clock you're pinned to the pillow

w men jiha’t el-rebɛa telqa ruḥek msemmer mɛa el-mxedda ntaɛek

by a monster this big.

Mɛa keš ġul kbir.

The only thing to do

Kayen ġir ḥayya weḥda teqder tdirha

is to get up, make a cup of tea

tnuḍ w twejjed keš kwiyes ‘atey

and sit down with the fear like a child beside you.

W teqɛed mɛa el-xuf w huwa msamik, kima keš bezz.

You're the adult.

Nta el-šaref.

The fear is the child.

W el-xuf huwa el-bezz.

And you talk to the fear

W tehḍer mɛa el-xuf

and you ask it what it wants, what it needs.

W tseqsih weš rahu baġi, weš rahu mestḥeqq.

How can this be made better?

Kifeš tdir had el-xedma xir?

How can the child feel stronger?

Kifeš el-bezz ynejjem yḥes ruḥu yeqwa?

And you make a plan.

W tdir keš xuṭṭa.

And you say, "Okay, now we're going back to sleep.

W tqul, “Ṣeḥḥa, ḍerwek nɛawdu nwellu nreqdu.

Half-past seven, we're getting up and that's what we're going to do."

Tji el-sebɛa w nuṣṣ, nnuḍu w hada huwa elli ġadi ndiruh.”

I had one of these 3 a.m. episodes on Sunday --

Waḥed el-nhar ntaɛ el-ḥedd, ṣratli dalti ntaɛ el-tlata –

paralyzed with fear at coming to talk to you.

Ybest b el-xuf qbel ma nji nehḍer mɛakum.

(Laughter)

(Ḍeḥk)

So I did the thing.

‘Amala, weš dert?

I got up, made the cup of tea, sat down with it, did it all

Nnuḍt, wejjedt kwiyes ‘atey, jemmeɛt, tebbeɛt el-sira kima yelzem el-ḥal

and I'm here -- still partly paralyzed, but I'm here.

W rani hna – mazali šwiya yabsa, beṣṣaḥ rani hna.

(Applause)

(Teṣfaq)

So that's fear. What about anger?

Hada huwa el-xuf. Weš nqulu ɛla-zɛaf?

Wherever there is injustice there's anger.

Winemma ykun el-ḍolm, ykun el-zɛaf.

But anger is like gasoline,

Beṣṣaḥ, el-zɛaf ṣarilu kima el-zit,

and if you spray it around and somebody lights a match,

w ‘ida reššitu men jihtek w keš waḥed šɛel zalamit,

you've got an inferno.

Twelli ɛendek jahanama.

But anger as an engine -- in an engine -- is powerful.

Beṣṣaḥ el-zɛaf ki el-motör – fi keš motor – fih jehd.

If we can put our anger inside an engine,

‘Ida qderna ndiru el-zɛaf ntaɛna f keš motör,

it can drive us forward,

yeqder yedmerna qbala,

it can get us through the dreadful moments

ynejjem yxellina nfewtu el-mḥayen

and it can give us real inner power.

W ynejjem yeɛṭina ṭaqa ḥeqqaniya fi datna.

And I learned this in my work

W hada rani tɛellemtu fi xedmati

with nuclear weapon policy-makers.

Mɛa el-fuqaha ntaɛ el-slaḥ el-nawawi.

Because at the beginning I was so outraged

Laxaṭerš, f el-bedya, tleggit b el-bezzaf

at the dangers they were exposing us to

ɛla jal weš kanu mxelyina nqabluh

that I just wanted to argue and blame and make them wrong.

ḥetta wellit nebġi ġir nzid f el-heḍra mɛahum, nlumhum w nbeyyen lihum belli rahum ġalṭin.

Totally ineffective.

Bla-fayda, b el-kamel.

In order to develop a dialogue for change

Beš el-waḥed yeqder yetḥawer b neyya’t el-tebḍal

we have to deal with our anger.

Lazem ɛlina netɛamlu mɛa el-zɛaf ntaɛna.

It's okay to be angry with the thing --

Ma fiha ḥetta bas beš el-waḥed ykun zeɛfan mɛa keš ḥaja –

the nuclear weapons in this case --

f had el-ḥala, mɛa el-slaḥ el-nawawi –

but it is hopeless to be angry with the people.

Beṣṣaḥ ma fiha ḥetta fayda beš teɛzef ɛla el-nas.

They are human beings just like us.

Huma tanik bniyadem, ġir kima ḥna.

And they're doing what they think is best.

W rahum ydiru weš rahu yban lihum xir.

And that's the basis on which we have to talk with them.

W hada huwa el-sas elli ɛlih lazem nehheḍru mɛahum.

So that's the third one, anger.

‘Amala, hadi hiya el-sira el-talta: el-zɛaf.

And it brings me to the crux

W hada yweṣelni l el-sebba

of what's going on, or what I perceive as going on,

ntaɛ weš rahu ṣari, wella weš rani metxeylatu ṣari,

in the world today,

f el-ɛalem ntaɛ ḍerwek,

which is that last century was top-down power.

W elli menu kan el-ḥukm yemši m el-fuq l el-teḥt

It was still governments telling people what to do.

ḥetta elli wellat el-ḥukumat tqul l el-nas weš ydiru.

This century there's a shift.

F had el-qern, ṣra tebdal.

It's bottom-up or grassroots power.

Wella el-ḥukm yemši m el-teḥt l el-fuq: ḥukm m el-sas.

It's like mushrooms coming through concrete.

Ġir kima el-fuggaɛ elli yenbet weṣt el-sima.

It's people joining up with people, as Bundy just said, miles away

Win, kima qal Bundy, yetlaqaw el-ġaši mɛa beɛḍ ḥetta lukan kanet tefṣel binathum el-myal

to bring about change.

Beš ybedlu mɛa beɛḍ.

And Peace Direct spotted quite early on

W “Peace Direct” tkaket m el-bedya

that local people in areas of very hot conflict

belli el-šeɛbiyin f el-blayeṣ el-meblya b zerda ḥrub

know what to do.

ɛla balhum weš ydiru.

They know best what to do.

Huma elli ɛla balhum xir weš yliq yendar.

So Peace Direct gets behind them to do that.

‘Amala “Peace Direct” rahi tesned fihum beš ydiru had el-ši.

And the kind of thing they're doing

W men bin el-ṣwaleḥ elli rahum ydiru

is demobilizing militias,

huwa el-tefkak ntaɛ el-milišyat;

rebuilding economies,

el-mɛawda ntaɛ el-benyan dyal el-qtiṣad,

resettling refugees,

yɛawdu ysseknu el-mhejrin,

even liberating child soldiers.

Weṣlu ḥetta yɛawdu yeṭṭelqu sraḥ el-ɛesker el-drari.

And they have to risk their lives almost every day

W qrib kul yum, kan melzum ɛlihum ysseblu rwaḥtihum

to do this.

Beš ydiru had el-ši.

And what they've realized

W elli tkakaw lih

is that using violence in the situations they operate in

huwa belli el-teɛnaf b el-blayeṣ, elli yexxedmu fiha,

is not only less humane,

mši ġir naqeṣ ‘insaniya,

but it's less effective

beṣṣaḥ tanik naqeṣ fayda

than using methods that connect people with people, that rebuild.

ɛla ki yexxedmu b el-sira elli tejmeɛ nas b nas waḥduxrin beš yɛawdu el-benyan.

And I think that the U.S. military

W ybanli belli el-ɛesker ntaɛ el-Marikan

is finally beginning to get this.

Bdaw yeffaḥmu had el-ši.

Up to now their counter-terrorism policy

ḥetta l ḍerwek el-siyasa ntaɛhum beš yḥarbu el-‘irhab

has been to kill insurgents at almost any cost,

kanet qayma ɛla el-qtila ntaɛ el-ɛedyan, šḥalemma stqam

and if civilians get in the way,

w ‘ida ḥeslu el-šeɛbiyin f el-weṣṭ,

that's written as "collateral damage."

Yetsemma hada b el-ktiba “collateral damage - ḍyaɛa meḥtuma”

And this is so infuriating and humiliating

W hadi ḥaja theyyej w tdell

for the population of Afghanistan,

ɛend el-šeɛb ntaɛ ‘Afġanistan,

that it makes the recruitment for al-Qaeda very easy,

el-ši elli sehhel b el-bezzaf el-tejnid ɛend el-Qaɛida,

when people are so disgusted by, for example,

weṣlet el-ḥala, b el-mtel, win el-nas tdemret b el-bezzaf,

the burning of the Koran.

Mɛa el-ḥrig ntaɛ el-Qurɛan.

So the training of the troops has to change.

ɛla biha, kan lazem yetbeddel el-tedrab ntaɛ el-ɛesker.

And I think there are signs that it is beginning to change.

W ybanli belli kayen fal ntaɛ xir ɛla el-bedya ntaɛ had el-tebdal.

The British military have always been much better at this.

El-jiš ntaɛ Briṭanya kan dima xir f had el-ši.

But there is one magnificent example for them to take their cue from,

Beṣṣaḥ kayen ɛendhum mtel hayel beš yaxdu menu el-ɛebra,

and that's a brilliant U.S. lieutenant colonel

w huwa waḥed el-lyötnan kolonel marikani hayel

called Chris Hughes.

Semmuh “Chris Hughes”.

And he was leading his men down the streets of Najaf --

Kan yseyyer el-ɛesker ntaɛu f el-ṭerqan ntaɛ el-Najaf –

in Iraq actually --

yeɛni f el-Ɛiraq –

and suddenly people were pouring out of the houses on either side of the road,

w ḍerba waḥda, bdaw el-nas yetdefgu m el-dyar, m el-zuj jihat ntaɛ el-ṭriq,

screaming, yelling, furiously angry,

yzzegu, yɛayru w huma mefguɛin b el-zɛaf,

and surrounded these very young troops who were completely terrified,

w ḥawṭu b had el-ɛesker el-meṣġer elli kanu merɛubin b el-kamel,

didn't know what was going on, couldn't speak Arabic.

Ma kanuš fahmin weš rahu ṣari, w ma kanuš yeɛɛerfu el-ɛerbiya.

And Chris Hughes strode into the middle of the throng

‘Amala temmatik, tqeddem Chris Hughes weṣṭ el-ġaši

with his weapon above his head, pointing at the ground,

b slaḥu fuq rasu w huwa mṣewweb l el-‘erḍ,

and he said, "Kneel."

W qal, “Ɛla rkabikum.”

And these huge soldiers

W temmatik, had el-ɛesker el-metxunin

with their backpacks and their body armor,

b el-mzawed ntaɛhum w el-lebsa ntaɛ el-mḥamya,

wobbled to the ground.

Rekɛu w huma yrejfu.

And complete silence fell.

Temmatik, ṭaḥ waḥed el-skat ygeṭṭeɛ.

And after about two minutes,

W men beɛd waḥed el-zuj dqayeq,

everybody moved aside and went home.

Tferktu gaɛ el-ġaši w kul waḥed raḥ l daru.

Now that to me is wisdom in action.

Ḍerwek, ‘ana ɛendi: hadi hiya el-rzana f el-midan.

In the moment, that's what he did.

F dak el-weqt, hadak weš dar.

And it's happening everywhere now.

W ḍerwek, rahi ṣarya f kul muḍeɛ.

You don't believe me?

Ma 'emmentuniš?

Have you asked yourselves

Seqsitu rwaḥtikum

why and how so many dictatorships have collapsed

ɛlaš w kifeš šḥal men diktaturiya tzeɛzɛet

over the last 30 years?

f had el-30 ɛam el-twala?

Dictatorships in Czechoslovakia, East Germany,

Diktaturiyat f Čikoslovakya, el-'alman el-šerq,

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,

'Estonya, Latvya, Litwanya,

Mali, Madagascar,

Mali, Madaġašqer,

Poland, the Philippines,

Polonya, el-Filipin,

Serbia, Slovenia, I could go on,

Ṣerbya, Slovenya, w nzid,

and now Tunisia and Egypt.

w ḍerwek f Tunes w Maṣer.

And this hasn't just happened.

W hada ma ṣraš ġir hak.

A lot of it is due to a book

El-kutriya b sebba’t waḥed el-ktab

written by an 80-year-old man in Boston, Gene Sharp.

Ketbu waḥed el-šibani ɛumru 80 ɛam, men Boston w semmuh Gene Sharp.

He wrote a book called "From Dictatorship to Democracy"

Kteb ktab semmuh “From Dictatorship to Democracy – M el-Diktaturiya l el-Dimoqraṭiya”

with 81 methodologies for non-violent resistance.

Fih waḥed el-81 ṣifa ntaɛ el-muqawama bla-teɛnaf.

And it's been translated into 26 languages.

W tterjem l waḥed el-26 luġa.

It's flown around the world.

Ntašer f el-ɛalem b kmalu.

And it's being used by young people and older people everywhere,

W yexxedmu bih ṣġar w kbar winemma,

because it works and it's effective.

ɛla jal beyyen belli fih fayda w yɛawen ṣeḥḥ.

So this is what gives me hope --

W hada elli yxellini nšuf fal el-xir –

not just hope, this is what makes me feel very positive right now.

W mši ġir fal el-xir, hada elli yxellini nzid nšuf el-xir ḍerwek.

Because finally human beings are getting it.

Laxaṭerš, fi kmalu, el-nas rahum bdaw yffehmu el-ši.

We're getting practical, doable methodologies

Bdina neffehmu el-ṣifat elli huma ḥeqqaniyin w neqqedru nexxedmu bihum

to answer my question:

Beš nwajeb ɛla el-swal ntaɛi:

How do we deal with a bully without becoming a thug?

Kifeš netɛamlu mɛa ɛdaysi bla ma nwellu daɛwa’t šerr?

We're using the kind of skills that I've outlined:

Rana nesteɛmlu had el-ṣenɛat elli ḥkina ɛlihum:

inner power -- the development of inner power -- through self-knowledge,

el-ṭaqa el-dexlaniya elli fi datna -- nwesɛu el-ṭaqa elli fi datna – ki neɛɛerfu rwaḥtina,

recognizing and working with our fear,

nestɛarfu w nexxedmu b el-xuf ntaɛna,

using anger as a fuel,

w ḥna dayrin el-zɛaf b mqam el-zit,

cooperating with others,

nexxedmu mɛa ġirna,

banding together with others,

netlemmu mɛa ġirna,

courage,

netšejɛu,

and most importantly, commitment to active non-violence.

W el-muhhim gaɛ, nezzeɛmu beš nexxedmu bla-teɛnaf.

Now I don't just believe in non-violence.

Ḍerwek, ma raniš ġir n’emmen b el-bla-teɛnaf.

I don't have to believe in it.

Maniš meḥtaja n'emmen bih.

I see evidence everywhere of how it works.

Rani nšuf ṣeḥḥ kifeš rahu yexdem f kul muḍeɛ.

And I see that we, ordinary people,

W rani nšuf, belli ḥnaya, el-nas el-šeɛbiyin,

can do what Aung San Suu Kyi and Ghandi and Mandela did.

neqqedru ndiru waš daret Aung San Suu Kyi, Ġandi w Mandela.

We can bring to an end

Neqqedru nefriwha mɛa

the bloodiest century that humanity has ever known.

Had el-qern, elli f tarix el-bniyadem, huwa elli mɛemmer gaɛ b el-dmuyat .

And we can organize to overcome oppression

W neqqedru netneḍmu beš nefriwha mɛa el-ḥogra

by opening our hearts

ki el-waḥed yefteḥ qelbu

as well as strengthening this incredible resolve.

W tanik ki nqewwiw had el-ɛazima el-hayla.

And this open-heartedness is exactly what I've experienced

W had el-šruḥiya hiya elli ḥessit biha, b el-dat,

in the entire organization of this gathering since I got here yesterday.

F gaɛ el-tenḍam ntaɛ had el-mejmeɛ, melli jit hnaya, el-bareḥ.

Thank you.

Ṣeḥḥitu!

(Applause)

(Tesfaq)