Lisa Kristine: Photos that bear witness to modern slavery

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: David J. Kreps Finnemann Reviewer: Anders Finn Jørgensen

I'm 150 feet down an illegal mine shaft in Ghana.

Jeg er 45 meter nede i en ulovlig mineskakt i Ghana.

The air is thick with heat and dust,

Luften er tyk af varme og støv,

and it's hard to breathe.

og det er svært at trække vejret.

I can feel the brush of sweaty bodies passing me

Jeg kan mærke svedige kroppe strejfe mig når de passerer

in the darkness, but I can't see much else.

i mørket, men jeg kan ikke se meget andet.

I hear voices talking, but mostly the shaft

Jeg hører stemmer der snakker, men skakten er mest

is this cacophony of men coughing,

en kakofoni af mænd der hoster,

and stone being broken with primitive tools.

og sten der blev knust med primitive værktøjer.

Like the others, I wear a flickering, cheap flashlight

Ligesom de andre, har jeg en blinkende, billig lommelygte

tied to my head with this elastic, tattered band,

bundet på hovedet med et elastisk, flosset bånd,

and I can barely make out the slick tree limbs

og jeg kan knap nok ænse de glatte træ grene

holding up the walls of the three-foot square hole

der holder de væggene af det meter brede hul

dropping hundreds of feet into the earth.

der falder 45 meter ned i jorden.

When my hand slips, I suddenly remember a miner

Da mine hænder glider, husker jeg pludselig en minearbejder

I had met days before who had lost his grip

som jeg havde mødt flere dage tidligere, der havde mistet grebet

and fell countless feet down that shaft.

og faldt talløse meter ned i den skakt.

As I stand talking to you today,

Mens jeg står her og taler til jer i dag,

these men are still deep in that hole,

er disse mænd stadig dybt nede i det hul,

risking their lives without payment or compensation,

og risikerer deres liv uden betaling eller kompensation,

and often dying.

og dør ofte.

I got to climb out of that hole, and I got to go home,

Jeg fik lov til at kravle ud af det hul, og jeg fik lov til at tage hjem,

but they likely never will, because they're trapped in slavery.

men det vil de sandsynligvis aldrig, fordi de er fanget i slaveri.

For the last 28 years, I've been documenting

I de sidste 28 år, har jeg dokumenteret

indigenous cultures in more than 70 countries

indfødte kulturer i mere end 70 lande

on six continents, and in 2009 I had the great honor

på seks kontinenter, og i 2009 fik jeg den store ære

of being the sole exhibitor at the Vancouver Peace Summit.

af at være den eneste udstiller i Vancouver Peace Summit.

Amongst all the astonishing people I met there,

Mellem alle de imponerende mennesker jeg mødte der,

I met a supporter of Free the Slaves, an NGO

mødte jeg en tilhænger af Free the Slaves, en NGO

dedicated to eradicating modern day slavery.

dedikeret til at udrydde moderne slaveri.

We started talking about slavery, and really,

Vi begyndte at snakke om slaveri, og faktisk,

I started learning about slavery,

begyndte jeg at lære om slaveri,

for I had certainly known it existed in the world,

for jeg vidste bestemt at det fandtes i verden,

but not to such a degree.

men ikke i den grad.

After we finished talking, I felt so horrible

Da vi var færdige med at snakke, havde jeg det så forfærdeligt

and honestly ashamed at my own lack of knowledge

og skammede mig ærlig talt over min uvidenhed

of this atrocity in my own lifetime, and I thought,

om disse grusomheder i min egen levetid, og jeg tænkte,

if I don't know, how many other people don't know?

hvis jeg ikke ved det, hvor mange mennesker ved det så ikke?

It started burning a hole in my stomach, so within weeks,

Det startede et brændende hul i min mave, så i løbet af få uger,

I flew down to Los Angeles to meet with the director

fløj jeg til Los Angeles for at mødes med lederen

of Free the Slaves and offer them my help.

af Free the Slaves og tilbød dem min hjælp.

Thus began my journey into modern day slavery.

Dermed begyndte min rejse ind i moderne slaveri.

Oddly, I had been to many of these places before.

Mærkeligt nok, havde jeg før været mange af disse steder.

Some I even considered like my second home.

Nogle af dem betragtede jeg endda som mit andet hjem.

But this time, I would see the skeletons hidden in the closet.

Men denne gang, ville jeg se skeletterne der gemte sig i skabet.

A conservative estimate tells us there are more than

En konservativt vurdering fortæller os at der er flere end

27 million people enslaved in the world today.

27 millioner mennesker der er slaver i verden i dag.

That's double the amount of people taken from Africa

Det er dobbelt så mange mennesker som der blev taget fra Afrika

during the entire trans-Atlantic slave trade.

under hele den transatlantiske slavehandel.

A hundred and fifty years ago, an agricultural slave

For hundrede og halvtreds år siden, kostede en landbrugs slave

cost about three times the annual salary

omkring tre gange den årlige løn

of an American worker.

af en amerikansk arbejder.

That equates to about $50,000 in today's money.

Det er lig med cirka $50.000 i nutids penge.

Yet today, entire families can be enslaved for generations

Alligevel er der i dag hele familier der kan være slaver i generationer

over a debt as small as $18.

på grund af en gæld så lille som $18.

Astonishingly, slavery generates profits

Forbavsende nok, genererer slaveri profitter

of more than $13 billion worldwide each year.

på mere end $13 milliarder i hele verden hvert år.

Many have been tricked by false promises

Mange er blevet narret med falske løfter

of a good education, a better job, only to find

om en god uddannelse, et bedre job, kun for at finde

that they're forced to work without pay

ud af, at de bliver tvunget til at arbejde uden løn

under the threat of violence, and they cannot walk away.

under truslen om vold, og de kan ikke gå væk.

Today's slavery is about commerce,

Nutidens slaveri er om handel,

so the goods that enslaved people produce have value,

så varer som slaver producerer har en værdi,

but the people producing them are disposable.

men menneskerne der producerer dem er undværlige.

Slavery exists everywhere, nearly, in the world,

Slaveri eksisterer over alt, næsten, i verden,

and yet it is illegal everywhere in the world.

og alligevel er det ulovligt i hele verden.

In India and Nepal, I was introduced to the brick kilns.

I Indien og Nepal, blev jeg introduceret til murstens tørreovne.

This strange and awesome sight was like

Dette mærkelige og fantastiske syn var ligesom

walking into ancient Egypt or Dante's Inferno.

at gå ind i det oldtidens Ægypten eller Dantes Inferno.

Enveloped in temperatures of 130 degrees,

Omgivet af temperaturer på 54 grader,

men, women, children, entire families in fact,

mænd, kvinder, børn, hele familier faktisk,

were cloaked in a heavy blanket of dust,

var dækket i et tungt tæppe af støv,

while mechanically stacking bricks on their head,

mens de mekanisk stakkede mursten på deres hoved,

up to 18 at a time, and carrying them

op til 18 af gangen, og bar dem

from the scorching kilns to trucks hundreds of yards away.

fra de drønende varme tørreovne til lastbiler hundrede meter væk.

Deadened by monotony and exhaustion,

Smadrede af monotonien og udmattelsen,

they work silently, doing this task over and over

arbejder de i stilhed, og gør deres arbejde igen og igen

for 16 or 17 hours a day.

i 16 eller 17 timer om dagen.

There were no breaks for food, no water breaks,

Der var ingen pauser til mad, ingen pauser til vand,

and the severe dehydration made urinating

og den slemme dehydrering gjorde urinering

pretty much inconsequential.

temmelig betydningsløs.

So pervasive was the heat and the dust

Varmen og støvet var så gennemtrængende

that my camera became too hot to even touch

at mit kamera blev så varmt at det ikke var til at røre ved

and ceased working.

og holdte op med at virke.

Every 20 minutes, I'd have to run back to our cruiser

Hver 20 minutter, skulle jeg løbe tilbage til vores cruiser

to clean out my gear and run it under an air conditioner

for at rense mit udstyr og holde det under en air condition

to revive it, and as I sat there,

for at genoplive det, og som jeg sad der,

I thought, my camera is getting far better treatment

tænkte jeg, mit kamera får en væsentlig bedre behandling

than these people.

end disse mennesker.

Back in the kilns, I wanted to cry,

Ved tørreovnene havde jeg lyst til at græde,

but the abolitionist next to me quickly grabbed me

men abolitionisten ved siden af mig tog fat i mig

and he said, "Lisa, don't do that. Just don't do that here."

og han sagde, "Lisa, gør det ikke. Bare ikke gør det her."

And he very clearly explained to me that emotional displays

Og han forklarede meget tydelig for mig, at det at vise følelser

are very dangerous in a place like this,

er meget farligt sådan et sted,

not just for me, but for them.

ikke kun for mig, men også for dem.

I couldn't offer them any direct help.

Jeg kunne ikke tilbyde dem nogen direkte hjælp.

I couldn't give them money, nothing.

Jeg kunne ikke give dem penge, ingenting.

I wasn't a citizen of that country.

Jeg var ikke en borger i det land.

I could get them in a worse situation

Jeg kunne få dem i en værre situation

than they were already in.

end de allerede var i.

I'd have to rely on Free the Slaves to work

Jeg skulle stole på Free the Slaves arbejde

within the system for their liberation,

indenfor systemet for deres befrielse,

and I trusted that they would.

og jeg stolede på at de gjorde det.

As for me, I'd have to wait until I got home

Med hensyn til mig, jeg skulle vente til jeg kom hjem

to really feel my heartbreak.

med virkelig at føle min dybe sorg.

In the Himalayas, I found children carrying stone

I Himalaya, fandt jeg børn der bar sten

for miles down mountainous terrain

flere kilometer ned af bjergrigt terræn

to trucks waiting at roads below.

til lastbiler der ventede på vejen forneden.

The big sheets of slate were heavier

De store skiferplader var tungere

than the children carrying them,

end børnene kunne bære dem,

and the kids hoisted them from their heads

og børnene løftede dem fra deres hoveder

using these handmade harnesses of sticks and rope

ved at bruge håndlavet seletøj lavet af pinde og reb

and torn cloth.

og flænset klæde.

It's difficult to witness something so overwhelming.

Det er svært at være vidne til noget så overvældende.

How can we affect something so insidious,

Hvordan kan vi påvirke noget så ondt,

yet so pervasive?

og alligevel så udbredt?

Some don't even know they're enslaved,

Nogle ved ikke engang de er trælbundet,

people working 16, 17 hours a day without any pay,

mennesker der arbejder 16, 17 timer om dagen uden løn,

because this has been the case all their lives.

fordi sådan har det været hele deres liv.

They have nothing to compare it to.

De har ikke noget at sammenligne det med.

When these villagers claimed their freedom,

Da disse landsbyboere gjorde krav på deres frihed,

the slaveholders burned down all of their houses.

brændte slaveejerne alle deres huse.

I mean, these people had nothing,

Jeg mener, disse mennesker havde ingenting,

and they were so petrified, they wanted to give up,

og de var så stive af skræk, de ville give op,

but the woman in the center rallied for them to persevere,

men kvinden i centeret samlede dem til at holde ud,

and abolitionists on the ground

og abolitionisterne på stedet

helped them get a quarry lease of their own,

hjalp dem med at få deres egen forpagtning til stenbruddet,

so that now they do the same back-breaking work,

så nu laver de det samme rygbrækkende arbejde,

but they do it for themselves, and they get paid for it,

men de gør det for sig selv, og de bliver betalt for at gøre det,

and they do it in freedom.

og de gør det i frihed.

Sex trafficking is what we often think of

Ulovlig sexhandel er det vi ofte tænker på

when we hear the word slavery,

når vi hører ordet slaveri,

and because of this worldwide awareness,

og på grund af denne verdensomspændende bevidsthed,

I was warned that it would be difficult for me to work safely

blev jeg advaret om at det ville blive svært for mig at arbejde sikkert

within this particular industry.

i denne bestemte industri.

In Kathmandu, I was escorted by women who had

I Kathmandu, blev jeg eskorteret af kvinder der tidligere

previously been sex slaves themselves.

selv havde været sex slaver.

They ushered me down a narrow set of stairs

De ledte mig ned af en smal trappe

that led to this dirty, dimly fluorescent lit basement.

der ledte til denne beskidte, dårligt belyste kælder.

This wasn't a brothel, per se.

Dette var ikke et bordel, som sådan.

It was more like a restaurant.

Det var mere ligesom en restaurant.

Cabin restaurants, as they're known in the trade,

Kabine restauranter, som de kaldes i faget,

are venues for forced prostitution.

er steder til tvungen prostitution.

Each has small, private rooms, where the slaves,

Hver har smalle, private værelser, hvor slaverne,

women, along with young girls and boys,

kvinder, samt nogle unge kvinder og drenge,

some as young as seven years old,

nogle så unge som syv år gamle,

are forced to entertain the clients,

er tvunget til at underholde kunder,

encouraging them to buy more food and alcohol.

og opfordrer dem til at købe mere mad og alkohol.

Each cubicle is dark and dingy,

Hver aflukke er mørkt og snusket,

identified with a painted number on the wall,

og er identificeret af et malet nummer på væggen,

and partitioned by plywood and a curtain.

og adskilt af krydsfiner og et gardin.

The workers here often endure tragic sexual abuse

Arbejderne her gennemlever tragisk sexmisbrug

at the hands of their customers.

på grund af deres kunder.

Standing in the near darkness, I remember feeling

Stående i næsten mørke, kan jeg huske at føle

this quick, hot fear, and in that instant,

denne hurtige, varme frygt, og i det øjeblik,

I could only imagine what it must be like

kunne jeg kun forestille mig hvordan det måtte være,

to be trapped in that hell.

at være fanget i det helvede.

I had only one way out: the stairs from where I'd come in.

Jeg havde kun en udvej: trapperne hvorfra jeg var kommet ind.

There were no back doors.

Der var ingen bagdøre.

There were no windows large enough to climb through.

Der var ingen vinduer store nok til at kravle igennem.

These people have no escape at all,

Disse mennesker havde ingen flugtmulighed overhovedet,

and as we take in such a difficult subject,

og som vi fordøjer sådan et svært emne,

it's important to note that slavery, including sex trafficking,

er det vigtigt at notere sig at slaveri, inklusiv ulovlig sexhandel,

occurs in our own backyard as well.

også sker i vores egen baghave.

Tens of hundreds of people are enslaved in agriculture,

Hundredevis af mennesker er slaver i landbruget,

in restaurants, in domestic servitude,

i restauranter, i huslig slaveri,

and the list can go on.

og listen kan fortsætte.

Recently, the New York Times reported that

For nylig rapporterede New York Times at

between 100,000 and 300,000 American children

mellem 100.000 og 300.000 amerikanske børn

are sold into sex slavery every year.

bliver solgt som sexslaver hvert år.

It's all around us. We just don't see it.

Det er omkring os overalt. Vi ser det bare ikke.

The textile industry is another one we often think of

Tekstilindustrien er en anden ting vi tit tænker på

when we hear about slave labor.

når vi hører om slavearbejdere.

I visited villages in India where entire families were enslaved

Jeg besøgte landsbyer i Indien hvor hele familier var slaver

in the silk trade.

i silkehandlen.

This is a family portrait.

Dette er et familieportræt.

The dyed black hands are the father, while the blue

De sort farvede hænder er faderen, mens de blå

and red hands are his sons.

og røde er hans sønner.

They mix dye in these big barrels,

De blander farvestof i disse store tønder,

and they submerge the silk into the liquid up to their elbows,

og de sænker silken ned i væsken til deres albuer,

but the dye is toxic.

men farvestoffet er giftigt.

My interpreter told me their stories.

Min tolk fortalte mig deres historier.

"We have no freedom," they said.

"Vi har ingen frihed," sagde de.

"We hope still, though, that we could leave this house

"Vi håber dog stadig, at vi kan forlade dette hus

someday and go someplace else

en dag, og gå et andet sted hen

where we actually get paid for our dyeing."

hvor vi faktisk bliver betalt for at farve."

It's estimated that more than 4,000 children

Det vurderes at der er mere end 4.000 børn

are enslaved on Lake Volta,

der er slaver på Lake Volta,

the largest man-made lake in the world.

det største menneskeskabte sø i verden.

When we first arrived, I went to have a quick look.

Da vi ankom, tog jeg hen for at kaste et kort blik.

I saw what seemed to be a family fishing on a boat,

Jeg så hvad der synes at være en familie på en fiskerbåd,

two older brothers, some younger kids, makes sense right?

to ældre brødre, nogle unge børn, det giver mening ikke?

Wrong. They were all enslaved.

Forkert. De var alle slaver.

Children are taken from their families

Børnene bliver fjernet fra deres familier

and trafficked and vanished,

og handlet ulovligt og forsvinder,

and they're forced to work endless hours on these boats

og de bliver tvunget til at arbejde utallige timer på disse både

on the lake, even though they do not know how to swim.

på søen, selvom de ikke ved hvordan man svømmer.

This young child is eight years old.

Dette unge barn er otte år gammelt.

He was trembling when our boat approached,

Han rystede da vores båd kom nærmere,

frightened it would run over his tiny canoe.

bange for at den ville sejle hans lille kano over.

He was petrified he would be knocked in the water.

Han var skrækslagen for at han ville blive smidt i vandet.

The skeletal tree limbs submerged in Lake Volta

De skeletagtige grene der er under vandet i Lake Volta

often catch the fishing nets, and weary,

fanger ofte fiskernes net, og udmattede,

frightened children are thrown into the water

bange børn bliver kastet i vandet

to untether the lines.

for at udrede linerne.

Many of them drown.

Mange af dem drukner.

For as long as he can recall, he's been forced to work

Så længe han kan huske, er han blevet tvunget til at arbejde

on the lake.

på søen.

Terrified of his master, he will not run away,

Han er rædselsslagen for sin herre, han vil ikke løbe væk,

and since he's been treated with cruelty all his life,

og siden han er behandlet med grusomhed hele sit liv,

he passes that down to the younger slaves

giver han det videre til de yngre slaver

that he manages.

som han bestemmer over.

I met these boys at five in the morning,

Jeg mødte disse drenge klokken fem om morgenen,

when they were hauling in the last of their nets,

da de trak deres sidste net ind,

but they had been working since 1 a.m.

men de havde arbejdet siden klokken 1,

in the cold, windy night.

i den kolde, blæsende nat.

And it's important to note that these nets weigh

Og det er vigtigt at lægge mærke til, at disse net vejer

more than a thousand pounds when they're full of fish.

mere end 230kg når de er fulde af fisk.

I want to introduce you to Kofi.

Jeg vil introducere jer for Kofi.

Kofi was rescued from a fishing village.

Kofi blev reddet fra en fiskerlandsby.

I met him at a shelter where Free the Slaves

Jeg mødte ham på et tilflugtssted hvor Free the Slaves

rehabilitates victims of slavery.

rehabiliterer ofrer for slaveri.

Here he's seen taking a bath at the well,

Her kan man se ham tage et bad ved brønden,

pouring big buckets of water over his head,

og hælde store spande vand over hans hoved,

and the wonderful news is,

og de vidunderlige nyheder er,

as you and I are sitting here talking today,

mens I og jeg sidder her og snakker i dag,

Kofi has been reunited with his family,

er Kofi blevet genforenet med sin familie,

and what's even better, his family has been given tools

og hvad der er endnu bedre er, at hans familie har fået værktøj

to make a living and to keep their children safe.

til at kunne tjene til dagen og vejen, og sørge for deres børns sikkerhed.

Kofi is the embodiment of possibility.

Kofi er billedet på hvad der er muligt.

Who will he become because someone took a stand

Hvem vil han blive, fordi nogen tog et standpunkt

and made a difference in his life?

og gjorde en forskel i hans liv?

Driving down a road in Ghana

Da vi kørte ned af en vej i Ghana

with partners of Free the Slaves,

med partnere af Free the Slaves,

a fellow abolitionist on a moped suddenly sped up

satte en med-abolitionist på en knallert pludselig farten op

to our cruiser and tapped on the window.

og kom op til vores cruiser og bankede på vinduet.

He told us to follow him down a dirt road into the jungle.

Han fortalte os at vi skulle følge efter ham ned af en grusvej ind i junglen.

At the end of the road, he urged us out of the car,

Ved enden af vejen, bad hans os om at stå ud af bilen,

and told the driver to quickly leave.

og fortalte føreren at han skulle forsvinde hurtigt.

Then he pointed toward this barely visible footpath,

Så pegede han på dette næsten usynlige sti,

and said, "This is the path, this is the path. Go."

og sagde, "Dette er stien, dette er stien. Gå."

As we started down the path, we pushed aside the vines

Som vi begyndte at gå ned af stien, skubbede vi slyngplanterne til side

blocking the way, and after about an hour of walking in,

der blokerede vores vej, og efter en times gåtur,

found that the trail had become flooded by recent rains,

fandt vi ud af at stien var blevet oversvømmet af den seneste regn,

so I hoisted the photo gear above my head

så jeg hejsede foto udstyret op over mit hoved

as we descended into these waters up to my chest.

i takt med at vi gik ned i vandet op til min brystkasse.

After another two hours of hiking, the winding trail

Og efter to timers hiking, sluttede det snoede spor

abruptly ended at a clearing, and before us

pludseligt ved en lysning, og foran os

was a mass of holes

var der en masse huller

that could fit into the size of a football field,

der kunne være på en fodboldbane,

and all of them were full of enslaved people laboring.

og de var alle sammen fyldte med slaver der arbejdede.

Many women had children strapped to their backs

Mange kvinder havde børn spændt fast på deres ryg

while they were panning for gold,

mens de ledte efter guld,

wading in water poisoned by mercury.

mens de gik i vand der var forgiftet af kviksølv.

Mercury is used in the extraction process.

Kviksølv bliver brugt i udvindings processen.

These miners are enslaved in a mine shaft

Disse minearbejdere er trælbundet i en mineskakt

in another part of Ghana.

i en anden del af Ghana.

When they came out of the shaft, they were soaking wet

Da de kom ud af skakten, var de drivvåde

from their own sweat.

af deres eget sved.

I remember looking into their tired, bloodshot eyes,

Jeg kan huske at jeg kiggede i deres trætte, blodskudte øjne,

for many of them had been underground for 72 hours.

da mange af dem havde været under jorden i 72 timer.

The shafts are up to 300 feet deep, and they carry out

Skakterne er op til 100 meter dybe, og de bærer tunge

heavy bags of stone that later will be transported

sække med sten ud, som senere bliver transporteret

to another area, where the stone will be pounded

til et andet område, hvor stenen bliver pulveriseret

so that they can extract the gold.

så de kan udvinde guldet.

At first glance, the pounding site seems full

Ved første øjekast, ser pulveriseringsstedet ud til at være fyldt

of powerful men, but when we look closer,

af stærke mænd, men når vi kigger nærmere,

we see some less fortunate working on the fringes,

kan vi se nogle mindre heldige der arbejder i udkanten,

and children too.

og også børn.

All of them are victim to injury, illness and violence.

De er alle offer for skader, sygdom og vold.

In fact, it's very likely that this muscular person

Faktisk, er det meget sandsynligt at denne muskuløse person

will end up like this one here, racked with tuberculosis

ender som denne her, plaget af tuberkulose

and mercury poisoning in just a few years.

og kviksølvsforgiftning om bare et få år.

This is Manuru. When his father died,

Dette er Manuru. Da hans far døde,

his uncle trafficked him to work with him in the mines.

handlede hans onkel ham ulovligt til at arbejde sammen med ham i minerne.

When his uncle died, Manuru inherited his uncle's debt,

Da hans onkel døde, arvede Manuru sin onkels gæld,

which further forced him into being enslaved in the mines.

der tvang ham yderligere til at være slave i minerne.

When I met him, he had been working in the mines

Da jeg mødte ham, havde han arbejdet i minerne

for 14 years, and the leg injury that you see here

i 14 år, og den benskade man kan se her

is actually from a mining accident,

er faktisk fra en ulykke i minerne,

one so severe doctors say his leg should be amputated.

og så slem at lægerne siger at hans ben bør amputeres.

On top of that, Manuru has tuberculosis,

Ud over det, har Manuru tuberkulose,

yet he's still forced to work day in and day out

alligevel bliver han tvunget til at arbejde dag ind og dag ud

in that mine shaft.

i den mineskakt.

Even still, he has a dream that he will become free

Alligevel, er hans drøm at han bliver fri

and become educated with the help of local activists

og bliver uddannet med lokale aktivisters hjælp

like Free the Slaves,

som Free the Slaves,

and it's this sort of determination,

og det er denne slags beslutsomhed,

in the face of unimaginable odds,

på trods af ubegribelige odds,

that fills me with complete awe.

der fylder mig med dyb respekt.

I want to shine a light on slavery.

Jeg vil kaste et lys over slaveri.

When I was working in the field,

Da jeg arbejdede i felten,

I brought lots of candles with me,

medbragte jeg en masse stearinlys,

and with the help of my interpreter,

og med min tolks hjælp,

I imparted to the people I was photographing

meddelte jeg menneskerne jeg fotograferede

that I wanted to illuminate their stories

at jeg ville belyse deres historier

and their plight,

og deres nød,

so when it was safe for them, and safe for me,

så når det var sikkert for dem, og sikkert for mig,

I made these images.

tog jeg disse billeder.

They knew their image would be seen

De vidste at deres billeder ville blive set

by you out in the world.

af jer ude i verden.

I wanted them to know that we will be bearing witness

Jeg ville lade dem vide, at vi ville være vidne

to them, and that we will do whatever we can

til dem, og at vi ville gøre alt vi kunne

to help make a difference in their lives.

til at hjælpe med at gøre en forskel i deres liv.

I truly believe, if we can see one another

Jeg tror dybt på, at hvis vi kan se hinanden

as fellow human beings, then it becomes very difficult

som medmennesker, så bliver det meget svært

to tolerate atrocities like slavery.

at tolerere grusomheder som slaveri.

These images are not of issues. They are of people,

Disse billeder er ikke af emner. De er af mennesker,

real people, like you and me, all deserving

rigtige mennesker, ligesom dig og mig, der alle fortjener

of the same rights, dignity and respect

alle de samme rettigheder, værdighed og respekt

in their lives.

i deres liv.

There is not a day that goes by that I don't think

Der går ikke en dag hvor jeg ikke tænker

of these many beautiful, mistreated people

på disse mange smukke, mishandlede mennesker

I've had the tremendous honor of meeting.

som jeg har haft den kolossale ære af at møde.

I hope that these images awaken a force

Jeg håber at disse billeder vækker en kraft

in those who view them, people like you,

i jer der ser dem, mennesker som jer,

and I hope that force will ignite a fire,

og jeg håber at den kraft vil tænde en ild,

and that fire will shine a light on slavery,

og at den ild vil skinne et lys på slaveri,

for without that light, the beast of bondage

for uden det lys, kan trældommens udyr

can continue to live in the shadows.

fortsat leve i skyggerne.

Thank you very much.

Mange tak.

(Applause)

(Bifald)