Monika Bulaj: The hidden light of Afghanistan

Translator: Adrián Levices Casal Reviewer: Carlos Ramón Canosa Carro

My travels to Afghanistan

As miñas viaxes a Afghanistán

began many, many years ago

comezaron hai moitos anos

on the eastern border of my country,

na fronteira oriental do meu país,

my homeland, Poland.

a miña terra, Polonia.

I was walking through the forests

Estaba paseando polas fragas

of my grandmother's tales.

dos contos da miña avoa.

A land where every field hides a grave,

Unha terra onde cada campo oculta un sepulcro

where millions of people

onde millóns de persoas

have been deported or killed

foron deportadas ou asasinadas

in the 20th century.

no século XX.

Behind the destruction,

Alén da destrucción,

I found a soul of places.

atopei a alma dos lugares.

I met humble people.

Coñecín xente humilde.

I heard their prayer

Escoitei as suas pregarias

and ate their bread.

e comín o seu pan.

Then I have been walking East for 20 years --

Logo camiñei cara o Leste durante vinte anos

from Eastern Europe to Central Asia --

de Europa oriental deica Asia central...

through the Caucasus Mountains,

através das montañas do Cáucaso,

Middle East,

Medio Oriente,

North Africa,

o Norte de África,

Russia.

Rusia.

And I ever met more humble people.

Non atopei xente máis humilde.

And I shared their bread and their prayer.

Compartiron o seu pan e as súas pregarias.

This is why I went to Afghanistan.

Por iso fun a Afghanistán.

One day, I crossed the bridge

Un día, crucei a ponte

over the Oxus River.

sobre o río Oxus.

I was alone on foot.

Ía soa, a pé.

And the Afghan soldier was so surprised to see me

E un soldado afgán sorprendeuse tanto cando me veu

that he forgot to stamp my passport.

que esqueceu estampar o meu pasaporte.

But he gave me a cup of tea.

Pero deume una taza de té.

And I understood

E comprendín

that his surprise was my protection.

que a súa sorpresa era a miña protección.

So I have been walking and traveling,

Así que camiñei e viaxei

by horses, by yak, by truck, by hitchhiking,

en cabalo, en iaque, en camión, en autoestop,

from Iran's border

dende a fronteira con Irán

to the bottom, to the edge of the Wakhan Corridor.

deica o fondo, no límite do Corredor de Wakhan.

And in this way

E nesta travesía

I could find noor, the hidden light of Afghanistan.

puiden achar Noor, a luz oculta do Afghanistán.

My only weapon

A miña única arma

was my notebook and my Leica.

era o meu caderno e a miña Leica.

I heard prayers of the Sufi --

Escoitei as oracións dos Sufi

humble Muslims,

humildes musulmáns,

hated by the Taliban.

odiados polos musulmáns.

Hidden river,

Río oculto,

interconnected with the mysticism

interconectado co misticismo

from Gibraltar to India.

dende Xibraltar até a India.

The mosque where the respectful foreigner

A mesquita onde o respetuoso estranxeiro

is showered with blessings

é agasallado con benzóns

and with tears,

e con bágoas,

and welcomed as a gift.

e recibido coma un agasallo.

What do we know

O que sabemos nós

about the country and the people

sobre o país e xentes

that we pretend to protect,

aos que finximos protexer

about the villages

sobre as aldeas

where the only one medicine

onde o único remedio

to kill the pain and to stop the hunger

para calmar a dor e saciar a fame

is opium?

é o opio?

These are opium-addicted people

Estes son os adictos ao opio

on the roofs of Kabul

nos teitos de Cabul

10 years after the beginning of our war.

dez anos despois de comezarmos a nosa guerra.

These are the nomad girls

Estas son as rapazas nómadas

who became prostitutes for Afghan businessmen.

convertidas en rameiras para os empresarios afgáns.

What do we know about the women

Que sabemos nós das mulleres

10 years after the war?

dez anos após a guerra?

Clothed in this nylon bag,

Vestidas con esas bolsas de nilon,

made in China,

fabricadas en China,

with the name of burqa.

que levan por nome burqa.

I saw one day,

Un día vin,

the largest school in Afghanistan,

a meirande escola en Afghanistán,

a girls' school.

unha escola de nenas.

13,000 girls

Trece mil nenas

studying here

estudando alí

in the rooms underground,

en habitacións baixo o chan,

full of scorpions.

cheas de escorpións.

And their love [for studying]

E a súa paixón polo estudo

was so big that I cried.

era tan grande que chorei.

What do we know

Que sabemos nós

about the death threats by the Taliban

sobre as ameazas de morte dos talibáns

nailed on the doors

cravadas nas portas

of the people who dare to send their daughters to school as in Balkh?

da xente que ousa enviar as súas fillas á escola coma en Balkh?

The region is not secure, but full of the Taliban,

A rexión non é segura, pois está chea de talibáns,

and they did it.

e fixérono eles.

My aim is to give a voice

O meu obxectivo é darlle voz

to the silent people,

á xente silenciada,

to show the hidden lights

amosar as luces ocultas

behind the curtain of the great game,

detrás das cortinas do grande xogo,

the small worlds ignored by the media

os pequenos mundos ignorados polos medios

and the prophets of a global conflict.

e polos profetas dun conflicto universal.

Thanks.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)