How to be fearless in the face of authoritarianism | Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Translator: Roberto Rivas Couce Reviewer: Xosé María Moreno

On August 12, 2020,

O 12 de Agosto de 2020

two groups of girls went out to protest in Minsk,

dous grupos de rapazas saíron a protestar en Minsk,

the capital city of Belarus.

a capital de Belarús.

They put on white clothes

Vestíronse de branco

and went barefoot out into the street.

e saíron descalzas á rúa.

In the morning,

Pola mañá

some went to Komarovskiy Market in the center of town.

algunhas foron ó mercado de Komarovskiy, no centro da cidade.

Later that day,

Máis tarde ese mesmo día

the other group gathered with flowers

as demais reuníronse con flores

at the eternal flame under the victory monument.

baixo a chama eterna do monumento á vitoria.

They stood together holding hands,

Ficaron de pé colléndose das máns,

and they started to sing the Belarusian lullaby,

e comezaron a cantar unha canción de berce belarusa,

waiting for the police cars to arrive.

agardando a que chegasen os coches da policía.

They knew the police would pick them up just like that:

Sabían que a policía as collería tal que así:

barefoot with flowers in their hands,

descalzas e con flores nas súas máns;

that they would take them to the police station,

sabían que as levarían á comisaría,

beat them up and try to humiliate them.

que lles ían bater e que ían tentar vexalas.

And yet they did it anyway.

E, aínda así, fixérono.

This year, something changed in Belarus,

Este ano, algo cambiou en Belarús,

a country of more than nine million people

un país con máis de nove millóns de persoas

that has been ruled by an authoritarian leader since 1994.

que tivera no poder un líder autoritario dende 1994.

These young women were protesting the latest rigged election result,

Estas rapazas protestaban polo resultado das últimas eleccións amañadas,

which had taken [place] just a few days earlier.

que tiveran lugar había só uns días.

Their small expressions of protest very quickly expanded

Os seus pequenos xestos de protesta espalláronse con moita rapidez,

into massive, peaceful, women-led demonstrations

dando lugar a manifestacións masivas, pacíficas e lideradas por mulleres

all across the country.

por todo o país.

Within just a few days,

Nuns poucos días,

a few hundred thousand people took to the streets

varios centos de milleiros de persoas tomaron a rúa

and demonstrations have continued ever since,

e as manifestaciós continúan dende entón,

the likes of which Belarus has never seen before.

en formas nunca vistas en Belarús.

All this despite the fact

E todo isto a pesar do feito

that the president proclaimed himself reelected

de que o presidente se proclamase reelexido por el mesmo

and that more than 10,000 people have been detained,

e máis de 10.000 persoas foran detidas,

hundreds tortured

milleiros torturadas,

and at least six killed.

e, polo menos, seis asasinadas.

Many people wonder why the people of Belarus are speaking up now.

Moitas persoas pregúntanse por que os belarusos están a falar agora.

What makes them keep taking to the streets

Que é o que os segue a levar á rúa

despite unprecedented police violence,

a pesar da violencia policial sen precendentes,

despite state lawlessness?

a pesar de se atoparen nun Estado sen lei.

The answer I hear the most

A resposta que máis oio

is that people have become fearless,

é que a xente perdeu o medo,

and it's something we have become together.

e iso é algo que fixemos xuntos.

Because fear is the province of one.

Porque o medo forma parte de cada quen.

It feeds on isolation.

Aliméntase do noso illamento.

It doesn't discriminate:

Non discrimina:

men, women, children, elderly --

homes, mulleres, nenos, vellos...

all of us can feel fear,

Todos nós podemos sentir medo,

but only as long as we are on our own.

pero soamente mentres esteamos sós.

Fearlessness takes two.

Fan falta dous para sermos valentes.

It only works if and when we show up for each other.

E só funciona se e cando, damos a cara os uns polos outros.

Show up so that your neighbor,

Dá a cara para que o teu veciño,

your colleague, your friend has courage.

o teu colega ou o teu amigo teña coraxe.

And they will do the same for you.

E eles faran o mesmo por ti.

A lot has been made of my own role in the presidential election

Falouse moito do meu papel nas eleccións á presidencia

of August 2020.

de Agosto de 2020.

De como me presentei polo meu home, Sergei, cando foi encarcerado

How I stepped in to run for my husband, Sergei, when he was jailed

and it became clear that the authorities would deny him his chance to run himself;

e quedou claro que as autoridades non lle ían permitir presentarse

how I rightfully won the election

de como gañei as eleccións de forma lexítima

and became the elected leader of a democratic Belarus,

e convertinme na líder electa da Belarús democrática,

but the official results only gave me 10 percent of the vote

pero os resultados oficiais déronme só o 10% dos votos

and I was forced into exile with my children;

e fun obrigada a exiliarme cos meus fillos;

how I still fight for those who voted for me

de como sigo a loitar por aqueles que votaron por min

and whose voice the regime wants to steal;

e aqueles cuxa voz o réxime quere roubar;

how "fearless" I am.

do "valente" que son.

But there were many moments when I was frightened,

Pero houbo moitos momentos nos que tiven medo,

and I wanted to step down.

e quixen recuar.

I was threatened

Fun ameazada

and forced to believe that I'm alone in this fight.

e obligada a pensar que estaba soa nesta loita.

And yet the more cities I visited,

E, aínda así, cantas máis cidades visitaba,

the more people showed up for the rallies,

canta máis xente había nos mitins,

the less fear I had.

menos medo tiña.

And then in the days before the election in Minsk,

E logo, os días antes das eleccións en Minsk,

60,000 people came to show their support for me,

60.000 persoas viñeron a amosar o seu apoio,

and I was no longer afraid.

e eu xa non volvín ter medo.

I never wanted to do any of this.

Nunca quixen nada disto.

I was never overly political,

Nunca fora demasiado política,

and I never planned to run for office.

e nunca proxectara presentarme coma candidata de nada.

I wanted to be a mom and a wife.

Quería ser unha nai e unha esposa.

But by fate and the will of my people,

Pero polo destino e a vontade do meu pobo,

I was elevated to this position.

fun erguida ata este posto.

And I accept this with a sense of duty and pride.

E acéptoo con sentido do deber e orgullo.

I will not give up.

Non me renderei.

And I will show up for people, because they show up for me.

E darei a cara pola miña xente, porque eles deron a cara por min.

Our courage is born from unity.

A nosa coraxe nace da nosa unidade.

Our solidarity is our strength.

A nosa solidaridade é a nosa forza.

I also now understand that being fearless is a commitment.

Agora comprendo que non ter medo é tamén un compromiso.

It is a decision you make every single day.

Unha decisión que tomas tódolos días.

It is a responsibility you take --

É unha responsabilidade que aceptas,

responsibility for one another.

unha responsabilidade contigo mesma e cos demais.

In this regard, I'm no different from my fellow Belarusians.

Tendo isto en conta, non son diferente das miñas compatriotas belarusas.

Their support is tangible.

O seu apoio é tanxíbel.

Their solidarity grows in progression.

A súa solidaridade medra de forma exponencial.

When there are two of you,

Cando sodes dous,

you are daring.

atréveste.

When you're 100, you are brave.

Cando sodes 100, es valente.

When there are thousands of you,

Cando sodes milleiros,

you are fearless.

non tes medo.

And once you are tens of thousands,

E unha vez sodes decenas de miles,

you become invincible.

facédevos invencíbeis.

Thank you.

Grazas.