Boyd Varty: What I learned from Nelson Mandela

Translator: Laura Rodríguez López Reviewer: Alicia Ferreiro

I'm a man who's trying to live from his heart,

Son un home que intenta vivir seguindo o seu corazón,

and so just before I get going,

e antes de que me vaia,

I wanted to tell you as a South African

quería contarvos como Sudafricano

that one of the men who has inspired me most

que un dos homes que máis me inspirou

passed away a few hours ago.

morreu hai poucas horas.

Nelson Mandela has come to the end

Nelson Mandela chegou á fin

of his long walk to freedom.

do seu longo camiño cara á liberdade.

And so this talk is going to be for him.

Polo tanto esta charla vai ser para el.

I grew up in wonder.

Eu crecín no paraíso.

I grew up amongst those animals.

Crecín entre aqueles animais.

I grew up in the wild eastern part of South Africa

Crecín no salvaxe este de Sudáfrica

at a place called Londolozi Game Reserve.

nun lugar chamado Reserva Londolozi Game.

It's a place where my family has been

É un lugar onde a miña familia se dedicou

in the safari business for four generations.

ó negocio dos safaris durante catro xeracións.

Now for as long as I can remember,

Agora todo ata cando podo recordar,

my job has been to take people out into nature,

o meu traballo foi levar á xente á natureza,

and so I think it's a lovely twist of fate today

por iso penso que é unha maravilla este xiro do destino hoxe

to have the opportunity

e ter a oportunidade

to bring some of my experiences out in nature

de traer algunhas das miñas experiencias na natureza

in to this gathering.

a esta reunión.

Africa is a place

África é un lugar

where people still sit under starlit skies

onde a xente aínda se senta baixo ceos estrelados

and around campfires and tell stories,

ó redor de fogueiras e contan historias.

and so what I have to share with you today

Por iso, o que teño que compartir con vós hoxe

is the simple medicine of a few campfire stories,

é a simple menciña dunhas cantas historias de fogueira,

stories about heroes of heart.

historias sobre heroes de corazón.

Now my stories are not the stories

As miñas historias non son as historias

that you'll hear on the news,

que ides oír nas noticias,

and while it's true that Africa is a harsh place,

e aínda que é verdade que África é un lugar duro,

I also know it to be a place

tamén sei que é un lugar

where people, animals and ecosystems

onde a xente, os animais e os ecosistemas

teach us about a more interconnected world.

nos ensínan un mundo máis interconectado.

When I was nine years old,

Cando tiña nove anos,

President Mandela came to stay with my family.

o presindente Mandela veu a hospedarse coa miña familia.

He had just been released from his 27 years of incarceration,

Acababa de ser liberado de 27 anos de encarceramento,

and was in a period of readjustment

e estaba nun periodo de reaxuste

to his sudden global icon status.

ó seu repentino estatus de icono global.

Members of the African National Congress

Membros do Congreso Africano Nacional

thought that in the bush

pensaron que no monte

he would have time to rest and recuperate

tería tempo de descansar e recuperarse

away from the public eye,

lonxe do ollo público,

and it's true that lions tend to be

e é verdade que os leóns soen ser

a very good deterrent to press and paparazzi.

un moi bó disuasivo para a prensa e os paparazzis.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

But it was a defining time for me as a young boy.

Pero era para min un momento decisivo como mozo.

I would take him breakfast in bed,

Eu levaríalle o almorzo á cama,

and then, in an old track suit and slippers,

e logo, cun vello chándal e en zapatillas,

he would go for a walk around the garden.

el iría a dar un paseo polo xardín.

At night, I would sit with my family

Pola noite, sentaríame coa miña familia

around the snowy, bunny-eared TV,

ó redor da tele branquexada con orellas de coello,

and watch images of that same

a ver imaxes daquel mesmo

quiet man from the garden

home tranquilo do xardín

surrounded by hundreds and thousands of people

cercado por centos e miles de persoas

as scenes from his release were broadcast nightly.

cando puñan as esceas da súa liberación á noite.

He was bringing peace

Estaba traendo paz

to a divided and violent South Africa,

a unha dividida e violenta Sudáfrica,

one man with an unbelievable sense of his humanity.

un home cun sentido da humanidade incrible.

Mandela said often that the gift of prison

Mandela acostumaba dicir que o regalo que lle deu a prisión

was the ability to go within and to think,

foi a habilidade de ir máis alá e pensar,

to create in himself

crear en el mesmo

the things he most wanted for South Africa:

as cousas que máis quería para Sudáfrica:

peace, reconciliation, harmony.

paz, reconciliación, harmonía.

Through this act of immense open-heartedness,

A través deste acto de inmensa xenerosidade,

he was to become the embodiment

estaba a piques de converterse na encarnación

of what in South Africa we call "ubuntu."

do que en Sudáfrica chamamos "ubuntu".

Ubuntu: I am because of you.

Ubuntu: eu existo grazas a tí.

Or, people are not people

Ou, as persoas non son persoas

without other people.

sen outras persoas.

It's not a new idea or value

Non é unha nova idea ou valor

but it's one that I certainly think at these times

pero é un valor no que nestes tempos creo firmemente que

is worth building on.

paga a pena aproveitalo.

In fact, it is said that in the collective consciousness of Africa,

De feito, dise que na conciencia colectiva de Sudáfrica,

we get to experience the deepest parts

chegamos a experimentar o máis profundo

of our own humanity

da nosa humanidade

through our interactions with others.

a través das nosas interaccións cós outros.

Ubuntu is at play right now.

Ubuntu está en xogo neste momento.

You are holding a space for me

Vós estades sostindo un espazo para min

to express the deepest truth of who I am.

para expresar a verdade máis profunda de quen son.

Without you, I'm just a guy talking to an empty room,

Sen vós, só son un tipo falando a unha habitación baleira.

and I spent a lot of time last week doing that,

Invertín moitísimo tempo a semana pasada facendo iso

and it's not the same as this.

e non é o mesmo que isto.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

If Mandela was the national and international embodiment,

Se Mandela era a encarnación nacional e internacional,

then the man who taught me the most

entón quen máis me ensinou a min

about this value personally was this man,

sobre este valor personalmente foi este home,

Solly Mhlongo.

Solly Mhlongo.

Solly was born under a tree

Solly naceu baixo unha árbore

60 kilometers from where I grew up in Mozambique.

a 60 km de onde eu crecín en Mozambique.

He would never have a lot of money,

El nunca tería moito diñeiro,

but he was to be

pero ía ser

one of the richest men I would ever meet.

un dos homes máis ricos que coñecería xamáis.

Solly grew up tending to his father's cattle.

Solly creceu coidando o gando do seu pai.

Now, I can tell you, I don't know what it is about people who grow up looking after cattle,

Agora, podo decírvolo, non sei que pasa coa xente que medra coidando gando,

but it makes for über-resourcefulness.

pero fai algo có enxeño.

The first job that he ever got in the safari business

O primeiro emprego que tivo no negocio dos safaris

was fixing the safari trucks.

era reparar os camións.

Where he had learned to do that out in the bush

Onde aprendeu a facelo alá no monte

I have no idea, but he could do it.

non teño nin idea, pero puido facelo.

He then moved across into what we called

Despois se trasladou ó que el chamaba

the habitat team.

o equipo do hábitat.

These were the people on the reserve

Eses eran a xente da reserva

who were responsible for its well-being.

que eran responsables do benestar dos camiños.

He fixed roads, he mended wetlands,

Amañaba as estradas, remendaba os humidais,

he did some anti-poaching.

e fixo algúns traballos contra a caza furtiva.

And then one day we were out together,

Un día estabamos fóra xuntos,

and he came across the tracks of where a female leopard had walked.

e veu entre os camiños por onde pasara unha leoparda.

And it was an old track,

Era un camiño vello,

but for fun he turned and he began to follow it,

pero por diversión deu a volta e comezou a seguilo,

and I tell you, I could tell by the speed

e vos digo que pola velocidade

at which he moved on those pad marks

á que se movía seguindo as marcas das almofadiñas,

that this man was a Ph.D.-level tracker.

ese home tiña un máster en persecución.

If you drove past Solly

Se conducías por onde estaba Solly

somewhere out on the reserve,

nalgún lugar da reserva,

you look up in your rearview mirror,

mirabas polo espello retrovisor,

you'd see he'd stopped the car

e vías que parara o coche

20, 50 meters down the road

20, 50 metros máis abaixo

just in case you need help with something.

por se precisabas axuda con algo.

The only accusation I ever heard leveled at him

A única acusación que escoitei contra el

was when one of our clients said,

foi cando un dos nosos clientes dixo,

"Solly, you are pathologically helpful."

"Solly, ti es patoloxicamente útil".

(Laughter)

(Risas)

When I started professionally guiding people

Cando comecei a guiar xente de forma profesional

out into this environment,

por este entorno,

Solly was my tracker.

Solly era quen me seguía.

We worked together as a team.

Traballabamos xuntos como un equipo.

And the first guests we ever got

E os primeiros clientes que tivemos

were a philanthropy group from your East Coast,

foron un grupo de filántropos da Costa Este,

and they said to Solly, on the side, they said,

e dixéronlle a Solly en privado, dixéronlle,

"Before we even go out to see lions and leopards,

"Antes incluso de ir a ver leóns e leopardos,

we want to see where you live."

queremos ver onde vives."

So we took them up to his house,

Así que os levou ata a súa casa,

and this visit of the philanthropist to his house

e esta visita do filántropo á súa casa

coincided with a time when Solly's wife,

coincidiu nun momento no que a muller de Solly,

who was learning English,

que estaba aprendendo inglés,

was going through a phase where she would open the door

estaba pasando por unha fase onde abriría a porta

by saying, "Hello, I love you.

dicindo, "Hola, quérote.

Welcome, I love you." (Laughter)

Benvido, quérote." (Risas)

And there was something so beautifully African

Para min había algo marabillosamente africano

about it to me, this small house

niso, esa pequena casa

with a huge heart in it.

cun gran corazón dentro.

Now on the day that Solly saved my life,

O dia que Solly me salvou a vida,

he was already my hero.

xa era o meu heroe.

It was a hot day,

Era un día caluroso,

and we found ourselves down by the river.

e nos atopabamos no río.

Because of the heat, I took my shoes off,

Debido á calor quiteime os zapatos,

and I rolled up my pants,

remangueime os pantalóns

and I walked into the water.

e entrei na auga.

Solly remained on the bank.

Solly quedou na ribeira.

The water was clear running over sand,

A auga corría clara sobre a area,

and we turned and we began to make our way upstream.

dimos a volta e comezamos o noso camiño río arriba.

And a few meters ahead of us,

A poucos metros diante de nós,

there was a place where a tree had fallen out of the bank,

había un lugar onde unha árbore caera da ribeira,

and its branches were touching the water,

as súas pólas estaban tocando a auga

and it was shadowy.

e era sombrío.

And if had been a horror movie,

E se fora unha película de terror,

people in the audience would have started saying,

a xente da sala comezaría a dicir

"Don't go in there. Don't go in there." (Laughter)

"Non entredes aí. Non entredes aí." (Risas)

And of course, the crocodile was in the shadows.

E por suposto, o crocodilo estaba nas sombras.

Now the first thing that you notice when a crocodile hits you

A primeira cousa da que te das de conta cando un crocodilo te golpea

is the ferocity of the bite.

é da ferocidade da dentada.

Wham! It hits me by my right leg.

Bam! Deume na perna dereita.

It pulls me. It turns. I throw my hand up. I'm able to grab a branch.

Empúxame. Xira. Lanzo a miña man. Son capaz de coller unha póla.

It's shaking me violently.

Estame a sacudir violentamente.

It's a very strange sensation

É unha sensación moi extraña

having another creature try and eat you,

a de que outra criatura o intente e che coma,

and there are few things that promote vegetarianism like that.

e hai certas cousas como esa que promoven o vexetarianismo.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Solly on the bank sees that I'm in trouble.

Solly na ribeira ve que estou en perigo.

He turns. He begins to make his way to me.

Dáse a volta. Empeza a camiñar cara a min.

The croc again continues to shake me.

O crocodilo segue a sacudirme.

It goes to bite me a second time.

Vai trabarme unha segunda vez.

I notice a slick of blood in the water around me

Atopo un regueiro de sangue na auga ó meu redor

that gets washed downstream.

que se vai lavando río abaixo.

As it bites the second time, I kick.

Cando traba por segunda vez, dou unha patada.

My foot goes down its throat. It spits me out.

O meu pé baixa pola súa gorxa. Escúpeme.

I pull myself up into the branches,

Impúlsome cara as pólas,

and as I come out of the water, I look over my shoulder.

e mentres saio da auga, miro por enriba do meu ombro.

My leg from the knee down

A miña perna de xeonllo para abaixo

is mangled beyond description.

está destrozada máis alá da descrición.

The bone is cracked.

O óso está roto.

The meat is torn up.

A carne está desgarrada.

I make an instant decision that I'll never look at that again.

Tomo a decisión nese intre de non volver a mirala nunca máis.

As I come out of the water,

Mentres saio da auga,

Solly arrives at a deep section,

Solly chega a unha zona profunda,

a channel between us.

unha canle entre nós.

He knows, he sees the state of my leg,

Sabe, ve o estado da miña perna,

he knows that between him and I

sabe que entre el e máis eu

there is a crocodile,

hai un crocodilo,

and I can tell you this man doesn't slow down for one second.

e podo dicirvos que ese home non baixa o ritmo nin por un segundo.

He comes straight into the channel.

Ven directo á canle.

He wades in to above his waist.

Métese ata a cintura.

He gets to me. He grabs me.

Chega ata min. Agárrame.

I'm still in a vulnerable position.

Eu sigo nunha posición vulnerable.

He picks me and puts me on his shoulder.

Cólleme e ponme sobre o seu ombro.

This is the other thing about Solly, he's freakishly strong.

Esta é a outra característica de Solly, é monstruosamente forte.

He turns. He walks me up the bank.

Dá a volta. Lévame ó máis alto da ribeira.

He lays me down. He pulls his shirt off.

Ponme no chan. Quítase a camiseta.

He wraps it around my leg,

Envolve a miña perna con ela,

picks me up a second time,

cólleme por segunda vez,

walks me to a vehicle,

lévame a un vehículo,

and he's able to get me to medical attention.

e é capaz de conseguirme atención médica.

And I survive.

E sobrevivín.

Now — (Applause)

Agora - (Aplausos)

Now I don't know how many people you know

Agora non sei a canta xente coñeceredes

that go into a deep channel of water

que se meta nun profundo canal de auga

that they know has a crocodile in it

no que saben que hai un crocodilo

to come and help you,

para ir a axudarte,

but for Solly, it was as natural as breathing.

pero para Solly, iso era tan natural como respirar.

And he is one amazing example

El é un exemplo incrible

of what I have experienced all over Africa.

do que eu experimentei por toda África.

In a more collective society,

Nunha sociedade máis colectiva,

we realize from the inside

dámonos conta dende dentro

that our own well-being is deeply tied

de que o noso propio benestar está profundamente unido

to the well-being of others.

ó benestar dos outros.

Danger is shared. Pain is shared.

Compartimos o perigo. Compartimos a dor.

Joy is shared. Achievement is shared.

Compartimos a alegría. Compartimos os logros.

Houses are shared. Food is shared.

Compartimos as casas. Compartimos a comida.

Ubuntu asks us to open our hearts

Ubuntu pídenos que abramos os nosos corazóns

and to share,

e compartamos,

and what Solly taught me that day

e o que Solly me ensinou aquel día

is the essence of this value,

é a esencia dese valor,

his animated, empathetic action

a súa vigorosa, empática acción

in every moment.

en todo momento.

Now although the root word is about people,

Agora aínda que a raíz da palabra é sobre a xente,

I thought that maybe ubuntu was only about people.

crin que quizáis ubuntu só se refería á xente.

And then I met this young lady.

Entón coñecín a esta xoven rapaza.

Her name was Elvis.

Chamábase Elvis.

In fact, Solly gave her the name Elvis

De feito, Solly deulle o nome de Elvis

because he said she walked like she was doing

porque dicía que camiñaba como se estivera facendo

the Elvis the pelvis dance.

o baile de pelve de Elvis.

She was born with very badly deformed back legs and pelvis.

Naceu cunha grave deformación nas patas de atrás e na pelve.

She arrived at our reserve from a reserve

Chegou á nosa reserva dende outra reserva

east of us on her migratory route.

ó este da nosa, na súa ruta migratoria.

When I first saw her,

A primeira vez que a vin

I thought she would be dead in a matter of days.

pensei que morrería en cuestión de días.

And yet, for the next five years

Con todo, durante os seguintes cinco anos

she returned in the winter months.

volveu nos meses de inverno.

And we would be so excited to be out in the bush

E nós estabamos emocionadísimos de estar fóra no campo

and to come across this unusual track.

e atopar este inusual rastro

It looked like an inverted bracket,

Parecía un garfo invertido.

and we would drop whatever we were doing and we would follow,

Nós deixariamos o que estiveramos facendo,

and then we would come around the corner,

dariamos a volta á esquina

and there she would be with her herd.

e alí estaba ela coa súa manada.

And that outpouring of emotion

E ese derrame de emoción

from people on our safari trucks

da xente que estaba nos camiños do noso safari

as they saw her, it was this sense of kinship.

ó vela, era un sentimento de parentesco.

And it reminded me

Iso recordoume

that even people who grow up in cities

que incluso a xente que medra nas cidades

feel a natural connection

sente unha conexión natural

with the natural world and with animals.

coa natureza e os animais.

And yet still I remained amazed that she was surviving.

Eu seguía asombrado de que seguira viva.

And then one day we came across them at this small water hole.

Un día achegámonos a eles nun pequeno burato con auga.

It was sort of a hollow in the ground.

Era como un oco no chan.

And I watched as the matriarch drank,

Vin como a matriarca bebía,

and then she turned in that beautiful slow motion of elephants,

e logo deuse a volta cós movementos lentos e preciosos dos elefantes,

looks like the arm in motion,

parece un brazo en movemento,

and she began to make her way up the steep bank.

e comezou o seu camiño cara ó penedo.

The rest of the herd turned and began to follow.

O resto da manada deu a volta e comezou a seguila.

And I watched young Elvis

Eu miraba á xoven Elvis

begin to psych herself up for the hill.

comezar a mentalizarse do camiño cara a colina.

She got visibly -- ears came forward,

Volveuse visible -- as orellas foron cara atrás,

she had a full go of it and halfway up,

intentouno con todas as súas forzas e, a medio camiño,

her legs gave way, and she fell backwards.

as súas patas cederon, e caeu de costas.

She attempted it a second time,

Intentouno unha segunda vez,

and again, halfway up, she fell backwards.

e de novo, a medio camiño, caeu de costas.

And on the third attempt,

No terceiro intento

an amazing thing happened.

sucedeu unha cousa incrible.

Halfway up the bank,

A medio camiño do penedo,

a young teenage elephant came in behind her,

un xoven elefante adolescente púxose detrás de ela,

and he propped his trunk underneath her,

apoiou o seu corpo debaixo de ela,

and he began to shovel her up the bank.

e comezou a arrastrala cara ó alto do penedo.

And it occurred to me

E dinme conta

that the rest of the herd

de que o resto da manada

was in fact looking after this young elephant.

estaba, de feito, coidando a este xoven elefante.

The next day I watched again

Ó día seguinte observei outra vez

as the matriarch broke a branch

como a matriarca rompía unha póla,

and she would put it in her mouth,

poñíaa na súa boca,

and then she would break a second one

logo rompería unha segunda

and drop it on the ground.

e a tiraría ó chan.

And a consensus developed between all of us

Creceu un consenso entre todos

who were guiding people in that area

os que guiábamos á xente por esa zona,

that that herd was in fact moving slower

sobre o feito de que a manada estaba movéndose máis despacio

to accommodate that elephant.

para adaptar a ese elefante.

What Elvis and the herd taught me

O que Elvis e a manada me ensinaron

caused me to expand my definition of ubuntu,

fixo que ampliara a miña definición de ubuntu,

and I believe that in the cathedral of the wild,

e creo que na catedral da natureza,

we get to see the most beautiful parts of ourselves

conseguimos ver as partes máis bonitas de nós mesmos

reflected back at us.

reflexadas nela.

And it is not only through other people

E non é só a través de outra xente

that we get to experience our humanity

como chegamos a experimentar a nosa humanidade

but through all the creatures that live on this planet.

senón a través de todas as criaturas que viven neste planeta.

If Africa has a gift to share,

Se África ten un regalo que compartir,

it's a gift of a more collective society.

é un regalo dunha sociedade máis colectiva.

And while it's true that ubuntu is an African idea,

E aínda que é certo que ubuntu é unha idea africana,

what I see is the essence of that value

o que eu vexo é a esencia dese valor

being invented here.

inventádose aquí.

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

Pat Mitchell: So Boyd,

Pat Mitchell: Entón Boyd,

we know that you knew President Mandela

sabemos que coñecías ó Presidente Mandela

from early childhood

dende moi pequeno

and that you heard the news as we all did today,

e que oíches as noticias hoxe como todos nós,

and deeply distraught

profundamente angustiados,

and know the tragic loss that it is to the world.

sabendo a tráxica perda que isto supón para o mundo.

But I just wondered if you wanted

Pero eu preguntábame se ti quererías

to share any additional thoughts,

compartir algún pensamento máis,

because we know that you heard that news

porque sabemos que oíches esa noticia

just before coming in to do this session.

xusto antes de vir a facer esta sesión.

Boyd Varty: Well thanks, Pat.

Boyd Varty: Ben, grazas Pat.

I'm so happy because it was time for him to pass on.

Estou moi contento porque era o seu momento de irse.

He was suffering.

Estaba sufrindo.

And so of course there's the mixed emotions.

E por suposto hai sentimentos enfrontados.

But I just think of so many occurrences

Só penso nas tantas aparicións

like the time he went on the Oprah show

como a vez que foi ó show de Oprah

and asked her what the show would be about.

e lle preguntou de que ía a ir o programa.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

And she was like, "Well, it'll be about you."

E ela estaba como, "Ben, vai ir sobre ti".

I mean, that's just incredible humility.

Quero dicir, isto é dunha humildade incrible.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

He was the father of our nation

Foi o pai da nosa nación

and we've got a road to walk in South Africa.

e temos unha estrada por onde andar en Sudáfrica.

And everything, they used to call it Madiba magic.

E de todo. Adoitaban chamalo maxia Madiba.

You know, he used to go to a rugby match and we would win.

Xa sabedes, se ía a un partido de rugby gañaríamos nós.

Anywhere he went, things went well.

Alá onde ía, as cousas ían ben.

But I think that magic will be with us,

Pero creo que esa maxia estará con nós,

and the important thing is that we carry

e o importante é que nós sigamos

what he stood for.

o que el defendía.

And so that's what I'm going to try and do,

Iso é o que vou a intentar e vou facer,

and that's what people all over South Africa are trying to do.

e isto é o que a xente de toda Sudáfrica está intentando facer.

PM: And that's what you've done today. BV: Oh, thank you.

PM: E iso é o que fixeches hoxe. BV: Oh, grazas.

PM: Thank you. BV: Thank you. Thanks very much.

PM: Grazas BV: Grazas. Moitas grazas

(Applause)

(Aplauso)