Memory Banda: A Warrior’s Cry Against Child Marriage | TED

Translator: Iria Martínez Teijeiro Reviewer: Xosé María Moreno

I'll begin today

Gustaríame comezar

by sharing a poem

cun poema

written by my friend from Malawi,

escrito por unha amiga de Malawi

Eileen Piri.

que se chama Eileen Piri.

Eileen is only 13 years old,

Eileen só ten 13 anos

but when we were going through the collection of poetry that we wrote,

pero, mentres revisabamos a colección de poesía que escribimos,

I found her poem so interesting,

o seu poema pareceume moi interesante,

so motivating.

verdadeiramente inspirador.

So I'll read it to you.

Así que vóullelo ler.

She entitled her poem "I'll Marry When I Want."

Titúlase "Penso casar cando queira".

(Laughter)

(Risos)

"I'll marry when I want.

"Penso casar cando queira.

My mother can't force me to marry.

Miña nai non pode casarme á forza.

My father cannot force me to marry.

Meu pai non pode casarme á forza.

My uncle, my aunt,

Nin meu tío, nin miña tía,

my brother or sister,

nin meu irmán, nin miña irmá,

cannot force me to marry.

poden casarme á forza.

No one in the world

Ninguén no mundo

can force me to marry.

me pode casar á forza.

I'll marry when I want.

Casarei cando eu queira.

Even if you beat me,

Aínda que batas en min,

even if you chase me away,

mesmo se corres tras min,

even if you do anything bad to me,

fágasme o que me fagas,

I'll marry when I want.

penso casar cando queira.

I'll marry when I want,

Casarei cando eu queira,

but not before I am well educated,

pero non antes de obter unha boa educación

and not before I am all grown up.

ou de rematar de medrar de todo.

I'll marry when I want."

Penso casar cando queira."

This poem might seem odd,

Este poema pode resultar algo raro

written by a 13-year-old girl,

vindo dunha rapaciña de 13 anos,

but where I and Eileen come from,

pero de aló de onde nós vimos

this poem, which I have just read to you,

o poema que lles acabo de ler

is a warrior's cry.

é todo un grito de guerra.

I am from Malawi.

Son de Malawi,

Malawi is one of the poorest countries,

un dos países máis pobres do mundo,

very poor,

realmente pobre,

where gender equality is questionable.

onde a igualdade de xénero é cuestionable.

Growing up in that country,

Ó criarme nese país.

I couldn't make my own choices in life.

non puiden decidir sobre a miña vida.

I couldn't even explore

Non se me permitía nin sequera considerar

personal opportunities in life.

as oportunidades que se me presentaban.

I will tell you a story

Voulles contar a historia

of two different girls,

de dúas rapazas moi diferentes,

two beautiful girls.

dúas nenas fermosas,

These girls grew up

que medraron

under the same roof.

baixo o mesmo teito.

They were eating the same food.

Comían os mesmos pratos.

Sometimes, they would share clothes,

Ás veces, compartían roupa

and even shoes.

e ata calzado.

But their lives ended up differently,

Mais as súas vidas remataron seguindo

in two different paths.

dous camiños ben distintos.

The other girl is my little sister.

A outra rapaza é miña irmá pequena.

My little sister was only 11 years old

Só tiña 11 anos

when she got pregnant.

cando quedou embarazada.

It's a hurtful thing.

Que cousa tan dolorosa!

Not only did it hurt her, even me.

Non só lle doeu a ela: tamén a min.

I was going through a hard time as well.

Eu tampouco o estaba a ter fácil.

As it is in my culture,

Como é tradición na miña cultura,

once you reach puberty stage,

ó acadar a puberdade

you are supposed to go to initiation camps.

unha debe marchar a un campamento de iniciación.

In these initiation camps,

Nestes campamentos

you are taught how to sexually please a man.

apréndenche a satisfacer sexualmente os homes.

There is this special day,

Hai un día especial,

which they call "Very Special Day"

chámanlle o "Día moi especial",

where a man who is hired by the community

no que un home contratado pola comunidade

comes to the camp

vén ó campamento

and sleeps with the little girls.

e se deita coas meniñas.

Imagine the trauma that these young girls

Imaxinen o trauma co que estas rapazas

go through every day.

teñen que lidar cada día.

Most girls end up pregnant.

A maior parte delas quedan embarazadas.

They even contract HIV and AIDS

Tamén contraen o VIH e a SIDA,

and other sexually transmitted diseases.

e outras enfermidades de transmisión sexual.

For my little sister, she ended up being pregnant.

A miña irmá tocoulle embarazo.

Today, she's only 16 years old

Hoxe ten 16 anos

and she has three children.

e xa leva 3 bebés.

Her first marriage did not survive,

O seu primeiro matrimonio non durou,

nor did her second marriage.

tampouco o segundo.

On the other side, there is this girl.

E logo está estoutra rapaza,

She's amazing.

que é incrible.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

I call her amazing because she is.

E digo que é incrible porque o é.

She's very fabulous.

É unha rapaza marabillosa.

That girl is me. (Laughter)

Esa rapaza son eu.

(Risos)

When I was 13 years old,

Cando tiña 13 anos

I was told, you are grown up,

dixéronme que xa era grande,

you have now reached of age,

que xa tiña idade

you're supposed to go to the initiation camp.

de ir ó campamento de iniciación e que debía ir.

I was like, "What?

Eu dixen: "Que?

I'm not going to go to the initiation camps."

Non penso ir ós campamentos de iniciación".

You know what the women said to me?

Saben que me dixo aquela muller?

"You are a stupid girl. Stubborn.

"Que rapaza tan parva e teimuda!

You do not respect the traditions of our society, of our community."

Non respectas as tradicións da nosa sociedade, da nosa comunidade."

I said no because I knew where I was going.

Eu díxenlle que non porque sabía o que me agardaba.

I knew what I wanted in life.

Sabía o que quería na vida.

I had a lot of dreams as a young girl.

Xa de nova tiña soños.

I wanted to get well educated,

Quería acadar unha boa formación

to find a decent job in the future.

para máis adiante atopar un traballo decente.

I was imagining myself as a lawyer,

Imaxinábame de avogada,

seated on that big chair.

sentada nunha cadeira de oficina desas.

Those were the imaginations that

Iso era ó que aspiraba,

were going through my mind every day.

o que me pasaba pola cabeza tódolos días.

And I knew that one day,

Sabía que algún día

I would contribute something, a little something to my community.

tería algo que achegar, por pouco que fora, á miña comunidade.

But every day after refusing,

Pero, dende que rexeitara o campamento,

women would tell me,

as mulleres non paraban de dicirme

"Look at you, you're all grown up. Your little sister has a baby.

"Mira para aí, túa irmá pequena xa ten un bebé.

What about you?"

E ti, que xa es adulta, que?"

That was the music that I was hearing every day,

Esa era a cantarela que tiña que aturar día tras día

and that is the music that girls hear every day

e a cantarela que as rapazas aturan tódolos días

when they don't do something that the community needs them to do.

cando deciden non facer algo que a comunidade precisa que fagan.

When I compared the two stories between me and my sister,

Cando comparei as dúas historias, a de miña irmá e a miña,

I said, "Why can't I do something?

pregunteime: "Por que non podo facer nada?

Why can't I change something that has happened for a long time

Por que non podo mudar algo que leva pasando tanto tempo

in our community?"

na nosa comunidade?"

That was when I called other girls

Aí foi cando decidín chamar outras rapazas

just like my sister, who have children,

coma miña irmá, rapazas con fillos

who have been in class but they have forgotten how to read and write.

que foran á escola pero que xa non lembraban como se lía e escribía.

I said, "Come on, we can remind each other

Díxenlles: "Veña, podemos lembrar mutuamente

how to read and write again,

como se le e escribe outra vez,

how to hold the pen, how to read, to hold the book."

como se agarra o bolígrafo, como se le, como se suxeita o libro".

It was a great time I had with them.

Foi unha época estupenda.

Nor did I just learn a little about them,

Non só aprendín un pouquiño sobre elas,

but they were able to tell me their personal stories,

senón que me chegaron a contar as súas historias persoais,

what they were facing every day

polo que estaban pasando

as young mothers.

como nais adolescentes.

That was when I was like,

Entón pensei:

'Why can't we take all these things that are happening to us

"Por que non collemos todo isto que nos está a pasar

and present them and tell our mothers, our traditional leaders,

e presentámolo, e dicímoslles ás nosas nais e ós líderes relixiosos

that these are the wrong things?"

que estas cousas están mal?"

It was a scary thing to do,

Tiñamos medo de facelo

because these traditional leaders,

porque os líderes da nosa comunidade

they are already accustomed to the things

xa están afeitos ás cousas

that have been there for ages.

que levan séculos pasando.

A hard thing to change,

Non sería doado cambialas

but a good thing to try.

pero pagaba a pena intentalo.

So we tried.

E así o fixemos.

It was very hard, but we pushed.

Foi moi difícil, pero insistimos.

And I'm here to say that in my community,

E hoxe estou aquí para contar que a miña

it was the first community after girls

foi a primeira comunidade na que as rapazas

pushed so hard to our traditional leader,

presionaron tanto o noso líder relixioso

and our leader stood up for us and said no girl has to be married

que este rematou por apoiarnos e declarar que ningunha rapaza tiña que casar

before the age of 18.

ata acadar os 18 anos de idade.

(Applause)

(Aplauso)

In my community,

A miña comunidade

that was the first time a community,

foi a primeira

they had to call the bylaws,

en cambiar o regulamento,

the first bylaw that protected girls

en crear unha lei que protexe as rapazas

in our community.

da comunidade.

We did not stop there.

Mais non paramos aí.

We forged ahead.

Seguimos adiante.

We were determined to fight for girls not just in my community,

Estabamos decididas a loitar polas mozas doutras comunidades,

but even in other communities.

non só da nosa.

When the child marriage bill was being presented in February,

En febreiro, cando se presentou o proxecto de lei sobre o matrimonio infantil,

we were there at the Parliament house.

nós estabamos no parlamento.

Every day, when the members of Parliament were entering,

Tódolos días, mentres entraban os membros do parlamento,

we were telling them, "Would you please support the bill?"

nós iámoslles dicindo: "Por favor, apoie o proxecto de lei!"

And we don't have much technology like here,

Non contamos con tanta tecnoloxía coma aquí,

but we have our small phones.

pero tiñamos os nosos teléfonos móbiles,

So we said, "Why can't we get their numbers and text them?"

así que pensamos: "Por que non conseguimos os seus números e lles escribimos?"

So we did that. It was a good thing.

E fixémolo. Saiu ben.

(Applause)

(Aplauso)

So when the bill passed, we texted them back,

Así que, cando se aprobou o proxecto, volvémoslles escribir:

"Thank you for supporting the bill."

"Grazas por apoiaren o proxecto de lei".

(Laughter)

(Risos)

And when the bill was signed by the president,

E, cando o presidente firmou o proxecto

making it into law, it was a plus.

e promulgou a lei, obtivemos outro éxito.

Now, in Malawi, 18 is the legal marriage age, from 15 to 18.

Agora a idade legal para casar en Malawi é 18. Pasamos dos 15 ós 18 anos.

(Applause)

(Aplauso)

It's a good thing to know that the bill passed,

Alégrame que se aprobase a lei,

but let me tell you this:

pero eu pregúntolles unha cousa:

There are countries where 18 is the legal marriage age,

hai países onde a idade legal para casar son os 18 anos,

but don't we hear cries of women and girls every day?

e aínda así, non ouvimos choros de mulleres e nenas a diario?

Every day, girls' lives are being wasted away.

Tódolos días se botan a perder vidas de rapazas.

This is high time for leaders to honor their commitment.

Vai sendo hora de que os líderes cumpran a súa palabra.

In honoring this commitment,

Cumprir a súa palabra

it means keeping girls' issues at heart every time.

significa pensar nos problemas das rapazas todo o tempo.

We don't have to be subjected as second,

Non temos que ser cidadás de segunda.

but they have to know that women, as we are in this room,

Teñen que saber que as mulleres como as que estamos nesta sala

we are not just women, we are not just girls,

non somos simples mulleres, non somos simples rapazas:

we are extraordinary.

somos extraordinarias.

We can do more.

Podemos facer máis.

And another thing for Malawi,

Outro asunto preocupante en Malawi,

and not just Malawi but other countries:

e non só en Malawi, senón noutros países,

The laws which are there,

é que as leis,

you know how a law is not a law until it is enforced?

ben se sabe que unha lei non é lei ata que non se fai cumprir, non si?

The law which has just recently passed

Esta lei que se acaba de aprobar

and the laws that in other countries have been there,

e as deste tipo noutros países

they need to be publicized at the local level,

precisan ser divulgadas a nivel local,

at the community level,

ó nivel das comunidades,

where girls' issues are very striking.

onde as rapazas sofren estes problemas.

Girls face issues, difficult issues, at the community level every day.

As mozas teñen que enfrontarse diariamente a estas dificultades nas súas comunidades.

So if these young girls know that there are laws that protect them,

Pero, se saben que hai leis que as protexen,

they will be able to stand up and defend themselves

poderán dicir que non e defenderse soas,

because they will know that there is a law that protects them.

sabendo que hai unha lei que as apoia.

And another thing I would say is that

Outra cousa que quería dicir é que

girls' voices and women's voices

a voz das mozas e das mulleres

are beautiful, they are there,

é fermosa e está aí,

but we cannot do this alone.

pero non podemos facer isto soas.

Male advocates, they have to jump in,

Precisamos homes aliados que se involucren

to step in and work together.

e estean dispostos a traballar connosco.

It's a collective work.

Require un esforzo colectivo.

What we need is what girls elsewhere need:

O que precisamos é o que precisan o resto de mozas:

good education, and above all, not to marry whilst 11.

unha boa educación e, sobre todo, non ter que casar con 11 anos.

And furthermore,

É máis,

I know that together,

sei que xuntos

we can transform the legal,

podemos mudar o marco legal,

the cultural and political framework

político e cultural

that denies girls of their rights.

que lles nega ás rapazas os seus dereitos.

I am standing here today

Hoxe estou aquí

and declaring that we can end child marriage in a generation.

para declarar que podemos acabar co matrimonio infantil nunha xeración.

This is the moment

É hora

where a girl and a girl, and millions of girls worldwide,

de que millóns de rapazas no mundo

will be able to say,

sexan quen de dicir:

"I will marry when I want."

"Penso casar cando queira".

(Applause)

(Aplauso)

Thank you. (Applause)

Grazas. (Aplauso)