A glimpse of life on the road | Kitra Cahana

Prevoditelj: Ivan Stamenković Recezent: Senzos Osijek

As a little girl, I always imagined

Kao mala, uvijek sam zamišljala

I would one day run away.

da ću jednog dana pobjeći.

From the age of six on,

Od svoje šeste godine,

I kept a packed bag with some clothes

imala sam spreman ruksak s nešto odjeće

and cans of food tucked away

i spremljene konzerve hrane

in the back of a closet.

u svom ormaru.

There was a deep restlessness in me,

Postojao je duboki nemir u meni,

a primal fear that I would fall prey

iskonski strah da će me dohvatiti

to a life of routine and boredom.

život rutine i dosade.

And so, many of my early memories involved

I tako, mnoga moja rana sjećanja

intricate daydreams where I would walk across borders,

sadržavala su sanjarenja gdje bih hodala preko granica,

forage for berries,

skupljala bobice,

and meet all kinds of strange people

i susretala svakakve čudne ljude

living unconventional lives on the road.

koji žive svojim neuobičajenim životima na cesti.

Years have passed, but many of the adventures

Godine su pošle, no puno avantura

I fantasized about as a child --

o kojima sam sanjala kao dijete --

traveling and weaving my way

putovanje i prolazak

between worlds other than my own —

kroz svijetove koji nisu moji —

have become realities through my work

postali su stvarnost kroz moj rad

as a documentary photographer.

kao dokumentarni fotograf.

But no other experience has felt as true

Ali nijedno iskustvo nije bilo tako blisko

to my childhood dreams

mojim dječjim snovima

as living amongst and documenting the lives

kao život među i dokumentiranje života

of fellow wanderers across the United States.

kolega lutalica kroz cijele Sjedinjene Američke Države.

This is the nomadic dream,

Ovo je nomadski san,

a different kind of American dream

drugačija vrsta Američkog sna

lived by young hobos, travelers,

koju žive mlade skitnice, putnici,

hitchhikers, vagrants and tramps.

stoperi, probisvjeti i vucibatine.

In most of our minds,

U našim umovima,

the vagabond is a creature from the past.

lutalica je biće iz prošlosti.

The word "hobo" conjures up an old

Riječ "skitnica" priziva staru

black and white image

crno bijelu sliku

of a weathered old man covered in coal,

starijeg čovjeka pokrivenog ugljem,

legs dangling out of a boxcar,

dok mu noge vise iz teretnog vagona,

but these photographs are in color,

ali ove slike su u boji,

and they portray a community

i opisuju zajednicu

swirling across the country,

koja leprša zemljom,

fiercely alive and creatively free,

strahovito živa i kreativno slobodna,

seeing sides of America that no one else

gledajući stranu Amerike koju nitko drugi

gets to see.

ne vidi.

Like their predecessors, today's nomads

Kao i njihovi prethodnici, današnji nomadi

travel the steel and asphalt arteries

putuju čeličnim i asfaltnim arterijama

of the United States.

Sjedinjenih Američkih Država.

By day, they hop freight trains, stick out their thumbs,

Po danu, skaču na teretne vagone, izbaciju palac

and ride the highways with anyone

i voze se autocestama s bilo kim

from truckers to soccer moms.

od kamiondžija do kućanica.

By night, they sleep beneath the stars,

Po noći, spavaju pod zvijezdama,

huddled together with their packs of dogs,

skupljeni skupa sa svojim čoporima pasa,

cats and pet rats between their bodies.

mačaka i štakora ljubimaca između tijela.

Some travelers take to the road by choice,

Neki putnici su na cesti svojim izborom,

renouncing materialism, traditional jobs

odričući se materijalizma, tradicionalnih poslova

and university degrees in exchange for a glimmer of adventure.

i diploma u zamjenu za nagovještaj avanture.

Others come from the underbelly of society,

Drugi dolaze iz podzemlja društva,

never given a chance to mobilize upwards:

nikad ne dobivši priliku da krenu prema gore:

foster care dropouts, teenage runaways escaping

u bijegu od skrbnika, tinejdžeri koji bježe

abuse and unforgiving homes.

od zlostavljanja i domova koji ne opraštaju.

Where others see stories of privation

Gdje drugi vide priče o neimaštini

and economic failure,

i ekonomskom neuspjehu,

travelers view their own existence

putnici vide vlastito postojanje

through the prism of liberation and freedom.

kroz prizmu oslobođenja i slobode.

They'd rather live off of the excess

Rađe bi živjeli od viškova

of what they view as a wasteful consumer society

onoga što vide kao rastrošno društvo

than slave away at an unrealistic chance

nego robovali nerealističnoj šansi

at the traditional American dream.

tradicionalnog Američkog sna.

They take advantage of the fact

Iskorištavaju činjenicu

that in the United States,

da u SAD-u,

up to 40 percent of all food ends up in the garbage

do 40 posto sve hrane završi u smeću

by scavenging for perfectly good produce

prikupljajući savršeno dobre proizvode

in dumpsters and trash cans.

u kontejnerima i kantama za smeće.

They sacrifice material comforts in exchange

Žrtvuju materijalna dobra u zamjenu

for the space and the time to explore

za prostor i vrijeme da istraže

a creative interior,

kreativnu unutrašnjost,

to dream, to read, to work on music, art and writing.

da sanjare, čitaju, rade na glazbi, umjetnosti i pisanju.

But there are many aspects to this life

Ali postoji mnogo aspekata ovog života

that are far from idyllic.

koji su daleko od idiličnih.

No one loses their inner demons

Nitko ne gubi svoje unutarnje demone

by taking to the road.

kada ode na put.

Addiction is real, the elements are real,

Ovisnost je stvarna, elementi su stvarni,

freight trains maim and kill,

teretni vlakovi sakate i ubijaju,

and anyone who has lived on the streets can attest

i bilo tko tko je živio na ulici može posvjedočiti

to the exhaustive list of laws

podužoj listi zakona

that criminalize homeless existence.

koja kriminalizira život kao beskućnika.

Who here knows that in many cities

Tko zna da je u mnogim gradovima

across the United States it is now illegal

u Americi sada ilegalno

to sit on the sidewalk,

sjediti na pločniku,

to wrap oneself in a blanket,

omotati se u deku,

to sleep in your own car,

spavati u vlastitom autu,

to offer food to a stranger?

ponuditi hranu strancu?

I know about these laws because I've watched

Znam za te zakone jer sam gledala

as friends and other travelers

kako prijatelji i drugi putnici

were hauled off to jail or received citations

odlaze u zatvor ili dobivaju kazne

for committing these so-called crimes.

za počinjenje ovih, takozvanih, zločina.

Many of you might be wondering why anyone

Mnogi od vas se pitaju zašto bi itko

would choose a life like this,

odabrao ovakav život,

under the thumb of discriminatory laws,

pod tlakom diskriminirajućih zakona,

eating out of trash cans,

jedući iz kanta za smeće,

sleeping under bridges,

spavajući ispod mostova,

picking up seasonal jobs here and there.

radeći sezonske poslove tu i tamo.

The answer to such a question is as varied

Odgovor na to pitanje varira

as the people that take to the road,

kao i ljudi koji odlaze na cestu,

but travelers often respond with a single word:

ali putnici često odgovaraju jednom riječju:

freedom.

sloboda.

Until we live in a society where every human

Dok ne budemo živjeli u društvu gdje svaki čovjek

is assured dignity in their labor

ima osigurano dostojanstvo u radu

so that they can work to live well,

kako bi mogli raditi da žive dobro,

not only work to survive,

ne samo da bi radili da prežive,

there will always be an element of those

uvijek će postojati dio onih

who seek the open road as a means of escape,

koji će tražiti otvorenu cestu kao bijeg,

of liberation and, of course, of rebellion.

kao slobodu i naravno pobunu.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)