Why people of different faiths are painting their houses of worship yellow | Nabila Alibhai

Prevoditelj: Jelena Grobenski Recezent: Sanda L

We live in a time of fear,

Živimo u vrijeme straha,

and our response to fear can either be to contract

i naša reakcija na strah je ili kontrakcija,

and attempt to guard ourselves

u pokušaju da zaštitimo sami sebe,

or to extend ourselves, hold on to each other,

ili ekspanzija samih sebe, oslanjanje na druge

and face our fears together.

i suočavanje sa strahovima zajedno.

What is your instinct?

Koji je vaš instinkt?

What do you see more of in the world?

Čega u svijetu vidite više?

The problem with the first approach

Problem s prvim pristupom

is that in our mounting isolation,

je to što u svojoj ograničenoj izolaciji

we divide ourselves from others.

odvajamo sebe od drugih.

Our sense of isolation grows,

Osjećaj izolacije u nama raste

because our imagination goes into overdrive

jer se naša mašta ubacuje u petu brzinu

about the people and the spaces that we no longer engage with.

po pitanju ljudi i prostora s kojima više nismo povezani.

Our sense of otherness grows, and we lose empathy.

Osjećaj različitosti u nama raste i gubimo empatiju.

Today I'm going to tell you about a group of people

Danas ću vam pričati o grupi ljudi

that took the global challenge of terrorism

koji su uzeli globalni problem terorizma

and began creating spaces where strangers connect in solidarity.

i počeli stvarati prostore u kojima se stranci povezuju u solidarnosti.

My own obsession with what I see as irrational divisions began as a child.

Moja vlastita opsesija iracionalnom podijeljenošću počela je u djetinjstvu.

As a fourth-generation Kenyan Muslim of Indian origin,

Kao pripadnicu četvrte generacije kenijskih muslimana indijskog porijekla,

it bothered me that in four generations,

mučilo me to što u četiri generacije

there wasn't a single marriage in my family

moje obitelji nije sklopljen ni jedan brak

outside of my small religious community.

izvan naše malene religijske zajednice.

And I wondered what that was about.

Pitala sam se zašto je tako.

Was it fear?

Zbog straha?

Was it racism?

Zbog rasizma?

Was it cultural preservation?

Zbog očuvanja kulture?

Did it have something to do with colonialism?

Je li to imalo veze s kolonijalizmom?

Certainly, we didn't share a lot of the same public spaces with others.

U svakom slučaju, nismo dijelili mnogo istih javnih prostora s drugima.

These divisions bothered me deeply, and they drove my career choices.

Takva podijeljenost me duboko mučila i utjecala na izbor moje karijere.

When I was 20, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed.

Kad sam imala 20 godina, na ambasade SAD-a u Keniji i Tanzaniji bačene su bombe.

A year later, I was on my way to the Middle East

Godinu kasnije, krenula sam na Bliski istok

to study conflict resolution.

izučavati rješavanje konflikata.

And then from that point on,

Od tog trenutka nadalje,

it wasn't very hard for me to find insecure environments to work in,

nije mi bilo teško pronaći nesigurna okruženja u kojima sam mogla raditi,

because the world was quickly shifting

jer je svijet brzo napredovao

in what we now know as the time of terrorism.

u ono što danas znamo kao doba terorizma.

I was in Washington, DC when 9/11 happened,

Bila sam u Washingtonu u vrijeme napada 11. rujna,

and then I moved back home to Kenya to work with refugees

a zatim sam se preselila natrag u Keniju kako bih radila s izbjeglicama,

and then later worked in Pakistan

kasnije radila u Pakistanu

and in Afghanistan.

i Afganistanu.

In all of these places, what I noticed

Na svim sam tim mjestima primjetila

was how important physical spaces are

koliko su važni fizički prostori

to making us feel safe

da bismo se osjećali sigurno

and well

i dobro,

and like we belong.

kao da pripadamo tamo.

In 2013, I came back home to Nairobi from Afghanistan.

2013. vratila sam se iz Afganistana kući u Nairobi.

Al-Shabaab operatives had besieged Westgate shopping center,

Operativci skupine Al-Shabaab opkolili su Westgate shopping centar

killing 67 people in a day of utter horror.

i ubili 67 osoba u danu apsolutnog užasa.

Soon after that,

Ubrzo nakon toga,

I could see how Nairobi was beginning to change,

uvidjela sam da se Nairobi počinje mijenjati,

and it was beginning to feel more like the fear and terror-weary

počinje sve više nalikovati gradovima iscpljenim od straha,

terora i rata u kojima sam radila.

and war-torn cities that I had worked in.

And Nairobi continues to grow in fear-driven ways.

I Nairobi nastavlja rasti u smjerovima vođenim strahom.

We see more walls, more barriers,

Vidimo više zidova, više barijera,

more security.

više osiguranja.

And like other parts of the world,

Kao i u drugim dijelovima svijeta,

we are experiencing an erosion of human connection.

svjedočimo eroziji ljudske povezanosti.

Divisions along religious lines are deepening,

Podjele na osnovi religije se produbljuju

and we're doubting more and more how much we have in common.

i sve više sumnjamo u to koliko toga nam je zajedničko.

We are at a pivotal time

Sada je ključni trenutak

when we need to restore our confidence in humanity

za ponovno uspostavljanje našeg povjerenja u čovječanstvo,

and stand boldly and visibly together.

stati odvažno i javno zajedno.

So in 2014, I brought together a group of people in Nairobi

Zato sam 2014. okupila grupu ljudi u Nairobiju

to figure out what to do:

da smislimo što činiti:

public intellectuals, diplomats, artists, development workers.

javne intelektualce, diplomate, umjetnike, one koji rade na unaprijeđenju zajednica.

And the group articulated our challenge as threefold:

Grupa je izazov pred nama opisala kao trostruki:

one, to reclaim the city from the narrative of terrorism

prvo, odvratiti grad od pričanja o terorizmu

and back into the hands of the people that live there;

i vratiti ga u ruke ljudi koji u njemu žive;

two, introduce a language beyond race, tribe or religion

drugo, uvesti jezik koji je iznad bilo koje rase, plemena ili religije,

that would help us transcend our differences;

a koji bi nam pomogao da nadiđemo svoje različitosti;

and three, provide a gesture that would help restore empathy

i treće, pružiti gestu koja bi pomogla u uspostavljanju empatije,

and conversation and trust.

dijaloga i povjerenja.

One of the people in this group was an artist and architect,

Jedan od ljudi u toj grupi bio je umjetnik i arhitekt,

Yazmany Arboleda.

Yazmany Arboleda.

He and I have collaborated in other parts of the world

On i ja smo surađivali u drugim dijelovima svijeta

over many years.

tijekom mnogih godina.

He has a history

Bile su mu poznate priče

of disrupting urban environments

narušavanja urbanih okruženja

and making strangers connect

i povezivanja stranaca

in incredible, beautiful and spectacular ways.

na nevjerojatne, prekrasne i spektakularne načine.

He had an idea.

Imao je ideju.

The idea was to unite people of different faiths

Ideja je bila ujediniti ljude različitih vjeroispovjesti

by getting them to paint each other's houses of worship,

kroz međusobno bojenje mjesta štovanja,

mosques, temples, synagogues, churches,

džamija, hramova, sinagoga, crkvi,

paint them yellow

obojiti ih u žuto

in the name of love.

u ime ljubavi.

By focusing on icons of faith,

Fokusirajući se na vjerske ikone,

we would get people to reexamine the true essence of their faith,

natjerali bismo ljude da preispitaju pravu srž svoje vjere,

the common belief that we share in kindness, generosity and friendship.

zajedničko vjerovanje u ljubaznost, velikodušnost i prijateljstvo.

By creating pathways between houses of worship

Stvarajući prolaze među mjestima štovanja

within one neighborhood,

unutar jedne četvrti,

we would create islands of stability

stvorili bismo otoke stabilnosti

and networks of people

i mreže ljudi

that could withstand threats.

koje mogu odoljeti prijetnjama.

And neighbors, by picking up a paintbrush with other neighbors,

A susjedi, uzimajući kistove u ruke s drugim susjedima,

would engage not just with their heads

angažirali bi se ne samo svojim glavama,

but with their hands and with their hearts.

već i svojim rukama te svojim srcima.

And the painted buildings would become sculptures in the landscape

Obojene bi građevine postale skulpturama u krajoliku,

that speak of people from very different backgrounds

koje svjedoče o ljudima iz vrlo različitih sredina

that stand together.

koji stoje zajedno.

We'd call the project "Colour in Faith."

Projekt bismo nazvali "Bojanka vjere".

We loved the idea and we immediately began approaching houses of worship:

Oduševili smo se idejom i smjesta počeli prilaziti mjestima štovanja:

churches, temples, mosques, synagogues.

crkvama, hramovima, džamijama, sinagogama.

Door to door, we went to more than 60 rabbis,

Od vrata do vrata, posjetili smo više od 60 rabina,

imams, pastors and priests.

imama, pastora i svećenika.

As you can imagine,

Kao što možete zamisliti,

bringing these communities together

zbližavanje ovih zajednica,

when prejudices are reinforced by a global pandemic of fear

kada su predrasude ojačane globalnom pandemijom straha,

is not easy.

nije lako.

It was complicated.

Bilo je komplicirano.

We were confronted with the hierarchy of decision-making

Suočili smo se s hijerarhijom donošenja odluka

within religious establishments.

unutar religijskih establišmenta.

For example, with Catholic churches,

Na primjer, što se tiče katoličkih crkvi,

we were told that the archbishop would have to make the decision.

rečeno nam je da odluku morati donijeti nadbiskup.

And so we wrote a letter to the archbishop.

Pa smo napisali pismo nadbiskupu.

We wrote a letter to the Vatican.

Napisali smo pismo Vatikanu.

We're still waiting to hear back.

Još uvijek čekamo odgovor.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

And with other houses of worship,

Što se tiče drugih mjesta štovanja,

we were told that the patrons, the people that pay for the building

rečeno nam je da pokrovitelji, koji podmiruju troškove građevina,

and the construction and the painting of the buildings

konstrukcije i ličenja građevina,

would have to make a decision.

moraju donijeti odluku.

And then we came head-to-head

Zatim smo se suočili

with the long legacy of missionary and donor dependence

s dugom tradicijom ovisnosti o misionarima i donatorima,

that so impedes unconditional civic action,

koja usporava bezuvjetnu građansku akciju,

and we learned this the hard way.

a to smo naučili na teži način.

There was one community

Jedna nas je zajednica

that in our repeated conversations would keep asking us

u našim razgovorima uporno tražila

to appreciate them.

da ih cijenimo.

And so we would keep going back

I tako bismo se ponovno vraćali

and telling them that we appreciate them,

i govorili im da ih cijenimo

and of course,

i da, naravno,

if we didn't appreciate them, we wouldn't be here.

ovdje ne bismo bili kada ih ne bismo cijenili.

And then we learned painfully late in the game

A onda smo naučili, bolno kasno u procesu,

that the word "appreciation" is code for getting paid to participate.

da riječ "cijenjenje" znači plaćanje za sudjelovanje.

And so we challenged them

Pa smo ih izazvali

and we asked the question,

postavljanjem pitanja

"So what will it cost?

"Koliko će to koštati?

How much could we pay you?

Koliko vam možemo platiti?

And if we pay for your faith, is it really faith?"

I ako plaćamo za vašu vjeru, je li to zaista vjera?"

We started the project asking the question,

Projekt smo započeli pitanjem

"Where does your faith live?"

"Gdje vaša vjera živi?"

And here we found ourselves asking the question,

I našli smo se u situaciji da ispitujemo

"How much does your faith cost?"

"Koja je cijena vaše vjere?"

But the most difficult issue was the perceived risk of standing apart.

Ipak, najteži problem bio je zamjetan rizik nesuradnje.

We had one synagogue that flat-out refused to participate

Jedna je sinagoga kao iz topa odbila surađivati

because it feared drawing attention to itself

zbog straha od privlačenja pažnje

and becoming a target.

i toga da postane meta.

Similarly, we had a mosque that also feared becoming a target.

Na sličan se način i jedna džamija bojala toga da postane meta.

And these fears are justified.

I ti su strahovi opravdani.

And yet, there were 25 houses of worship that pledged to participate.

Ipak, 25 vjerskih mjesta zavjetovalo se na sudjelovanje.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

These bold leaders took the gesture and reinforced it with their own meaning.

Ovi odvažni vođe uzeli su ponuđenu gestu i osnažili je vlastitim značenjem.

For some, it was to tell the world that they're not terrorists.

Nekima je ona poslužila da kažu svijetu da oni nisu teroristi.

For others, it was to welcome people through their doors to ask questions.

Drugima da pozovu ljude unutra kako bi postavljali pitanja.

And for some, it was to bridge the gap

A nekima da premoste jaz

between the older and the younger generation,

između starije i mlađe generacije,

which by the way is something that many faiths are grappling with right now.

što je, usput, nešto s čime se mnoge vjere trenutno bore.

And for some it was simply to build neighborhood solidarity

Nekima je cilj jednostavno bila izgradnja solidarnosti unutar četvrti

in advance of feared election violence.

prije izbornog nasilja kojeg su se bojali.

When asked why yellow,

Kada su upitali zašto žuta boja,

one imam beautifully said,

jedan je imam prekrasno rekao,

"Yellow is the color of the sun.

"Žuta je boja sunca.

The sun shines on us all equally.

Sunce nas sve jednako obasjava.

It does not discriminate."

Ono ne diskriminira".

He and others spread the word through their congregations

On i drugi proširili su glas preko svojih kongregacija

and over the radio.

i preko radija.

Municipal government officials stepped forward and helped

Službenici općinskih vlasti izašli su u susret i pomogli

with permits and with convening civil society organizations.

s dozvolama i sazivanjem organizacija civilnog društva.

A paint company donated a thousand liters of yellow paint

Tvrtka koja proizvodi boju donirala je tisuće litara žute boje

mixed especially for us in what they now call "optimistic yellow."

koju su umiješali posebno za nas i nijansu sada zovu "optimistična žuta".

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

And a poetry collective joined forces with a university

Pjesnički kolektiv udružio je snage sa sveučilištem

and hosted a series of tweet chats

i priredio seriju chatova putem Twittera

that challenged the nation on issues of faith,

koji su naciju potaknuli na polemiku o vjeri,

our faith not just in the context of religion,

našoj vjeri ne samo u kontekstu religije,

but our faith in politicians and tribe and nation,

nego i o našoj vjeri u političare, zatvorene skupine i naciju,

our faith in the older generation and in the younger generation.

našoj vjeri u stariju generaciju i u mlađu generaciju.

And then Colour in Faith was launched at a gallery event

Projekt je zatim predstavljen na galerijskom događanju,

that invited an incredible mix of gallerygoers

na koji je pozvano nevjerojatno šarenilo posjetitelja galerija,

and religious leaders and artists and businesspeople.

religijskih vođa, umjetnika i poslovnjaka.

Already, even before picking up a paintbrush,

Već tada, prije nego što smo podigli kist,

we had accomplished so much of the conversation and connection

uspostavili smo toliko dijaloga i povezanosti

that we had hoped for.

kojima smo se nadali.

And then we began to paint.

A zatim smo počeli bojiti.

Muslims stood by Christians

Muslimani su stajali kraj kršćana,

and atheists and agnostics and Hindus

ateista, agnostika i hinduista

and painted a mosque yellow.

i obojili džamiju u žuto.

And then they all came together again and painted a church yellow,

A zatim su se svi skupili i u žuto obojili crkvu,

and then another mosque,

zatim još jednu džamiju

and then another church.

pa još jednu crkvu.

Poets and musicians performed while we painted.

Pjesnici i glazbenici nastupali su dok smo bojili.

We painted in Nairobi,

Bojili smo u Nairobiju,

and then we painted in Mombasa.

a zatim smo bojili u Mombasi.

The local and international press did features on Colour in Faith

Lokalni i međunarodni tisak radio je priloge o "Bojanci vjere"

in English and French and Swahili

na engleskom, francuskom, svahiliju,

and Spanish and Somali.

španjolskom i somalskom.

CNN highlighted Colour in Faith as a way of bringing communities together.

CNN je istaknuo "Bojanku vjere" kao način zbližavanja zajednica.

And our social media platforms lit up,

Naše društvene mreže su eksplodirale,

connecting more and more people.

povezujući sve više i više ljudi.

And these neighbors continued to stay in touch.

Ti su susjedi ostali u kontaktu.

There are some that are pursuing politics with a platform of peace,

Neki od njih slijede politiku koja se temelju na miru,

and we have communities as far as Argentina and the US

a mi imamo zajednice daleke kao one u Argentini i SAD-u

and as close as Mali and Rwanda

i bliske kao Mali i Ruanda,

that are asking for our help.

koje traže našu pomoć.

And we would love to help.

A mi bismo voljeli pomoći.

It's our dream that this project, this idea, spreads across the world,

Naš je san da će se ovaj projekt, ova ideja, proširiti diljem svijeta,

with or without our support.

uz našu podršku ili bez nje.

Colour in Faith is literally highlighting those who mean well in yellow.

"Bojanka vjere" doslovno ističe one koji žele dobro žutom bojom.

Colour in Faith is binding neighborhoods together,

"Bojanka vjere" povezuje susjedstva

and it's our hope that when threats come knocking,

i mi se nadamo da će, kada prijetnja pokuca na vrata,

they will collectively sift fact from rumor

svi zajedno odijeliti činjenice od glasina

and stand in solidarity.

i stajati u solidarnosti.

We've proven that the human family can come together and send a message

Dokazali smo da se ljudska obitelj može ujediniti i poslati poruku

far brighter and more powerful

uvelike jaču i moćniju

than the voices of those that wish to do us harm.

od glasova onih koji nam žele nauditi.

Though fear is infectious,

Iako je strah zarazan,

we are showing that so is hope.

mi pokazujemo da je zarazna i nada.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)