To learn is to be free | Shameem Akhtar

A room full of boys.

Translator: Kevin Horas Reviewer: Leo Ferdinand Rahadian

Satu ruangan penuh anak lelaki.

A girl child, hardly nine or ten years old,

Gadis kecil, belum mencapai sembilan atau sepuluh tahun,

she is sitting in the center of the room, surrounded by books.

tengah duduk di pusat ruangan, dikelilingi buku-buku.

She is the only girl among boys,

Dia satu-satunya perempuan di antara anak-anak laki,

and is barely missing her female cousins and friends,

tanpa hadirnya sepupu dan kawan perempuan,

who are inside the home instead of the school,

yang berada dalam rumah alih-alih di sekolah,

because they are not allowed to get an education alongside boys.

sebab mereka tak diizinkan mengenyam pendidikan bersama anak lelaki.

There isn't a single functional girls' school in her village.

Tak ada satupun sekolah putri yang berfungsi di desanya.

She was born in a Baloch conservative tribe,

Dia terlahir di suku Baloch yang konservatif,

where women and girls are a matter of honor.

di mana wanita dan gadis adalah masalah kehormatan.

She is the eldest in her family,

Dia yang tersulung di keluarganya,

and when she was about to be born, her parents wanted a baby boy.

dan menjelang kelahirannya, orangtuanya mengharapkan bayi lelaki.

But they had bad luck; a baby girl arrived.

Tapi sialnya nasib mereka; bayi perempuan yang muncul.

It was customary in her family to keep girls inside the homes.

Sudah adat dalam keluarganya agar perempuan tetap tinggal di rumah.

But her uncle, who was a university graduate,

Tapi pamannya, seorang lulusan universitas,

he wanted to give her an opportunity to see the world,

ingin memberinya kesempatan melihat dunia,

to be part of the society.

menjadi bagian dari masyarakat.

Luckily, she has a name that can be used for both men and women.

Beruntungnya, dia memiliki nama yang bisa dipakai untuk pria dan wanita.

So he saw a chance to change her course of life.

Jadi sang paman melihat kemungkinan mengubah jalur hidupnya.

So he decided to raise her as a boy.

Maka dia putuskan membesarkannya sebagai lelaki.

At three months old,

Pada usia tiga bulan,

she went from being a baby girl, to baby boy.

anak itu berubah dari bayi perempuan menjadi bayi lelaki.

She is given a boy's getup.

Dia diberi penampilan lelaki.

She is allowed to go outside

Dia diizinkan keluar rumah

and get an education alongside boys.

dan mengenyam pendidikan bersama lelaki.

She is free, she is confident.

Dia bebas, dia percaya diri.

She observes, she notes small, everyday injustices

Dia mengamati, dia mencatat ketidakadilan kecil tiap harinya

faced by women and girls in her village.

yang dihadapi wanita dan gadis di desanya.

When newspapers arrive at her home,

Saat koran datang di rumah,

she watches as it passes from the eldest man to the youngest man.

dilihatnya koran itu berpindah tangan dari pria tertua ke pria termuda.

By the time women get hold of the paper,

Ketika wanita akhirnya menerima koran itu,

it is old news.

beritanya sudah tua.

She completes her eighth-grade year.

Dia menyelesaikan tahun kelas delapannya.

Now fear starts to come in.

Kini rasa takut mulai hinggap.

This will be the end of her education,

Ini akan jadi akhir pendidikannya,

because the only option for high school for further study

karena satu-satunya pilihan untuk lanjut belajar ke SMA

is five kilometers away.

berjarak lima kilometer.

Boys have bicycles, they are free.

Anak laki-laki punya sepeda, mereka bebas.

But she knows

Tapi dia tahu

her father will not allow her to travel on her own,

ayahnya takkan mengizinkannya bepergian seorang diri,

even if she were posing as a boy.

walaupun dia menyamar sebagai lelaki.

"I can't let you do that.

"Ayah tak bisa membiarkanmu.

And I don't have the time to walk you there and back.

Dan Ayah tak punya waktu menemanimu jalan pulang pergi.

Sorry, it is impossible."

Maaf, ini mustahil."

She gets very upset.

Gadis itu sangat kesal.

But a miracle happened.

Tapi suatu mukjizat terjadi.

A long-distance relative offers to teach her

Seorang kerabat jauh menawari untuk mengajarkannya

ninth- and tenth-grade curricula

kurikulum kelas sembilan dan sepuluh

during summer vacations.

selama liburan musim panas.

This is how she completed her matriculation.

Karena inilah dia dapat menuntaskan tahun matrikulasinya.

The girl whom I am talking about to you

Gadis yang saya bicarakan kepada kalian

is me, Shameem, who is talking before you now.

adalah saya, Shameem, yang bicara di hadapan kalian kini.

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)

Throughout centuries, people have been fighting for their identity.

Selama berabad-abad, orang-orang telah memperjuangkan jati dirinya.

People have been loved, privileged, because of their identity,

Orang-orang dicintai, diistimewakan, karena jati diri mereka,

their nationality, their ethnicity.

kebangsaan mereka, etnis mereka.

Again, people have been hated, denied,

Lalu, orang-orang dibenci, disangkal,

because of their nationality, their identity,

karena kebangsaan mereka, jati diri mereka,

their race, their gender, their religion.

ras mereka, gender mereka, agama mereka.

Identity determines your position in society, wherever you live.

Jati diri menentukan posisi Anda di masyarakat, di manapun Anda hidup.

So if you ask me, I would say I hate this question of identity.

Jadi jika ditanya, saya akan bilang saya benci pertanyaan jati diri ini.

Millions of girls in this world are being denied their basic rights

Jutaan gadis di dunia ini disangkal hak asasinya

because of being female.

karena mereka perempuan.

I would have faced the same, if I hadn't been raised as a boy.

Saya pasti sudah menghadapi hal sama jika tak dibesarkan sebagai lelaki.

I was determined to continue my studies, to learn, to be free.

Saya bertekad melanjutkan studi saya, untuk belajar, untuk bebas.

After my schooling, even enrolling in college was not easy for me.

Setelah sekolah, bahkan melamar kampus tidaklah mudah bagi saya.

I went on a three-day hunger strike.

Saya mogok makan tiga hari.

(Laughter)

(Tertawa)

Then, I got permission for college.

Lalu, saya dapat izin kuliah.

(Laughter)

(Tertawa)

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)

In that way, I completed my college.

Dengan begitu, saya menuntaskan kuliah saya.

Two years later, when the time came for me to go to university,

Dua tahun kemudian, saat tiba waktunya untuk masuk universitas,

my father turned his eyes, his attention, to my younger brothers.

ayah saya memalingkan matanya, perhatiannya, ke adik-adik lelaki saya.

They need to be in school, secure jobs and support the family.

Mereka harus sekolah, bekerja tetap dan menyokong keluarga.

And as a woman, my place was to be home.

Dan sebagai wanita, tempat saya adalah di rumah.

But, I don't give up.

Tapi saya tak menyerah.

I sign up for a two-year program to become a lady health visitor.

Saya mendaftar program dua tahun untuk jadi wanita pengunjung kesehatan.

Then I hear about Thardeep Rural Development Program,

Lalu saya mendengar tentang Program Pengembangan Pedesaan Thardeep,

a non-profit organization working to empower rural communities.

sebuah organisasi non-profit yang berusaha memberdayakan komunitas pedesaan.

I sneak away.

Saya menyelinap pergi.

I travel five hours to interview for a position.

Saya bepergian lima jam demi wawancara suatu posisi.

It is the first time I am the farthest from my home I have ever been.

Itu pertama kalinya saya sangat teramat jauh dari rumah.

I am closest to my freedom I have ever been.

Saya di momen paling mendekati kebebasan dalam hidup saya.

Luckily, I got the job,

Beruntungnya, saya diterima kerja,

but the hardest part is facing my father.

tapi bagian tersulitnya adalah menghadapi ayah saya.

(Laughter)

(Tertawa)

Relatives are already scaring him

Para kerabat sudah menakut-nakutinya

about his daughter wandering off,

tentang putrinya yang berkeliaran jauh,

teasing him with talk of his daughter crossing the border.

membuatnya cemas bahwa putrinya menyeberang perbatasan.

When I return home,

Sepulangnya di rumah,

I want nothing more than just to accept the position in Thardeep.

saya tak ingin apa-apa lagi selain menerima jabatan di Thardeep.

So that night, I packed all my things in a bag,

Jadi malam itu, saya mengemas semua barang saya dalam tas,

and I walked into my father's room and told him,

dan berjalan masuk ke kamar ayah saya dan bilang,

"Tomorrow morning, the bus is going to come in.

"Besok pagi, busnya akan datang.

If you believe in me,

Jika ayah percaya pada saya,

if you believe in me,

jika ayah percaya pada saya,

you will wake me up and take me to the bus station.

ayah akan membangunkan dan mengantar saya ke stasiun bus.

If you don't, I'll understand."

Jika tidak, saya akan paham."

Then I went to sleep.

Lalu saya pun tidur.

The next morning, my father was standing beside me

Besok paginya, ayah berdiri di samping saya

to take me to the bus stop.

untuk mengantar ke perhentian bus.

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)

That day, I understood the importance of words.

Hari itu, saya memahami pentingnya kata-kata.

I understood how words affect our hearts,

Saya paham bagaimana kata memengaruhi hati kita,

how words play an important role in our lives.

bagaimana kata berperan penting dalam hidup kita.

I understood words are more powerful than fighting.

Saya paham bahwa kata lebih dahsyat daripada pertengkaran.

At TRDP, I saw there was a Pakistan which I didn't know,

Di TRDP, saya menyaksikan Pakistan yang tak saya kenal,

a country much more complex than I had realized.

suatu negara yang lebih rumit dari perkiraan saya.

Until that, I thought I had a difficult life.

Sebelum itu, saya pikir hidup saya sulit.

But here, I saw what women in other parts of Pakistan were experiencing.

Tapi di sini, saya melihat yang dialami wanita Pakistan di bagian yang lain.

It really opened my eyes.

Itu sungguh membuka mata saya.

Some women had 11 children but nothing to feed them.

Beberapa wanita punya 11 anak tanpa bisa memberi makan.

For getting water, they would walk three hours every day to wells.

Untuk mendapat air, mereka berjalan tiga jam tiap harinya ke sumur.

The nearest hospital was at least 32 kilometers away.

Rumah sakit terdekat berjarak setidaknya 32 kilometer.

So if a woman is in labor,

Jadi jika wanita ingin bersalin,

she travels by camel to get to the hospital.

dia bepergian dengan unta sampai ke rumah sakit.

The distance is great; she may die on her way.

Jaraknya sangat jauh; dia bisa mati di perjalanan.

So now, this became more than just a job for me.

Sehingga ini menjadi lebih dari sekadar kerja bagi saya.

I discovered my power.

Saya menemukan kekuatan saya.

Now, as I was getting salary,

Kini, saat sudah punya gaji,

I started sending back money to my home.

saya mulai mengirim uang ke rumah.

Relatives and neighbors were noticing this.

Para kerabat dan tetangga mulai menyadari ini.

Now they started to understand the importance of education.

Kini mereka mulai paham pentingnya pendidikan.

By that time, some other parents started sending their daughters to school.

Pada saat itu, beberapa orangtua lain mulai mengirim putrinya ke sekolah.

Slowly, it became easier and acceptable

Perlahan, semakin mudah dan wajar

for young women to be in college.

bagi wanita mudah untuk kuliah.

Today, there isn't a single girl out of school in my village.

Hari ini, tak ada satupun perempuan yang tak sekolah di desa saya.

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)

Girls are doing jobs in health sites, even in police.

Perempuan bekerja di bidang kesehatan, bahkan di kepolisian.

Life was good.

Hidup pun membaik.

But somewhere in my heart,

Tapi suatu tempat dalam hati saya

I realized that my region, beyond my village

menyadari bahwa wilayah saya, di luar dari desa saya

needs further change.

butuh perubahan lebih lanjut.

This was also the time when I joined Acumen Fellowship.

Inilah masa saya bergabung dengan Acumen Fellowship.

There, I met leaders like me across the country.

Di sana, saya menemui pemimpin seperti saya di penjuru negeri.

And I saw they are taking risks in their lives.

Dan saya lihat mereka mengambil risiko dalam hidup.

I started to understand

Saya mulai memahami

what leadership really means.

arti sesungguhnya dari kepemimpinan.

So I decided to go back to my region

Saya pun memutuskan kembali ke wilayah saya

and take a position as a teacher in a remote school,

dan menjabat sebagai guru di sekolah terpencil,

a school that I have to reach by bus --

sekolah yang harus dicapai lewat bus --

two hours traveling, every morning and evening.

dua jam perjalanan, setiap pagi dan malam.

Though it was hard, on my first day I knew

Walau sulit, di hari pertama saya langsung tahu

I made the right decision.

saya membuat keputusan benar.

The first day I walked into the school,

Hari pertama saya memasuki sekolah,

I saw all these little Shameems staring back at me --

saya melihat para Shameem kecil menatap balik kepada saya --

(Laughter)

(Tertawa)

with dreams in their eyes,

dengan mimpi di mata mereka,

the same dream of freedom which I had in my childhood.

mimpi yang sama tentang kebebasan di masa kecil saya.

So the girls are eager to learn, but the school is understaffed.

Para gadis semangat untuk belajar, tapi sekolah kekurangan staf.

Girls sit hopeful,

Para gadis duduk penuh harap,

learn nothing,

tanpa belajar apapun,

and they leave.

dan mereka pergi.

I can't bear to see this happening.

Saya tak tahan melihat ini terjadi.

There was no turning back.

Tak ada kata kembali.

I found my purpose.

Saya menemukan tujuan saya.

I enlisted a few of my friends to help me to teach.

Saya mendaftarkan segelintir teman untuk membantu saya mengajar.

I'm introducing my girls to the outside world

Saya memperkenalkan siswi saya ke dunia luar

by extracurricular activities and books.

lewat aktivitas ekstrakurikuler dan buku.

I share with them the profiles of the world's best leaders,

Mereka saya bagikan tentang profil pemimpin terbaik di dunia;

like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.

seperti Martin Luther King dan Nelson Mandela.

Last year, a few of our students went to college.

Tahun lalu, segelintir murid kami masuk kuliah.

For me, I never stop studying.

Bagi saya, saya tak pernah berhenti belajar.

Today, I'm working to complete my PhD in education --

Hari ini, saya berusaha menuntaskan PhD di bidang pendidikan --

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)

which will allow me to gain a management position

yang memungkinkan saya memperoleh jabatan pengelola

in the school system,

di sistem sekolah,

and I will be able to make more decisions

dan saya akan bisa membuat keputusan lebih

and play a pivotal role in the system.

dan berperan penting di dalam sistem.

I believe that without educating the girls,

Saya percaya tanpa mendidik para gadis,

we may not make world peace.

kita takkan mendamaikan dunia.

We may not reduce child marriage.

Kita takkan mengurangi pernikahan dini.

We may not reduce infant mortality rate.

Kita takkan mengurangi laju kematian bayi.

We may not reduce maternal mortality rate.

Kita takkan mengurangi laju kematian ibu.

For this, we have to continuously

Karena inilah, kita harus terus-menerus

and collectively work together.

dan secara kolektif bekerja sama.

At least I am playing my role,

Setidaknya saya memainkan peran saya,

though the destination is not close.

walau tujuannya tidaklah dekat.

The road is not easy.

Jalannya tidak mudah.

But I have dreams in my eyes,

Tapi saya punya impian di mata saya,

and I am not going to look back now.

dan saya takkan melihat ke belakang sekarang.

Thank you.

Terima kasih.

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)