How protest is redefining democracy around the world | Zachariah Mampilly

Translator: Rok Vidmar Reviewer: Matej Divjak

Like many of you, I'm often frustrated by the democratic process.

Kot mnogi od vas, sem pogosto razočaran nad demokratičnim procesom.

Je zmeden, je zapleten,

It's messy, it's complicated,

it's often inefficient.

je pogosto neučinkovit.

Our political leaders feel disconnected

Čutiti je, da so naši politični voditelji ločeni

od skrbi navadnih ljudi.

from the concerns of ordinary people.

Many feel that voting every few years

Mnogi menijo, da volitve na nekaj let

for leaders disconnected from their daily challenges

za voditelje, nepovezane z vsakodnevnimi izzivi,

is pointless.

niso smiselne.

But before we reject democracy,

Toda preden zavrnemo demokracijo,

let's imagine what it could be.

pomislimo, kaj bi lahko bila.

And I believe that African activists are redefining democracy

In verjamem, da afriški aktivisti redefinirajo demokracijo tako,

by putting protest at its center,

da protest postavljajo v središče,

what I refer to as "protest democracy."

kar imenujem "protestno demokracijo".

International organizations and academic experts

Mednarodne organizacije in akademski strokovnjaki

define democracy as regular, multiparty electoral competition.

opredeljujejo demokracijo kot redne, večstrankarske volilne tekme.

A demokracija ne bi smela biti le o elitah, ki si konkurirajo na voliščih.

But democracy should not only be about elites competing at the ballot box.

For it to have meaning,

Da ima smisel,

it's something we must engage in every day.

se moramo zavzemati vsak dan.

When I say "protest democracy,"

Ko rečem "protestna demokracija",

I'm challenging how we think about democratic action.

ugovarjam načinu razmišljanja o demokratičnem delovanju.

Viewing democracy as only elections is no longer adequate

Gledanje na demokracijo, kot da so zgolj volitve, ni več ustrezno

and threatens democracy itself.

in ogroža demokracijo samo.

So we must protest democracy to give it a renewed meaning.

Zato moramo protestirati, da demokraciji prenovimo pomen.

What would this look like?

Kako bi to izgledalo?

We need to turn to African societies,

Obrniti se moramo k afriškim družbam,

where ordinary people are increasingly taking to the streets

kjer navadni ljudje vedno bolj hodijo na ulice,

to transform their lives.

da preoblikujejo svoje življenje.

African social movements have often been at the forefront

Afriška družbena gibanja so bila pogosto vodilna

of conceptualizing democracy in this way.

pri pojmovanju demokracije na ta način.

This may come as a surprise to those of who think

To lahko preseneča tiste, ki mislijo,

that the only way Africans engage in politics

da je edini način, da Afričani sodelujejo v politiki,

is through the barrel of the gun.

le preko cevi pušk.

But increasingly, young people are taking to the streets

Toda vedno bolj pogosto mladi hodijo na ulice

and abandoning organized violence

in opuščajo organizirano nasilje

in favor of more effective nonviolent action.

v prid bolj učinkovitemu nenasilnemu delovanju.

I've spent much of the past two decades talking to African activists,

Zadnji dve desetletji sem se veliko pogovarjal z afriškimi aktivisti,

both violent and nonviolent.

tako nasilnimi, kot nenasilnimi.

Across Africa, young people are rising up

Po Afriki se mladi dvigajo proti

to challenge almost every type of regime known to humanity.

skoraj vsaki vrsti režima, ki je znana človeštvu.

This is my friend Thiat.

To je moj prijatelj Thiat.

He's a rapper from Senegal.

Je raper iz Senegala.

He led a large movement in Senegal

Vodil je veliko gibanje v Senegalu,

that was successful in preventing the president from stealing a third term.

ki je uspešno preprečilo predsedniku, da bi ukradel tretji mandat.

From Morocco to Lesotho,

Od Maroka do Lesota

young people are rising up against entrenched monarchies:

se mladi dvigujejo proti uveljavljenim monarhijam;

in Egypt and Sudan,

v Egiptu in Sudanu

against brutal dictatorships;

proti surovim diktaturam;

in Uganda and Ethiopia,

v Ugandi in Etiopiji

against powerful militarized states

proti močno militariziranim državam

with quasi-democratic veneers;

s kvazi-demokratično prevleko;

in South Africa, where this image was taken,

v Južni Afriki, kjer je bila posneta ta slika,

and Burundi,

in v Burundiju

against democratically elected leaders

proti demokratično izvoljenim voditeljem,

who have done little to improve the conditions for ordinary people.

ki so naredili malo, da bi se izboljšali pogoji za navadne ljudi.

Across the continent, protest is not exceptional,

Po vsej celini protest ni izjemen,

but a normal part of life.

ampak normalen del življenja.

Africans use protests to challenge both dictators

Afričani uporabljajo proteste tako proti diktatorjem,

as well as power cuts.

kot tudi, ko zmanjka elektrike.

In a way, Africans are protesting democracy itself,

Na nek način Afričani protestirajo za demokracijo samo

enriching its possibilities for us all.

in bogatijo možnosti za vse nas.

There have been two major waves of African protest,

V Afriki sta bila dva velika vala protestov

and we are currently living through the third,

in trenutno preživljamo tretjega, ki se je začel okoli leta 2005.

which began around 2005.

It includes the so-called Arab Spring,

Vključuje tako imenovano arabsko pomlad,

which took place mostly on the continent.

ki se je odvijala predvsem na tej celini.

The first wave took place in the 1940s and 1950s

Prvi val je potekal v štiridesetih in petdesetih letih

and led to Africa's decolonization.

in je privedel do dekolonizacije Afrike.

Kwame Nkrumah led a broad coalition in Ghana

Kwame Nkrumah je vodil široko koalicijo v Gani,

that overthrew British rule,

ki je strmoglavila britansko nadvlado,

providing a template for nonviolent movements globally.

kar je postalo vzor za nenasilna gibanja po vsem svetu.

The second wave took place in the 1980s and 1990s

Drugi val je potekal v osemdesetih in devetdesetih

against austerity measures that imposed harsh conditions

proti varčevalnim ukrepom, ki so nalagali hude obremenitve

on African economies.

afriškim gospodarstvom.

These protests led to the overthrow of autocratic regimes

Ti protesti so privedli do strmoglavljenja avtokratskih režimov

and led to the introduction

in do uvedbe

of multiparty elections across the continent.

večstrankarskih volitev po vsej celini.

The ongoing third wave is correcting the shortcomings of the earlier two.

Sedanji tretji val popravlja pomanjkljivosti prejšnjih dveh.

If the first wave brought liberation but not democracy,

Če je prvi val prinesel osvoboditev, a ne demokracijo,

and the second, elections but only for the elites,

in drugi volitve, ampak samo za elite,

then it is the third wave

potem je tretji val tisti,

that is most concerned with transforming democracy

ki se posveča preoblikovanju demokracije

into the rule of the people.

v vladavino ljudstva.

It includes movements like Y'en a Marre in Senegal,

To vključuje gibanja kot Y'en a Marre v Senegalu,

Le Balai Citoyen in Burkina Faso,

Le balai citoyen v Burkini Faso,

Tajamuka in Zimbabwe,

Tajamuka v Zimbabveju,

LUCHA and Filimbi in the Democratic Republic of Congo,

LUCHA in Filimbi v Demokratični republiki Kongo,

movements that work outside of more conventional nongovernmental organizations

to so gibanja, ki delujejo zunaj klasičnih nevladnih organizacij

and political parties

in političnih strank,

to challenge the economic and political system itself,

da se upirajo gospodarskemu in političnemu sistemu samemu,

often at great risk.

pogosto v hudi nevarnosti.

Brilliant young activists like LUCHA's Fred Bauma

Briljantni mladi aktivisti, kot je Fred Bauma iz gibanja LUCHA,

have been detained and tortured,

so bili zaprti in mučeni,

often with little to no outcry from the international community.

pogosto z malo ali nič ogorčenja mednarodne skupnosti.

Seznam se nadaljuje, kot kažejo nekateri podatki, ki smo jih zbrali.

The list goes on, as you can see from some of the data we collected.

There have been large popular protests

Veliki ljudski protesti so bili

in over 40 African countries since 2005,

v več kot 40 afriških državah po letu 2005

and if you look, you'll recognize that in 2011,

in če pogledate, boste videli, da je 2011,

the year of the so-called Arab Spring,

leto tako imenovane arabske pomladi,

was actually the spike of this broader wave.

dejansko vrhunec tega širšega vala.

Contrary to popular belief,

V nasprotju s splošnim prepričanjem

many of these protests have been successful.

so bili mnogi od teh protestov uspešni.

We know of the dictators falling in Tunisia and in Egypt,

Vemo za diktatorje, ki so padli v Tuniziji in v Egiptu,

but popular movements have prevented presidents from stealing third terms

a ljudska gibanja so preprečila tudi, da bi predsedniki ukradli tretji mandat

in Senegal, in Malawi and Burkina Faso as well.

v Senegalu, v Malaviju in Burkini Faso.

What's driving this upsurge of protest?

Kaj žene ta porast protestov?

Demographically, Africa is both the youngest

Demografsko je Afrika tako najmlajša

and the fastest-growing continent,

in najhitreje rastoča celina,

with the largest age gap between the people and their rulers.

kot tudi z največjo starostno razliko med ljudmi in njihovimi vladarji.

It is urbanizing at a tremendous pace.

Urbanizira se z izjemno hitrostjo.

Economically, African countries have been growing for over a decade now,

Gospodarsko so afriške države rasle več kot desetletje,

largely driven by investments from Asia.

v veliki meri zaradi naložb iz Azije.

But little of this wealth is trickling down.

A le malo tega bogastva prikaplja navzdol.

Formal jobs in the industrial sector are actually decreasing,

Formalna delovna mesta v industrijskem sektorju dejansko izginjajo,

with informal labor the only option left for people to eke out a living.

tako da neformalno delo ostane ljudem edina možnost, da preživijo.

As a result, inequality is skyrocketing,

Zato se neenakost zelo hitro veča

and political leaders are increasingly disconnected

in politični voditelji so vse bolj nepovezani

s svojimi precej mlajšimi populacijami.

from their much younger populations.

For those of us from outside of Africa,

Mi, ki nismo v Afriki,

we're familiar with parts of this story:

smo seznanjeni z deli te zgodbe:

a massive spike in inequality,

ogromen porast neenakosti,

the product of a decline in good jobs for good wages

zaradi upada dobrih delovnih mest za dobre plače,

that were once considered the hallmark of an advanced society;

kar je nekoč veljalo za znak napredne družbe;

the capture of our political parties by elites

elite so zasegle naše politične stranke,

accompanied by the hollowing out of civil society

kar spremlja votljenje civilne družbe,

that once provided a voice to ordinary people;

ki je nekoč dajala glas navadnim ljudem;

that sinking feeling that no matter what you do,

ta obupni občutek, da ne glede na to, kaj počnete,

external factors related to the global economy

lahko zunanji dejavniki, povezani s svetovnim gospodarstvom,

can disrupt our lives for the worse.

pokvarijo naše življenje na slabše.

Our political leaders seem helpless,

Naši politični voditelji se zde nemočni,

insisting on austerity,

ko vztrajajo pri varčevanju,

čeprav se javne dobrine zmanjšujejo na raven, nevideno v desetletjih.

even as public goods diminish to levels unseen in decades.

And this is when they're not succumbing to exclusionary nationalism,

In to, ko ne podlegajo izključevalnemu nacionalizmu,

blaming our woes on the weak rather than the powerful.

krivijo za naše nadloge šibke in ne močne.

What those of us from North America and Western Europe consider to be new

Kar opažamo mi iz Severne Amerike in Zahodne Evrope kot novo,

has been the normal condition of African life since the 1970s.

je bilo normalno stanje afriškega življenja od leta 1970.

So who better to learn from

Torej, od koga se je bolje učiti

than those who have been engaged in resistance to these conditions

kot od tistih, ki so sodelovali v odporu do teh pogojev najdlje?

for the longest period of time?

What can we learn from African protest democracy?

Kaj se lahko naučimo od afriške protestne demokracije?

First, democracy must begin with ordinary people.

Prvič, demokracija se mora začeti z navadnimi ljudmi.

Viewing democracy as only elections has led to widespread disillusionment.

Pogled na demokracijo, kot da so to samo volitve, je povzročilo široko razočaranje.

We must instead work to center ordinary people in democratic life.

Namesto tega moramo postaviti navadne ljudi v središče demokratičnega življenja.

Protest provides us one way to do that.

Eno pot do tega nam zagotavlja protest.

Regardless of your age, sexuality, your gender,

Ne glede na starost, spolno usmerjenost, spol,

whether you're a citizen or a non-citizen, able-bodied or disabled,

ali ste državljan ali ne, sposobni delati ali ne,

anyone can participate.

vsakdo lahko sodeluje.

In contrast to elections,

V nasprotju z volitvami

protests are not confined by rigid electoral cycles.

protesti niso omejeni s togimi volilnimi cikli.

They offer a much more immediate form of action

Nudijo veliko bolj neposreden način delovanja

in our era of instant feedback.

v tej dobi takojšnje povratne informacije.

Second, while protests may be messy,

Drugič, čeprav so protesti lahko neurejeni,

this is what makes them powerful.

je to tisto, kar jih naredi močne.

Protests are contentious and contested processes,

Protesti so sporni in tekmovalni postopki,

defined by contingent actions,

opredeljeni z začasnimi ukrepi,

often devoid of clear messaging,

dostikrat brez jasnega sporočila,

characterized by incomplete organization.

tipično z nepopolno organizacijo.

These dynamics are what makes it easy to dismiss protests as riots

Te dinamike omogočajo, da se proteste zavrže kot nerede,

or to assume they are of limited political utility.

ali da se šteje, da imajo omejeno politično uporabnost.

But it also makes them easier to suppress.

Ampak zato jih je tudi lažje zatreti.

Too often, governments do not view protests as elementary to democracy.

Prepogosto vlade ne gledajo na proteste kot na osnovo demokracije.

Instead, they violently crush social movements

Namesto tega s silo zatirajo družbena gibanja

or work to discredit their message.

ali se trudijo diskreditirati njihova sporočila.

Third, as I already hinted,

Tretjič, kot sem že namignil,

protest is the space from which new political imaginations may emerge.

protest je prostor, od koder lahko izvirajo nove politične domislice.

Protests are about coloring outside the lines,

Pri protestih gre za delovanje izven okvirjev,

a way for ordinary people to rewrite the rules of the game

kar je pot za navadne ljudi, da na novo napišejo pravila igre,

that too many feel are stacked against them.

za katere premnogi čutijo, da so naperjena proti njim.

Many young people in Africa have grown up in societies

Mnogi mladi ljudje v Afriki so odraščali v družbah,

where a single ruler has ruled their entire lives.

v katerih je en sam vladar vladal vse njihovo življenje.

Protest is the space for new possibilities to emerge,

Protest omogoča, da se pojavljajo nove možnosti,

as young people begin to discover their own power.

ko mladi začno odkrivati svojo moč.

Consider the situation of my friend Linda Masarira,

Pomislite na položaj moje prijateljice Linde Masarira,

a single mother of five,

matere samohranilke s petimi otroki,

who is leading protests against the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe.

ki vodi proteste proti Mugabejevemu režimu v Zimbabveju.

She has been beaten, arrested, harassed.

Bila je pretepena, aretirana, trpinčena.

But Linda perseveres, because as she told me a few months ago,

Toda Linda vztraja, saj, kot mi je povedala pred nekaj meseci,

protest has given her a sense of meaning and direction.

ji je protest dal občutek smisla in smeri.

And though she knows the odds against her,

In čeprav ve, kaj vse je proti njej,

Linda perseveres.

Linda vztraja.

Like Linda and other young African activists,

Tako kot Linda in drugi mladi afriški aktivisti,

we all must work to redefine democracy

moramo vsi delati za novo opredelitev demokracije

as something more than just elections and political parties.

za nekaj več, kot le volitve in politične stranke.

Democracy is a creative process,

Demokracija je ustvarjalni proces

and protest has always been the vehicle

in protest je bil vedno vzvod

for expanding our political imaginations beyond what we are told is possible.

za širjenje naših političnih domislic nad tisto, kar so nam povedali, da je mogoče.

(In Swahili) Thank you very much.

(V svahiliju) Hvala lepa.

(Applause)

(Ploskanje)