Who am I? Think again | Hetain Patel

Translator: Jamal Omar Reviewer: Abdinasser Ahmed

Hetain Patel: (In Chinese)

Hetain Patel: (Hadal Shiiinees ah)

Yuyu Rau: Hi, I'm Hetain. I'm an artist.

Yuyu Rau: Hi, waxan ahay Hetain. faxshaxamiiste ayaan ahay.

And this is Yuyu,

Qoftani waa Yuyu,

who is a dancer I have been working with.

Taaso ah qoobka ciyaarto aan la shaqeeynayay.

I have asked her to translate for me.

waxan ka dalbaday inay ii tarjunto

HP: (In Chinese)

Hp:(Hadal Shiinees ah)

YR: If I may, I would like to tell you

YR: waxan jeclaan lahaa inaan idin sheego

a little bit about myself

wax yar oo nolosheeda ku saabsan

and my artwork.

iyo farshaxankayga

HP: (In Chinese)

HP:(Hadal Shiinees ah)

YR: I was born and raised near Manchester,

YR: Waxan ku dhashay kuna soo koray meel u dhaw Manchester,

in England,

ee Wadanka Ingiriiska

but I'm not going to say it in English to you,

Laakin English ma idinkula hadlaayo,

because I'm trying to avoid any assumptions

maxaa yeelay waxan iska ilaalinayaa wax malo ah

that might be made from my northern accent.

taaso la is oran karo waxa keentay lahjadeyda reer waqooyiga.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

HP: (In Chinese)

HP:(Hadal Shiinees ah)

YR: The only problem with masking it

YR: Mushkilada kaliya aan ugu qarinayo

with Chinese Mandarin

luqada Shiinaha waa

is I can only speak this paragraph,

waxaan kaliya ku hadli karaa halkaan sadar,

which I have learned by heart

oo aan si niyad ah ubartay

when I was visiting in China. (Laughter)

mar aan booqday Shiinaha. (Qosol)

So all I can do is keep repeating it in different tones

Marka isla sadarkii ayaan dhoor cod ku celcelinayaa

and hope you won't notice.

waxan rajeynaya inaadan dareemin.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

HP: (In Chinese)

HP:(Hadal Shiinees ah)

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

YR: Needless to say, I would like to apologize

Looma baadhno inaan raali galiyo

to any Mandarin speakers in the audience.

qof ku hadlo luqada Shiinaha hadu dhageestayaasha kujiro.

As a child, I would hate being made

Yaraanteyda, waxaan aad u necbaa

to wear the Indian kurta pajama,

in lii xiro dharka hurdada ee Indian-ka,

because I didn't think it was very cool.

maxa yeelay maanan is oran jirin waa qatar.

It felt a bit girly to me, like a dress,

sidii gabar ayaan isku maleeyay inaan u labisanahay

and it had this baggy trouser part

waxay kaloo laheed surwaal aad u weyn

you had to tie really tight

waa inaa aad u xertaa

to avoid the embarrassment of them falling down.

si aad isaga ilaaliso yax yaxa kaaga iman karta hadey kaa dhacaan.

My dad never wore it,

Aabahey waligiis muusan xeran,

so I didn't see why I had to.

anigana sabab aan uxerto maba jirin.

Also, it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable,

Sidoo kale, Maraka qaar kuma niyad furni

that people assume I represent something

iney dadku umaleeyaan inaan matalayo

genuinely Indian when I wear it,

Indian dhab ah markii aan xerto,

because that's not how I feel.

maxaa yeelay taasi ma'ahin sida aan dareemayo.

HP: (In Chinese)

HP:(Hadal Shiinees ah)

YR: Actually, the only way I feel comfortable

YR: Xaqiiqdii, qaabka kaliya aan sami/raaxo u dareemo

wearing it is by pretending

gashitaan dharkaas waa inaan iska dhig-dhigo

they are the robes of a kung fu warrior

ineey yihiin xargaha dagaalyahanka Kun fu-ga

like Li Mu Bai from that film,

sidii Li Mu Bai ee filimkii

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

(Music)

(Muusiko)

Okay.

Okey.

So my artwork is about identity and language,

Marka, Fankeygu wuxuu ku saabsan yahay aqoonsi iyo luqad,

challenging common assumptions

anigoo hor istaagayo malaynta lawadaago

based on how we look like or where we come from,

taaso ah sidan aan u egnahay ama meesha aan ka imaanay,

gender, race, class.

jinsiyada, midabka,dabaqada.

What makes us who we are anyway?

Maxaa naga dhigayo waxan aan nahay?

HP: (In Chinese)

HP:(Hadal Shiinees ah)

YR: I used to read Spider-Man comics,

YR: Waxaan aqrin jiray majaajilada Spider-Man,

watch kung fu movies,

oo aan daawan jiray filimada Kung Fu-ga,

take philosophy lessons from Bruce Lee.

waxan kaloo Bruce Lee ka qaadan jiray casharo Falsafad ah.

He would say things like --

Wuxuu dhihi jiray--

HP: Empty your mind.

HP: Niyadaada faaruji.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

Be formless, shapeless, like water.

Ahaaw Hanaan-laawe iyo Qaab-laawe, sidii biyaha.

Now you put water into a cup.

Biyo ayaa koop ku shubeesa.

It becomes the cup.

waxay noqoneesa koop.

You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.

Biyo ayaa dhalo ku shubeesa, waxany noqoneesa dhalada.

Put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot.

Kirli ku shub, weli kirli uunbeey noqoneysa.

Now, water can flow

Biyaha weey qulqulayaan hada

or it can crash.

ama weey burburi karaan.

Be water, my friend. (Applause)

Biyo noqo saaxib. (Sacbis)

YR: This year, I am 32 years old,

YR: Sanadaan ayaan 32-jirsaday,

the same age Bruce Lee was when he died.

isla da'dii uu Bruce Lee jiray markuu dhintay.

I have been wondering recently,

waxaan la fajac-sanaay ayaamankaan,

if he were alive today,

haduu maanta noolaan lahaay,

what advice he would give me

Waano nooce ah ayuu isiin lahaay

about making this TED Talk.

oo ku saabsan sameenta hadalkaan TED.

HP: Don't imitate my voice.

HP: Codkeyda haiska doon doonin.

It offends me.

weey ii gaftaa.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

YR: Good advice,

YR: waano wanaagsan,

but I still think that we learn who we are

laakin waxay weli umaleynaya inaan baranay qofkaan nahay

by copying others.

nagoo dadka kale iska dhig dhigeeno.

Who here hasn't imitated their childhood hero

Keeban waligiis iskaga dhig dhigin geesigoodi caruurnimo

in the playground, or mum or father?

goobta cayaarta ama hooyo ama aabe iska dhigin?

I have.

Aniga haa.

HP: A few years ago, in order to make this video

HP: Dhoor sano kahor, si aan filimkaan u sameyo

for my artwork, I shaved off all my hair

ee shaqadayda farshaxanka, waxaan iska xiiray tintayda oo dhan

so that I could grow it back as my father had it

si ay hadana iigu soo baxdo sidii aabahey

when he first emigrated from India

markii ugu horeeysay uu kasoo qaxay India.

to the U.K. in the 1960s.

uu U.K usoo qaxay sanadii 1960s.

He had a side parting and a neat mustache.

wuxuu lahaa salaxyo iyo shaarbo nidaamsan.

At first, it was going very well.

markii hore si fiican ay usoo baxeysay

I even started to get discounts in Indian shops.

xita waxan dukaamada India ka helayay qiima dhimis.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

But then very quickly,

Laakin si dhaqso,

I started to underestimate

xitaa waxan bilaabay inaan quursado

my mustache growing ability,

awooda koritaan ee shaarbaheyga,

and it got way too big.

aad ayuu u weeynaaday.

It didn't look Indian anymore.

Indian maba u ekeen.

Instead, people from across the road,

Halkii aay, dadka wadada marayay,

they would shout things like --

aay ku qeelinayeen hadalo sida---

HP and YR: Arriba! Arriba! Ándale! Ándale!

HP iyo YR: Arriba! Arriba! Ándale! Ándale!

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

HP: Actually, I don't know why I am even talking like this.

HP: Xaqiiqdi, ma aqaano sababta aan sidaa ugu hadlayo.

My dad doesn't even have an Indian accent anymore.

Xitaa aabahey lahjad Indian maba wato hada.

He talks like this now.

Sidan oo kale ayuu hada u hadlaa

So it's not just my father that I've imitated.

Maahin kaliya inaan aabahey iska dhig dhigay.

A few years ago I went to China for a few months,

Sanado yar kahor waxaan dhoor bil aaday Shiinaha

and I couldn't speak Chinese,

mana awoodin inaan ku hadlo Shiinees,

and this frustrated me,

Aad ayeeyna ii niyad jebin jidhay arinkaan,

so I wrote about this and had it translated

marka arinkaan ayaan wax kaqoray waxaana liigu tarjumay

into Chinese, and then I learned this by heart,

Shiinees, kadibna si qalbiyan ah ayaana u xifdiyay,

like music, I guess.

sida muusi-ga sida aan isleeyahay.

YR: This phrase is now etched into my mind

YH: Oraah-dani waxay hada maskaxdayda ugu sawir matay

clearer than the pin number to my bank card,

si ka sii cad sida nambarka pin-ka ee kaarkeyga bankiga,

so I can pretend I speak Chinese fluently.

marka waxan iska dhigi karaa inaa si fasiix ah ugu hadli karo af Shiineeska.

When I had learned this phrase,

Markii aan bartay Oraah-dani,

I had an artist over there hear me out

waxaan heestay fanaan iga dhageesto

to see how accurate it sounded.

si aan sida saxda ah ugu dhawaaqo.

I spoke the phrase, and then he laughed

Oraah-dii ayaan ku hadlay, kadibna wuu qoslay

and told me, "Oh yeah, that's great,

wuxuuna isheegay,"waa qatar,

only it kind of sounds like a woman."

kaliya sidii dumar ayaad ugu dhawaaqeysa."

I said, "What?"

waxaan dhahay, "Maxay?"

He said, "Yeah, you learned from a woman?"

Wuxuu dhahay, "Haa, dumar miyaad ka baratay?"

I said, "Yes. So?"

I said, "Haa. Marka?"

He then explained the tonal differences

Kadibna wuxuu ii sharaxay farqiga

between male and female voices

u dhaxeeya codadka dumar iyo kan rag

are very different and distinct, and that I had learned it very well,

ineey yihiin kuwa kala duwan misna aan si wacan u bartay,

but in a woman's voice.

laakin asigoo ah cod dumar.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

(Applause)

(Sacbis)

HP: Okay. So this imitation business

HP: Okay. Marka shaqadaan iska dhig dhigida ah

does come with risk.

waxay leedahay dhib.

It doesn't always go as you plan it,

mar walbo sidaa qorsheesay manoqoneeso,

even with a talented translator.

xitaa adoo heesto turjumaa karti-badan.

But I am going to stick with it,

laakin anigu waan wadayaa,

because contrary to what we might usually assume,

maxaa yeelay wixii lid ku ah wixii aan malaysano,

imitating somebody can reveal something unique.

iska yeel yeelid aad iska yeesh yeesho qof kale waxay cadeyn kartaa wax aan caadi ahayn.

So every time I fail

mar walbo aan ku guul dareesto

to become more like my father,

inaan aabahey oo kale noqdo,

I become more like myself.

waxaan noqdaa sida anoo kale.

Every time I fail to become Bruce Lee,

Mar walbo aan ku guul dareesto inaan noqdo sida Bruce Lee,

I become more authentically me.

waxaan noqdaa anigoo rasmi ah.

This is my art.

Tani waa farshaxankeyga.

I strive for authenticity,

xaqiiq ayaa juhdi ugu jiraa,

even if it comes in a shape

xitaa hadey igu soo wajahdo ayadoo qaab leh

that we might not usually expect.

aanan filaneeynin.

It's only recently that I've started to understand

mardhow ayaan fahmay

that I didn't learn to sit like this

inaan ogaanin inaan sidaan u fadhiisto

through being Indian.

kaliya inaan ahaado Indian.

I learned this from Spider-Man.

Tani waxaan kasoo bartay Spider-Man.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

Thank you.

Mahadsanidiin.

(Applause)

(Sacbis)