This is what it's like to go undercover in North Korea | Suki Kim

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

In 2011, during the final six months of Kim Jong-Il's life,

Godine 2011, poslednjih šest meseci Kim Džong Ilovog života,

I lived undercover in North Korea.

živela sam u tajnosti u Severnoj Koreji.

I was born and raised in South Korea, their enemy.

Rođena sam i odrasla u Južnoj Koreji, kod njihovog neprijatelja.

I live in America, their other enemy.

Živim u Americi, kod njihovog drugog neprijatelja.

Since 2002, I had visited North Korea a few times.

Od 2002. posetila sam Severnu Koreju nekoliko puta.

And I had come to realize that to write about it with any meaning,

I shvatila sam da bih pisala o njoj smisleno

or to understand the place beyond the regime's propaganda,

ili da bih razumela to mesto mimo propagande režima,

the only option was total immersion.

jedino mi je bilo preostalo da se potpuno uklopim.

So I posed as a teacher and a missionary

Pa sam se predstavljala kao nastavnica i misionarka

at an all-male university in Pyongyang.

na univerzitetu za muškarce u Pjongjangu.

The Pyongyang University of Science and Technology

Univerzitet Nauke i tehnologije u Pjongjangu

was founded by Evangelical Christians who cooperate with the regime

su osnovali hrišćanski jevanđelisti koji su sarađivali sa režimom

to educate the sons of the North Korean elite,

kako bi obrazovali sinove severnokorejske elite,

without proselytizing, which is a capital crime there.

bez religijskog propovedanja, za koje je propisana smrtna kazna.

The students were 270 young men, expected to be the future leaders

Studenti su bili 270 mladića, koji su trebali da budu buduće vođe

of the most isolated and brutal dictatorship in existence.

najizolovanije i najbrutalnije diktature koja postoji.

When I arrived, they became my students.

Kada sam stigla, postali su moji studenti.

2011 was a special year,

Ta 2011. je bila posebna godina,

marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korea's original Great Leader,

predstavljala je stogodišnjicu rođenja prvobitnog severnokorejskog Velikog vođe,

Kim Il-Sung.

Kim Il Sunga.

To celebrate the occasion, the regime shut down all universities,

Kako bi proslavili tu priliku, režim je pozatvarao sve univerzitete

and sent students off to the fields

i poslao sve studente na polja

to build the DPRK's much-heralded ideal

da učestvuju u izgradnji severnokorejskog izuzetno cenjenog ideala

as the world's most powerful and prosperous nation.

kao najmoćnije i najprosperitetnije nacije.

My students were the only ones spared from that fate.

Jedino su moji studenti pošteđeni te sudbine.

North Korea is a gulag posing as a nation.

Severna Koreja je gulag koji se predstavlja kao nacija.

Everything there is about the Great Leader.

Tamo je sve o Velikom vođi.

Every book, every newspaper article, every song, every TV program --

Svaka knjiga, svaki članak u novinama, svaka pesma, svaki program na TV-u -

there is just one subject.

postoji samo jedna tema.

The flowers are named after him,

Po njemu nazivaju cveće,

the mountains are carved with his slogans.

njegove slogane urezuju u planine.

Every citizen wears the badge of the Great Leader at all times.

Svaki građanin nosi značku Velikog vođe, sve vreme.

Even their calendar system begins with the birth of Kim Il-Sung.

Čak i merenje vremena počinje rođenjem Kim Il Sunga.

The school was a heavily guarded prison, posing as a campus.

Škola je bila dobro čuvan zatvor, koji se predstavljao kao kampus.

Teachers could only leave on group outings accompanied by an official minder.

Nastavnici su jedino mogli da izlaze grupno, u pratnji službenog pratioca.

Even then, our trips were limited to sanctioned national monuments

Čak i tada, naši su izlasci bili ograničeni na nacionalne spomenike

celebrating the Great Leader.

koji slave Velikog vođu.

The students were not allowed to leave the campus,

Studentima nije dozvoljeno da napuste kampus

or communicate with their parents.

ili da komuniciraju sa svojim roditeljima.

Their days were meticulously mapped out, and any free time they had

Njihovi dani su pedantno isplanirani i sve njihovo slobodno vreme

was devoted to honoring their Great Leader.

bilo je posvećeno slavljenju njihovog Velikog vođe.

Lesson plans had to meet the approval of North Korean staff,

Severnokorejsko osoblje mora da odobri planove predavanja,

every class was recorded and reported on, every room was bugged,

svaki čas se snima i podnosi se izveštaj, svaka prostorija je ozvučena

and every conversation, overheard.

a svaki razgovor se prisluškuje.

Every blank space was covered with the portraits of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il,

Svaki deo praznog prostora je prekriven portretima Kim Il Sunga i Kim Džong Ila,

like everywhere else in North Korea.

kao što je i svuda u Severnoj Koreji.

We were never allowed to discuss the outside world.

Bilo nam je zabranjeno da raspravljamo o spoljnom svetu.

As students of science and technology, many of them were computer majors

Kao studentima nauke i tehnologije, mnogima je glavni predmet bio kompjuter,

but they did not know the existence of the Internet.

ali nisu znali da postoji internet.

They had never heard of Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs.

Nikada nisu čuli za Marka Zakerberga ili Stiva Džobsa.

Facebook, Twitter -- none of those things would have meant a thing.

Fejsbuk, Tviter - nijedno od ovo dvoje im nije ništa značilo.

And I could not tell them.

A ja im nisam mogla reći.

I went there looking for truth.

Otišla sam tamo tragajući za istinom.

But where do you even start when an entire nation's ideology,

Ali gde biste uopšte počeli kada je celokupna ideologija nacije,

my students' day-to-day realities,

svakodnevna stvarnost mojih studenata,

and even my own position at the universities,

pa čak i moj lični položaj na univerzitetu,

were all built on lies?

kada je sve to izgrađeno na lažima?

I started with a game.

Započela sam igrom.

We played "Truth and Lie."

Igrali smo "Istina i laž".

A volunteer would write a sentence on the chalkboard,

Dobrovoljac bi ispisao rečenicu na tabli,

and the other students had to guess

a drugi student bi morao da pogodi

whether it was a truth or a lie.

da li je to istina ili laž.

Once a student wrote, "I visited China last year on vacation,"

Jednom je jedan student napisao: "Prošle godine za raspust sam posetio Kinu",

and everyone shouted, "Lie!"

i svi su uzviknuli: "Laž!"

They all knew this wasn't possible.

Svi su znali da je to nemoguće.

Virtually no North Korean is allowed to leave the country.

Praktično nijednom Severnokoreancu nije dozvoljeno da napusti zemlju.

Even traveling within their own country requires a travel pass.

Čak i putovanje unutar njihove države zahteva putnu dozvolu.

I had hoped that this game would reveal some truth about my students,

Nadala sam se da će ova igra da razotkrije neke istine o mojim studentima

because they lie so often and so easily,

jer oni lažu tako često i olako,

whether about the mythical accomplishments of their Great Leader,

bilo o mitskim dostignućima njihovog Velikog vođe

or the strange claim that they cloned a rabbit as fifth graders.

ili o bizarnoj tvrdnji da su klonirali zeca u petom razredu.

The difference between truth and lies seemed at times hazy to them.

Činilo se da je razlika između istine i laži njima ponekad nejasna.

It took me a while to understand the different types of lies;

Bilo mi je potrebno neko vreme da shvatim da postoje različiti tipovi laži;

they lie to shield their system from the world,

oni lažu kako bi zaštitili svoj sistem od sveta

or they were taught lies, and were just regurgitating them.

ili su naučeni lažima i prosto ih prežvakavaju.

Or, at moments, they lied out of habit.

Ili, na momente, lažu iz navike.

But if all they have ever known were lies,

Ali ako je sve za šta znaju laž,

how could we expect them to be otherwise?

šta drugo od njih da očekujemo?

Next, I tried to teach them essay writing.

Potom sam pokušala da ih podučim pisanju eseja.

But that turned out to be nearly impossible.

Ali se ispostavilo da je to skoro nemoguće.

Essays are about coming up with one's own thesis,

Za esej je nužno smisliti sopstvenu tezu

and making an evidence-based argument to prove it.

i, koristeći argumente zasnovane na činjenicama, dokazati je.

These students, however, were simply told what to think,

Ovim studentima, međutim, prosto kažu šta da misle

and they obeyed.

i oni se povinuju tome.

In their world, critical thinking was not allowed.

U njihovom svetu, kritičko razmišljanje je zabranjeno.

I also gave them the weekly assignment of writing a personal letter,

Takođe sam im zadala nedeljni zadatak da napišu lično pismo,

to anybody.

bilo kome.

It took a long time, but eventually some of them began to write

Bilo im je potrebno dugo vremena, ali vremenom su poneki počeli da pišu

to their mothers, their friends, their girlfriends.

svojim majkama, svojim prijateljima, svojim devojkama,

Although those were just homework,

Iako je to samo bio domaći zadatak

and would never reach their intended recipients,

i pisma nikada ne bi stigla onima kojima su namenjena,

my students slowly began to reveal their true feelings in them.

moji studenti su polako počeli da otkrivaju svoja istinska osećanja.

They wrote that they were fed up with the sameness of everything.

Pisali su kako su siti jednoličnosti svega.

They were worried about their future.

Bili su zabrinuti za budućnost.

In those letters, they rarely ever mentioned their Great Leader.

U tim pismima skoro da nikada nisu pominjali Velikog vođu.

I was spending all of my time with these young men.

Provodila sam sve svoje vreme s ovim mladićima.

We all ate meals together, played basketball together.

Svi smo jeli zajedno, igrali košarku zajedno.

I often called them gentlemen, which made them giggle.

Često sam ih zvala gospodom, zbog čega su se kikotali.

They blushed at the mention of girls.

Pocrveneli bi na pomen devojaka.

And I came to adore them.

I ja sam počela da ih obožavam.

And watching them open up even in the tiniest of ways,

A posmatrati ih kako se otvaraju, makar i na najmanji mogući način,

was deeply moving.

bilo je duboko potresno.

But something also felt wrong.

Ali nešto se takođe činilo pogrešnim.

During those months of living in their world,

Tokom meseci provedenih u njihovom svetu,

I often wondered if the truth would, in fact, improve their lives.

često sam se pitala da li bi istina zaista unapredila njihove živote.

I wanted so much to tell them the truth,

Toliko sam želela da im kažem istinu

of their country and of the outside world,

o njihovoj zemlji i o spoljnom svetu,

where Arab youth were turning their rotten regime inside out,

u kome arapska omladina obara čitav truli režimski poredak,

using the power of social media,

koristeći moć društvenih mreža,

where everyone except them was connected through the world wide web,

da su svi povezani globalnom mrežom, osim njih,

which wasn't worldwide after all.

što će reći da na kraju i nije globalna.

But for them, the truth was dangerous.

Ali za njih je istina bila opasna.

By encouraging them to run after it, I was putting them at risk --

Ohrabrujući ih da tragaju za njom, dovodila sam ih u opasnost -

of persecution,

od progonjenja,

of heartbreak.

od slomljenog srca.

When you're not allowed to express anything in the open,

Kada vam je zabranjeno da se otvoreno izražavate,

you become good at reading what is unspoken.

postanete dobri u čitanju neizrečenog.

In one of their personal letters to me, a student wrote that he understood

U jednom od njihovih ličnih pisama meni, jedan student je napisao da razume

why I always called them gentlemen.

zašto ih zovem gospodom.

It was because I was wishing them to be gentle in life, he said.

To je zato što sam im želela da budu nežni (gentle) u životu, rekao je.

On my last day in December of 2011,

Mog poslednjeg dana tamo, decembra 2011,

the day Kim Jong-Il's death was announced,

Kim Džong Ilova smrt je objavljena,

their world shattered.

njihov svet se raspao.

I had to leave without a proper goodbye.

Morala sam da odem, a da se ne oprostim na pravi način.

But I think they knew how sad I was for them.

Ali mislim da su znali koliko mi ih je bilo žao.

Once, toward the end of my stay, a student said to me,

Jednom, pred kraj mog boravka, jedan student mi je rekao:

"Professor, we never think of you as being different from us.

"Profesorko, mi vas ne smatramo drugačijom od nas.

Our circumstances are different, but you're the same as us.

Naše okolnosti su drugačije, ali vi ste isti kao mi.

We want you to know that we truly think of you as being the same."

Želimo da znate da mi iskreno mislimo da ste isti kao mi."

Today, if I could respond to my students with a letter of my own,

Danas, kada bih mojim studentima mogla odgovoriti ličnim pismom,

which is of course impossible,

što je naravno nemoguće,

I would tell them this:

rekla bih im sledeće:

"My dear gentlemen,

"Draga moja gospodo,

It's been a bit over three years since I last saw you.

prošlo je nešto više od tri godine od kad sam vas videla.

And now, you must be 22 -- maybe even as old as 23.

Sada sigurno imate 22, možda čak i 23 godine.

At our final class, I asked you if there was anything you wanted.

Na našem poslednjem času, pitala sam vas postoji li nešto što biste želeli.

The only wish you expressed, the only thing you ever asked of me

Jedino što ste poželeli, jedino što ste ikada od mene tražili

in all those months we spent together,

za sve vreme koje smo zajedno proveli,

was for me to speak to you in Korean.

bilo je da vam se obratim na korejskom.

Just once.

Bar jedanput.

I was there to teach you English;

Tamo sam došla da vas naučim engleski;

you knew it wasn't allowed.

znali ste da je to zabranjeno.

But I understood then, you wanted to share that bond of our mother tongue.

Ali sam razumela da ste želeli da podelimo posebnu vezu maternjeg jezika.

I called you my gentlemen,

Zvala sam vas mojom gospodom,

but I don't know if being gentle in Kim Jong-Un's merciless North Korea

ali nisam sigurna da je biti nežan u Kim Džong Unovoj nemilosrdnoj Koreji

is a good thing.

dobra stvar.

I don't want you to lead a revolution --

Ne želim da pokrenete revoluciju -

let some other young person do it.

pustite druge mlade da se time bave.

The rest of the world might casually encourage or even expect

Ostatak sveta može povremeno da ohrabruje ili čak da iščekuje

some sort of North Korean Spring,

nekakvo severnokorejsko proleće,

but I don't want you to do anything risky,

ali ja ne želim da učinite bilo šta rizično

because I know in your world, someone is always watching.

jer znam da vas u vašem svetu neko uvek posmatra.

I don't want to imagine what might happen to you.

Ne želim ni da pomislim šta bi se dogodilo s vama.

If my attempts to reach you have inspired something new in you,

Ako su moji pokušaji da vas dosegnem pokrenuli nešto novo u vama,

I would rather you forget me.

volela bih da me zaboravite.

Become soldiers of your Great Leader, and live long, safe lives.

Postanite vojnici Velikog vođe i imajte duge, bezbedne živote.

You once asked me if I thought your city of Pyongyang was beautiful,

Jednom ste me pitali da li smatram da je vaš grad Pjongjang lep

and I could not answer truthfully then.

i tada vam nisam mogla odgovoriti iskreno.

But I know why you asked.

No znam zašto ste to pitali.

I know that it was important for you to hear that I, your teacher,

Znam da vam je bilo važno da čujete da ja, vaša nastavnica,

the one who has seen the world that you are forbidden from,

ona koja je videla sveta, koji je zabranjen za vas,

declare your city as the most beautiful.

izjavim da je vaš grad najlepši.

I know hearing that would make your lives there a bit more bearable,

Znam da kada biste to čuli vaši životi bi bili iole podnošljiviji,

but no, I don't find your capital beautiful.

ali ne, ne mislim da je vaš glavni grad lep.

Not because it's monotone and concrete,

Ne zato što je monoton i od betona,

but because of what it symbolizes:

već zbog onoga što simbolizuje:

a monster that feeds off the rest of the country,

monstruma koji se hrani ostatkom države,

where citizens are soldiers and slaves.

u kojoj su građani vojnici i robovi.

All I see there is darkness.

Sve što vidim u njemu je tama.

But it's your home, so I cannot hate it.

Ali to je vaš dom, pa ne mogu da ga mrzim.

And I hope instead that you, my lovely young gentlemen,

I nadam se da ćete ga vi, moja ljupka mlada gospodo,

will one day help make it beautiful.

jednoga dana učiniti lepim.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)