Ryan Lobo: Photographing the hidden story

Prevodilac: Maja Malinov Lektor: Ivana Korom

My name is Ryan Lobo,

Zovem se Rajan Lobo

and I've been involved in the documentary

i bavim se snimanjem dokumentaraca

filmmaking business all over the world for the last 10 years.

širom sveta poslednjih 10 godina.

During the process of making these films

U toku rada na ovim filmovima

I found myself taking photographs,

počeo sam da se bavim fotografijom,

often much to the annoyance of the video cameramen.

što često ume da smeta snimateljima.

I found this photography of mine almost compulsive.

Shvatio sam da me fotografisanje gotovo obuzima.

And at the end of a shoot, I would sometimes feel that

A na kraju snimanja, poknekad bih osetio

I had photographs that told a better story

da neke moje fotografije bolje pričaju priču

than a sometimes-sensational documentary.

nego ponekad i izvrstan dokumentarac.

I felt, when I had my photographs,

Osetio sam da fotografijama

that I was holding on to something true,

uspevam da uhvatim nešto istinito

regardless of agendas or politics.

nezavisno od ciljeva i politika.

In 2007, I traveled to three war zones.

2007. sam posetio tri ratne zone.

I traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan and Liberia.

Putovao sam u Irak, Avganistan i Liberiju.

And over there I experienced

Tamo sam doživeo

other people's suffering, up close and personal,

ljudsku patnju lično i izbliza,

immersed myself in some rather intense and emotional stories,

zaronio sam u neke prilično snažne i emotivne priče

and at times I experienced great fear for my own life.

i ponekad se bojao za sopstveni život.

As always, I would return to Bangalore,

Kao i uvek, vratio bih se u Bangalor

and often to animated discussions at friend's homes,

u, često žestoke rasprave kod prijatelja

where we would discuss various issues

gde smo raspravljali o različitim problemima

while they complained bitterly about the new pub timings,

dok su se oni ogorčeno žalili na novo radno vreme pabova

where a drink often cost more than what they'd paid

gde bi za jedno piće platili više

their 14-year-old maid.

nego što plaćajau svoju četrnaestogodišnju služavku.

I would feel very isolated during these discussions.

Osećao bih se vrlo izolovanim u ovim raspravama.

But at the same time, I questioned myself

Ali u isto vreme sam preispitivao sebe,

and my own integrity and purpose in storytelling.

sopstveni integritet i ulogu u pričanju priča.

And I decided that I had compromised,

Shvatio sam da sam se pomirio sa tim,

just like my friends in those discussions,

baš kao i moji prijatelji u tim raspravama

where we told stories

gde smo pričali priče

in contexts we made excuses for,

za koje smo nalazili izgovore

rather than taking responsibility for.

umesto da za njih preuzmemo odgovornost.

I won't go into details about what led to a decision I made,

Ne želim da pričam u detalje šta je dovelo do te diskusije,

but let's just say it involved alcohol, cigarettes,

ali recimo da je bilo alkohola, cigareta,

other substances and a woman.

drugih supstanci i žena.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

I basically decided that it was I,

Odlučio sam da sam ja,

not the camera or the network,

ne kamera ili televizija,

or anything that lay outside myself,

niti bilo šta izvan mene samog,

that was the only instrument in storytelling

jedini instrument u pričanju priča

truly worth tuning.

kojega stvarno treba naštimovati.

In my life, when I tried to achieve things

Šta god sam pokušao da dostignem u životu,

like success or recognition, they eluded me.

uspeh ili priznanje, izmaklo mi je.

Paradoxically, when I let go of these objectives,

Paradoksalno, kada sam odustao od ovih ciljeva,

and worked from a place of compassion and purpose,

i radio iz saosećanja ili svrhe,

looking for excellence, rather than the results of it,

težio savršenstvu više nego rezultatu rada,

everything arrived on its own, including fulfillment.

sve bi došlo na svoje, pa i ispunjenost.

Photography transcended culture, including my own.

Fotografija prevazilazi kulture, računajući i moju.

And it is, for me, a language which expressed the intangible,

Za mene je jezik ono što izražava nedodirljivo,

and gives voice to people and stories without.

što daje glas ljudima i pričama koje ga nemaju.

I invite you into three recent stories of mine,

Pozivam vas u moje tri najskorije priče

which are about this way of looking, if you will,

koje govore o jednom pogledu na svet

which I believe exemplify the tenets

koji može da objasni suštinu onoga

of what I like to call compassion in storytelling.

što ja nazivam pripovedanjem iz saosećanja.

In 2007 I went to Liberia,

2007. otišao sam u Liberiju,

where a group of my friends and I

gde sam sa grupom prijatelja radio

did an independent, self-funded film, still in progress,

na nezavisnom filmu u sopstvenoj proukciji, koji je još uvek nedovršen,

on a very legendary and brutal war-lord

o legendarnom i okrutnom vojskovođi

named General Butt Naked.

pod imenom general Gologuzi.

His real name is Joshua, and he's pictured here in a cell

Njegovo pravo ime je Džošua, a ovde je prikazan u ćeliji

where he once used to torture and murder people,

gde je nekada mučio i ubijao ljude,

including children.

uključujući i decu.

Joshua claims to have personally killed

Džošua tvrdi da je on lično ubio

more than 10,000 people during Liberia's civil war.

više od 10.000 ljudi u toku građanskog rata u Liberiji.

He got his name from fighting stark naked.

Dobio je nadimak jer se borio potpuno go.

And he is probably the most prolific mass murderer

On je verovatno najveći živi

alive on Earth today.

masovni ubica na svetu.

This woman witnessed the General murdering her brother.

Jedna žena je gledala kako general ubija njenog brata.

Joshua commanded his child-soldiers to commit unspeakable crimes,

Džošua je naredio svojoj vojsci načinjenoj od dece da čine strašne zločine,

and enforced his command with great brutality.

a svoje naredbe sprovodio je vrlo oktruno.

Today many of these children are addicted to drugs like heroin,

Danas je većina ove dece zavisna od droga kao što je heroin

and they are destitute, like these young men in the image.

i žive u bedi, kao ovi mladi ljudi sa slike.

How do you live with yourself

Kako da živite sa samim sobom

if you know you've committed horrific crimes?

kada znate da ste počinili užasne zločine?

Today the General is a baptized Christian evangelist.

General je danas kršteni hrišćanski jevanđelista.

And he's on a mission.

I ima misiju.

We accompanied Joshua, as he walked the Earth,

Pratili smo Džošuu dok je hodao zemljom,

visiting villages where he had once killed and raped.

posećivao sela gde je nekada ubijao i silovao.

He seeked forgiveness,

Tražio je oproštaj

and he claims to endeavor to improve

i tvrdio da će pokušati da poboljša

the lives of his child-soldiers.

živote svojih mladih vojnika.

During this expedition I expected him

U toku ovog putovanja, očekivao sam

to be killed outright, and us as well.

da će ga odmah ubiti, a sa njim i sve nas.

But what I saw opened my eyes

Ali ono što sam video mi je otvorilo oči,

to an idea of forgiveness

prikazalo mi je vid oproštaja

which I never thought possible.

za koji sam mislio da je nemoguć.

In the midst of incredible poverty and loss,

Usred neverovatnog siromaštva i propadanja,

people who had nothing absolved a man

ljudi koji nemaju ništa oprostili su čoveku

who had taken everything from them.

koji im je oduzeo sve.

He begs for forgiveness,

On moli za oproštaj,

and receives it from the same woman

i dobija ga od iste one žene

whose brother he murdered.

čijeg brata je ubio.

Senegalese, the young man seated on the wheelchair here,

Senegalac, mladić koji ovde sedi na stolici

was once a child soldier, under the General's command,

je bio vojnik kao dete, pod generalovom komandom,

until he disobeyed orders,

dok nije odbio da posluša naređenje

and the General shot off both his legs.

i general mu je pucao u obe noge.

He forgives the General in this image.

Na ovoj slici on oprašta generalu.

He risked his life as he walked up to people

Ugrozio je svoj život dok je prilazio ljudima

whose families he'd murdered.

čije porodice je ubio.

In this photograph a hostile crowd in a slum surrounds him.

Na ovoj fotografiji je okružen ruljom u jednom siromašnom kraju.

And Joshua remains silent

Džošua nije progovorio

as they vented their rage against him.

kada su iskalili svoj bes na njemu.

This image, to me, is almost like from a Shakespearean play,

Meni ova slika izgleda kao da je iz Šekspirove drame,

with a man, surrounded by various influences,

čovek, okružen raznim uticajima

desperate to hold on to something true within himself,

koji se očajnički drži za neku istinu u sebi,

in a context of great suffering that he has created himself.

okružen velikom patnjom koju je sam stvorio.

I was intensely moved during all this.

Sve me je to jako dirnulo.

But the question is,

Ali pitanje je,

does forgiveness and redemption replace justice?

da li oproštaj i pokajanje mogu da zamene pravdu?

Joshua, in his own words, says that he does not mind

Kako sam Džošua kaže, on nema ništa protiv

standing trial for his crimes,

da mu se sudi za zločine

and speaks about them from soapboxes across Monrovia,

i govori o njima širom Monrovije, sa improvizovane govornice

to an audience that often includes his victims.

publici u kojoj gotovo uvek ima njegovih žrtava.

A very unlikely spokesperson for the idea of

Vrlo neverovatan zagovornik ideje

separation of church and state.

o razdvajanju države i crkve.

The second story I'm going to tell you about

Druga priča koju ću vam ispričati

is about a group of very special fighting women

tiče se grupe vrlo posebnih žena boraca

with rather unique peace-keeping skills.

sa prilično jedinstvenim sposobnostima za oržavanje mira.

Liberia has been devastated by one of Africa's

Liberia je opustošena u jednom

bloodiest civil wars,

od afričkih najkrvavijih građanskih ratova

which has left more than 200,000 people dead,

u kome je poginulo više od 200.000 ljudi,

thousands of women scarred by rape and crime

hiljade žena je obeleženo silovanjem

on a spectacular scale.

i zločinima velikih razmera.

Liberia is now home

Liberija je sada dom

to an all-woman United Nations contingent

isključivo ženske grupe

of Indian peacekeepers.

mirotvoraca UN-a iz Indije.

These women, many from small towns in India,

Ove žene, od kojih je većina iz malih gradova u Indiji,

help keep the peace, far away from home and family.

pomažu održavanje mira daleko od porodica i prijatelja.

They use negotiation and tolerance

Služe se pregovorima i tolerancijom

more often than an armed response.

mnogo češće nego oružjem.

The commander told me that a woman could gauge

Komandant mi je rekao da žena ume da oceni

a potentially violent situation

potencijalno opasnu situaciju

much better than men.

mnogo bolje nego muškarac.

And that they were definitely capable of diffusing it non-aggressively.

I da su one definitivno sposobne da je reše mirnim putem.

This man was very drunk,

Ovaj čovek je veoma pijan

and he was very interested in my camera,

i zanimao ga je moj fotoaparat

until he noticed the women, who handled him

dok nije primetio žene koje su mu se obratile sa osmehom

with smiles, and AK-47s at the ready, of course.

i kalašnjikovima u pripripravnosti, naravno.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

This contingent seems to be quite lucky,

Izgleda da ova grupa ima puno sreće

and it has not sustained any casualties,

i nije pretrpela nikakve žrtve

even though dozens of peacekeepers have been killed in Liberia.

iako je do sada desetine mirotvoraca ubijeno u Liberiji.

And yes, all of those people killed were male.

I da, svi ti ubijeni ljudi bili su muškarci.

Many of the women are married with children,

Mnoge od ovih žena su udate i imaju decu,

and they say the hardest part of their deployment

i kažu da im je najteži deo službe

was being kept away from their children.

što nisu sa svojom decom.

I accompanied these women on their patrols,

Išao sam sa ovim ženama u patrolu

and watched as they walked past men,

i gledao kako prolaze pored muškaraca

many who passed very lewd comments incessantly.

od kojih su mnogi dobacivali nepristojne komentare.

And when I asked one of the women about the shock and awe response,

A kada sam upitao jednu od njih o strahopoštovanju koje izazivaju,

she said, "Don't worry, same thing back home.

rekla je: "Ne brini, tako je i kod kuće.

We know how to deal with these fellows,"

Znamo mi sa ovim momcima",

and ignored them.

i ignorisala ih je.

In a country ravaged by violence against women,

U zemlji pogođenoj nasiljem prema ženama

Indian peacekeepers have inspired many local women

indijske mirotvorkinje su inspirisale mnoge žene iz okoline

to join the police force.

da se pridruže policiji.

Sometimes, when the war is over and all the film crews have left,

Ponekad, kada se rat završi i filmska ekipa ode

the most inspiring stories are the ones

najinspirativnije priče su one

that float just beneath the radar.

koje su ispod površine.

I came back to India and nobody was interested in buying the story.

Vratio sam se u Indiju i niko nije hteo da kupi priču.

And one editor told me that she wasn't interested

Jenda urednica mi je rekla da nije zainteresovana

in doing what she called "manual labor stories."

da radi "priče o fizičkom radu", kako ih je nazvala.

In 2007 and 2009 I did stories on the Delhi Fire Service, the DFS,

2007. i 2009. radio sam na pričama o vatrogasnoj stanici u Delhiju

which, during the summer, is probably the world's most active fire department.

koja je, leti, verovatno najaktivnija vatrogasna stanica na svetu.

They answer more than 5,000 calls in just two months.

Odazivaju se na više od 5000 poziva u samo dva meseca.

And all this against incredible logistical odds,

Uvek uprkos neverovatnim logističkim uslovima

like heat and traffic jams.

kao što su vrućine i gužve u saobraćaju.

Something amazing happened during this shoot.

Dogodilo se nešto izvanredno tokom ovog snimanja.

Due to a traffic jam, we were late in getting to a slum,

Zbog gužve kasnili smo u jedan veliki

a large slum, which had caught fire.

siromašni deo grada koji se zapalio.

As we neared, angry crowds attacked our trucks

Kako smo se približavali besna gomila je napala naša vozila,

and stoned them, by hundreds of people all over the place.

stotine ljudi sa svih strana gađale su ih kamenjem.

These men were terrified,

Ljudi su bili prestravljeni

as the mob attacked our vehicle.

kada je rulja napala naše vozilo.

But nonetheless, despite the hostility,

Ali ipak, uprkos neprijateljskim prilikama

firefighters left the vehicle and successfully fought the fire.

vatrogasci su izašli iz vozila i uspešno se borili sa vatrom.

Running the gauntlet through hostile crowds,

Trčali su kroz neprijateljske gomile

and some wearing motorbike helmets to prevent injury.

dok su neki nosili kacige za motor da spreče povrede.

Some of the local people forcibly took away the hoses

Neki ljudi iz okoline su na silu oteli šmrkove

from the firemen to put out the fire in their homes.

od vatrogasaca da bi gasili vatru u svojim domovima.

Now, hundreds of homes were destroyed.

Stotine domova je uništeno.

But the question that lingered in my mind was,

Ali pitanje koje mi se motalo po glavi je

what causes people to destroy fire trucks

šta je nateralo ljude da unište vatrogasna vozila

headed to their own homes?

koja idu da spasu njihove kuće?

Where does such rage come from?

Otkud toliki bes?

And how are we responsible for this?

I kako smo mi odgovorni za ovo?

45 percent of the 14 million people

45 posto od 14 miliona ljudi u Delhiju

who live in Delhi live in unauthorized slums,

živi u bespravno sagrađenim krajevima

which are chronically overcrowded.

koji su hronično prenaseljeni.

They lack even the most basic amenities.

Nemaju čak ni najosnovnije uslove za život.

And this is something that is common to all our big cities.

Ovo je zajedničko svim našim velikim gradovima.

Back to the DFS. A huge chemical depot caught fire,

Vraćam se na vatrogasce. Ogromno hemijsko skladište se zapalilo,

thousands of drums filled with petrochemicals

na hiljade buradi petrohemikalija

were blazing away and exploding all around us.

zapalilo se i eksplodiralo je oko nas.

The heat was so intense, that hoses were used

Bilo je toliko vrelo da su crevima

to cool down firefighters

rashlađivali vatrogasce

fighting extremely close to the fire, and with no protective clothing.

koji su bili jako blizu vatre bez zaštitne opreme.

In India we often love to complain about our government bodies.

Mi u Indiji volimo da se žalimo na vlast.

But over here, the heads of the DFS,

Ali ovde su načelnici vatrogasne stanice

Mr. R.C. Sharman, Mr. A.K. Sharman,

R.C. Šarman i A.K.Šarman

led the firefight with their men.

gasili vatru sa svojim ljudima.

Something wonderful in a country where

Nešto prelepo u zemlji

manual labor is often looked down upon.

gde se često ne ceni fizički rad.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

Over the years, my faith in the power of storytelling has been tested.

Tokom godina, preisptivao sam svoju veru u moć pripovedanja.

And I've had very serious doubt about its efficacy,

Ozbiljno sam sumnjao u njenu delotvornost

and my own faith in humanity.

i sopstvenu veru u ljudskost.

However, a film we shot still airs on the National Geographic channel.

Ipak, film koji smo snimili se i dalje pušta na kanalu Nacionalne Geografije.

And when it airs I get calls from all the guys I was with

A kada ga puste, zovu me svi momci sa kojima sam bio tamo

and they tell me that they receive hundreds of calls congratulating them.

da mi kažu da dobijaju stotine poziva sa čestitkama.

Some of the firemen told me that they were also inspired

Neki vatrogasci su mi rekli da su i oni bili inspirisani

to do better because they were so pleased

da rade bolje jer im je prijalo

to get thank-yous rather than brick bats.

da dobiju zahvalnost umesto bačenih cigli.

It seems that this story helped change perceptions about the DFS,

Izgleda da je ova priča pomogla da se promeni slika o vatrogascima,

at least in the minds of an audience in part on televisions,

bar u mislima gledalaca,

read magazines and whose huts aren't on fire.

onih koji čitaju novine i onih čije kuće nisu u plamenu.

Sometimes, focusing on what's heroic, beautiful and dignified,

Nekad, fokusiranje na herojstvo, lepotu i dostojanstvo

regardless of the context,

bez obzira na kontekst,

can help magnify these intangibles three ways,

ističe ove nedodirljive vrednosti na tri načina:

in the protagonist of the story, in the audience,

kroz glavnog lika u priči, kroz publiku

and also in the storyteller.

i kroz pripovedača takođe.

And that's the power of storytelling.

To je moć pripovedanja.

Focus on what's dignified, courageous and beautiful,

Usredsredite se na dostojanstveno, hrabro i lepo,

and it grows. Thank you.

i ono će da raste. Hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)