Why I fight for the education of refugee girls (like me) | Mary Maker

Prevodilac: Dragana Savanovic Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

We do not choose where to be born.

Mi ne biramo gde ćemo se roditi.

We do not choose who our parents are.

Ne biramo roditelje.

But we do choose how we are going to live our lives.

Ali biramo kako ćemo živeti svoj život.

I did not choose to be born in South Sudan,

Ja nisam birala da se rodim u Južnom Sudanu,

a country rife with conflict.

zemlji punoj konflikata.

I did not choose my name --

Nisam birala svoje ime -

Nyiriak,

Nirijak,

which means "war."

koje znači „rat“.

I've always rejected it

Uvek sam ga odbacivala,

and all the legacy it was born into.

kao i nasleđe vezano za njega.

I choose to be called Mary.

Izabrala sam da se zovem Meri.

As a teacher, I've stood in front of 120 students,

Kao nastavnica, stajala sam pred 120 učenika,

so this stage does not intimidate me.

tako da me ova pozornica ne plaši.

My students come from war-torn countries.

Moji učenici dolaze iz ratom razorenih zemalja.

They're so different from each other,

Toliko se razlikuju,

but they have one thing in common:

ali imaju zajedničku jednu stvar:

they fled their homes in order to stay alive.

pobegli su iz svojih domova kako bi preživeli.

Some of them belong to parents back home in South Sudan

Neki od njih su deca roditelja koji kod kuće u Južnom Sudanu

who are killing each other

ubijaju jedni druge

because they belong to a different tribe or they have a different belief.

jer pripadaju drugom plemenu ili imaju različita uverenja.

Others come from other African countries devastated by war.

Ostali dolaze iz drugih afričkih zemalja koje su razorene ratom.

But when they enter my class, they make friends,

Ali kada uđu u moju učionicu, oni se sprijatelje,

they walk home together,

idu kući zajedno,

they do their homework together.

i rade domaći zadatak zajedno.

There is no hatred allowed in my class.

Mržnja nije dozvoljena u mojoj učionici.

My story is like that of so many other refugees.

Moja priča je kao i priča mnogih drugih izbeglica.

The war came when I was still a baby.

Rat je nastupio kada sam još uvek bila beba.

And my father,

Moj otac,

who had been absent in most of my early childhood,

koji je bio odsutan tokom većine mog ranog detinjstva,

was doing what other men were doing:

radio je isto što i većina muškaraca:

fighting for the country.

borio se za zemlju.

He had two wives and many children.

Imao je dve žene i mnogo dece.

My mother was his second wife,

Moja majka je bila njegova druga žena,

married to him at the age of 16.

i udali su je za njega kada je imala 16 godina.

This is simply because my mother came from a poor background,

To je prosto zato što je moja majka skromnog porekla,

and she had no choice.

i nije imala izbora.

My father, on the other hand, was rich.

S druge strane, moj otac je bio bogat.

He had many cows.

Imao je mnogo krava.

Gunshots were the order of the day.

Pucnji su bili deo dnevnog reda.

My community was constantly under attack.

Moja zajednica je stalno bila pod napadom.

Communities would fight each other as they took water along the Nile.

Zajednice su se borile jedna protiv druge dok su uzimale vodu duž Nila.

But that was not all.

Ali to nije bilo sve.

Planes would drop the spinning and terrifying bombs

Avioni su ispuštali vrteće i zastrašujuće bombe

that chopped off people's limbs.

koje su otkidale ljudima delove tela.

But the most terrifying thing for every single parent

Ali najstrašnija stvar za svakog roditelja

was to see their children being abducted and turned into young soldiers.

je bilo videti kako im otimaju decu i pretvaraju ih u mlade vojnike.

My mother dug a trench

Moja majka je iskopala rov

that soon became our home.

koji je uskoro postao naš dom.

But yet, we did not feel protected.

Ipak, nismo se osećali zaštićeno.

She had to flee in search of a safe place for us.

Morala je da pobegne u potrazi za bezbednim mestom za nas.

I was four years old, and my younger sister was two.

Ja sam imala četiri godine, a moja mlađa sestra dve.

We joined a huge mass of people,

Pridružili smo se velikom broju ljudi,

and together we walked for many agonizing days

i zajedno pešačili mnogo mučnih dana

in search of a secure place.

u potrazi za bezbednim mestom.

But we could barely rest

Jedva bismo uspeli da se odmorimo

before we were attacked again.

pre nego što bi nas opet napali.

I remember my mother was pregnant,

Sećam se da je moja majka bila trudna,

when she would take turns to carry me and my younger sister.

dok je naizmenično nosila mene i moju mlađu sestru.

We finally made it across the Kenyan border, yes.

Konačno smo uspeli da pređemo kenijsku granicu.

But that was the longest journey that I have ever had in my whole life.

Ali to je bilo najduže putovanje u celom mom životu.

My feet were raw with blisters.

Stopala su mi bila izranjavana plikovima.

To our surprise,

Na naše iznenađenje,

we found other family members who had fled into the camp earlier on,

našli smo druge članove porodice koji su ranije pobegli u kamp,

where you all are today,

gde se vi nalazite danas,

the Kakuma camp.

u kamp Kakuma.

Now, I want you all to be very quiet just for a moment.

Želim da sada svi budete tihi na trenutak.

Do you hear that?

Da li čujete to?

The sound of silence.

Zvuk tišine.

No gunshots.

Nema pucnjave.

Peace, at last.

Mir, konačno.

That was my first memory of this camp.

To je bilo moje prvo sećanje na ovaj kamp.

When you move from a war zone

Kada odete iz ratne zone

and come to a secure place like Kakuma,

i dođete u bezbedno mesto kao što je Kakuma,

you've really gone far.

stvarno ste otišli daleko.

I only stayed in the camp for three years, though.

Ipak, u kampu sam ostala samo tri godine.

My father, who had been absent in most of my early childhood,

Moj otac, koji je bio odsutan tokom većine mog ranog detinjstva,

came back into my life.

vratio se u moj život.

And he organized for me to move with my uncle

Organizovao je da se preselim sa stricem

to our family in Nakuru.

kod naše porodice u Nakuru.

There, I found my father's first wife,

Tamo su bili prva žena mog oca,

my half sisters and my half brothers.

moje polusestre i polubraća.

I got enrolled in school.

Upisala sam se u školu.

I remember my first day in school -- I could sing and laugh again --

Sećam se svog prvog dana u školi - mogla sam opet da pevam i smejem se -

and my first set of school uniforms, you bet.

a imala sam i prvu školsku uniformu, nego šta.

It was amazing.

Bilo je sjajno.

But then I came to realize

Ali onda sam shvatila

that my uncle did not find it fit for me to go to school,

da je moj stric smatrao da ne treba da idem u školu,

simply because I was a girl.

samo zato što sam devojčica.

My half brothers were his first priority.

Moja polubraća su bila njegov prioritet.

He would say, "Educating a girl is a waste of time."

Govorio bi: „Obrazovati devojčicu je gubljenje vremena.“

And for that reason, I missed many days of school,

I zbog toga sam propustila mnogo dana u školi,

because the fees were not paid.

jer školarine nisu plaćene.

My father stepped in

Moj otac je uskočio

and organized for me to go to boarding school.

i organizovao da krenem u internat.

I remember the faith that he put in me over the couple of years to come.

Sećam se koliko je imao vere u mene u narednih nekoliko godina.

He would say, "Education is an animal that you have to overcome.

Govorio bi: „Obrazovanje je životinja koju moraš da savladaš.

With an education, you can survive.

Uz obrazovanje možeš da preživiš.

Education shall be your first husband."

Obrazovanje će biti tvoj prvi suprug.“

And with these words came in his first big investment.

I sa ovim rečima došlo je i njegovo prvo veliko ulaganje.

I felt lucky!

Osećala sam se srećno!

But I was missing something:

Ali nešto mi je nedostajalo:

my mother.

moja majka.

My mother had been left behind in the camp,

Moja majka je ostala u kampu,

and I had not seen her since I left it.

i nisam je videla otkako sam otišla.

Six years without seeing her was really long.

Šest godina bez nje je stvarno dug period.

I was alone,

Bila sam sama,

in school,

u školi,

when I heard of her death.

kada sam čula za njenu smrt.

I've seen many people back in South Sudan

Videla sam kako mnogi ljudi u Južnom Sudanu

lose their lives.

umiru.

I've heard from neighbors

Od komšija sam čula

lose their sons, their husbands,

da su izgubili sinove, muževe,

their children.

decu.

But I never thought that that would ever come into my life.

Ali nikada nisam mislila da će se to meni desiti.

A month earlier, my stepmother,

Mesec dana pre toga, moja pomajka,

who had been so good to me back in Nakuru, died first.

koja je bila tako dobra prema meni u Nakuruu, je umrla.

Then I came to realize that after giving birth to four girls,

Onda sam shvatila da je, nakon rađanja četiri devojčice,

my mother had finally given birth to something

moja majka konačno rodila nekog

that could have made her be accepted into the community --

ko ju je mogao učiniti prihvaćenom u zajednici -

a baby boy,

malog dečaka,

my baby brother.

mog brata.

But he, too,

Ali i on se

joined the list of the dead.

našao na spisku mrtvih.

The most hurting part for me

Ono što me je najviše zabolelo

was the fact that I wasn't able to attend my mother's burial.

je činjenica da nisam mogla da prisustvujem majčinoj sahrani.

I wasn't allowed.

Nisu mi dozvolili.

They said her family did not find it fit

Rekli su da njena porodica smatra da nije prikladno

for her children, who are all girls, to attend her burial,

da njena deca, ženska deca, prisustvuju sahrani,

simply because we were girls.

samo zato što su devojčice.

They would lament to me and say,

Jadikovali bi i govorili:

"We are sorry, Mary, for your loss.

„Meri, žao nam je zbog tvog gubitka.

We are sorry that your parents never left behind any children."

Žao nam je što tvoji roditelji nikada nisu ostavili decu.“

And I would wonder:

A ja bih se pitala:

What are we?

šta smo mi?

Are we not children?

Zar mi nismo deca?

In the mentality of my community,

U skladu sa mentalitetom moje zajednice,

only the boy child counted.

samo su se muška deca računala.

And for that reason, I knew this was the end of me.

I zato sam znala da je to moj kraj.

But I was the eldest girl.

Ja sam bila najstarija devojčica.

I had to take care of my siblings.

Morala sam da se brinem o braći i sestrama.

I had to ensure they went to school.

Da se postaram da idu u školu.

I was 13 years old.

Imala sam 13 godina.

How could I have made that happen?

Da li sam ja to mogla?

I came back to the camp to take care of my siblings.

Vratila sam se u kamp da brinem o braći i sestrama.

I've never felt so stuck.

Nikad se nisam osećala tako zarobljeno.

But then, one of my aunts, Auntie Okoi,

Zatim je jedna od mojih tetaka,

teta Okoi, rešila da uzme moje sestre.

decided to take my sisters.

My father sent me money from Juba for me to go back to school.

Otac mi je poslao novac iz Džube da se vratim u školu.

Boarding school was heaven, but it was also so hard.

Internat je bio raj, ali je bilo i tako teško.

I remember during the visiting days when parents would come to school,

Sećam se dana posete, kada bi roditelji došli u školu,

a moj otac nije.

and my father would miss.

But when he did come,

Ali kada bi došao,

he repeated the same faith in me.

imao je istu veru u mene.

This time he would say,

Jednom prilikom mi je rekao:

"Mary, you cannot go astray,

„Meri, ne smeš da zalutaš,

because you are the future of your siblings."

jer si ti budućnost svoje braće i sestara.“

But then, in 2012,

Ali, onda mi je 2012. godine,

life took away the only thing that I was clinging on.

život oduzeo jedinu stvar za koju sam se držala.

My father died.

Moj otac je umro.

My grades in school started to collapse,

Moje ocene u školi su počele da se pogoršavaju,

and when I sat for my final high school exams in 2015,

i kada sam radila završne testove na kraju srednje škole, 2015. godine,

I was devastated to receive a C grade.

bila sam očajna što sam dobila trojku.

OK, I keep telling students in my class,

Okej, ja i dalje govorim svojim učenicima:

"It's not about the A's; it's about doing your best."

„Nije stvar u peticama, nego da date sve od sebe.“

That was not my best.

Ja nisam dala sve od sebe.

I was determined.

Bila sam odlučna.

I wanted to go back and try again.

Želela sam da se vratim i pokušam opet.

But my parents were gone.

Ali mojih roditelja nije bilo.

I had no one to take care of me,

Niko se nije brinuo o meni,

and I had no one to pay that fee.

i niko nije mogao da plati školarinu.

I felt so hopeless.

Osećala sam se beznadežno.

But then, one of my best friends,

Ali, onda me je jedna od najboljih drugarica,

a beautiful Kenyan lady, Esther Kaecha,

prelepa dama iz Kenije, Ester Kajeća,

called me during this devastating moment,

zvala u ovom očajnom trenutku,

and she was like, "Mary, you have a strong will.

i rekla mi: „Meri, ti imaš jaku volju.

And I have a plan, and it's going to work."

A ja imam plan, i upaliće.“

OK, when you're in those devastating moments, you accept anything, right?

Okej, kada ste tako očajni, prihvatate bilo šta, zar ne?

So the plan was, she organized some travel money

Plan je bio da ona nabavi nešto novca za put

for us to travel to Anester Victory Girls High School.

da odemo u „Anestar Victory“ - žensku srednju školu.

I remember that day so well.

Dobro se sećam tog dana.

It was raining when we entered the principal's office.

Padala je kiša kada smo ušle u direktorovu kancelariju.

We were shaking like two chickens that had been rained on,

Tresle smo se kao dva pokisla pileta,

and we looked at him.

i pogledale ga.

He was asking, "What do you want?"

Pitao je: „Šta hoćete?“

And we looked at him with the cat face.

Pogledale smo ga umiljato.

"We just want to go back to school."

„Samo želimo da se vratimo u školu.“

Well, believe it or not, he not only paid our school fees

Verovali ili ne, ne samo da nam je platio školarine,

but also our uniform and pocket money for food.

već i uniforme i džeparac za hranu.

Clap for him.

Aplauz za njega.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

When I finished my high school career,

Kada sam završila srednju školu,

I became the head girl.

postala sam predsednica.

And when I sat for the KCSE for a second time,

Kada sam ponovo polagala završne testove,

I was able to receive a B minus. Clap.

uspela sam da dobijem 4-. Pljesak.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

So I really want to say thank you to Anester Victory, Mr. Gatimu

Stvarno želim da se zahvalim školi „Anestar Victory“, gospodinu Gatimu

and the whole Anester fraternity for giving me that chance.

i celom bratstvu Anestara na toj šansi.

From time to time,

S vremena na vreme,

members of my family will insist that my sister and I should get married

članovi moje porodice insistiraju da se moja sestra i ja udamo

so that somebody will take care of us.

kako bi se neko brinuo o nama.

They will say,

Kažu:

"We have a man for you."

„Imamo čoveka za tebe.“

I really hate the fact that people took us as property rather than children.

Stvarno mrzim to što nas ljudi gledaju kao svojinu, a ne kao decu.

Sometimes they will jokingly say,

Ponekad kroz šalu kažu:

"You are going to lose your market value

„Izgubićeš tržišnu vrednost

the more educated you become."

što obrazovanija postaješ.“

But the truth is,

Istina je

an educated woman is feared in my community.

da se u mojoj zajednici plaše obrazovane žene.

But I told them, this is not what I want.

Rekla sam im da to nije ono što želim.

I don't want to get kids at 16 like my mother did.

Ne želim da dobijem decu sa 16 godina kao moja majka.

This is not my life.

To nije moj život.

Even though my sisters and I are suffering,

Iako moje sestre i ja patimo,

there's no way we are heading in that direction.

nema šanse da izaberemo taj put.

I refuse to repeat history.

Ne želim da ponovim istoriju.

Educating a girl will create equal and stable societies.

Obrazovanje devojčica će stvoriti ravnopravna i stabilna društva.

And educated refugees will be the hope

A obrazovane izbeglice će biti nada

of rebuilding their countries someday.

za obnovu njihovih zemalja jednog dana.

Girls and women have a part to play in this

Devojčice i žene imaju istu ulogu u ovome

just as much as men.

kao i muškarci.

Well, we have men in my family that encourage me to move on:

Pa, u mojoj porodici ima muškaraca koji me ohrabruju da nastavim dalje:

my half brothers and also my half sisters.

moja polubraća, a i moje polusestre.

When I finished my high school career,

Kada sam završila srednju školu,

I moved my sisters to Nairobi, where they live with my stepsister.

preselila sam sestre u Najrobi, gde žive sa mojom polusestrom.

They live 17 people in a house.

Njih 17 živi u jednoj kući.

But don't pity us.

Ali nemojte nas žaliti.

The most important thing is that they all get a decent education.

Najvažnija stvar je što svi imaju pristojno obrazovanje.

The winners of today

Oni koji pobeđuju danas

are the losers of yesterday,

su juče gubili,

but who never gave up.

ali nikada nisu odustali.

And that is who we are,

A to smo mi,

my sisters and I.

moje sestre i ja.

And I'm so proud of that.

I tako sam ponosna na to.

My biggest investment in life --

Moje najveće životno ulaganje -

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

is the education of my sisters.

je obrazovanje mojih sestara.

Education creates an equal and fair chance for everyone to make it.

Obrazovanje stvara jednake i fer šanse za sve.

I personally believe education is not all about the syllabus.

Lično verujem da u obrazovanju nije poenta u nastavnom planu.

It's about friendship.

Nego u prijateljstvu.

It's about discovering our talents.

U otkrivanju naših talenata.

It's about discovering our destiny.

U otkrivanju naše sudbine.

I will, for example, not forget the joy that I had

Ja, na primer, neću zaboraviti radost koju sam osetila

when I first had singing lessons in school,

kada sam prvi put imala časove pevanja u školi,

which is still a passion of mine.

što je još uvek moja strast.

But I wouldn't have gotten that

Ali to ne bih dobila

anywhere else.

nigde drugo.

As a teacher, I see my classroom as a laboratory

Kao nastavnik, vidim učionicu kao laboratoriju

that not only generates skills and knowledge

koja proizvodi ne samo veštine i znanja,

but also understanding and hope.

već i razumevanje i nadu.

Let's take a tree.

Uzmimo drvo kao primer.

A tree may have its branches cut,

Možemo mu odseći grane,

but give it water, and it will grow new branches.

ali ako mu damo vodu, dobiće nove.

For the child of war,

Za dete rata,

an education can turn their tears of loss into a passion for peace.

obrazovanje može preobratiti suze gubitka u strast za mirom.

And for that reason, I refuse to give up on a single student in my class.

I zato neću dići ruke ni od jednog učenika u svom razredu.

(Aplauz)

(Applause)

Education heals.

Obrazovanje leči.

The school environment

Školska sredina

gives you a focus to focus ahead.

vam daje fokus da nastavite napred.

Let's take it this way:

Recimo ovako:

when you're busy solving mathematical equations,

kada ste zauzeti rešavanjem matematičkih jednačina,

and you are memorizing poetry,

i pamćenjem poezije,

you forget the violence that you witnessed back home.

zaboravite nasilje kojem ste svedočili kod kuće.

And that is the power of education.

To je moć obrazovanja.

It creates this place for peace.

Stvara oazu mira.

Kakuma is teeming with learners.

Kakuma je krcata učenicima.

Over 85,000 students are enrolled in schools here,

Preko 85 000 učenika se ovde upiše u školu,

which makes up 40 percent of the refugee population.

što čini 40 procenata izbegličke populacije.

It includes children who lost years of education because of the war back home.

Uključuje decu koja su izgubila godine obrazovanja zbog rata kod kuće.

And I want to ask you a question:

Želim da vas pitam:

If education is about building a generation of hope,

ako obrazovanje stvara generaciju nade,

why are there 120 students packed in my classroom?

zašto u mojoj učionici ima 120 učenika?

Why is it that only six percent of the primary school students

Zašto samo šest procenata učenika osnovne škole

are making it to high school,

ode u srednju školu,

simply because we do not have enough places for them?

samo zato što nemamo dovoljno mesta za njih?

And why is it that only one percent of the secondary school graduates

I zašto samo jedan procenat srednjoškolskih maturanata

are making it to university?

ode na fakultet?

I began by saying that I am a teacher.

Počela sam govoreći da sam nastavnica.

But once again, I have become a student.

Ali još jednom, postala sam učenica.

In March, I moved to Rwanda

U martu sam se preselila u Ruandu

on a scholarship program called "Bridge2Rwanda."

na stipendijski program Bridge2Rwanda.

It prepares scholars for universities.

Ovaj program priprema učenike za univerzitete.

They are able to get a chance to compete for universities abroad.

Oni imaju šansu da se bore za univerzitete u inostranstvu.

I am now having teachers telling me what to do,

Sada imam nastavnike koji mi kažu šta da radim,

instead of the other way round.

umesto obrnuto.

People are once again investing in me.

Ljudi opet ulažu u mene.

So I want to ask you all to invest in young refugees.

Želim da i vi ulažete u mlade izbeglice.

Think of the tree that we mentioned earlier.

Pomislite na drvo koje smo pominjali.

We are the generation to plant it,

Mi smo generacija koja će ga zasaditi,

so that the next generation can water it,

kako bi ga sledeća generacija zalivala,

and the one that follows will enjoy the shade.

a naredna uživala u njegovom hladu.

They will reap the benefits.

Oni će pokupiti plodove.

A najbolja prednost od svih

And the greatest benefit of them all

is an education that will last.

je obrazovanje koje traje.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)