A glimpse of life on the road | Kitra Cahana

Prevodilac: Dragana Kerkez Lektor: Mile Živković

As a little girl, I always imagined

Kao devojčica, uvek sam zamišljala

I would one day run away.

da ću pobeći jednog dana.

From the age of six on,

Od šeste godine,

I kept a packed bag with some clothes

čuvala sam spakovanu odeću u torbi

and cans of food tucked away

i konzerve hrane skrivene

in the back of a closet.

u dnu ormara.

There was a deep restlessness in me,

Postojao je dubok nemir u meni,

a primal fear that I would fall prey

taj iskonski strah da ću postati žrtva

to a life of routine and boredom.

rutine života i dosade.

And so, many of my early memories involved

Tako da mnoga moja sećanja iz detinjstva uključuju

intricate daydreams where I would walk across borders,

zapetljana sanjarenja gde bih ja hodala preko granica,

forage for berries,

tražila razne bobice,

and meet all kinds of strange people

i susretala razne tipove neobičnih ljudi

living unconventional lives on the road.

koji žive nekonvencionalni život na putu.

Years have passed, but many of the adventures

Prošle su godine, ali mnoge avanture

I fantasized about as a child --

o kojima sam maštala u detinjstvu -

traveling and weaving my way

putovanje i stvaranje mog puta

between worlds other than my own —

između svetova koji nisu moji - postale su stvarnost

have become realities through my work

kroz moj posao

as a documentary photographer.

dokumentarnog fotografa.

But no other experience has felt as true

Nijedno drugo iskustvo nije bilo toliko odano

to my childhood dreams

mojim dečijim snovima

as living amongst and documenting the lives

kao življenje i snimanje života

of fellow wanderers across the United States.

kolega lutalica širom SAD.

This is the nomadic dream,

Ovo je nomadski san,

a different kind of American dream

drugačija vrsta američkog sna

lived by young hobos, travelers,

koji žive mladi beskućnici, putnici,

hitchhikers, vagrants and tramps.

auto-stoperi i skitnice.

In most of our minds,

Većina nas smatra

the vagabond is a creature from the past.

skitnice kao bića iz prošlosti.

The word "hobo" conjures up an old

Reč "beskućnik" priziva

black and white image

crno-belu sliku

of a weathered old man covered in coal,

starijeg, neuglednog čoveka prekrivenog ugljem,

legs dangling out of a boxcar,

sa nogama koje vire iz kartonske kutije,

but these photographs are in color,

ali ove fotografije su u boji,

and they portray a community

i one prikazuju zajednicu

swirling across the country,

koja putuje širom zemlje,

fiercely alive and creatively free,

zaista živa i kreativno slobodna,

seeing sides of America that no one else

i koja vidi prizore Amerike, koje niko

gets to see.

ne dobije priliku da vidi.

Like their predecessors, today's nomads

Kao njihovi preci, današnji nomadi

travel the steel and asphalt arteries

putuju čeličnim i asfaltnim venama

of the United States.

Sjedinjenih Američkih Država.

By day, they hop freight trains, stick out their thumbs,

Po danu, oni se penju na teretne vozove, izbacuju palčeve

and ride the highways with anyone

i voze se autoputevima sa bilo kim,

from truckers to soccer moms.

od kamiondžija, do domaćica.

By night, they sleep beneath the stars,

Po noći, spavaju pod zvezdama,

huddled together with their packs of dogs,

sklupčani zajedno sa svojim psima,

cats and pet rats between their bodies.

mačkama, i pripitomljenim štakorima.

Some travelers take to the road by choice,

Neki putnici se sami odluče za život na putu,

renouncing materialism, traditional jobs

odriču se materijalizma, tradicionalnih poslova,

and university degrees in exchange for a glimmer of adventure.

i fakultetskih diploma radi mrvice avanture.

Others come from the underbelly of society,

Drugi dolaze ispod granice društva,

never given a chance to mobilize upwards:

kojima nikada nije pružena šansa da se uspinju u društvu:

foster care dropouts, teenage runaways escaping

odbegla deca iz udomiteljskih porodica, tinejdžeri koji beže

abuse and unforgiving homes.

od zlostavljanja i strogih domova.

Where others see stories of privation

Gde drugi vide priče o oskudici

and economic failure,

i društvenim padovima,

travelers view their own existence

putnici svoje postojanje vide

through the prism of liberation and freedom.

kroz prizmu oslobođenja.

They'd rather live off of the excess

Radije će živeti od viška

of what they view as a wasteful consumer society

odbačenog od onoga što smatraju lošim potrošačkim društvom

than slave away at an unrealistic chance

nego da robuju nerealnim mogućnostima

at the traditional American dream.

tradicionalnog američkog sna.

They take advantage of the fact

Uzimaju kao prednost činjenicu

that in the United States,

da u SAD,

up to 40 percent of all food ends up in the garbage

skoro 40 odsto hrane završi u smeću,

by scavenging for perfectly good produce

tako što traže sasvim dobre proizvode

in dumpsters and trash cans.

po kontejnerima i kantama za smeće.

They sacrifice material comforts in exchange

Žrtvuju materijalna dobra radi

for the space and the time to explore

vremena i mesta da istražuju

a creative interior,

kreativnu unutrašnjost,

to dream, to read, to work on music, art and writing.

da sanjaju, čitaju, bave se muzikom, pisanjem i umetnošću uopšte.

But there are many aspects to this life

Ali mnoge strane ovog načina života

that are far from idyllic.

su daleko od idiličnog.

No one loses their inner demons

Niko ne gubi poroke iz ličnosti

by taking to the road.

tako što se preseli na put.

Addiction is real, the elements are real,

Zavisnost je stvarna, pojave su stvarne,

freight trains maim and kill,

sakaćenja i ubistva na teretnim vozovima,

and anyone who has lived on the streets can attest

i bilo ko, ko je živeo na ulici može posvedočiti

to the exhaustive list of laws

o iscrpljujućim listama zakona

that criminalize homeless existence.

koje život beskućnika svode pod kriminal.

Who here knows that in many cities

Ko ovde zna da je u mnogim gradovima

across the United States it is now illegal

širom SAD sada ilegalno

to sit on the sidewalk,

sedeti na trotoarima,

to wrap oneself in a blanket,

omotati se ćebetom,

to sleep in your own car,

spavati u svom automobilu,

to offer food to a stranger?

ponuditi hranu strancu?

I know about these laws because I've watched

Znam za te zakone jer sam gledala

as friends and other travelers

kako mi prijatelje i druge putnike

were hauled off to jail or received citations

odvode u zatvor, ili kako primaju sudske pozive

for committing these so-called crimes.

jer su počinili ove takozvane zločine.

Many of you might be wondering why anyone

Mnogi od vas se možda pitaju zašto bi iko

would choose a life like this,

odabrao ovakav način života,

under the thumb of discriminatory laws,

pod pritiskom zakona koji ih diskriminišu

eating out of trash cans,

jedenja iz kante za smeće,

sleeping under bridges,

spavanja pod mostovima,

picking up seasonal jobs here and there.

odrađivanja sezonskih poslova tu i tamo.

The answer to such a question is as varied

Odgovora na takvo pitanje ima raznih,

as the people that take to the road,

kao i samih ljudi koji se odluče za život na putu,

but travelers often respond with a single word:

ali putnici često odgovaraju samo jednom rečju:

freedom.

sloboda.

Until we live in a society where every human

Dok god ne budemo živeli u društvu gde je svakom čoveku

is assured dignity in their labor

osigurano dostojanstvo u njihovom radu

so that they can work to live well,

tako da mogu da rade da dobro žive,

not only work to survive,

a ne samo rade da bi preživeli,

there will always be an element of those

uvek će postojati deo onih

who seek the open road as a means of escape,

koji traže otvoren put kao sredstvo bega,

of liberation and, of course, of rebellion.

oslobođenja, i naravno pobune.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)