The powerful stories that shaped Africa | Gus Casely-Hayford

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

Now, Hegel -- he very famously said

Hegel je imao čuvenu izjavu

that Africa was a place without history,

da je Afrika mesto bez istorije,

without past, without narrative.

bez prošlosti, bez narativa.

Yet, I'd argue that no other continent has nurtured, has fought for,

Ipak, ja tvrdim da nijedan drugi kontinent

nije tako udruženo negovao svoju istoriju, borio se za nju i slavio je.

has celebrated its history more concertedly.

The struggle to keep African narrative alive

Borba da se afrički narativ očuva u životu

has been one of the most consistent

oduvek je bio jedan od najdoslednijih

and hard-fought endeavors of African peoples,

i najnapornijih poduhvata afričkog naroda,

and it continues to be so.

a i dalje je tako.

The struggles endured and the sacrifices made to hold onto narrative

Borba je istrajala i žrtve koje su podnete da bi se zadržao narativ

in the face of enslavement, colonialism, racism, wars and so much else

uprkos ropstvu, kolonijalizmu, rasizmu, ratovima i još mnogo čemu

has been the underpinning narrative

bile su u osnovi narativa

of our history.

naše istorije.

And our narrative has not just survived the assaults

Naš narativ je preživeo ne samo napade

that history has thrown at it.

kojima ga je istorija obasipala.

We've left a body of material culture,

Ostavili smo veliku količinu materijalnih proizvoda kulture,

artistic magistery and intellectual output.

umetničku umešnost i rezultate intelektualnog rada.

We've mapped and we've charted and we've captured our histories

Iscrtavali smo mape i tabele i beležili našu istoriju

in ways that are the measure of anywhere else on earth.

na načine koji su merilo na svim drugim mestima na planeti.

Long before the meaningful arrival of Europeans --

Davno pre značajnih dolazaka Evropljana,

indeed, whilst Europe was still mired in its Dark Age --

zapravo, dok je Evropa još bila zaglavljena u mračnom dobu,

Africans were pioneering techniques in recording, in nurturing history,

Afrikanci su prvi koristili tehnike beleženja i negovanja istorije,

forging revolutionary methods for keeping their story alive.

stvarali revolucionarne metode da bi održali svoju priču u životu.

And living history, dynamic heritage --

A živa istorija, dinamično nasleđe

it remains important to us.

i dalje nam je važno.

We see that manifest in so many ways.

Vidimo kako se to manifestuje na toliko mnogo načina.

I'm reminded of how, just last year -- you might remember it --

Podsetih se kako su baš prošle godine, a možda se sećate toga,

the first members

prvi članovi grupe Ansar Dine koja se dovodi u vezu sa Al Kaidom

of the al Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Dine

were indicted for war crimes and sent to the Hague.

optuženi za ratne zločine i poslati u Hag.

And one of the most notorious was Ahmad al-Faqi,

Jedan od najpoznatijih je bio Ahmad al Faki,

who was a young Malian,

mladi Malijanac,

and he was charged, not with genocide,

a on je optužen ne za genocid,

not with ethnic cleansing,

ne za etničko čišćenje,

but with being one of the instigators of a campaign

već zato što je bio jedan od podstrekača kampanje

to destroy some of Mali's most important cultural heritage.

da se uništi deo najvažnijeg kulturnog nasleđa Malija.

This wasn't vandalism;

To nije bio vandalizam;

these weren't thoughtless acts.

to nisu bila nepromišljena dela.

One of the things that al-Faqi said

Jedna od stvari koje je al Faki rekao

when he was asked to identify himself in court

kada su od njega zatražili da se predstavi na sudu

was that he was a graduate, that he was a teacher.

bila je da je on diplomac, da je učitelj.

Over the course of 2012, they engaged in a systematic campaign

Tokom 2012. godine su se angažovali u okviru sistematske kampanje

to destroy Mali's cultural heritage.

da se uništi kulturno nasleđe Malija.

This was a deeply considered waging of war

Ovo je u velikoj meri smatrano za vođenje rata

in the most powerful way that could be envisaged:

na najsnažniji način koji se može zamisliti:

in destroying narrative, in destroying stories.

uništavanjem narativa, uništavanjem priča.

The attempted destruction of nine shrines,

Pokušaj uništenja devet svetilišta,

the central mosque

centralne džamije

and perhaps as many as 4,000 manuscripts

i možda čak 4 000 rukopisa

was a considered act.

bio je proračunat čin.

They understood the power of narrative to hold communities together,

Razumeli su moć narativa da drži zajednice na okupu

and they conversely understood that in destroying stories,

i shodno tome su razumeli da će uništavanjem priča,

they hoped they would destroy a people.

nadali su se, uništiti narod.

But just as Ansar Dine and their insurgency

Ali, baš kao što je Ansar Dine i njene pobunjenike

were driven by powerful narratives,

vodio moćan narativ,

so was the local population's defense of Timbuktu and its libraries.

tako je bilo i sa odbranom Timbuktua i njegovih biblioteka

od stane lokalnog stanovništva.

These were communities who've grown up with stories of the Mali Empire;

Bile su to zajednice koje su odrasle uz priče o Malijskom carstvu;

lived in the shadow of Timbuktu's great libraries.

živele su u senci velikih biblioteka Timbuktua.

They'd listened to songs of its origin from their childhood,

Od detinjstva su slušali pesme o svom poreklu

and they weren't about to give up on that

i nisu imali nameru da odustanu od toga

without a fight.

bez borbe.

Over difficult months of 2012,

Tokom teških meseci 2012. godine,

during the Ansar Dine invasion,

za vreme invazije Ansar Dine,

Malians, ordinary people, risked their lives

Malijanci, obični ljudi, rizikovali su svoj život

to secrete and smuggle documents to safety,

da sakriju i prokrijumčare dokumenta na sigurno mesto,

doing what they could to protect historic buildings

radeći šta mogu da zaštite istorijske spomenike

and defend their ancient libraries.

i odbrane stare biblioteke.

And although they weren't always successful,

Mada nisu uvek bili uspešni,

many of the most important manuscripts were thankfully saved,

mnogi najvažniji rukopisi su, srećom, spaseni,

and today each one of the shrines that was damaged during that uprising

a danas je obnovljeno svako svetilište koje je oštećeno tokom tog ustanka,

have been rebuilt,

including the 14th-century mosque that is the symbolic heart of the city.

uključujući džamiju iz 14. veka koja je simbolično srce grada.

It's been fully restored.

U potpunosti je obnovljena.

But even in the bleakest periods of the occupation,

Ali, čak i u najmračnijim periodima okupacije,

enough of the population of Timbuktu simply would not bow

dobar deo stanovništva Timbuktua jednostavno nije hteo da se klanja

to men like al-Faqi.

ljudima kao što je al Faki.

They wouldn't allow their history to be wiped away,

Nisu hteli da dozvole da se njihova istorija obriše,

and anyone who has visited that part of the world,

a svako ko je posetio taj deo sveta

they will understand why,

razumeće razlog,

why stories, why narrative, why histories are of such importance.

zašto su priče, narativ i istorija od tolikog značaja.

History matters.

Istorija je važna.

History really matters.

Istorija je zaista važna.

And for peoples of African descent,

A za ljude afričkog porekla,

who have seen their narrative systematically assaulted over centuries,

koji su vekovima gledali sistematske napade na svoj narativ

this is critically important.

ovo je od kritičnog značaja.

This is part of a recurrent echo across our history

Ovo je deo eha koji stalno iznova odzvanja kroz našu istoriju,

of ordinary people making a stand for their story, for their history.

eha običnih ljudi koji se zauzimaju za svoju priču, za svoju istoriju.

Just as in the 19th century,

Baš kao u 19. veku,

enslaved peoples of African descent in the Caribbean

porobljeni narodi afričkog porekla na Karibima

fought under threat of punishment,

borili su se pod pretnjom kazne,

fought to practice their religions, to celebrate Carnival,

borili su se da vrše religijske obrede, da slave karneval,

to keep their history alive.

da održavaju istoriju u životu.

Ordinary people were prepared to make great sacrifices,

Obični ljudi su bili spremni na velike žrtve,

some even the ultimate sacrifice,

neki čak i na krajnju požrtvovanost,

for their history.

zarad svoje istorije.

And it was through control of narrative

Upravo su se kroz kontrolu narativa

that some of the most devastating colonial campaigns were crystallized.

iskristalisale neke od najrazornijih kolonijalnih kampanja.

It was through the dominance of one narrative over another

Kroz dominaciju jednog narativa nad drugim

that the worst manifestations of colonialism became palpable.

postale su primetne najgore manifestacije kolonijalizma.

When, in 1874, the British attacked the Ashanti,

Kada su 1874. godine Britanci napali Asanti,

they overran Kumasi and captured the Asantehene.

osvojili su Kumasi i zarobili kralja Asantija.

They knew that controlling territory and subjugating the head of state --

Znali su da kontrola nad teritorijom i pokoravanje poglavara države

it wasn't enough.

nije dovoljno.

They recognized that the emotional authority of state

Prepoznali su da je emocionalni autoritet države u njenom narativu

lay in its narrative

and the symbols that represented it,

i simbolima koji je predstavljaju,

like the Golden Stool.

kao što je zlatna stolica.

They understood that control of story was absolutely critical

Razumeli su da je kontrola nad pričom od apsolutno kritičnog značaja

to truly controlling a people.

da bi se zaista kontrolisao narod.

And the Ashanti understood, too,

Asanti su to takođe razumeli

and they never were to relinquish the precious Golden Stool,

i nikada se nisu odrekli dragocene zlatne stolice,

never to completely capitulate to the British.

nikada se nisu potpuno predali Britancima.

Narrative matters.

Narativ je bitan.

In 1871, Karl Mauch, a German geologist working in Southern Africa,

Godine 1871, Karl Mauh, nemački geolog koji je radio u južnom delu Afrike,

he stumbled across an extraordinary complex,

naišao je na izuzetan kompleks,

a complex of abandoned stone buildings.

kompleks napuštenih kamenih građevina.

And he never quite recovered from what he saw:

Nikada se nije sasvim oporavio od onoga što je video:

a granite, drystone city,

grad od granita, suvog kamena,

stranded on an outcrop above an empty savannah:

nasađen na stenovitoj površini iznad prazne savane -

Great Zimbabwe.

Veliki Zimbabve.

And Mauch had no idea who was responsible

Mauh nije imao predstavu ko je zaslužan

for what was obviously an astonishing feat of architecture,

za ovaj zadivljujući poduhvat arhitekture,

but he felt sure of one single thing:

ali bio je siguran u jedno:

this narrative needed to be claimed.

treba polagati pravo na ovaj narativ.

He later wrote that the wrought architecture of Great Zimbabwe

Kasnije je napisao da je kovana arhitektura Velikog Zimbavea

was simply too sophisticated,

jednostavno suviše prefinjena,

too special to have been built by Africans.

previše posebna da bi bila izgrađena od strane Afrikanaca.

Mauch, like dozens of Europeans that followed in his footsteps,

Mauh je, kao i desetine Evropljana koji su krenuli njegovim stopama,

speculated on who might have built the city.

teoretisao o tome ko je mogao izgraditi grad.

And one went as far as to posit,

Jedan je išao do te mere da pretpostavi:

"I do not think that I am far wrong if I suppose that that ruin on the hill

„Ne mislim da mnogo grešim ako prepostavim da je ta ruševina na brdu

is a copy of King Solomon's Temple."

kopija Solomonovog hrama.“

And as I'm sure you know, Mauch,

A siguran sam da znate,

he hadn't stumbled upon King Solomon's Temple,

Mauh nije naišao na Solomonov hram,

but upon a purely African complex of buildings

već na isključivo afrički kompleks građevina

constructed by a purely African civilization

koji je izgradila isključivo afrička civilizacija

from the 11th century onward.

od 11. veka pa nadalje.

But like Leo Frobenius, a fellow German anthropologist

Baš kao Leo Frobenijus, njegov sunarodnik, nemački antropolog

who speculated some years later,

koji je nagađao nekoliko godina kasnije,

upon seeing the Nigerian Ife Heads for the very first time,

nakon što je prvi put video nigerijske glave iz Ife,

that they must have been artifacts from the long-lost kingdom of Atlantis.

da mora da su proizvodi davno izgubljenog kraljevstva Atlantide.

He felt, just like Hegel,

Imao je, baš kao i Hegel,

an almost instinctive need to rob Africa of its history.

gotovo instinktivnu potrebu da Africi otme njenu istoriju.

These ideas are so irrational,

Ove ideju su toliko iracionalne,

so deeply held,

tako duboko ukorenjene,

that even when faced with the physical archaeology,

da čak i fizički suočeni sa arheologijom

they couldn't think rationally.

nisu mogli da razmišljaju racionalno.

They could no longer see.

Nisu više mogli da vide.

And like so much of Africa's relationship with Enlightenment Europe,

A kao i dobar deo odnosa Afrike sa prosvetiteljstvom Evrope,

it involved appropriation, denigration and control of the continent.

to je podrazumevalo prisvajanje imovine, omalovažavanje i kontrolu nad kontinentom.

It involved an attempt to bend narrative to Europe's ends.

Obuhvatalo je pokušaj da se narativ iskrivi prema ciljevima Evrope.

And if Mauch had really wanted to find an answer to his question,

Da je Mauh zaista hteo da pronađe odgovor na svoje pitanje:

"Where did Great Zimbabwe or that great stone building come from?"

„Odakle potiče Veliki Zimbabve ili ta velika kamena građevina?“,

he would have needed to begin his quest

morao bi da započne svoju potragu

a thousand miles away from Great Zimbabwe,

hiljade kilometara izvan Velikog Zimbabvea,

at the eastern edge of the continent, where Africa meets the Indian Ocean.

na istočnoj ivici kontinenta, gde se Afrika sreće sa Indijskim okeanom.

He would have needed to trace the gold and the goods

Morao bi da prati trag zlata i robe

from some of the great trading emporia of the Swahili coast to Great Zimbabwe,

od nekih od velikih trgovačkih središta

na svahilijskoj obali do Velikog Zimbabvea,

to gain a sense of the scale and influence

da bi stvorio predstavu o obimu i uticaju

of that mysterious culture,

te misteriozne kulture,

to get a picture of Great Zimbabwe as a political, cultural entity

da bi stvorio sliku o Velikom Zimbabveu kao političkom, kulturnom entitetu

through the kingdoms and the civilizations

kroz kraljevstva i civilizacije

that were drawn under its control.

koje su dovedene pod njegovu kontrolu.

For centuries, traders have been drawn to that bit of the coast

Vekovima je trgovce privlačio taj deo obale

from as far away as India and China and the Middle East.

iz udaljenih zemalja kao što su Indija, Kina i Srednji istok.

And it might be tempting to interpret,

Može biti primamljivo da se protumači

because it's exquisitely beautiful, that building,

jer je ovo izuzetno lepa građevina,

it might be tempting to interpret it

može biti primamljivo da je protumačimo

as just an exquisite, symbolic jewel,

prosto kao izvrstan, simbolični dragulj,

a vast ceremonial sculpture in stone.

ogromnu ceremonijalnu skulpturu u kamenu.

But the site must have been a complex

Ali, ovaj lokalitet mora da je bio kompleks

at the center of a significant nexus of economies

u središtu značajnih ekonomskih veza

that defined this region for a millennium.

koje su definisale ovu regiju tokom čitavog milenijuma.

This matters.

To je važno.

These narratives matter.

Ovi narativi su važni.

Even today, the fight to tell our story is not just against time.

Čak i danas, borba za pričanje naše priče nije samo protiv vremena,

It's not just against organizations like Ansar Dine.

nije samo protiv organizacija poput Ansar Dine.

It's also in establishing a truly African voice

Takođe se sastoji i utemeljivanju istinskog afričkog glasa

after centuries of imposed histories.

nakon vekova nametnute istorije.

We don't just have to recolonize our history,

Ne samo da moramo da iznova kolonizujemo svoju istoriju,

but we have to find ways to build back the intellectual underpinning

već moramo da pronađem načine da ponovo izgradimo intelektualne temelje

that Hegel denied was there at all.

čije je postojanje Hegel potpuno negirao.

We have to rediscover African philosophy,

Moramo da iznova otkrijemo afričku filozofiju,

African perspectives, African history.

afričke perspektive, afričku istoriju.

The flowering of Great Zimbabwe -- it wasn't a freak moment.

Procvat Velikog Zimbabvea nije bio čudan trenutak.

It was part of a burgeoning change across the whole of the continent.

Bio je deo sve većih promena na celom kontinentu.

Perhaps the great exemplification of that was Sundiata Keita,

Možda je odličan primer toga bio Sundijata Kejta,

the founder of the Mali Empire,

osnivač Malijskog carstva,

probably the greatest empire that West Africa has ever seen.

verovatno najvećeg carstva koje je Zapadna Afrika ikada videla.

Sundiata Keita was born about 1235,

Sundijata Kejta je rođen oko 1235. godine,

growing up in a time of profound flux.

odrastajući u vreme dubokih promena.

He was seeing the transition between the Berber dynasties to the north,

Video je tranziciju između berberskih dinastija na severu,

he may have heard about the rise of the Ife to the south

možda je čuo za uspon Ifa na jugu,

and perhaps even the dominance of the Solomaic Dynasty

možda čak i za prevlast solomonske dinastije

in Ethiopia to the east.

u Etiopiji na istoku.

And he must have been aware that he was living through a moment

Mora da je bio svestan da je živeo u trenutku

of quickening change,

ubrzanih promena,

of growing confidence in our continent.

sve većeg poverenja u naš kontinent.

He must have been aware of new states

Mora da je bio svestan novih država

that were building their influence

koje su gradile svoj uticaj

from as far afield as Great Zimbabwe and the Swahili sultanates,

čak od Velikog Zimbabvea i svahilskih sultanata,

each engaged directly or indirectly beyond the continent itself,

pri čemu je svaka bila direktno ili indirektno angažovana van kontinenta,

each driven also to invest in securing their intellectual and cultural legacy.

svaka motivisana da ulaže u obezbeđivanje svog intelektualnog i kulturnog nasleđa.

He probably would have engaged in trade with these peer nations

Verovatno bi se uključio u trgovinu sa ovim bliskim nacijama

as part of a massive continental nexus

kao deo ogromne kontinentalne povezanosti

of great medieval African economies.

velikih srednjevekovnih ekonomija Afrike.

And like all of those great empires,

Kao i sva ta velika carstva,

Sundiata Keita invested in securing his legacy through history

Sundijata Kejta je ulagao u to da osigura svoje nasleđe kroz istoriju

by using story --

koristeći priču -

not just formalizing the idea of storytelling,

ne samo formalizovanjem ideje pripovedanja,

but in building a whole convention

već izgradnjom čitavog običaja

of telling and retelling his story

pričanja i ponovnog ispredanja njegove priče

as a key to founding a narrative

kao ključnog za utemeljivanje narativa svog carstva.

for his empire.

And these stories, in musical form,

O ovim pričama se u muzičkoj formi

are still sung today.

još i danas peva.

Now, several decades after the death of Sundiata,

Nekoliko decenija nakon smrti Sundijate,

a new king ascended the throne,

novi kralj je stupio na presto,

Mansa Musa, its most famous emperor.

Mansa Musa, njegov najpoznatiji car.

Now, Mansa Musa is famed for his vast gold reserves

Mansa Musa je poznat po svojim ogromnim rezervama zlata

and for sending envoys to the courts of Europe and the Middle East.

i po tome što je slao izaslanike na dvorove Evrope i Bliskog istoka.

He was every bit as ambitious as his predecessors,

Bio je podjednako ambiciozan kao i njegovi prethodnici,

but saw a different kind of route of securing his place in history.

ali je video drugačiji put ka obezbeđivanju svog mesta u istoriji.

In 1324, Mansa Musa went on pilgrimage to Mecca,

Godine 1324, Mansa Musa je otišao na hodočašće u Meku

and he traveled with a retinue of thousands.

i putovao je uz pratnju od hiljadu ljudi.

It's been said that 100 camels each carried 100 pounds of gold.

Pričalo se da je svaka od 100 kamila nosila 50 kilograma zlata.

It's been recorded that he built a fully functioning mosque

Zabeleženo je da je gradio potpuno funkcionalne džamije

every Friday of his trip,

svakog petka na putovanju

and performed so many acts of kindness,

i da je učinio toliko dobrih dela

that the great Berber chronicler, Ibn Battuta, wrote,

da je veliki berberski hroničar Ibn Batuta napisao:

"He flooded Cairo with kindness,

„Preplavio je Kairo dobrotom,

spending so much in the markets of North Africa and the Middle East

a toliko je trošio na pijacama Severne Afrike i Srednjeg istoka

that it affected the price of gold into the next decade."

da je to uticalo na cenu zlata u sledećoj deceniji.“

And on his return,

U povratku,

Mansa Musa memorialized his journey

Mansa Musa je ovekovečio svoje putovanje

by building a mosque at the heart of his empire.

izgradnjom džamije u srcu svog carstva.

And the legacy of what he left behind,

Nasleđe onoga što je ostavio za sobom,

Timbuktu,

Timbuktua,

it represents one of the great bodies of written historical material

predstavlja jedno od najvećih zbirki pisanog istorijskog materijala

produced by African scholars:

koji su proizveli afrički učenjaci:

about 700,000 medieval documents,

oko 700 000 srednjovekovnih dokumenata,

ranging from scholarly works to letters,

od naučnih radova do pisama,

which have been preserved often by private households.

koja su često bila sačuvana u privatnim domaćinstvima.

And at its peak, in the 15th and 16th centuries,

Na svom vrhuncu, u 15. i 16. veku,

the university there was as influential

tamošnji univerzitet je bio podjednako uticajan

as any educational establishment in Europe,

kao i bilo koja druga obrazovna ustanova u Evropi

attracting about 25,000 students.

i privukao je oko 25 000 učenika.

This was in a city of around 100,000 people.

Ovo je bio grad od oko 100 000 ljudi.

It cemented Timbuktu as a world center of learning.

Učvrstio je Timbuktu kao svetski centar učenja.

But this was a very particular kind of learning

Ali, to je bila naročita vrsta učenja

that was focused and driven by Islam.

koja je bila usmerena na islam i vođena njime.

And since I first visited Timbuktu,

Od moje prve posete Timbuktuu

I've visited many other libraries across Africa,

posetio sam mnoge druge biblioteke širom Afrike

and despite Hegel's view that Africa has no history,

i uprkos Hegelovom gledištu da Afrika nema istoriju,

not only is it a continent with an embarrassment of history,

ne samo da je to kontinent sa brukom od istorije,

it has developed unrivaled systems for collecting and promoting it.

već je razvio i sisteme bez premca za njeno prikupljanje i negovanje.

There are thousands of small archives,

Postoje hiljade malih arhiva,

textile drum stores,

prodavnica tekstilnih bubnjeva,

that have become more than repositories of manuscripts and material culture.

koji su postali više od skladišta rukopisa i materijalnih proizvoda kulture.

They have become fonts of communal narrative,

Postali su izvori narativa zajednica,

symbols of continuity,

simboli kontinuiteta,

and I'm pretty sure that many of those European philosophers

a prilično sam siguran da mora da su mnogi od tih evropskih filozofa

who questioned an African intellectual tradition

koji su dovodili u pitanje afričku intelektualnu tradiciju,

must have, beneath their prejudices,

ispod svojih predubeđenja

been aware of the contribution of Africa's intellectuals

bili svesni doprinosa intelektualaca Afike

to Western learning.

zapadnom učenju.

They must have known

Mora da su znali

of the great North African medieval philosophers

za velike srednjevekovne filozofe Severne Afrike

who had driven the Mediterranean.

koji su podsticali Sredozemlje.

They must have known about and been aware of

Mora da su znali ili bili svesni one tradicije koja je deo hrišćanstva,

that tradition that is part of Christianity, of the three wise men.

o tri mudraca.

And in the medieval period, Balthazar, that third wise man,

U periodu srednjeg veka, Baltazar, treći mudrac,

was represented as an African king.

bio je predstavljen kao afrički kralj.

And he became hugely popular

Postao je veoma popularan

as the third intellectual leg of Old World learning,

kao treći intelektualni stožer učenja Starog sveta,

alongside Europe and Asia, as a peer.

uz Evropu i Aziju kao ravnopravan.

These things were well-known.

Ove stvari su bile dobro poznate.

These communities did not grow up in isolation.

Ove zajednice nisu rasle u izolaciji.

Timbuktu's wealth and power developed because the city became

Bogatstvo i moć Timbuktua razvili su se jer je grad postao

a hub of lucrative intercontinental trade routes.

središte unosnih interkontinentalnih trgovačkih puteva.

This was one center

Bio je to jedan centar

in a borderless, transcontinental,

na kontinentu bez granica, transkontinentalnom,

ambitious, outwardly focused, confident continent.

ambicioznom, samouverenom kontinentu usmerenom ka spolja.

Berber merchants, they carried salt and textiles

Berberski trgovci su prenosili so, tekstil

and new precious goods and learning down into West Africa

i novu dragocenu robu i učenja u ​​Zapadnu Afriku

from across the desert.

preko pustinje.

But as you can see from this map

Ali, kao što možete videti na ovoj mapi

that was produced a little time after the life of Mansa Musa,

koja je napravljena malo nakon kraja života Manse Muse,

there was also a nexus of sub-Saharan trade routes,

takođe je postojao i spoj podsaharskih trgovinskih puteva

along which African ideas and traditions

duž kojih su afričke ideje i tradicije

added to the intellectual worth of Timbuktu

pridodavale intelektualnoj vrednosti Timbuktua,

and indeed across the desert to Europe.

pa čak i preko pustinje do Evrope.

Manuscripts and material culture,

Rukopisi i materijalni proizvodi kulture

they have become fonts of communal narrative,

postali su izvori zajedničkog narativa,

symbols of continuity.

simboli kontinuiteta.

And I'm pretty sure that those European intellectuals

Prilično sam siguran da su ti evropski intelektualci

who cast aspersions on our history,

koji su klevetali našu istoriju

they knew fundamentally about our traditions.

u suštini znali za naše tradicije.

And today, as strident forces like Ansar Dine and Boko Haram

Danas, dok gromkim silama kao što su Ansar Dine i Boko Haram

grow popular in West Africa,

raste popularnost u Zapadnoj Africi,

it's that spirit of truly indigenous, dynamic, intellectual defiance

taj duh pravog domaćeg, dinamičnog, intelektualnog prkosa

that holds ancient traditions in good stead.

održava stare tradicije u dobrom stanju.

When Mansa Musa made Timbuktu his capital,

Kada je Mansa Musa učinio Timbuktu svojom prestonicom,

he looked upon the city as a Medici looked upon Florence:

gledao je na grad kao što je jedan Mediči sagledavao Firencu:

as the center of an open, intellectual, entrepreneurial empire

kao centar otvorenog, intelektualnog, preduzetničkog carstva

that thrived on great ideas wherever they came from.

koje se razvijalo na dobrim idejama, odakle god da su one dolazile.

The city, the culture,

Grad, kultura,

the very intellectual DNA of this region

sama intelektualna DNK ove regije

remains so beautifully complex and diverse,

ostaje tako lepo složena i raznolika

that it will always remain, in part,

da će uvek delom ostati

located in storytelling traditions that derive from indigenous,

smeštena u tradicijama pripovedanja koje proističu iz starosedelačkih,

pre-Islamic traditions.

preislamskih tradicija.

The highly successful form of Islam that developed in Mali became popular

Veoma uspešan oblik islama koji se razvio u Maliju postao je popularan

because it accepted those freedoms

jer je prihvatio te slobode

and that inherent cultural diversity.

i tu svojstvenu kulturološku raznolikost.

And the celebration of that complexity,

Proslava te složenosti,

that love of rigorously contested discourse,

ta ljubav prema strogo osporavanom diskursu,

that appreciation of narrative,

to uvažavanje narativa,

was and remains, in spite of everything,

bilo je i ostaje, uprkos svemu,

the very heart of West Africa.

samo srce Zapadne Afrike.

And today, as the shrines and the mosque vandalized by Ansar Dine

Danas, dok su svetilišta i džamije koje je uništio Ansar Dine

have been rebuilt,

iznova izgrađivani,

many of the instigators of their destruction have been jailed.

mnogi podstrekači njihovog uništenja smešteni su u zatvor.

And we are left with powerful lessons,

Ostale su nam snažne lekcije

reminded once again of how our history and narrative

da nas još jednom podsete kako su naša istorija i narativ

have held communities together for millennia,

hiljadama godina održavale zajednice ujedinjenim,

how they remain vital in making sense of modern Africa.

kako su i dalje od vitalnog značaja za razumevanje savremene Afrike.

And we're also reminded

Takođe nas podsećaju

of how the roots of this confident, intellectual, entrepreneurial,

kako je korenima ove samopouzdane, intelektualne, preduzetničke,

outward-facing, culturally porous, tariff-free Africa

spolja usmerene, kulturno porozne, bescarinske Afrike

was once the envy of the world.

nekada zavideo svet.

But those roots, they remain.

Ali, ti koreni opstaju.

Thank you very much.

Hvala vam puno.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)