How to turn your dissatisfaction into action | Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuca Lektor: Kristina Radosavljević

Sometimes,

Ponekad

you have a negative feeling about things.

imate negativna osećanja u vezi sa nečim.

You're not happy about the way things are going.

Niste zadovoljni time kako se stvari odvijaju.

You feel frustrated and dissatisfied,

Frustrirani ste i nezadovoljni,

and so often, we choose to live with it.

i često odlučimo da živimo sa tim.

It's a negative that we tell ourselves we have to endure.

Govorimo sebi da moramo da istrpimo.

And yet, I passionately believe

Ali, ja snažno verujem

that we all have the ability

da svi imamo sposobnost

to turn that negative feeling

da to negativno osećanje pretvorimo

into a positive

u pozitivno

by allowing our dissatisfaction

tako što ćemo dozvoliti da naše nezadovoljstvo

to give birth to change.

proizvede promenu.

On January 6, 1999,

Šestog januara 1999.

I was working in London

radila sam u Londonu

when the news channels began to report

kada su vesti počele da izveštavaju

the rebel invasion of my hometown,

o upadu pobunjenika u moj rodni grad,

Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Fritaun u Sijera Leoneu.

Thousands of people lost their lives,

Hiljade ljudi su izgubile živote,

and there were bodies littering the streets of Freetown.

i tela su zatrpala ulice Fritauna.

My husband's elderly aunt was burned alive,

Tetka mog supruga, žena u godinama, bila je živa spaljena,

and I thought of my own two-year old

i pomislila sam na svoje dete od dve godine

as I saw images of little children with amputated limbs.

dok sam gledala slike dečice sa amputiranim udovima.

Colleagues said to me,

Kolege su mi govorile:

"How could we help?"

„Kako možemo da pomognemo?”

I didn't know,

Nisam znala kako,

so I began to call the telephone numbers that came up on my screen

pa sam počela da pozivam brojeve telefona koji su mi izlazili na ekranu

as international aid agencies started to make appeals

kao brojevi međunarodnih agencija za pružanje pomoći koje su apelovale

to raise money to address the tragedy.

da bi sakupile novac radi saniranja tragedije.

The vagueness of those telephone conversations disappointed me.

Razočarala me je neodređenost tih telefonskih razgovora.

It felt like the people who were raising the money

Imala sam utisak da su ljudi koji su prikupljali novac

seemed so far removed from the crisis,

delovali toliko udaljeno od krize,

and understandably so,

što je i razumljivo,

but I wasn't satisfied

ali nisam bila zadovoljna

and I wasn't convinced

i nisam bila ubeđena

that the interventions they would eventually implement

da bi intervencije koje bi oni na kraju primenili

would actually have the level of impact that was so clearly needed.

zaista imale onoliki uticaj koji je očigledno bio neophodan.

There were butterflies in my stomach for days

Danima mi je kuvalo u stomaku

as I continued to watch horrors unfold on television,

dok sam nastavila da gledam na televiziji kako se ti užasi odvijaju,

and I continuously asked myself,

i uporno sam postavljala sebi pitanje

what could I be doing?

šta bih mogla da učinim.

What should I be doing?

Šta treba da uradim?

What I wanted to do was to help children affected by the war.

Ono što sam želela jeste da pomognem deci koju je pogodio rat.

So that's what we did.

I to smo i uradili.

Myself, my sister and some friends

Ja, moja sestra i nekolicina prijatelja

started the Sierra Leone War Trust For Children, SLWT.

osnovali smo Ratni fond Sijera Leonea za decu, SLWT.

We decided to focus on the thousands of displaced people

Rešili smo da se fokusiramo na hiljade raseljenih ljudi

that fled the fighting

koji su pobegli od borbi

and were now living in really poor, difficult conditions

i koji su živeli u vrlo teškim uslovima siromaštva

in camps in Freetown.

u kampovima u Fritaunu.

Our work started with the Ross Road Camp

Najpre smo radili sa Kampom Ros Roud

at the east end of the city.

u istočnom kraju grada.

Working with a local health organization,

U saradnji sa lokalnom zdravstvenom organizacijom,

we identified about 130 of the most vulnerable single mothers

pronašli smo oko 130 najranjivijih samohranih majki

with children under the age of five,

sa decom ispod pet godina,

supporting them by providing business skills,

i obezbedili im podršku tako što smo im pružili poslovne veštine,

microcredit,

mikrokredite,

whatever they asked us.

šta god da bi nam zatražile.

Working in those difficult conditions,

Rad u tako teškim uslovima,

just getting the basics right, was no small task,

samo briga o osnovnim stvarima, nije bio jednostavan zadatak,

but our collective sense of dissatisfaction

ali naš kolektivni osećaj nezadovoljstva

at an unacceptable status quo

i neprihvatljivi status kvo

kept us focused on getting things done.

držao nas je usredsređenim na obavljanje posla.

Some of those women went on to open small businesses,

Neke od tih žena su kasnije otvorile male firme,

repaid their loans

isplatile kredite

and allowed other mothers and their children

i omogućile drugim majkama i njihovoj deci

to have the same opportunity they did.

da dobiju iste prilike kao i one.

And we, we kept on going.

A mi smo nastavili dalje.

In 2004, we opened an agricultural training center

Godine 2004. smo otvorili poljoprivredni centar za obuku

for ex-child soldiers,

za bivšu decu vojnike,

and when the war was behind us,

a kada se rat završio,

we started a scholarship program for disadvantaged girls

započeli smo program stipendija za devojčice u lošim uslovima

who would otherwise not be able to continue in school.

koje inače ne bi mogle da nastave sa školovanjem.

Today, Stella, one of those girls,

Danas je Stela, jedna od tih devojčica,

is about to qualify as a medical doctor.

nadomak toga da postane lekar.

It's amazing what a dose of dissatisfaction can birth.

Neverovatno je šta izvesna količina nezadovoljstva može da iznedri.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

Ten years later, in 2014,

Deset godina kasnije, 2014. godine,

Sierra Leone was struck by Ebola.

Sijera Leone pogodila je ebola.

I was working in Freetown at the time on a hotel construction project on May 25

U to vreme sam radila u Fritaunu na projektu izgradnje hotela,

tog 25. maja kad su objavljeni prvi slučajevi,

when the first cases were announced,

but I was back in London on July 30

ali sam se vratila u London 30. jula

when the state of emergency was announced,

kada je proglašeno vanredno stanje,

the same day that many airlines stopped their flights to Sierra Leone.

istog dana kada su mnoge avio-kompanije ukinule letove ka Sijeri Leoneu.

I remember crying for hours,

Sećam se da sam plakala satima

asking God, why this? Why us?

i pitala boga zašto se to dogodilo i zašto baš nama.

But beyond the tears,

Ali dok su suze padale,

I began to feel again

ponovo sam počela da osećam

that profound sense of dissatisfaction.

to duboko nezadovoljstvo.

So when, six months after those first cases had been confirmed,

Zato kada se, šest meseci nakon što su potvrđeni ti prvi slučajevi,

the disease was still spreading rapidly in Sierra Leone

bolest i dalje ubrzano širila u Sijera Leoneu

and the number of people infected and dying continued to rise,

i broj zaraženih i umrlih je nastavio da raste,

my level of frustration and anger

nivo frustriranosti i besa je kod mene toliko narastao

got so much that I knew I could not stay

da sam znala da ne mogu da stojim

and watch the crisis from outside Sierra Leone.

i da posmatram krizu izvan Sijera Leonea.

So, in mid-November,

Zato sam se sredinom novembra

I said goodbye to my much loved

oprostila sa svojim voljenim

and very understanding husband and children,

suprugom i decom koji su imali puno razumevanja,

and boarded a rather empty plane

i ukrcala sam se na prilično prazan avion

to Freetown.

ka Fritaunu.

Freetown was now the epicenter of the outbreak.

Fritaun je sada bio epicentar zaraze.

There were hundreds of new cases every week.

Stotine novih slučajeva pojavljivale su se svake nedelje.

I spoke to many medical experts,

Razgovarala sam sa mnogim stručnjacima u oblasti medicine,

epidemiologists

sa epidemiolozima

and ordinary people every day.

i običnim ljudima svakog dana.

Everyone was really scared.

Svi su bili stvarno uplašeni.

"We won't succeed until we're talking to people under the mango tree."

„Nećemo uspeti dok ne porazgovaramo sa ljudima pod drvetom manga.”

So said Dr. Yoti,

Tako je govorio dr Joti,

a Ugandan doctor who worked for WHO

ugandski doktor koji je radio za SZO

and who had been involved in pretty much every Ebola outbreak

i koji je bio angažovan u gotovo svakom izbijanju ebole

in Africa previously.

do tada u Africi.

He was right,

Bio je u pravu,

and yet there was no plan to make that happen.

ali nije postojao plan da se to ostvari.

So during a weekend in early December,

Stoga sam jednog vikenda početkom decembra

I developed a plan that became known as the Western Area Surge plan.

osmislila plan koji je postao poznat kao plan Talasa zapadne oblasti.

We needed to talk with people,

Bilo je potrebno da razgovaramo sa ljudima,

not at people.

a ne da im samo mi govorimo.

We needed to work with the community influencers

Bilo je potrebno da sarađujemo sa uticajnim ljudima u zajednici

so people believed our message.

da bi ljudi poverovali u ono što im poručujemo.

We needed to be talking under the mango tree,

Bilo je potrebno da razgovaramo pod drvetom manga,

not through loudspeakers.

a ne preko zvučnika.

And we needed more beds.

I bilo nam je potrebno još kreveta.

The National Ebola Response Center, NERC,

Nacionalni centar za reagovanje na ebolu, NCRE,

built on and implemented that plan,

nadogradio je i primenio taj plan,

and by the third week of January,

i do treće nedelje januara,

the number of cases had fallen dramatically.

broj slučajeva je značajno opao.

I was asked to serve

Ponudili su mi da postanem

as a new Director of Planning for NERC,

novi direktor planiranja NCRE-a,

which took me right across the country,

što me je odvelo na put po zemlji,

trying to stay ahead of the outbreak

na kome sam pokušavala da budem ispred zaraze,

but also following it

ali sam je takođe pratila

to remote villages in the provinces

do udaljenih sela u provincijama,

as well as to urban slum communities.

kao i do urbanih sirotinjskih zajednica.

On one occasion, I got out of my car

Jednom prilikom sam izašla iz auta

to call for help for a man who had collapsed on the road.

da pozovem pomoć za čoveka koji se onesvestio na putu.

I accidentally stepped in liquid

Slučajno sam ugazila u tečnost

that was coming down the road from where he lay.

koja se slivala niz put na kome je ležao.

I rushed to my parents' house,

Pojurila sam u kuću svojih roditelja

washed my feet in chlorine.

i oprala stopala hlorom.

I'll never forget waiting for that man's test results

Nikada neću zaboraviti kako sam čekala rezultate testa tog čoveka

as I constantly checked my temperature then and throughout the outbreak.

dok sam neprekidno proveravala da li imam temperaturu, tada i tokom cele epidemije.

The Ebola fight was probably the most challenging

Borba protiv ebole je verovatno bila najveći izazov,

but rewarding experience of my life,

ali i najviše nagrađujuće iskustvo u mom životu,

and I'm really grateful

i zaista sam zahvalna

for the dissatisfaction

na nezadovoljstvu

that opened up the space

koje mi je stvorilo prostor

for me to serve.

u kome sam mogla da pomognem.

Dissatisfaction can be a constant presence in the background,

Nezadovoljstvo može biti stalno prisutno u pozadini,

or it can be sudden,

ili može biti iznenadno,

triggered by events.

podstaknuto nekim događajima.

Sometimes it's both.

Ponekad je i jedno i drugo.

With my hometown, that's the way it was.

Tako je bilo u slučaju mog rodnog grada.

For years, our city had changed,

Naš grad se godinama menjao

and it had caused me great pain.

i to je u meni stvaralo veliki bol.

I remember a childhood

Sećam se kako sam u detinjstvu

growing up climbing trees,

odrastala penjući se po drveću,

picking mangoes and plums

berući manga i šljive

on the university campus where my father was a lecturer.

u univerzitetskom kampusu gde je moj otac bio predavač.

Went fishing in the streams deep in the botanical gardens.

Išla sam na pecanje u potocima duboko u botaničkim baštama.

The hillsides around Freetown were covered with lush green vegetation,

Obronci brda oko Fritauna bili su prekriveni bujnom zelenom vegetacijom,

and the beaches were clean and pristine.

a plaže su bile čiste i netaknute.

The doubling of the population of Freetown in the years that followed the civil war,

Udvostručavanje stanovništva Fritauna tokom godina nakon građanskog rata,

and the lack of planning and building control

nedostatak planiranja i kontrolisane izgradnje

resulted in massive deforestation.

doveli su do masovnog krčenja šuma.

The trees, the natural beauty, were destroyed as space was made

Drveće, prirodna lepota, uništeno je dok je pravljen prostor

for new communities, formal or informal,

za nove zajednice, formalne ili neformalne,

and for the cutting down of firewood.

i radi seče drveta za ogrev.

I was deeply troubled and dissatisfied.

Bila sam duboko zabrinuta i nezadovoljna.

It wasn't just the destruction of the trees and the hillsides

Nije uništavanje drveća i padina jedino što mi je smetalo.

that bothered me.

Radilo se i o ljudskom faktoru,

It was also the impact of people,

as infrastructure failed to keep up with the growth of the population:

jer infrastruktura nije uspevala da održi korak sa rastom stanovništva:

no sanitation systems to speak of,

nije bilo ni govora o kanalizaciji,

a dirty city with typhoid, malaria and dysentery.

grad je bio prljav, zaražen tifusom, malarijom i dizenterijom.

I didn't know the statistics at the time,

U to vreme nisam znala statističke podatke,

but it turned out that by 2017,

ali ispostavilo se da je do 2017. godine

only six percent of liquid waste and 21 percent of solid waste

samo šest posto tečnog otpada i 21 posto čvrstog otpada

was being collected.

bilo sakupljano.

The rest was right there with us,

Ostatak je bio pored nas,

in backyards, in fields, rivers

po dvorištima, poljima, rekama

and deposited in the sea.

i nataložen u moru.

The steps to address that deep sense of anger and frustration I felt

Koraci za bavljenje tim dubokim osećajima besa i frustracije u meni

didn't unfold magically or clearly.

nisu se javili nekim čudom, niti su bili jasni.

That's not how the power of dissatisfaction works.

Moć nezadovoljstva ne funkcioniše tako.

It works when you know that things can be done better,

Ona deluje kada znate da se stvari mogu obavljati bolje,

and it works when you decide to take the risks to bring about that change.

i deluje kada odlučite da preuzmete rizik da biste ostvarili tu promenu.

And so it was that in 2017

I tako sam se 2017.

I ended up running for mayor,

kandidovala za gradonačelnika,

because I knew things could be better.

jer sam znala da stvari mogu biti bolje.

It seemed the people agreed with me, because I won the election.

Delovalo je da se ljudi slažu sa mnom, jer sam pobedila na izborima.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

Today, we are implementing an ambitious plan

Danas sprovodimo ambiciozan plan

to transform our city,

transformacije našeg grada,

and when I say we,

i kada kažem mi,

what gets me really excited

zaista me raduje

is that I mean the whole Freetown community,

da pod tim podrazumevam celokupnu zajednicu Fritauna,

whether it's being part of competitions like rewarding the neighborhood

bilo da se radi o učestvovanju u takmičenjima poput nagrađivanja naselja

that makes the most improvement in overall cleanliness,

koje najviše poboljša celokupnu čistoću,

or whether it's our programs

ili su u pitanju naši programi

that are leading and joining people and waste collectors

koji predvode i pridružuju ljude i sakupljače otpada

through our apps.

putem naših aplikacija.

In Freetown today,

Danas je Fritaun

it's a much cleaner city,

mnogo čistiji grad,

and those trees that we're so well known for,

a što se tiče drveća po kome smo poznati,

we planted 23,000 of them last rainy season.

zasadili smo 23 000 stabala prošle kišne sezone.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

And in 2020,

A 2020. godine

we plan to plant a million trees as part of our "Freetown the Tree Town" campaign.

planiramo da zasadimo milion stabala kao deo kampanje „Fritaun, grad drveća”.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

Sometimes, sometimes we have a negative feeling about things.

Ponekad imamo negativna osećanja u vezi sa nekim stvarima.

We're not happy about the way things are going.

Nismo srećni zbog načina na koji se stvari odvijaju.

We feel dissatisfied,

Osećamo nezadovoljstvo

and we feel frustrated.

i frustraciju.

We can change that negative into a positive.

To negativno osećanje možemo promeniti u pozitivno.

If you believe that things can be better,

Ako verujete u to da stvari mogu biti bolje,

then you have the option to do something rather than to do nothing.

onda imate mogućnost da nešto preduzmete, umesto da ne učinite ništa.

The scale and circumstances of our situations will differ,

Opseg problema i okolnosti naših situacija se razlikuju,

but for each of us,

ali svima nam je

we all have one thing in common.

jedna stvar zajednička.

We can take risks to make a difference,

Možemo rizikovati da bismo ostvarili promenu,

and I will close in saying,

i završiću time što ću vam reći:

step out,

zakoračite,

take a risk.

rizikujte.

If we can unite behind the power of dissatisfaction,

Ako se ujedinimo iza moći nezadovoljstva,

the world will be a better place.

svet će biti bolje mesto.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)