Laura Boushnak: For these women, reading is a daring act

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

As an Arab female photographer,

Kao fotografkinja arapskog porekla,

I have always found ample inspiration for my projects in personal experiences.

oduvek sam pronalazila obilnu inspiraciju za svoje projekte u ličnim iskustvima.

The passion I developed for knowledge,

Strast za obrazovanjem,

which allowed me to break barriers towards a better life

koja mi je omogućila da srušim prepreke do boljeg života,

was the motivation for my project I Read I Write.

je motivisala moj projekat: Čitam, pišem.

Pushed by my own experience,

Podstaknuta sopstvenim iskustvom,

as I was not allowed initially to pursue my higher education,

kako mi na početku nisu dozvoljavli da pohađam više škole,

I decided to explore and document stories of other women

odlučila sam da istražim i dokumentujem priče drugih žena

who changed their lives through education,

kojima je obrazovanje promenilo život,

while exposing and questioning the barriers they face.

razotkrivajući i dovodeći u pitanje prepreke s kojima se suočavaju.

I covered a range of topics that concern women's education,

Pokrila sam niz tema koje se bave obrazovanjem žena,

keeping in mind the differences among Arab countries

imajući u vidu razlike među arapskim zemljama

due to economic and social factors.

zbog ekonomskih i društvenih faktora.

These issues include female illiteracy, which is quite high in the region;

Neki od problema su: nepismenost kod žena, koja je izuzetno visoka u regionu;

educational reforms; programs for dropout students;

reforme obrazovanja; programi za ispisane đake

i politički aktivizam kod studenata.

and political activism among university students.

As I started this work,

Na početku mog rada,

it was not always easy to convince the women to participate.

nije uvek bilo lako nagovoriti žene da učestvuju.

Only after explaining to them

Tek nakon što bih im objasnila

how their stories might influence other women's lives,

kako njihove priče mogu da utiču na živote drugih žena,

how they would become role models for their own community, did some agree.

kako mogu da postanu uzori u svojoj zajednici, poneke bi pristale.

Seeking a collaborative and reflexive approach,

Tragajući za pristupom koji uključuje saradnju i uzajamnost,

I asked them to write their own words and ideas

tražila sam od njih da ispišu sopstvene reči i misli

on prints of their own images.

na svojim odštampanim fotografijama.

Those images were then shared in some of the classrooms,

Ove slike su potom podeljene u pojedinim učionicama

and worked to inspire and motivate other women

i služile su kao inspiracija i motivacija drugim ženama

going through similar educations and situations.

koje su imale slično obrazovno iskustvo.

Aisha, a teacher from Yemen, wrote,

Ajša, učiteljica iz Jemena, je napisala:

"I sought education in order to be independent

"Težila sam obrazovanju kako bih bila nezavisna

i da ne moram da se obraćam muškarcima za sve."

and to not count on men with everything."

One of my first subjects was Umm El-Saad from Egypt.

Jedan od mojih prvih subjekata je bila Um El-Sad iz Egipta.

When we first met, she was barely able to write her name.

Kada sam je upoznala, jedva da je znala da se potpiše.

She was attending a nine-month literacy program

Pohađala je devetomesečni program opismenjavanja

koji je vodila jedna lokalna NVO u predgrađu Kaira.

run by a local NGO in the Cairo suburbs.

Months later, she was joking that her husband

Nekoliko meseci kasnije, šalila se kako joj muž

had threatened to pull her out of the classes,

preti da će da je ispiše sa časova

as he found out that his now literate wife

jer je otkrio da njegova, sada pismena žena,

was going through his phone text messages.

proverava njegove poruke na telefonu.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Naughty Umm El-Saad.

Nevaljala Um El-Sad.

Of course, that's not why Umm El-Saad joined the program.

Naravno da se Um El-Sad nije zbog toga pridružila programu.

Videla sam kako je žudila da ima kontrolu nad prostim svakodnevnim rutinama,

I saw how she was longing to gain control over her simple daily routines,

small details that we take for granted,

malim detaljima koje uzimamo olako,

from counting money at the market to helping her kids in homework.

od brojanja novca na pijaci do pomaganja deci kod domaćeg.

Despite her poverty and her community's mindset,

Uprkos siromaštvu i mentalitetu kolektiva,

which belittles women's education,

koji omalovažava obrazovanje žena,

Umm El-Saad, along with her Egyptian classmates,

Um El-Sad, zajedno sa svojim egipatskim kolegama,

was eager to learn how to read and write.

žudila je da nauči da čita i piše.

In Tunisia, I met Asma,

U Tunisu sam upoznala Asmu,

one of the four activist women I interviewed.

jednu od četiri aktivistkinje koje sam intervjuisala.

The secular bioengineering student is quite active on social media.

Sekularna studentkinja bioinženjeringa je prilično aktivna na društvenim mrežama.

Regarding her country, which treasured what has been called the Arab Spring,

Misleći na svoju zemlju, za čije blago se smatra Arapsko proleće, rekla je:

she said, "I've always dreamt of discovering a new bacteria.

"Oduvek sam sanjala da ću otkriti novu bakteriju.

Now, after the revolution, we have a new one every single day."

Sada, nakon revolucije, svakoga dana pronalazimo po jednu."

Asma was referring to the rise of religious fundamentalism in the region,

Asma misli na uspon religijskog fundamentalizma u regionu,

which is another obstacle to women in particular.

koji je još jedna prepreka, naročito za žene.

Out of all the women I met, Fayza from Yemen affected me the most.

Od svih žena koje sam upoznala, Fajza iz Jemena me je najviše ganula.

Fayza was forced to drop out of school at the age of eight when she was married.

Fajza je bila prinuđena da napusti školu sa osam godina, kada je udata.

That marriage lasted for a year.

Brak je trajao godinu dana.

At 14, she became the third wife of a 60-year-old man,

Sa 14 godina postala je treća žena šezdesetogodišnjem čoveku,

and by the time she was 18, she was a divorced mother of three.

a do osamnaeste, bila je razvedena majka troje dece.

Despite her poverty,

Uprkos siromaštvu,

despite her social status as a divorcée in an ultra-conservative society,

uprkos društvenom statusu razvedene žene u izuzetno konzervativnom društvu

and despite the opposition of her parents to her going back to school,

i uprkos protivljenju njenih roditelja da se vrati u školu,

Fayza knew that her only way to control her life was through education.

Fajza je znala da je obrazovanje jedini način da upravlja svojim životom.

She is now 26.

Sada ima 26 godina.

She received a grant from a local NGO

Dobila je stipendiju od lokalne NVO

to fund her business studies at the university.

kojom će da finansira poslovne studije na univerzitetu.

Her goal is to find a job, rent a place to live in,

Njen cilj je da nađe posao, iznajmi stan u kom će da živi

and bring her kids back with her.

i da povede decu sa sobom.

The Arab states are going through tremendous change,

Arapske države prolaze kroz ogromne promene,

and the struggles women face are overwhelming.

a problemi sa kojima se žene suočavaju su poražavajući.

Just like the women I photographed,

Baš kao i žene koje sam fotografisala,

I had to overcome many barriers to becoming the photographer I am today,

i ja sam morala da savladam mnoge prepreke da bih postala fotograf kakav jesam,

many people along the way telling me what I can and cannot do.

mnogi su mi usput dobacivali šta mogu, a šta ne mogu da uradim.

Umm El-Saad, Asma and Fayza, and many women across the Arab world,

Um El-Sad, Asma, Fajza i mnoge druge žene širom arapskog sveta,

show that it is possible to overcome barriers to education,

pokazuju da je moguće savladati prepreke na putu do obrazovanja,

which they know is the best means to a better future.

za koje znaju da je najbolje sredstvo do bolje budućnosti.

And here I would like to end with a quote by Yasmine,

A sad bih volela da zaključim Jasmininim citatom,

to je jedna od četiri aktivistkinje koje sam intervjuisala u Tunisu.

one of the four activist women I interviewed in Tunisia.

Yasmine wrote,

Jasmina je napisala:

"Question your convictions.

"Preispitaj svoja ubeđenja.

Be who you to want to be, not who they want you to be.

Budi ono što želiš da budeš, ne ono što drugi žele.

Ne prihvataj ropstvo, jer te je majka rodila slobodnu."

Don't accept their enslavement, for your mother birthed you free."

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)