Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED

Translator: Miriam Loivotoki Elisha Reviewer: Nelson Simfukwe

I'm a storyteller.

Mimi ni msimuliaji wa hadithi

And I would like to tell you a few personal stories

Ningependa kuwasimulia kidogo maisha yangu

about what I like to call "the danger of the single story."

juu ya kile ninachopenda kuita "hatari ya simulizi moja"

I grew up on a university campus in eastern Nigeria.

Nilikulia mazingira ya chuo kikuu magharibi mwa Nigeria

My mother says that I started reading at the age of two,

Mama yangu anasema nilianza kusoma nikiwa na miaka miwili

although I think four is probably close to the truth.

japo nadhani miaka minne ni sahihi zaidi

So I was an early reader,

Niliwahi sana kuanza kusoma

and what I read were British and American children's books.

Nilisoma vitabu vya watoto vya Uingereza na Marekani

I was also an early writer,

Pia nilianza kuandika katika umri mdogo

and when I began to write, at about the age of seven,

Na nilipoanza kuandika, nikiwa na takriban miaka saba,

stories in pencil with crayon illustrations

hadithi za penseli na michoro ya rangi

that my poor mother was obligated to read,

ambazo mama yangu alilazimika kuzisoma,

I wrote exactly the kinds of stories I was reading:

niliandika hadithi sawa na zile nilizokuwa nazisoma:

All my characters were white and blue-eyed,

Wahusika wangu wote walikuwa wazungu na wenye macho ya bluu.

they played in the snow,

Walicheza katika theluji.

they ate apples,

Walikula matofaa

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

and they talked a lot about the weather,

Na walizungumza sana kuhusu hali ya hewa,

how lovely it was that the sun had come out.

jinsi ilivyo vizuri kuona jua limechomoza.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

Now, this despite the fact that I lived in Nigeria.

Yote haya,ingawa niliishi Nigeria.

I had never been outside Nigeria.

Nilikuwa sijawahi kwenda nje ya Nigeria.

We didn't have snow, we ate mangoes,

Hatukuwa na theluji, tulikula maembe.

and we never talked about the weather,

Na hatukuzungumza kuhusu hali ya hewa,

because there was no need to.

sababu hakukuwa na haja ya kufanya hivyo.

My characters also drank a lot of ginger beer,

Wahusika wangu pia walikunywa sana bia ya tangawizi

because the characters in the British books I read

kwa sababu wahusika katika vitabu vya Uingereza

drank ginger beer.

walikunywa bia ya tangawizi.

Never mind that I had no idea what ginger beer was.

Ijapokuwa sikuifahamu bia ya tangawizi

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

And for many years afterwards,

Na kwa miaka mingi baadaye

I would have a desperate desire to taste ginger beer.

nilikuwa na shauku ya kuonja bia ya tangawizi.

But that is another story.

Lakini hiyo ni hadithi nyingine.

What this demonstrates, I think,

Ambacho hii inaonyesha,nafikiri

is how impressionable and vulnerable we are

Ni namna tulivyo wajinga na wanyonge

in the face of a story,

Tunapokabiliana na simulizi

particularly as children.

hasa hasa kama watoto

Because all I had read were books in which characters were foreign,

Sababu nilisoma vitabu vyenye wahusika wa kigeni

I had become convinced that books

Nilikuwa nimeaminishwa kwamba vitabu

by their very nature had to have foreigners in them

kwa asili lazima viwe na wahusika wageni

and had to be about things with which I could not personally identify.

Na vielezo kuhusu mambo ambayo binafsi siyafahamu

Now, things changed when I discovered African books.

Mambo yalibadilika Nilipopata vitabu vya Afrika

There weren't many of them available,

havikuwepo kwa wingi

and they weren't quite as easy to find as the foreign books.

Na haikuwa rahisi kuvipata kama vya kigeni

But because of writers like Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye,

Lakini sababu ya waandishi kama Chinua Achebe na Camara Laye

I went through a mental shift in my perception of literature.

Nilipata badiliko la akili ninavyoiona fasihi

I realized that people like me,

Niligundua kwamba watu kama mimi,

girls with skin the color of chocolate,

wasichana weusi

whose kinky hair could not form ponytails,

wenye nywele ngumu

could also exist in literature.

pia wapo katika fasihi.

I started to write about things I recognized.

Nilianza kuandika vitu nilivyovifahamu

Now, I loved those American and British books I read.

Nilikuwa navipenda hivyo vitabu vya Marekani na Uingereza

They stirred my imagination. They opened up new worlds for me.

Viliamsha fikra zangu Vilifunua vitu vipya.

But the unintended consequence

Lakini matokeo yasiyokusudiwa

was that I did not know that people like me

yalikuwa; sikufahamu kuwa watu kama mimi

could exist in literature.

waweza kuwepo katika fasihi.

So what the discovery of African writers did for me was this:

hivyo ufumbuzi wa waandishi Waafrika:

It saved me from having a single story of what books are.

Uliniokoa na mtazamo mmoja juu ya vitabu

I come from a conventional, middle-class Nigerian family.

Ninatoka kwenye familia ya kawaida

My father was a professor.

Baba yangu alikuwa mhadhiri

My mother was an administrator.

Mama yangu ni afisa wa utawala

And so we had, as was the norm,

Kwa hiyo kama kawaida, tulikuwa na,

live-in domestic help, who would often come from nearby rural villages.

mtumishi wa nyumbani anayetoka vijiji vya jirani

So, the year I turned eight, we got a new house boy.

Nilipokuwa na miaka nane tulipata mtumishi wa kiume

His name was Fide.

Jina lake aliitwa Fide

The only thing my mother told us about him was that his family was very poor.

Mama alituambia kuwa familia yake ni masikini sana

My mother sent yams and rice, and our old clothes, to his family.

Mama alituma magimbi na mchele na nguo zetu za zamani kwa familia yao

And when I didn't finish my dinner, my mother would say,

Na niliposhindwa kumaliza chakula mama alisema,

"Finish your food! Don't you know? People like Fide's family have nothing."

"Maliza chakula! kuna watu ambao hawana chochote

So I felt enormous pity for Fide's family.

Niliwahurumia sana familia ya Fide

Then one Saturday, we went to his village to visit,

Jumamosi moja tukaenda kijijini kwao kutembelea

and his mother showed us a beautifully patterned basket

na mama yake akatuonyesha kikapu kizuri

made of dyed raffia that his brother had made.

kilichosukwa kwa ukili uliopakwa rangi na kaka yake Fide

I was startled.

Nilishangaa

It had not occurred to me that anybody in his family

Sikudhani kuwa yeyote katika familia yake

could actually make something.

angeweza kutengeneza chochote

All I had heard about them was how poor they were,

yote niliyowahi kusikia kuhusu wao ni namna walivyo masikini

so that it had become impossible for me to see them as anything else but poor.

Kwa hiyo ilikuwa haiwezekani kwangu kuwaona tofauti na umasikini wao

Their poverty was my single story of them.

umasikini wao ilikuwa ni simulizi moja kwangu

Years later, I thought about this when I left Nigeria

baadaye niliwaza hili nilipotoka Nigeria

to go to university in the United States.

Kwenda Marekani kusoma chuo kikuu

I was 19.

Nilikuwa na miaka 19

My American roommate was shocked by me.

Mmarekani niliyekuwa naishi naye chumba kimoja alinishangaa

She asked where I had learned to speak English so well,

Aliuliza wapi nimefunza kuzungumza kiingereza vizuri

and was confused when I said that Nigeria

Alishangaa nilipomwambia kuwa Nigeria

happened to have English as its official language.

wanatumia kiingereza kama lugha ya taifa

She asked if she could listen to what she called my "tribal music,"

Aliomba kusikiliza "nyimbo za kikabila"

and was consequently very disappointed

na alipigwa butwaa vile vile

when I produced my tape of Mariah Carey.

Nilipompa kanda yangu ya Mariah Carey

(Laughter)

(kicheko)

She assumed that I did not know how to use a stove.

Alidhani kuwa sifahamu kutumia jiko la umeme

What struck me was this:

Kilichonishangaza mimi ni hiki

She had felt sorry for me even before she saw me.

Alikuwa ananihurimia hata kabla ya kuniona

Her default position toward me, as an African,

Mtazamo wake mbovu, kunihusu, kama Mwafrika,

was a kind of patronizing, well-meaning pity.

Ulikuwa wa huruma ya kudhalilisha, yenye kujali

My roommate had a single story of Africa:

Alikuwa na simulizi moja kuhusu Afrika:

a single story of catastrophe.

Simulizi ya majanga.

In this single story,

Kwenye simulizi hii moja,

there was no possibility of Africans being similar to her in any way,

Hakukuwa na uwezekano wa Mwafrika kufanana naye kwa namna yeyote,

no possibility of feelings more complex than pity,

Hakukuwa na uwezekano wa hisia ngumu zaidi ya huruma,

no possibility of a connection as human equals.

Hakukuwa na uwezekano wa ushirikiano kama binadamu walio sawa.

I must say that before I went to the U.S.,

Lazima niseme kuwa kabla ya kwenda Marekani,

I didn't consciously identify as African.

Sikuwa nikijitambua kwa undani kama Mwafrika.

But in the U.S., whenever Africa came up, people turned to me.

Lakini Marekani, popote Afrika ilipotajwa, watu walinigeukia.

Never mind that I knew nothing about places like Namibia.

Bila kujali kuwa sifahamu chochote kuhusu nchi kama Namibia.

But I did come to embrace this new identity,

Lakini nilikuja kuupokea huu utambulisho mpya,

and in many ways I think of myself now as African.

Na kwa namna nyingi sasa ninajitazama kama Mwafrika.

Although I still get quite irritable when Africa is referred to as a country,

Ijapokuwa bado ninakasirishwa sana pale Afrika inapoelezewa kama ni nchi

the most recent example being my otherwise wonderful flight

Mfano wa karibu, ni safari yangu ya ndege

from Lagos two days ago,

Kutoka Lagos hivi juzi,

in which there was an announcement on the Virgin flight

Ambapo kulikuwa na tangazo

about the charity work in "India, Africa and other countries."

Kuhusu kazi ya kujitolea kule "India, Afika na nchi nyingine"

(Laughter)

Kicheko

So, after I had spent some years in the U.S. as an African,

Baada ya kuishi Marekani kama Mwafrica

I began to understand my roommate's response to me.

Nikaanza kuelewa mwitikio wa niliyekuwa naishi naye chumba kimoja

If I had not grown up in Nigeria,

kama sikukulia Nigeria

and if all I knew about Africa were from popular images,

Na kama kila nilichofahamu kuhusu Afrika kilitokana na picha maarufu

I too would think that Africa was a place of beautiful landscapes,

Mimi pia ningedhani kuwa Africa ni mahali penye mandhari nzuri,

beautiful animals,

Wanyama wa kupendeza,

and incomprehensible people,

na watu wasioeleweka,

fighting senseless wars, dying of poverty and AIDS,

wapiganao vita visivyo na maana, wanaokufa na umasikini na UKIMWI

unable to speak for themselves

wasioweza kujisemea

and waiting to be saved by a kind, white foreigner.

wanaosubiri kusaidiwa na mtu mweupe, mgeni mwenye ukarimu

I would see Africans in the same way that I,

Ningewaona waafrika kwa namna ile ambayo mimi,

as a child, had seen Fide's family.

nilipokuwa mtoto, niliiona familia ya Fide

This single story of Africa ultimately comes, I think, from Western literature.

Hii simulizi moja kuhusu Afrika nadhani inatokana na fasihi za magharibi

Now, here is a quote from the writing of a London merchant called John Lok,

Sasa, huu ni msemo kutoka katika uandishi wa mfanyabiashara wa London aitwaye John Lok,

who sailed to west Africa in 1561

aliyesafiri kwa maji kuelekea Afrika magharibi mwaka 1561

and kept a fascinating account of his voyage.

na aliweka hazina ya kuvutia kutokana na safari yake.

After referring to the black Africans as "beasts who have no houses,"

Baada ya kuwaita Waafrika weusi kama " hayawani wasio na nyumba,"

he writes, "They are also people without heads,

aliandika,"Pia kuna watu wasio na vichwa,

having their mouth and eyes in their breasts."

midomo na macho yao yapo katika vifua vyao."

Now, I've laughed every time I've read this.

Sasa, nilicheka kila nikisoma haya maneno.

And one must admire the imagination of John Lok.

Na lazima mtu atakubaliana na fikira za John Lok.

But what is important about his writing

Lakini kipi ni muhimu kuhusu uandishi wake

is that it represents the beginning

ni kwamba inawakilisha mwanzo

of a tradition of telling African stories in the West:

wa utamaduni wa kuelezea hadithi za Afrika kwa Magharibi:

A tradition of Sub-Saharan Africa as a place of negatives,

Utamaduni wa kusini mwa jangwa la Sahara kama sehemu isiyofaa,

of difference, of darkness,

yenye utofauti, yenye kiza,

of people who, in the words of the wonderful poet Rudyard Kipling,

ya watu ambao, kutokana na maneno ya mshairi bora aitwaye Rudyard Kipling,

are "half devil, half child."

ni "nusu shetani, nusu watoto."

And so, I began to realize that my American roommate

Hivyo, nilianza kuelewa kwamba mwanafunzi Mmarekani ninayeshirikiana nae chumba

must have throughout her life

lazima katika maisha yake

seen and heard different versions of this single story,

atakuwa ameona na kusikia namna mbalimbali za hii hadithi moja,

as had a professor,

kama ilivyo kwa profesa,

who once told me that my novel was not "authentically African."

ambaye aliwahi niambia kuwa riwaya yangu haikuwa "na uhalisia wa Kiafrika,"

Now, I was quite willing to contend

Sasa, nilikubaliana na kuchanganua

that there were a number of things wrong with the novel,

kwamba kulikuwa na baadhi ya vitu ambavyo si sawa katika riwaya hii,

that it had failed in a number of places,

na kuwa nilifeli katika maeneo mbalimbali,

but I had not quite imagined that it had failed

lakini sikufiria kwamba ilifeli

at achieving something called African authenticity.

katika kutekeleza uhalisia wake wa Kiafrika.

In fact, I did not know what African authenticity was.

Kiukweli, sikufahamu uhalisia wa Kiafrika ni upi.

The professor told me that my characters were too much like him,

Profesa alinielezza kwamba wahusika kwenye riwaya walikuwa wanafanana mno kama yeye,

an educated and middle-class man.

msomi aliye katika maisha ya kati.

My characters drove cars.

Wahusika wangu waliendesha magari.

They were not starving.

Hawakuwa wanashinda na njaa.

Therefore they were not authentically African.

Kwa hiyo hawakuwa Waafrika halisi.

But I must quickly add that I too am just as guilty

Lakini niongeze haraka-haraka kwamba najisikia hatia

in the question of the single story.

katika swali la la hadithi iliyo moja.

A few years ago, I visited Mexico from the U.S.

Miaka michache iliyopita, nilitembelea Mexico nikitokea Marekani.

The political climate in the U.S. at the time was tense,

Hali ya kisiasa nchini Marekani wakati huo ilikuwa tete,

and there were debates going on about immigration.

kulikuwa na majadiliano yanayoendelea kuhusu uhamiaji.

And, as often happens in America,

Na, mara kwa mara hutokea Marekani,

immigration became synonymous with Mexicans.

neno uhamiaji likaja kuwa linahusishwa na watu wenye asili ya Mexico.

There were endless stories of Mexicans

Kulikuwa na hadithi ndefu kuhusu Wamexico

as people who were fleecing the healthcare system,

kama watu wanaonyonya mfumo wa afya,

sneaking across the border,

wanajipenyeza kwenye mipaka,

being arrested at the border, that sort of thing.

wanakamatwa kwenye mipaka, vitu kama hivyo.

I remember walking around on my first day in Guadalajara,

Nakumbuka siku ya kwanza nilipokuwa natembea eneo liitwalo Guadalajara,

watching the people going to work,

nikiwaangalia watu wakielekea makazini,

rolling up tortillas in the marketplace,

wakitengeneza tortilla maeneo ya sokoni,

smoking, laughing.

wakivuta sigara, wakicheka.

I remember first feeling slight surprise.

Nakumbuka kwa mara ya kwanza nilipatwa na mshangao kidogo.

And then, I was overwhelmed with shame.

Kisha, nikagubikwa na aibu.

I realized that I had been so immersed in the media coverage of Mexicans

Nikatambua ya kwamba nimezama sana katika habari zinazoelezea watu wa Mexico

that they had become one thing in my mind,

ambao wamekuwa jambo katika akili yangu,

the abject immigrant.

wahamiaji duni,

I had bought into the single story of Mexicans

nilidanganyika katika hadithi moja ya watu wa Mexico

and I could not have been more ashamed of myself.

na sikuweza kujisikia aibu zaidi.

So that is how to create a single story,

Kwa hiyo hiyo ndiyo namna ya kutengeneza hadithi moja.

show a people as one thing,

kuwaeleza watu kama jambo moja,

as only one thing,

kama jambo moja tu,

over and over again,

tena na tena,

and that is what they become.

na hivyo ndivyo watakavyokuwa.

It is impossible to talk about the single story

Haiwezekani kuongelea kuhusu hadithi moja

without talking about power.

bila kuongelea kuhusu uwezo ya mamlaka.

There is a word, an Igbo word,

Kuna neno, neno la lugha ya Igbo,

that I think about whenever I think about the power structures of the world,

ambalo huwa naliwaza kila nikifikiria mfumo wa mamlaka wa dunia,

and it is "nkali."

na hili "nkali".

It's a noun that loosely translates to "to be greater than another."

Ni nomino ambayo inatafsiriwa kama "kuwa juu zaidi ya mwigine."

Like our economic and political worlds,

Kama ulivyo ulimwengu wa kiuchumi na kisiasa,

stories too are defined by the principle of nkali:

hadithi pia huelezwa kwa kanuni ya nkali:

How they are told, who tells them,

Zinaelezwaje, nani anaelezea,

when they're told, how many stories are told,

wakati gani zilielezwa, hadithi ngapi zinaelezwa,

are really dependent on power.

haya yote yanategemea sana nguvu ya mamlaka.

Power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person,

Mamlaka ni uwezo sio tu wa kueleza hadithi ya kuhusu mtu mwingine,

but to make it the definitive story of that person.

lakini kuifanya iwe hadithi mahususi kuhusu mtu huyo.

The Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti writes

Mshairi wa Kipalestina Mourid Barghouti aliandika

that if you want to dispossess a people,

kwamba kama unataka kuwaondoa watu,

the simplest way to do it is to tell their story

njia rahisi ya kufanya hivyo ni kuelezea hadithi yao

and to start with, "secondly."

na kuanza na, "pili."

Start the story with the arrows of the Native Americans,

Anza hadithi na mishale ya waliokuwa wakazi halisi wa Amerika,

and not with the arrival of the British,

na sio baada ya kufika kwa Waingereza,

and you have an entirely different story.

na utakuwa na hadithi tofauti nyingine kabisa.

Start the story with the failure of the African state,

Anza na hadithi kuhusu kuanguka kwa dola za Kiafrika,

and not with the colonial creation of the African state,

na sio dola za Kiafrika zilizotokana na ukoloni,

and you have an entirely different story.

na utakuwa na hadithi tofauti kabisa.

I recently spoke at a university

Hivi karibun nilitoa hotuba katika chuo

where a student told me that it was such a shame

ambapo mwanafunzi aliniambia kwamba ilikuwa ni aibu

that Nigerian men were physical abusers

kwamba wanaume wa Kinigeria walikuwa wanyanyasaji

like the father character in my novel.

kama alivyo muhusika ambaye ni baba katika riwaya yangu.

I told him that I had just read a novel called "American Psycho" --

Nikamwambia nimesoma riwaya iitwayo "Mwendawazimu wa Kiamerika" --

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

-- and that it was such a shame

-- na kwamba ilikuwa aibu

that young Americans were serial murderers.

kwamba vijana wadogo wa Kiamerika walikuwa wauaji waliokubuhu.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

(Applause)

(Makofi)

Now, obviously I said this in a fit of mild irritation.

Sasa, kiukweli nilisema hili kutokana na kukerwa.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

But it would never have occurred to me to think

Lakini isingeweza kutokea kwangu kuwaza

that just because I had read a novel in which a character was a serial killer

kwamba kwa sababu nimesoma riwaya ambayo muhusika ni muuaji wa kufululiza

that he was somehow representative of all Americans.

kwamba kwa kiasi fulani wanawakilisha Wamarekani wote.

This is not because I am a better person than that student,

Hii si kwamba mimi ni mtu bora kuliko yule mwanafunzi,

but because of America's cultural and economic power,

lakini kwa sababu ya utamaduni na nguvu ya uchumi wa Marekani,

I had many stories of America.

Nilikuwa nina hadithi nyingi za Marekani.

I had read Tyler and Updike and Steinbeck and Gaitskill.

Nilisoma Tyler na Updike na Steinbeck na Gaitskill.

I did not have a single story of America.

Sikuwa na hadithi moja ya Marekani.

When I learned, some years ago,

Nilipojifunza, miaka kadhaa iliyopita,

that writers were expected to have had really unhappy childhoods

kwamba waandishi wanategemewa kuwa na maisha ya utotoni ambayo siyo ya furaha

to be successful,

ili kuja kufanikiwa baadaye,

I began to think about how I could invent horrible things my parents had done to me.

Nilianza kuwaza ni namna gani naweza buni vitu vibaya ambavyo wazazi wangu walinifanyia.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

But the truth is that I had a very happy childhood,

Lakini ukweli ni kwamba nilikuwa na maisha ya utoto ambayo yalikuwa ya furaha sana,

full of laughter and love, in a very close-knit family.

yaliyojaa vicheko na upendo, katika familia iliyo na ukaribu sana.

But I also had grandfathers who died in refugee camps.

Lakini pia nilikuwa na mababu waliofia kwenye kambi za wakimbizi.

My cousin Polle died because he could not get adequate healthcare.

Binamu yangu Polle alifariki sababu hakupata matibabu yanayostahili.

One of my closest friends, Okoloma, died in a plane crash

Mmoja wa rafiki zangu,Okoloma, alifariki kwenye ajali ya ndege

because our fire trucks did not have water.

kwa sababu gari zetu za zimamoto hazikuwa na maji.

I grew up under repressive military governments

Nimekulia katika serikali ya kijeshi ambayo ni kandamizi

that devalued education,

ambayo haikujali elimu,

so that sometimes, my parents were not paid their salaries.

kwa muda mwingine, wazazi walikuwa hawalipwi mishahara.

And so, as a child, I saw jam disappear from the breakfast table,

Hivyo, kama mtoto, nilianza kuona jamu hakuna mezani wakati wa kupata kifungua kinywa,

then margarine disappeared,

kisha siagi nayo ikakosekana,

then bread became too expensive,

kisha mkate ukawa ghali sana,

then milk became rationed.

kisha maziwa yakapungua.

And most of all, a kind of normalized political fear

Na katika yote, hali ya hofu ya kisiasa

invaded our lives.

ikaingilia maisha yetu,

All of these stories make me who I am.

Na hadithi zote hizi zimenitengeneza mimi wa leo.

But to insist on only these negative stories

Lakini kusisitiza katika hizi hadithi hasi

is to flatten my experience

ni kuongeza uzoefu wangu

and to overlook the many other stories that formed me.

na kuachana na hadithi nyinginezo nyingi ambazo zimenitengeneza mimi.

The single story creates stereotypes,

Hadithi moja hutengeneza tabaka,

and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue,

na tatizo la tabaka si kwamba hazina kweli,

but that they are incomplete.

lakini hazijakamilika.

They make one story become the only story.

Hufanya hadithi moja kuwa hadithi pekee.

Of course, Africa is a continent full of catastrophes:

Hakika, Afrika ni bara ambalo limejaa majanga:

There are immense ones, such as the horrific rapes in Congo

Kuna majanga yaliyo makubwa, kama ubakaji wa kutisha nchini Congo

and depressing ones,

na wa kudidimiza,

such as the fact that 5,000 people apply for one job vacancy in Nigeria.

kama ukweli kwamba watu 5000 wanaomba nafasi moja ya kazi nchini Nigeria.

But there are other stories that are not about catastrophe,

Lakini kuna hadithi nyingine ambazo hazihusiani na majanga,

and it is very important, it is just as important, to talk about them.

na ni muhimu sana, ni namna kuziongelea.

I've always felt that it is impossible

Wakati wote nimekuwa nikihisi haiwezekani

to engage properly with a place or a person

kujiunga kwa utaratibu na sehemu au mtu

without engaging with all of the stories of that place and that person.

bila kuhusiana na hadithi zote za mahala pale au mtu huyo.

The consequence of the single story is this:

Madhara ya hadithi moja ni kwamba:

It robs people of dignity.

Hunyang'anya watu wa heshima.

It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult.

Hufanya utambuzi wetu wa usawa wa kibinadamu kuwa mgumu.

It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.

Husisitiza ni jinsi gani tulivyo tofauti kuliko vile tulivyo sawa.

So what if before my Mexican trip,

Inakuwaje wakati kabla ya safari yangu ya Mexico,

I had followed the immigration debate from both sides,

Ningefatilia majadiliano ya uhamiaji kutoka pande zote,

the U.S. and the Mexican?

upande wa Marekani na wa Mexico?

What if my mother had told us that Fide's family was poor

Ingekuwaje kama mama yangu angeniambia familia ya Fide ilikuwa masikini

and hardworking?

na ya wachapakazi?

What if we had an African television network

Inakuwaje kama tungekuwa na mtandao wa televisheni wa Kiafrika

that broadcast diverse African stories all over the world?

ambao unarusha vipindi vya hadithi za Afrika duniani kote?

What the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe calls "a balance of stories."

Kitu ambacho muandishi wa Kinigeria Chinua Achebe anaita "usawa wa hadithi."

What if my roommate knew about my Nigerian publisher,

Inakuweaje kama mwanafunzi niliyeishi naye chumba kimoja angefahamu kuhusu mchapishaji wangu wa Kinigeria,

Muhtar Bakare,

Muhtar Bakare,

a remarkable man who left his job in a bank

mtu wa kipekee ambaye aliacha kazi ya benki

to follow his dream and start a publishing house?

na kufuata ndoto zake na kuanzisha nyumba ya uchapishaji

Now, the conventional wisdom was that Nigerians don't read literature.

Sasa, hekima iliyozoeleka ilikuwa kwamba Wanigeria huwa hawasomi fasihi.

He disagreed.

Yeye alikataa.

He felt that people who could read, would read,

Alihisi kwamba watu ambao wanaweza kusoma, wangesoma,

if you made literature affordable and available to them.

kama ungefanya kazi ya fasihi iwe katika bei nafuu na kupatikana kiurahisi.

Shortly after he published my first novel,

Muda mfupi baada ya kuchapisha riwaya yangu ya kwanza,

I went to a TV station in Lagos to do an interview,

Nilikwenda kwenye kituo cha televisheni kilichopo Lagos kwa ajili ya mahojiano,

and a woman who worked there as a messenger came up to me and said,

na mwanamke ambaye anafanya kazi pale kama karani alinifata na kusema,

"I really liked your novel. I didn't like the ending.

"Nimependa sana riwaya yako. Sijapenda mwishoni mwake.

Now, you must write a sequel, and this is what will happen ..."

Sasa, ni lazima uandike muendelezo na hiki ndicho kitatokea ..."

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

And she went on to tell me what to write in the sequel.

Na alipoendelea kunielezea kipi cha kuandika kwenye muendelezo.

I was not only charmed, I was very moved.

Si kwamba nilivutiwa tu, lakini pia nilisisimka.

Here was a woman, part of the ordinary masses of Nigerians,

Huyu ni mwanamke, mmoja wa watu wengi wa kawaida waliopo Nigeria,

who were not supposed to be readers.

ambao hawakutakiwa kuwa wasomaji.

She had not only read the book,

Si kwamba alisoma tu kitabu,

but she had taken ownership of it

lakini pia alikimiliki

and felt justified in telling me what to write in the sequel.

na aliona ana haki kuaniambia kitu cha kuandika katika muendelezo.

Now, what if my roommate knew about my friend Funmi Iyanda,

Sasa, ingekuwaje kama mwanafunzi niishiye nae chumba kimoja angejua kuhusu rafiki yangu Funmi Lyanda,

a fearless woman who hosts a TV show in Lagos,

mwanamke jasiri ambaye anaongoza kipindi cha televisheni Lagos,

and is determined to tell the stories that we prefer to forget?

na anadhamiria kuelezea hadithi ambazo tunapendelea kuzisahau?

What if my roommate knew about the heart procedure

Inakuwaje kama mwenzangu angetambua kuhusu upasuaji wa moyo

that was performed in the Lagos hospital last week?

ambao ulifanyika wiki iliyopita jijini Lagos?

What if my roommate knew about contemporary Nigerian music,

Inakuwaje angefahamu kuhusu muziki wa kisasa kwa Kinigeria,

talented people singing in English and Pidgin,

watu wenye vipaji wanaoimba katika lugha za Kiingereza na pijini,

and Igbo and Yoruba and Ijo,

na Kiigbo na Kiyoruba na Kiijo,

mixing influences from Jay-Z to Fela

wakichanganya ushawishi kutoka kwa Jay Z hadi kwa Fela

to Bob Marley to their grandfathers.

kwenda kwa Bob Marley na babu zao.

What if my roommate knew about the female lawyer

Inakuwaje kama angejua kuhusu wakili mwanamke

who recently went to court in Nigeria to challenge a ridiculous law

ambaye hivi karibuni alienda mahakamani nchini Nigeria kuipa changamoto sheria isiyo na maana

that required women to get their husband's consent

ambayo inawataka wanawake kupewa ruhusa na waume zao

before renewing their passports?

kabla ya kutengeneza hati mpya ya kusafiria?

What if my roommate knew about Nollywood,

Inakuwaje kama angefahamu kuhusu Nollywood,

full of innovative people making films despite great technical odds,

iliyojawa na watu wabunifu wanaotengeneza filamu ingawaje kuna changamoto nyingi za kiufundi,

films so popular

filamu ambazo ni maarufu sana

that they really are the best example of Nigerians consuming what they produce?

ambazo ni mfano mzuri unaoonyesha Wanigeria wanatumia kile wanachotengeneza?

What if my roommate knew about my wonderfully ambitious hair braider,

Inakuwaje kama angefahamu kuhusu msusi wangu bora kabisa,

who has just started her own business selling hair extensions?

ambaye ameanza biashara yake mwenyewe akiuza nywele za kuongezea?

Or about the millions of other Nigerians who start businesses and sometimes fail,

Au kuhusu mamilioni ya Wanigeria wengine ambao huanza biashara na muda mwingine kuanguka,

but continue to nurse ambition?

lakini huendelea kukuza azma yao?

Every time I am home I am confronted

Muda wote nikiwa nyumbani hukutana

with the usual sources of irritation for most Nigerians:

na vyanzo vya kila wakati vya kukwaza kwa Wanigeria wengi:

our failed infrastructure, our failed government,

miundombinu yetu mibovu, serikali iliyoanguka,

but also by the incredible resilience

lakini pia kwa ustahimilivu mkubwa

of people who thrive despite the government,

wa watu ambao hufanikiwa, bila ya kutegemea serikali,

rather than because of it.

bila yenyewe kabisa.

I teach writing workshops in Lagos every summer,

Huwa natoa mafunzo ya uandishi kila kipindi cha joto jijini Lagos,

and it is amazing to me how many people apply,

na huwa inanishangaza kwa namna gani watu wengi hujiunga,

how many people are eager to write,

namna ambavyo watu wengi wana shauku ya kuandika,

to tell stories.

ili kueleza hadithi.

My Nigerian publisher and I have just started a non-profit

Mimi na mchapishaji wa kitabu changu tumeanzisha taasisi isiyo ya kibiashara

called Farafina Trust,

inayofahamika kama Farafina Trust,

and we have big dreams of building libraries

na tuna ndoto kubwa ya kujenga maktaba

and refurbishing libraries that already exist

na kukarabati maktaba ambazo tayari zipo

and providing books for state schools

na kutoa vitabu kwa shule za majimboni

that don't have anything in their libraries,

ambazo hazina vitabu katika maktaba zao,

and also of organizing lots and lots of workshops,

na kuandaa mafunzo mengi mno,

in reading and writing,

katika kuandika na kusoma,

for all the people who are eager to tell our many stories.

kwa watu wote ambao wana shauku ya kuelezea hadithi zetu nyingi.

Stories matter.

Hadithi zina maana.

Many stories matter.

Hadithi nyingi zina maana.

Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign,

Haidithi zimekuwa zikitumika kupokonya na kukejeli,

but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize.

lakini hadithi zinaweza tumika kuhamasisha na kuleta ubinadamu.

Stories can break the dignity of a people,

Hadithi zinaweza kuvunja heshima ya watu,

but stories can also repair that broken dignity.

lakini hadithi zinaweza kurudisha heshima iliyopotea.

The American writer Alice Walker wrote this

Mwandishi wa Kimarekani Alice Walker aliandika

about her Southern relatives who had moved to the North.

kuhusu ndugu zake wanaotokea Kusini ambao walihamia Kaskazini.

She introduced them to a book about

Aliwaonyesha kitabu kuhusu

the Southern life that they had left behind.

maisha ya Kusini ambayo wameyaacha nyuma.

"They sat around, reading the book themselves,

"Walikaa, na wakakisoma kitabu,

listening to me read the book, and a kind of paradise was regained."

nisikilize mimi soma kitabu, na raha ya dunia utaipata tena."

I would like to end with this thought:

Ningependelea kumalizia na hili wazo:

That when we reject the single story,

Kwamba pale tunapokataa hadithi moja,

when we realize that there is never a single story

tunapogundua kwamba hakuna hadithi moja

about any place,

kuhusu sehemu yoyote,

we regain a kind of paradise.

huwa tunarejesha Furaha.

Thank you.

Asante.

(Applause)

(Makofi)