Richard Turere: My invention that made peace with lions

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: Nelson Simfukwe Reviewer: Joachim Mangilima

This is where I live. I live in Kenya,

Hapo ndipo ninapoishi,naishi nchi ya kenya,

at the south parts of the Nairobi National Park.

kusini mwa mbuga ya wanyama ya Nairobi.

Those are my dad's cows at the back,

Hao ni ng'ombe wa baba yangu hapo nyuma,

and behind the cows,

na nyuma ya ng'ombe

that's the Nairobi National Park.

hiyo ndiyo mbuga ya wanyama ya taifa iitwayo Nairobi

Nairobi National Park is not fenced in the south widely,

mbuga ya wanyama ya Nairobi haina uzio upande wa kusini kiupana

which means wild animals like zebras

ina maana wanyama mwitu kama Pundamilia

migrate out of the park freely.

wanaondoka toka kwenye mbuga bila kipingamizi

So predators like lions follow them,

kwa hiyo wanyama wakali kama Simba huwafata

and this is what they do.

na hiki ndicho huwa wanafanya

They kill our livestock.

Wanaua mifugo yetu

This is one of the cows which was killed at night,

Huyu ni mmoja wa ng'ombe ambaye aliuliwa nyakati za usiku,

and I just woke up in the morning and I found it dead,

niliamka asubuhi na kukuta amekufa,

and I felt so bad,

nilijisikia vibaya sana,

because it was the only bull we had.

kwa sababu alikuwa ng'ombe dume pekee tuliyekuwa nae

My community, the Maasai, we believe that

Jamii yangu,ya Maasai,tunaamini kwamba

we came from heaven with all our animals and all the land

tumetokea mbinguni na wanyama wetu na ardhi yetu yote

for herding them, and that's why we value them so much.

kuwachunga,na ndo maana tunawathamini sana

So I grew up hating lions so much.

Kwa hiyo nimekua nikiwachukia sana Simba

The morans are the warriors

Morani ni vijana walinzi

who protect our community and the livestock,

ambao wanalinda jamii yetu na mifugo pia

and they're also upset about this problem.

na wao wanachukizwa na hili tatizo

So they kill the lions.

Kwa hiyo wanaua Simba.

It's one of the six lions which were killed in Nairobi.

Ni mmoja kati ya Simba sita waliouawa Nairobi

And I think this is why the Nairobi National Park lions are few.

Na fikiri hii ndo maana mbuga ya wanyama ya Nairobi ina Simba wachache.

So a boy, from six to nine years old, in my community

Mvulana,kuanzia miaka sita hadi nane,katika jamii yangu

is responsible for his dad's cows,

ana jukumu kwa Ng'ombe za baba yake,

and that's the same thing which happened to me.

na hiki pia ndicho kilichonipata mimi.

So I had to find a way of solving this problem.

Nilihitajika kutafuta njia ya kutatua hili tatizo.

And the first idea I got was to use fire,

Na wazo la kwanza nililolipata ni kutumia moto,

because I thought lions were scared of fire.

sababu nilijua Simba wanaogopa moto.

But I came to realize that that didn't really help,

Lakini nikaja kugundua hiyo haikusaidia kiukweli

because it was even helping the lions

sababu ilikuwa ikisaidia Simba

to see through the cowshed.

kuona zizi la Ng'ombe

So I didn't give up. I continued.

Kwa hiyo sikukata tamaa na niliendelea

And a second idea I got was

na wazo la pili nililopata lilikuwa

to use a scarecrow.

kutumia mtu wa bandia

I was trying to trick the lions

nilijaribu kuwapumbaza Simba

[into thinking] that I was standing near the cowshed.

kufikiri nimesimama karibu na zizi la ng'ombe

But lions are very clever. (Laughter)

Lakini Simba wana akili sana(vicheko)

They will come the first day and they see the scarecrow, and they go back,

Watakuja siku ya kwanza wataona mtu bandia,wanarudi walipotoka.

but the second day, they'll come and they say,

lakini siku ya pili,watakuja na kusema,

this thing is not moving here, it's always here. (Laughter)

hiki kitu hakihami hapa,kipo hapa muda wote(vicheko)

So he jumps in and kills the animals.

kwa hiyo anaruka na kuua simba.

So one night, I was walking around the cowshed with a torch,

usiku mmoja,nilikuwa nikitembea kuzunguka zizi la ng'ombe nikiwa na kurunzi.

and that day, the lions didn't come.

na siku hiyo Simba hawakuja.

And I discovered that lions are afraid of a moving light.

Na niligundua Simba wanaogopa mwanga unaotembea.

So I had an idea.

Nikapata wazo.

Since I was a small boy,

Tangu nilipokuwa mtoto mdogo,

I used to work in my room for the whole day,

Nilizoea kufanya kazi katika chumba changu siku nzima,

and I even took apart my mom's new radio,

na nilidiriki kutenganisha radio mpya ya mama yangu,

and that day she almost killed me,

na siku hiyo ilibaki kidogo aniue,

but I learned a lot about electronics. (Laughter)

lakini nilijifunza kuhusu vifaa vitumiavyo umeme(vicheko)

So I got an old car battery,

nilipata betri chakavu ya gari

an indicator box. It's a small device found in a motorcycle,

kasha la kuonesha uelekeo.ni kifaa kidogo kinapatikana kwenye pikipiki,

and it helps motorists when they want to turn right or left. It blinks.

na kinasaidia waendesha pikipiki wanapotaka kukata kona kulia au kushoto,kinawaka na kuzimika.

And I got a switch where I can switch on the lights, on and off.

nilipata swichi ambapo naweza kuwasha na kuzima taa.

And that's a small torch from a broken flashlight.

na hiyo ni kurunzi ndogo kutoka katika taa iliyovunjika.

So I set up everything.

kwa hiyo niliunda kila kitu.

As you can see, the solar panel charges the battery,

kama uonavyo,sola inachaji betri,

and the battery supplies the power

betri inapeleka umeme

to the small indicator box. I call it a transformer.

katika kuonesha uelekeo,ninaita transfoma.

And the indicator box makes the lights flash.

na kionesha uelekeo kinafanya taa inawaka

As you can see, the bulbs face outside,

kama unavoona,taa imeelekezwa kwa nje,

because that's where the lions come from.

sababu huko ndipo simba wanapotokea.

And that's how it looks to lions when they come at night.

na hivi ndivo inaonekana kwa Simba wanapokuja usiku

The lights flash and trick

mwanga unawaka na kuwapumbaza

the lions into thinking I was walking around the cowshed,

simba wakifikiri natembea katika zizi la ng'ombe,

but I was sleeping in my bed.

lakini mimi nimelala katika kitanda changu.

(Laughter)

(vicheko)

(Applause)

(makofi)

Thanks.

Asante.

So I set it up in my home two years ago,

Niliweka nyumbani kwetu miaka miwili iliyopita,

and since then, we have never experienced any problem with lions.

na tangu hapo,hatujakumbana na tatizo lolote kuhusu simba.

And my neighboring homes heard about this idea.

na nyumba za jirani walisikia kuhusu hili wazo

One of them was this grandmother.

Mmoja wao alikuwa huyu bibi.

She had a lot of her animals being killed by lions,

Alikuwa na wanyama wengi waliokuwa wakiuliwa na Simba,

and she asked me if I could put the lights for her.

na aliniuliza kama naweza kumuwekea taa

And I said, "Yes."

nikasema,"ndiyo"

So I put the lights. You can see at the back, those are the lion lights.

kwa hiyo niliweka taa,unaweza ona hapo nyuma,hizo ni taa za simba.

Since now, I've set up seven homes around my community,

Tabgu sasa,nimeweka taa katika katika nyumba saba katika jamii yangu,

and they're really working.

na zinafanya kazi vizuri.

And my idea is also being used now all over Kenya

na wazo langu linatumika pia nchi ya Kenya yote.

for scaring other predators like hyenas, leopards,

kuogopesha wanyama wengi wala nyama kama mbwa mwitu na chui.

and it's also being used

na pia inatumika

to scare elephants away from people's farms.

kuogopesha tembo katika mashamba ya watu

Because of this invention, I was lucky to get a scholarship

kutokana na uvumbuzi huu,nilibahatika kupata ufadhili wa masomo yangu.

in one of the best schools in Kenya,

katika shule bora Kenya

Brookhouse International School,

Shule ya kimataifa ya Brookhouse.

and I'm really excited about this.

ninapendezwa sana na hili jambo.

My new school now is coming in and helping

Shule yangu inakuja na kusaidia.

by fundraising and creating an awareness.

kwa kutoa michango ya kifedha na kuelimisha.

I even took my friends back to my community,

Nimewachukua rafiki zangu kwenda katika jamii yangu,

and we're installing the lights to the homes

na tunaweka taa katika nyumba

which don't have [any], and I'm teaching them how to put them.

ambazo hazina,nawaelekeza jinsi ya kuziweka.

So one year ago, I was just a boy in the savanna grassland

Mwaka mmoja uliopita,nilikuwa kijana wa mbugani

herding my father's cows,

nikichunga ng'ombe za baba yangu.

and I used to see planes flying over,

na nilikuwa nikiona ndege zinapaa tu,

and I told myself that one day, I'll be there inside.

na niliiambia nafsi yangu "siku moja",nitakuwa ndani ya hiyo ndege.

And here I am today.

na leo nipo hapa.

I got a chance to come by plane for my first time for TED.

Nilipata nafasi ya kuja kwa ndege kwa mara ya kwanza kuja TED.

So my big dream is to become an aircraft engineer and pilot when I grow up.

Hivyo,ndoto yangu ni kuwa mwandisi na mrusha ndege nikiwa mkubwa.

I used to hate lions, but now because my invention

Nilizoea kuchukia Simba,lakini sasa kwa sababu ya uvumbuzi wangu

is saving my father's cows and the lions,

unaokoa Ng'ombe wa baba yangu na Simba pia.

we are able to stay with the lions without any conflict.

tunaweza kaa na Simba bila ugomvi nao.

Ashê olên. It means in my language, thank you very much.

Ashe olen.Ina maana Asante sana katika lugha yangu.

(Applause)

(makofi )

Chris Anderson: You have no idea how exciting it is

Chris Anderson:Huwezi jua ni jinsi gani inavyofurahisha

to hear a story like yours.

kusikia hadithi kama yako.

So you got this scholarship.Richard Turere: Yep.

Kwa hiyo umepata ufadhili wa masomo.Richard Turere:Ndiyo.

CA: You're working on other electrical inventions.

Chris Anderson:unafanyia kazi uvumbuzi wa vifa vya umeme.

What's the next one on your list?

Kipi kinafata katika orodha yako?

RT: My next invention is,

Richard Turere:Uvumbuzi wangu unaofata ni,

I want to make an electric fence.CA: Electric fence?

Nataka tengeneza uzio wenye umeme,Chris Anderson:Uzio wenye umeme?

RT: But I know electric fences are already invented,

Richard Turere:Najua uzio wa umeme tayari umeshavumbuliwa,

but I want to make mine.

laikini natengeneza wa kwangu.

(Laughter)

(vicheko)

CA: You already tried it once, right, and you --RT: I tried it before,

Chris Anderson:Umeshajaribu,si ndio?,na,Richard Turere;Nishajaribu tayari

but I stopped because it gave me a shock. (Laughter)

lakini niliacha sababu nilinaswa na umeme(vicheko)

CA: In the trenches. Richard Turere, you are something else.

Chris Anderson;Richard Turere,wewe ni mtu zaidi ya kawaida.

We're going to cheer you on every step of the way, my friend.

Tutaendelea kuwa nawe katika kila hatua yako ya uvumbuzi,rafiki yangu.

Thank you so much.RT: Thank you. (Applause)

Asante sana.Richard Turere:Asante(makofi)