Fun, Fierce and Fantastical African Art | Wanuri Kahiu | TED

Translator: Nelson Simfukwe Reviewer: Joachim Mangilima

Mama yangu ni daktari wa watoto,

So, my mother's a pediatrician,

and when I was young, she'd tell the craziest stories

na nilipokuwa mdogo, alikuwa akisimulia hadithi za kusisimua

that combined science with her overactive imagination.

zilizojumuisha sayansi na fikira zake zilizo hai kuliko kawaida.

One of the stories she told was that if you eat a lot of salt,

Moja ya hadithi alizonisimulia ni kuwa ukila chumvi nyingi,

all of the blood rushes up your legs,

damu itapanda kutoka miguuni kwako,

through your body,

kupitia mwili wako wote,

and shoots out the top of your head,

na kutoka nje ya mwili juu ya kichwa chako,

killing you instantly.

na kukuua mara moja.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

She called it "high blood pressure."

Aliita "shinikizo la damu"

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

This was my first experience with science fiction,

Hii ilikuwa mara yangu ya kwanza kusikia hadithi ya sayansi ya kufikirika,

and I loved it.

na niliipenda.

So when I started to write my own science fiction and fantasy,

Kwa hiyo nilipoanza kuandika hadithi zangu mwenyewe za sayansi ya kufikirika,

I was surprised that it was considered un-African.

Nilishangaa kwamba ilichukuliwa kama si Uafrika.

So naturally, I asked, what is African?

Kwa uhalisia, niliuliza, Uafrika ni nini?

And this is what I know so far:

Na hili ndilo ninalojua kwa sasa:

Africa is important.

Afrika ni muhimu.

Africa is the future.

Afrika ndiyo kesho.

It is, though.

Ni kweli, ingawa.

And Africa is a serious place where only serious things happen.

Na Afrika ni sehemu makini ambapo vitu makini pekee hutokea.

So when I present my work somewhere, someone will always ask,

Kwa hiyo nikiwakilisha kazi yangu sehemu fulani, mtu fulani lazima atauliza,

"What's so important about it?

"Ina umuhimu gani hasa?

How does it deal with real African issues

Inashughulika vipi na matatizo halisi ya Kiafrika

like war, poverty, devastation or AIDS?"

kama vita, umasikini, uharibifu au UKIMWI?"

And it doesn't.

Na haishughuliki na hayo mambo.

My work is about Nairobi pop bands that want to go to space

Kazi yangu ni kuhusu bendi ya muziki wa pop ambayo inataka kwenda anga la juu

or about seven-foot-tall robots

au kuhusu roboti mwenye urefu wa futi saba

that fall in love.

ambaye anatokea kupenda.

It's nothing incredibly important.

Si vitu muhimu kwa kiasi kikubwa.

It's just fun, fierce and frivolous,

Ni vitu vya kufurahisha, visivyo na umuhimu na vya kijinga,

as frivolous as bubble gum --

visivyo na umuhimu kama peremende --

"AfroBubbleGum."

"AfroBubbleGum"

So I'm not saying that agenda art isn't important;

Si kwamba nasema kwamba mjadala wa sanaa sio muhimu;

I'm the chairperson of a charity

Mimi ni mwenyekiti wa mfuko wa kujitolea

that deals with films and theaters that write about HIV and radicalization

ambao unashughulika na filamu na maigizo ambapo huandika kuhusu UKIMWI na msimamo mkali.

and female genital mutilation.

na ukeketaji kwa wanawake.

It's vital and important art,

Ni sanaa muhimu mno,

but it cannot be the only art that comes out of the continent.

lakini si sanaa pekee inayotokea katika bara hili.

We have to tell more stories

Tunatakiwa kusema hadithi zaidi

that are vibrant.

ambazo ni za kutetemesha.

The danger of the single story is still being realized.

Hatari ya hadithi bado inatambulika.

And maybe it's because of the funding.

Na pengine ni kwa sababu ya michango.

A lot of art is still dependent on developmental aid.

Aina nyingi za sanaa bado zinategemea misaada ya maendeleo.

So art becomes a tool for agenda.

Kwa hiyo sanaa inakuwa zana ya mjadala.

Or maybe it's because we've only seen one image of ourselves for so long

Au kwa sababu tumeona taswira moja tu ya sisi wenyewe kwa muda mrefu

that that's all we know how to create.

na hiyo ndiyo pekee tunayoweza kutengeneza.

Whatever the reason, we need a new way,

Kwa sababu yoyote ile, tunahitaji njia mpya,

and AfroBubbleGum is one approach.

na AfroBubbleGum ni moja ya njia.

It's the advocacy of art for art's sake.

Ni mwakilishi wa sanaa kwa ajili ya sanaa.

It's the advocacy of art that is not policy-driven

Ni mwakilishi wa sanaa ambayo haiongozwi na sera

or agenda-driven

au mjadala

or based on education,

au inayotegemea elimu,

just for the sake of imagination:

ni kwa ajili ya fikira:

AfroBubbleGum art.

Sanaa ya AfroBubbleGum.

And we can't all be AfroBubbleGumists.

Na hatuwezi wote kuwa watu wa AfroBubbleGum.

We have to judge our work for its potential poverty porn pitfalls.

Tunatakiwa kutathmini kazi zetu kutokana mashimo ya kudhihirisha taswira ya umasikini.

We have to have tests that are similar to the Bechdel test,

Tunatakiwa kuwa na majaribio yanayorandana na jaribio la Bechdel,

and ask questions like:

na kuuliza maswali kama:

Are two or more Africans in this piece of fiction healthy?

Kuna waafrika wawili au zaidi wenye afya katika kipande hiki cha kufikirika?

Are those same Africans financially stable and not in need of saving?

Waafrika haohao wapo imara kiuchumi na hawahitaji kuweka akiba?

Are they having fun and enjoying life?

Wanaburudika na kufurahia maisha?

And if we can answer yes to two or more of these questions,

Na kama tutajibu ndiyo mara mbili au zaidi katika maswali haya,

then surely we're AfroBubbleGumists.

basi kwa uhakika sisi ni AfroBubbleGumists.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

(Applause)

(Makofi)

And fun is political,

Na furaha ni siasa,

because imagine if we have images of Africans who were vibrant

kwa sababu fikiria kwamba tuna taswira ya waafrika ambao walikuwa wanasisimua

and loving and thriving

na wenye upendo na uhimilivu

and living a beautiful, vibrant life.

na wanaoishi maisha mazuri na ya kusisimua.

What would we think of ourselves then?

Tungewaza nini kuhusu nafsi zetu?

Would we think that maybe we're worthy of more happiness?

Tungewaza labda tunastahili furaha zaidi?

Would we think of our shared humanity through our shared joy?

Tungewaza ubinadamu wetu tunaoshirikishana kupitia furaha tunayoshirikishana?

I think of these things when I create.

Huwa ninawaza kuhusu hivi vitu ninapofanya utunzi.

I think of the people and the places that give me immeasurable joy,

Ninawaza kuhusu watu na sehemu ambazo hunipa furaha isiyo na kipimo,

and I work to represent them.

na ninafanya kazi kuwawakilisha.

And that's why I write stories

Na ndiyo maana ninaandika hadithi

about futuristic girls that risk everything to save plants

kuhusu msichana anayewaza kesho ambaye anajihatarisha kwa kila namna ili kuokoa mimea

or to race camels

au kufanya mbio za ngamia

or even just to dance,

au hata kucheza tu,

to honor fun,

kwa ajili ya heshima ya furaha,

because my world is mostly happy.

kwa sababu dunia yangu huwa na furaha mara nyingi.

And I know happiness is a privilege in this current splintered world

Na ninajua furaha ni upendeleo katika dunia ya sasa iliyogawanyika.

where remaining hopeful requires diligence.

ambapo kubaki na matumaini kunahitaji bidii.

But maybe, if you join me in creating, curating and commissioning

Lakini labda, kama utaungana na mimi, kutengeneza, kuhariri na kutoa vibali kwa

more AfroBubbleGum art,

sanaa zaidi ya AfroBubbleGum,

there might be hope for a different view of the world,

kutakuwa na matumaini kwa mtazamo tofauti wa dunia,

a happy Africa view

mtazamo wa furaha wa Afrika

where children are strangely traumatized

ambapo watoto wanaweweseshwa kwa namna isiyojulikana

by their mother's dark sense of humor,

kutokana na ucheshi wa mama zao ambao ni wa kutisha,

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

but also they're claiming fun, fierce and frivolous art

Lakini pia ni sanaa inayochekesha, isiyo na umuhimu na ya kijinga

in the name of all things unseriously African.

katika majina ya vitu vyote ambavyo ni vya Kiafrika.

Because we're AfroBubbleGumists

Kwa sababu sisi ni AfroBubbleGumists

and there's so many more of us than you can imagine.

na tupo wengi sana kuliko unavyoweza kufikiria.

Thank you so much.

Asante sana.

(Applause)

(Makofi)