How fake news does real harm | Stephanie Busari

Translator: Clarence Bitegeko Reviewer: Joachim Mangilima

I want to tell you a story about a girl.

Nataka niwaambie kisa kuhusu msichana mmoja.

But I can't tell you her real name.

Lakini siwezi kuwaambia jina lake halisi.

So let's just call her Hadiza.

Hivyo tufanye kumuita Hadiza.

Hadiza is 20.

Hadiza ana miaka 20.

She's shy,

Ana aibu,

but she has a beautiful smile that lights up her face.

lakini ana tabasamu zuri ambalo hufanya uso wake kung'aa

But she's in constant pain.

Lakini yuko katika maumivu wakati wote.

And she will likely be on medication for the rest of her life.

Na anaweza kuwa mtu wa matibabu maisha yake yote.

Do you want to know why?

Je wataka kujua kwa nini?

Hadiza is a Chibok girl,

Hadiza ni msichana wa Chibok,

and on April 14, 2014, she was kidnapped

na mnamo Aprili 14, 2014, alitekwa

by Boko Haram terrorists.

na magaidi wa Boko Haram.

She managed to escape, though,

Ingawa alijaribu kutoroka,

by jumping off the truck that was carrying the girls.

kwa kuruka toka kwenye gari lililokuwa limebeba wasichana.

But when she landed, she broke both her legs,

Lakini alipotua chini, alivunjika miguu yako yote miwili,

and she had to crawl on her tummy to hide in the bushes.

na alihitaji kutambaa kwa tumbo kujificha kichakani.

She told me she was terrified that Boko Haram would come back for her.

Aliniambia aliogopa sana kuwa Boko Haram wangeweza kumrudia.

She was one of 57 girls who would escape by jumping off trucks that day.

Alikuwa mmoja wa wasichana 57 waliotoroka kwa kuruka toka kwenye magari siku ile.

This story, quite rightly, caused ripples

Kisa hiki, hakika, kilisambaa kama mawimbi

around the world.

duniani kote.

People like Michelle Obama, Malala and others

Watu kama Michelle Obama, Malala na wengine

lent their voices in protest,

walitoa sauti zao wakipinga,

and at about the same time -- I was living in London at the time --

na wakati huo huo -- nilikuwa nikiishi London wati huo

I was sent from London to Abuja to cover the World Economic Forum

Nilitumwa kutoka London kwenda Abuja kupata habari za Jukwaa la Uchumi Duniani

that Nigeria was hosting for the first time.

ambapo Naijeria ilikuwa mwenyeji kwa mara ya kwanza

But when we arrived, it was clear that there was only one story in town.

Lakini nilipofika, ilikuwa dhahiri kwamba kulikuwa na habari moja tu mjini.

We put the government under pressure.

Tuliiiweka serikali kwenye shinikizo.

We asked tough questions about what they were doing

Tuliuliza maswali magumu juu ya nini wanafanya

to bring these girls back.

kuwarudisha wasichana hawa.

Understandably,

Ilieleweka hakika,

they weren't too happy with our line of questioning,

hawakuwa na furaha juu ya maswali yetu,

and let's just say we received our fair share of "alternative facts."

na tuseme tu tulipata mgao mzuri wa "ukweli mbadala".

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

Influential Nigerians were telling us at the time

Wanaijeria wenye ushawishi mkubwa walikuwa wakituambia wakati ule

that we were naïve,

kuwa tulikuwa washamba.

we didn't understand the political situation in Nigeria.

hatukuelewa hali ya siasa ya Naijeria.

But they also told us

Lakini pia walituambia

that the story of the Chibok girls

kuwa habari ya wasichana wa Chibok

was a hoax.

illikuwa mzaha.

Sadly, this hoax narrative has persisted,

Cha kusikitisha ni kuwa habari hii ya mzaha imedumu

and there are still people in Nigeria today

na bado kuna watu Naijeria leo

who believe that the Chibok girls were never kidnapped.

wanaoamini wasichana wa Chibok hawakutekwa.

Yet I was talking to people like these --

Bado, nilikuwa nikiongea na watu kama hawa

devastated parents,

wazazi wenye huzuni kubwa,

who told us that on the day Boko Haram kidnapped their daughters,

ambao walituambia siku Boko Haram waliwateka binti zao,

they ran into the Sambisa Forest after the trucks carrying their daughters.

walikimbia mpaka Msitu wa Sambisa wakifukuza magari laliyobeba binti zao.

They were armed with machetes, but they were forced to turn back

Wao walikuwa na mapanga kama silaha, lakini walilazimika kurudi

because Boko Haram had guns.

sababu Boko Haram walikuwa na bunduki.

For two years, inevitably, the news agenda moved on,

Kwa miaka miwili, pasipo kuepukika, ajenda za habari zilisonga mbele,

and for two years,

na kwa miaka miwili,

we didn't hear much about the Chibok girls.

hatukusikia sana kuhusu wasichana wa Chibok.

Everyone presumed they were dead.

Kila moja alidhania wamekwishakufa.

But in April last year,

Lakini Aprili mwaka jana,

I was able to obtain this video.

niliweza kupata video hii.

This is a still from the video

Hii ni picha-mnato toka kwenye video

that Boko Haram filmed as a proof of life,

ambayo Boko Haram walirekodi kama ushahidi kuwa wako hai,

and through a source, I obtained this video.

na kupitia chanzo kimoja, nilipata video hii.

But before I could publish it,

Lakini kabla sijaichapisha,

I had to travel to the northeast of Nigeria

Nilihitaji kusafiri kwenda kaskazini mashariki mwa Naijeria

to talk to the parents, to verify it.

kuzungumza na wazazi, kuihakikisha.

I didn't have to wait too long for confirmation.

Sikuhitaji kusubiri sana kupata uthibitisho.

One of the mothers, when she watched the video, told me

Mmoja wa wamama, alipoangalia hiyo video, aliniambia

that if she could have reached into the laptop

kama angeweza kuifika ndani ya kompyuta

and pulled our her child from the laptop,

na kumvuta na kumtoa nje mtoto wake kutoka kwenye kompyuta,

she would have done so.

angefanya hivyo.

For those of you who are parents, like myself, in the audience,

Kwa wale kati yenu ambao ni wazazi, kama mimi, katika wasikilizaji.

you can only imagine the anguish

Mnaweza tu kufikiria uchungu

that that mother felt.

ambao yule mama aliusikia

This video would go on to kick-start negotiation talks with Boko Haram.

Video hii iliendelea hadi kuanzisha mjadala wa mazungumzo na Boko Haram.

And a Nigerian senator told me that because of this video

Na seneta mmoja wa Kinaijeria aliniambia kuwa kwa sababu ya video hii

they entered into those talks,

waliingia katika yale mazungumzo,

because they had long presumed that the Chibok girls were dead.

kwa sababu muda mrefu walidhani wasichana wa Chibok walishakufa.

Twenty-one girls were freed in October last year.

Wasichana 21 waliachiwa huru mwezi Oktoba mwaka jana.

Sadly, nearly 200 of them still remain missing.

Cha kusikitisha, karibu 200 kati yao bado hawajapatikana.

I must confess that I have not been a dispassionate observer

Ni lazima nikiri, sijawa mwangalizi niliyependelea

covering this story.

kuzungumzia habari hii.

I am furious when I think about the wasted opportunities

Nakuwa na hasira ninapofikiria juu ya fursa zinazopotea

to rescue these girls.

kuwaokoa wasichana hawa.

I am furious when I think about what the parents have told me,

Nakuwa na hasira ninapofikiria juu ya kile wazazi wameniambia,

that if these were daughters of the rich and the powerful,

kuwa ingekuwa mabinti hawa ni wa matajiri na wenye nguvu,

they would have been found much earlier.

wangepatikana mapema zaidi.

And I am furious

Na nina hasira

that the hoax narrative,

kwamba simulizi la mzaha

I firmly believe,

ambalo naamini hakika

caused a delay;

limesababisha kuchelewa;

it was part of the reason for the delay in their return.

lilikuwa ni sehemu ya sababu ya ucheleweshwaji wa kurudi kwao.

This illustrates to me the deadly danger of fake news.

Hii inaonesha kwangu hatari kubwa ya habari za uongo.

So what can we do about it?

Nini twaweza kufanya juu ya hili?

There are some very smart people,

Kuna watu werevu sana,

smart engineers at Google and Facebook,

wahandisi werevu huko Google na Facebook,

who are trying to use technology to stop the spread of fake news.

wanaojaribu kutumia tekinolojia kuzuia kusambaa kwa habari za uongo.

But beyond that, I think everybody here -- you and I --

Lakini zaidi ya hapo, nafikiri kila mmoja hapa -- wewe na mimi --

we have a role to play in that.

tuna nafasi ya kushiriki katika hilo.

We are the ones who share the content.

Sisi ndio tunaoshirikishana maudhui

We are the ones who share the stories online.

Sisi ndio tunaoshirikishana habari mitandaoni

In this day and age, we're all publishers,

Nyakati za leo, sisi sote ni wachapishaji,

and we have responsibility.

na tuna jukumu.

In my job as a journalist,

Katika kazi yangu kama mwanahabari,

I check, I verify.

Ninaangalia, ninathibitisha,

I trust my gut, but I ask tough questions.

Ninaamini hisia zangu, lakini nauliza maswali magumu.

Why is this person telling me this story?

Kwa nini huyu mtu ananiambia habari hii?

What do they have to gain by sharing this information?

Nini atakachokipata kwa kunishirikisha taarifa hii?

Do they have a hidden agenda?

Je, ana ajenda ya siri?

I really believe that we must all start to ask tougher questions

Ninaamini kabisa kuwa wote tunatakiwa kuanza kuuliza maswali magumu zaidi

of information that we discover online.

kwa taarifa tunazozipata mtandaoni.

Research shows that some of us don't even read beyond headlines

Utafiti unaonesha kwamba kati yetu kuna wasiosoma zaidi ya vichwa vya habari

before we share stories.

kabla ya kushirikisha habari.

Who here has done that?

Nani hapa amefanya hivyo?

I know I have.

Najua mimi nimefanya.

But what if

Lakini ingekuwaje kama

we stopped taking information that we discover at face value?

tungeacha kuchukua taarifa tuipatayo jinsi ionekanavyo kijuujuu?

What if we stop to think about the consequence

vipi kama tutasimama na kufikiria athari

of the information that we pass on

za taarifa ambazo tunazisambaza

and its potential to incite violence or hatred?

na uwezo wake wa kuchochea vurugu na chuki?

What if we stop to think about the real-life consequences

Vipi kama tutasimama na kufikiria juu ya athari kwenye maisha halisi

of the information that we share?

za taarifa tunazoshirikishana?

Thank you very much for listening.

Ahsanteni sana kwa kunisikiliza.

(Applause)

(Makofi na vifijo)