Boniface Mwangi: The day I stood up alone

翻译人员: Yumeng Guo 校对人员: zac bleu

People back home call me a heckler,

家乡的人们称为我诘问者，

a troublemaker, an irritant,

麻烦制造者，激进者，

a rebel, an activist,

反抗者，行动主义者，

the voice of the people.

人民的声音。

But that wasn't always me.

但我并不是从小就这样。

Growing up, I had a nickname.

小的时候我有一个绰号，

They used to call me Softy,

他们叫我「软蛋」，

meaning the soft, harmless boy.

这个词意味着软弱，不惹麻烦，

Like every other human being, I avoided trouble.

像其他人一样，避免麻烦。

In my childhood, they taught me silence.

小的时候，他们教我要保持安静。

Don't argue, do as you're told.

不去争辩，让你做什么你就听话。

In Sunday school, they taught me don't confront, don't argue,

在主日学校，他们教我不要反对， 不要争辩，

even if you're right, turn the other cheek.

即便你有理，也要容忍。

This was reinforced by the political climate of the time.

当时的政治风气加重了「软蛋」之风。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Kenya is a country where you are guilty

在肯尼亚，唯有腰包鼓

until proven rich.

才可以是良民。

（笑声）

(Laughter)

Kenya's poor are five times more likely

相比于被罪犯杀害，

to be shot dead by the police who are meant to protect them

肯尼亚的穷人有六倍高的可能性 被那些应该保护他们的

than by criminals.

警察射杀。

This was reinforced by the political climate of the day.

当时的政治环境恶化了这种气焰。

We had a president, Moi, who was a dictator.

我的总统Moi是一个独裁者。

He ruled the country with an iron fist,

他用铁拳统治着国家，

and anyone who dared question his authority

任何人若敢质疑他的权威，

was arrested, tortured, jailed or even killed.

会被逮捕，施加酷刑， 锒铛入狱，甚至会被杀害。

That meant that people were taught to be smart cowards, stay out of trouble.

这意味着人民要学聪明， 而不是惹麻烦。

Being a coward was not an insult.

变成「软蛋」不再是一种耻辱，

Being a coward was a compliment.

而是一种荣耀。

We used to be told that a coward goes home to his mother.

俗话说「懦夫才能找到回家的路。」

What that meant: that if you stayed out of trouble you're going to stay alive.

其含义是：不惹麻烦，才能活着回家。

I used to question this advice,

我质疑过这种说法，

and eight years ago we had an election in Kenya,

8年前，肯尼亚的选举过后，

and the results were violently disputed.

爆发了激烈的政治斗争。

What followed that election was terrible violence, rape,

随之而来的是恐怖的暴力和强奸事件，

and the killing of over 1,000 people.

超过一千人丧失了性命。

My work was to document the violence.

我的工作是记录这场动乱。

As a photographer, I took thousands of images,

作为一个摄影师，我拍了上千幅照片。

and after two months,

两个月之后，

the two politicians came together, had a cup of tea,

双方坐在谈判桌前，泡上一杯茶，

signed a peace agreement, and the country moved on.

签订了和平协议，这事就这么过去了。

I was a very disturbed man because I saw the violence firsthand.

我内心十分不安， 因为我目睹了暴力事件。

I saw the killings. I saw the displacement.

我目睹了残杀。我目睹了政权更迭。

I met women who had been raped, and it disturbed me,

我目睹了强奸惨案。这让我很不安，

but the country never spoke about it.

但国家却保持缄默，

We pretended. We all became smart cowards.

我们假装，我们聪明地畏缩起来。

We decided to stay out of trouble and not talk about it.

我们不想惹麻烦，不去谈论这一切。

Ten months later, I quit my job. I said I could not stand it anymore.

十个月之后，我辞去了工作。 我再也不能忍气吞声。

After quitting my job, I decided to organize my friends

辞去工作以后，我决定召集朋友们

to speak about the violence in the country,

一起发出一些声音，

to speak about the state of the nation,

不让那场惨案和整个国家沉寂于无形。

and June 1, 2009 was the day that we were meant to go to the stadium

我们打算在2009年6月1日 那一天去会堂做些什么，

and try and get the president's attention.

引起总统的注意。

It's a national holiday,

那一天是国定假日，

it's broadcast across the country,

全国直播，

and I showed up at the stadium.

我到了会堂，

My friends did not show up.

我的朋友们却没有来。

I found myself alone,

孤立无援的我

and I didn't know what to do.

不知所措，

I was scared,

虽然惊慌，

but I knew very well that that particular day,

但我内心很明确，在这特殊的一天，

I had to make a decision.

我必须做出决定。

Was I able to live as a coward, like everyone else,

我是继续像所有人一样做一个懦夫，

or was I going to make a stand?

还是挺身而出？

And when the president stood up to speak,

当总统起身演讲时，

I found myself on my feet shouting at the president,

我站了起来，对总统呐喊，

telling him to remember the post-election violence victims,

告诉他要记住选举后的动乱受害者，

to stop the corruption.

要遏制腐败。

And suddenly, out of nowhere,

突然，不知从哪窜出来的警察

the police pounced on me like hungry lions.

像饿虎扑食一样想我扑来。

They held my mouth

他们钳住了我的嘴，

and dragged me out of the stadium,

把我拖出了会场，

where they thoroughly beat me up and locked me up in jail.

随后痛打一番，铐起来关到监狱里。

I spent that night in a cold cement floor in the jail,

那一晚我在监狱冰冷的水泥地上度过，

and that got me thinking.

这不禁让我思考。

What was making me feel this way?

是什么让我从懦夫变成勇夫的？

My friends and family thought I was crazy because of what I did,

我的朋友们和家人看到 我的所作所为都觉得我疯了，

and the images that I took were disturbing my life.

还拍了那么多照片。

The images that I took were just a number to many Kenyans.

这些令我不安的照片 对很多肯尼亚人而言只是一个数字。

Most Kenyans did not see the violence.

大多肯尼亚人没有目睹那场暴力，

It was a story to them.

对于他们而言不过是个故事。

And so I decided to actually start a street exhibition

因此我决定举办一场展览，

to show the images of the violence across the country

在全国各地的街道上展出暴力事件的照片，

and get people talking about it.

让民众谈论它们。

We traveled the country and showed the images,

我们的足迹遍布全国，展示照片，

and this was a journey that has started me to the activist path,

由此我踏上了行动主义者之路。

where I decided to become silent no more,

我下定决心，不再保持沉默，

to talk about those things.

要高声谈论那些事情。

We traveled, and our general site from our street exhibit

随着我们的脚步，我们从展出照片

became for political graffiti about the situation in the country,

转变为反映现实的政治涂鸦，

talking about corruption, bad leadership.

披露腐败作风和领导者的失职。

We have even done symbolic burials.

我们甚至还办了象征性葬礼。

We have delivered live pigs to Kenya's parliament

我们把一头活猪送到了肯尼亚议会，

as a symbol of our politicians' greed.

用以讽刺政客的贪婪。

It has been done in Uganda and other countries,

在乌干达和其他国家也有人做这样的事，

and what is most powerful is that the images have been picked by the media

最激动人心的是媒体捕捉到了这些画面，

and amplified across the country, across the continent.

并大肆宣传，传遍祖国大地， 横越整个大陆。

Where I used to stand up alone seven years ago,

七年前独自挺身而出的我，

now I belong to a community of many people who stand up with me.

如今找到了组织， 很多人会跟我一起挺身而出。

I am no longer alone when I stand up to speak about these things.

我为这些事情呐喊时不再是孤身一人。

I belong to a group of young people who are passionate about the country,

我们这个年轻人团体对祖国充满了热爱，

who want to bring about change,

力图革新，

and they're no longer afraid, and they're no longer smart cowards.

不再畏惧，摒弃了懦夫形象。

So that was my story.

这就是我的故事，

That day in the stadium,

那天在会场里，

I stood up as a smart coward.

站起来之前我还是一个懦夫，

By that one action, I said goodbye to the 24 years living as a coward.

但那一站， 让我告别了24年懦弱的生命。

There are two most powerful days in your life:

人的生命中有两天是尤为可贵的：

the day you're born, and the day you discover why.

你出生的那一天，你想明白的那一天。

That day standing up in that stadium shouting at the President,

在会场里站起来对总统呐喊的那一天，

I discovered why I was truly born,

我明白了我为什么要存活在 这个世界上：

that I would no longer be silent in the face of injustice.

不公正面前不再沉默。

Do you know why you were born?

你发现你活着的意义了吗？

Thank you.

谢谢。

（掌声）

(Applause)

Tom Rielly: It's an amazing story.

Tom Rielly: 这个故事太不可思议了。

I just want to ask you a couple quick questions.

有些问题我非常想问你。

So PAWA254:

那么 PAWA254：

you've created a studio, a place where young people can go

你创立过一个录音室， 年轻人可以到你那，

and harness the power of digital media

利用强大的数字媒体

to do some of this action.

去做一些事。

What's happening now with PAWA?

PAWA现在怎么样了？

Boniface Mwangi: So we have this community of filmmakers,

Boniface Mwangi: 我们这个团体里有制片人，

graffiti artists, musicians, and when there's an issue in the country,

涂鸦艺术家，音乐家， 当我们国家发生了些什么，

we come together, we brainstorm, and take up on that issue.

我们会聚在一起， 头脑风暴，解决这些事。

So our most powerful tool is art,

我们最强大的工具是艺术，

because we live in a very busy world where people are so busy in their life,

因为在今天这个繁忙的世界里， 人们都忙着自己的事情，

and they don't have time to read.

没有时间阅读。

So we package our activism and we package our message in art.

因此我们提炼出精华， 以艺术的形式展现出来，

So from the music, the graffiti, the art, that's what we do.

如音乐、涂鸦，艺术， 这就是我们所做的。

Can I say one more thing?

我还能补充一些吗？

TR: 当然 （掌声）

TR: Yeah, of course. (Applause)

BM: In spite of being arrested, beaten up, threatened,

BM: 尽管被逮捕，被殴打，被威胁，

the moment I discovered my voice,

但当我听到自己的声音的时候，

that I could actually stand up for what I really believed in,

我可以为自己的信仰挺身而出，

我不再害怕。

I'm no longer afraid.

I used to be called softy, but I'm no longer softy,

我过去被人叫做「软蛋」， 但我不再软弱，

因为我真正地发现了自己是怎样的人， 我真正地发现了我想做的事情，

because I discovered who I really am, as in, that's what I want to do,

and there's such beauty in doing that.

行动的过程又如此美妙。

There's nothing as powerful as that, knowing that I'm meant to do this,

生当如此，是再伟大的事情不过，

because you don't get scared, you just continue living your life.

因为你会挺起胸膛生活，不再畏缩。

Thank you.

谢谢。

（掌声）

(Applause)