Visions of Africa's future, from African filmmakers

翻译人员: duan JiGang 校对人员: Lipeng Chen

As a child growing up in Nigeria,

作为一个在尼日利亚长大的孩子，

books sparked my earliest imagination,

书本激发了我最初的想象力，

but films, films transported me

但带我四处遨游却是电影。

to magical places with flying cars,

电影带我去有飞行汽车的魔法世界，

to infinite space with whole universes of worlds to discover.

带我去无限的空间探索无尽的宇宙。

And my journey of discovery has led to many places and possibilities,

这探索之旅带我去了许多的地方， 领略了许多的可能性，

all linked with ideas and imagination.

所有这些与想法和想象交织在一起。

A decade and a half ago,

十五年前，

I moved from working in law and technology in New York

我辞掉了纽约的法律与技术相关工作，

to financing, producing and distributing films

转到内罗毕、拉各斯和约翰内斯堡等地方

in Nairobi, Lagos and Johannesburg.

从事电影的融资，拍摄和传播工作。

I've been privileged to see firsthand how in Africa,

我有幸能在非洲第一手看到

film powerfully explores the marvelous and the mundane,

电影如何以强有力的方式创造了伟大和非凡，

how it conveys infinite possibilities and fundamental truths.

怎样传递无限的可能性和基本真理。

Afrofuturist films like "Pumzi,"

比如 Afrofuturist 的电影像 “Pumzi”，

Wanuri Kahiu's superb sci-fi flick,

还有 Wanuri Kahiu 的炫酷科幻片，

paint brilliant pictures of Africa's future,

都在用色彩斑斓的图片描绘着非洲的未来，

while Rungano Nyoni's "I Am Not A Witch"

然而 Rungano Nyoni 的 “我不是女巫”

and Akin Omotoso's "Vaya"

和 Akin Omotoso 的 “Vaya”，

show us and catalogue our present.

却给我们展示了非洲的现在。

These filmmakers offer nuanced snapshots of Africa's imagined and lived reality,

这些电影人对非洲想象中的和 现实中的生活提供了微妙的影像

in contrast to some of the images of Africa that come from outside,

他们与那些来自外部的关于非洲的照片

and the perspectives that accompany all of these images,

以及伴随这些照片的观点截然不同，

whether sympathetic or dismissive, shape or distort

而外部这些观点，无论同情还是轻视，

how people see Africa.

都扭曲了人们对非洲的看法。

And the truth is,

然而现实是

many people think Africa is screwed up.

很多人认为非洲搞砸了。

Images play a big part of the reason why.

因为图像在其中起到了很大的作用。

Many tropes about Africa persist from pictures,

很多关于非洲的描述一直都来自于图像，

pictures of famine in Ethiopia 30 years ago,

那些关于埃塞俄比亚30年前饥荒的照片，

pictures of the Biafran war half a century ago.

那些关于比夫拉半个世纪前的战争的照片。

But on a continent where the average age is 17,

但是在一个平均年龄17岁的大陆上，

these tragic events seem almost prehistoric.

这些悲剧似乎都是陈年往事。

Their images are far removed

这些照片都是遥远的，

from how people in Africa's many countries see themselves and their neighbors.

对于在非洲大陆很多国家的人 怎样看待自己和邻居，

For them, these images do not represent their reality.

对于他们而言， 这些图片 并没有表达他们的现实生活。

So what is Africa's reality,

那么什么才是非洲的现实？

or rather, which of Africa's many realities do we choose to focus on?

更准确的说，我们从很多 非洲现实中选择哪一种去关注。

Do we accept Emmanuel Macron's imagination of Africa in 2017

我们接受埃马纽埃尔·马克龙的 2017年关于非洲的想象吗？

as a place in which all women have seven or eight children?

在非洲所有的女人有七八个孩子？

Or do we instead rely on the UN's account

或者我们应该反而去 依靠联合国的统计关于

that only one of Africa's 54 countries has a fertility rate as high as seven?

在非洲54个国家里竟有 一个高达7个这样高的生育率？

Do we focus on the fact

我们是否应该聚焦在当下的实情

that infant mortality and life expectancy in Africa today

那就是非洲的婴儿死亡率和人均寿命

is roughly comparable to the US a hundred years ago,

基本上和美国一百年前的水平持平，

or do we focus on progress,

或者我们应该关注当前的发展，

the fact that Africa has cut infant mortality in half

那就是，在过去的四十年中

in the last four decades

非洲的婴儿死亡率已经降低了一半，

and has raised life expectancy by 10 years since the year 2000?

并且在2000年后的近10年内 人均寿命增加了10年。

These dueling perspectives

这些相对立的视角

are all accurate.

都是精确的。

Well, aside from Macron's. He's just wrong.

当然，除了马克龙的。他是错的。

(Laughter)

（笑）

But one version makes it easy to dismiss Africa as hopeless,

但是有一种观点导致人们 很容易认为非洲没有希望，

while the other fuels hope that a billion people

与此同时，却有当其他的动力希望这十亿人

can continue to make progress towards prosperity.

能够继续去朝着繁荣前进。

The fact that Africans

事实就是，非洲

do not have the luxury of turning their gaze elsewhere,

并没有奢侈的把目光转向他处，

the fact that we must make progress

事实就是我们必须做出进步

or live with the consequence of failure,

或者生活在失败的恶果中，

are the reason we must continue to tell our own stories

这是我们必须讲述我们的故事的原因

and show our own images,

并展示我们的景象，

with honesty and primarily to an African audience,

真诚并首要针对非洲听众，

because the image that matters most

因为影响最大的因素就是

is the image of Africa in African imaginations.

非洲人想象中的非洲。

Now, honesty requires that we acknowledge

现在，真诚要求我们必须承认

that Africa is behind the rest of the world

非洲是落后于世界的，

and needs to move swiftly to catch up.

我们需要迅速赶上。

But thinking of a way forward,

但是要想着前进的道路，

I'd like us to engage in a thought exercise.

我喜欢置身于思考的练习之中。

What if we could go back a hundred years,

如果能回到100年前，

say to the US in 1917,

我们能对1917年的美国说什么，

but we could take with us all the modern ideas,

如果能带上今天的现代化想法

innovations, inventions that we have today?

改革，还有发明，会发生什么？

What could we achieve with this knowledge?

有了这些知识，我们能取得哪些成就呢？

How richly could we improve quality of life and living conditions for people?

我们能多大程度的提高人们的 生活质量和生存环境?

How widely could we spread prosperity?

我们能在多大范围内传播这种繁荣昌盛?

Imagine if a hundred years ago,

想象在一百年前

the education system had all the knowledge we have today,

教育系统已经有了所有我们今天拥有的知识

including how best to teach.

包括怎样把教导做到最好。

And doctors and scientists knew all we do

但是医生和科学家们知道我们所从事的这些事情

about public health measures, surgery techniques,

如公共机健康测量，外科手术技术，

DNA sequencing, cancer research and treatment?

DNA 排序，癌症治疗和研究吗？

If we had access then to modern semiconductors,

还有我们能接触到现代化的半导体，

computers, mobile devices, the internet?

计算机，移动设备和互联网吗？

Just imagine.

想象一下

If we did, we could take a quantum leap forward, couldn't we.

如果我们可以，我们就能 实现巨大的飞跃，难道不是吗？

Well, Africa can take a leap of that magnitude today.

是的，非洲今天可以实现如此大的飞跃。

There's enough untapped innovation

有足够多的未开发的创新

to move Africa a century forward in living conditions

在生活条件上可以把非洲向前带动一百年。

if the will and commitment is there.

只要我们有意愿和决心。

This is not just a possibility; it's an imperative for Africa's future,

这不只是一种可能， 对于非洲的未来，这是当务之急，

a future that will see Africa's population double

在这个未来，可以看到非洲人口翻倍，

to two and a half billion people in just three decades,

在仅仅三十年内达到25亿人口，

a future that will see Africa have the world's largest workforce,

在这个未来，可以看到非洲拥有 世界上最大的劳动力市场

just as the idea of work itself is being radically reconsidered.

正如工作的定义正在被彻底的重新思考一样。

Now taking the leap forward isn't that far-fetched.

现在实现这一飞跃并不是那么遥不可及。

There are tons of examples that demonstrate the potential

无数例子在证明着非洲

for change in Africa.

改革的可能性。

Just 20 years ago,

仅在二十年前，

Nigeria had fewer than half a million working phone lines.

尼日利亚有不到50万的工作电话线。

Today it has a hundred million mobile phone subscriptions,

如今，他们拥有1亿的手机用户，

and this mobile miracle is mirrored in every African country.

并且这种移动端的奇迹 正在非洲的其他国家如法炮制着。

There are over three quarters of a billion mobile phones in use in Africa today,

非洲今天有超过7.5亿的手机用户。

and this has spurred justified excitement about leapfrogging,

这激起了人们对于非洲跨越式发展，

about bringing the sharing economy, artificial intelligence,

对于带来共享经济，人工智能，

autonomous machines to Africa.

以及无人操控机器的合乎情理的兴奋。

And this is all promising,

所有这一切充满希望，

but we need to think about sequencing.

但是我们要想好其顺序，

Forget putting the cart before the horse.

不要本末倒置。

You can't put the self-driving car before the roads.

你不可能把无人驾驶汽车规划在道路之前。

(Applause)

(鼓掌)

There's a whole infrastructural and logical layer to innovation

我们理所应当的要进行一些

that we take for granted,

基础架构和逻辑层的改革。

but we have to triage for Africa,

但我们先要对非洲就行分诊，

because some of the biggest infrastructure gaps

因为一些最大的基础设施缺口

are for things that are so basic

是很多事情的基础，

that Westerners rarely have to think about them.

而这些基础西方人很少会考虑到。

So let's explore this.

所以，让我们来探究下这个问题吧。

Imagine your internet access went off for a day,

想象一下你的互联网有一天不可用，

and when it came back,

然后当它恢复的时候，

it only stayed on for three hours at a time,

如果在随机的15个小时内

with random 15-hour outages?

你的互联网只能保持连续3个小时可用。

How would your life change?

你的生活将会怎样改变？

Now replace internet access with electricity.

然后把互联网使用权 换成电力资源再次同样设想。

Think of your fridges, your TVs, your microwaves,

想象一下你的冰箱，电视，你的微波炉，

just sitting idly for days.

只是闲置几天。

Now extend this nightmare to government offices,

然后把这种噩梦扩展到政府办公室，

to businesses, to schools,

扩展到生意场上，扩展到学校中，

to hospitals.

到医院里。

This, or worse,

这，或者比这更糟的情况，

is the type of access that hundreds of millions of Africans

正是数亿非洲人民正在经历着的东西，包括

have to electricity,

电力资源、

and to water,

水资源、

and to healthcare,

医疗健康、

and to sanitation,

环境卫生，

and to education.

还有教育，皆是如此。

We must fix this.

我们必须解决这个问题。

We must fix this because ensuring widespread and affordable access

我们必须解决这个问题， 因为确保对于基础设施和服务的

to decent infrastructure and services

广泛和可承担的使用基建，

isn't just low-hanging fruit:

不是唾手可得的，

it's fundamental to achieving the hundred-year leap.

它更是实现百年飞跃的基础。

And when we fix it,

当解决这个问题后，

we might find some unexpected benefits.

我们可能会发现一些超出期望的好处。

One unexpected benefit of the mobile miracle

移动端的奇迹带来的 一个超出期望的好处就是

was that it led to what is perhaps the greatest cultural resurgence

它引起了这一代人可以亲眼见证的

that Africa has seen in a generation:

或许是最伟大的文化复兴，

the rebirth of African popular music.

也就是非洲流行音乐的重生。

For musicians like P-Square,

对于一些音乐家诸如 P-Square，

Bongo Maffin

Bongo Maffin

and Wizkid,

还有 Wizkid，对他们来说，

mobile phones paved the path to local dominance

移动手机帮他们铺平了领衔本地音乐

and global stardom.

和走向国际舞台的道路。

And the impact isn't limited just to music.

并且这种影响不只局限于音乐界。

It extends to film, too.

它也同样延伸到电影行业，

Beautiful, engaging films

诸如美丽迷人的电影

like these stills of "Pumzi,"

"Pumzi",

"Vaya," and "I Am Not A Witch" show.

"Vaya" 和 "我不是女巫"。

For while its external image might be dated,

一段时间内她的 外部形象可能会显得过时，

Africa continues to evolve, as does African film.

但是非洲国家， 正如非洲电影一样，在继续进步着。

Now, every now and again, the rest of the world catches on,

现在，或者时不时的，世界的其他国家都会跟上来，

perhaps with Djo Munga's hard-hitting "Viva Riva!"

或许以 Djo Munga 的强有力作品 "Viva Riva!",

with Newton Aduaka's intense "Ezra,"

或许以 Newton Aduakas 的充满紧张的作品 “Ezra”，

or with Abderrahmane Sissako's poetic "Timbuktu."

或者以 Abderrahmane Sissako 的诗歌 “Timbuktu”。

With mobile, Africans are discovering more and more of these films,

通过移动手机，非洲正在发掘越来越多的此类电影，

and what that means is that it really matters less in Kinshasa or Cotonou

这意味着在金沙萨或者科托努

what Cannes thinks of African film,

戛纳电影节对非洲电影的看法并不重要，

or if those opinions are informed or fair.

也包括这些观点是否客观或者公正等。

Who really cares what the "New York Times" thinks?

谁会真正在乎《纽约时报》在想些什么？

What matters is that Africans are validating African art and ideas,

真正有意义的是非洲人 正在激活和验证非洲的艺术和想法，

both critically and commercially,

他们正在严肃而带有商业化的

that they are watching what they want,

审视着他们想要的东西，

and that African filmmakers are connecting with their core audiences.

同时非洲的电影制片人也正在 与他们的核心观众建立连接。

And this is important.

这一点很重要。

It's important because film can illuminate and inspire.

因为电影可以照亮和鼓舞人生，所以它很重要。

Film can bring visions of the future to us here in the present.

电影可以给此时此刻的我们带来对于未来的愿景。

Films can serve as a conveyor belt for hope.

电影如希望之传送带。

And film can change perspectives faster than we can build roads.

电影改变人们的观点速度胜过我们修路的速度。

In just over a decade,

在仅仅十年间，

Nigeria's film industry, Africa's largest,

尼日利亚的电影工业， 也是非洲最大的电影工业，

has taken the country's words and languages

已经把这个国家的词汇和语言带到了

into the vocabulary and imaginations of millions

其他许多非洲国家的

in many other African countries.

词典里和数百万人的想象中去了。

It has torn down borders,

它打破了边界，

perhaps in the most effective way since the Berlin Conference

或许是以一种自柏林会议后最有效的方式，

sowed linguistic and geographic division across Africa.

打破了会议播下的遍布非洲的语言和地理分裂。

Film does speak a universal language,

电影使用一种通用的语言来讲述，

and boy, Nigerian film speaks it loudly.

孩子们，尼日利亚电影大声的说着。

Making Africa's hundred-year leap

创造非洲的百年飞跃

will require that Africans summon the creativity to generate ideas

要求非洲人民激发创造力来产生更多想法，

and find the openness to accept and adapt ideas from anywhere else in the world

并且寻找开放以接受和采纳世界各地的想法，

to solve our pervasive problems.

以便能解决我们无处不在的问题。

With focus on investment,

关注投资，

films can help drive that change in Africa's people,

电影可以帮助推动非洲人民的改变，

a change that is necessary to make the hundred-year leap,

这个改变对非洲的百年复兴不可或缺，

a change that will help create a prosperous Africa,

这个改变将帮助我们创造一个繁荣的非洲，

an Africa that is dramatically better than it is today.

一个比今天更加美好的非洲。

Thank you.

谢谢。

Asante sana.

谢谢你们（斯瓦西里语）。

(Applause)

（掌声）