Kakenya Ntaiya: A girl who demanded school | TED

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

翻译人员: Emma Zhao 校对人员: Jamie Wang

There's a group of people in Kenya.

在肯尼亚有一群人。

People cross oceans to go see them.

人们穿越重洋去见他们。

These people are tall.

他们长得高大。

They jump high. They wear red.

他们跳的高，他们穿戴红色。

And they kill lions.

他们猎杀狮子。

You might be wondering, who are these people?

你也许在嘀咕，这些人是谁呀？

These are the Maasais.

他们就是马赛人。

And you know what's cool? I'm actually one of them.

你知道什么酷吗？我就是他们当中的一员。

The Maasais, the boys are brought up to be warriors.

马赛人，男孩们长大都是勇士。

The girls are brought up to be mothers.

女孩们长大都做妈妈。

When I was five years old,

我五岁的时候，

I found out that I was engaged

我发现我订婚了

to be married as soon as I reached puberty.

一进入青春期就马上结婚。

My mother, my grandmother, my aunties,

我母亲，祖母，姨姨姑姑们

they constantly reminded me that

她们不断提醒我

your husband just passed by.

你丈夫刚刚路过。

(Laughter) Cool, yeah?

（笑）酷不酷？

And everything I had to do from that moment

那时我要做的一切

was to prepare me to be a perfect woman at age 12.

就是准备在12岁时成为一个完美女人。

My day started at 5 in the morning,

我早上五点起床，

milking the cows, sweeping the house,

挤奶，打扫房子，

cooking for my siblings, collecting water, firewood.

为我的弟兄姊妹们做饭，打水，收集柴火。

I did everything that I needed to do

我做一切该做的

to become a perfect wife.

好成为一个完美妻子。

I went to school not because the Maasais'

我上学不是因为马赛人的

women or girls were going to school.

妇女和女孩都上学。

It's because my mother was denied an education,

是因为我母亲被剥夺了受教育的权利，

and she constantly reminded me and my siblings that

她不断提醒我和我的兄弟姐妹们

she never wanted us to live the life she was living.

她从不希望我们过像她一样的生活。

Why did she say that?

为什么她会这样说?

My father worked as a policeman in the city.

我父亲是城里的一名警察。

He came home once a year.

他一年回家一次。

We didn't see him for sometimes even two years.

有时两年也见不着他。

And whenever he came home, it was a different case.

他回家的时候，就不同了。

My mother worked hard in the farm

我母亲在地里辛勤工作

to grow crops so that we can eat.

种庄稼给我们吃。

She reared the cows and the goats

她养牛和羊

so that she can care for us.

照顾我们。

But when my father came, he would sell the cows,

但我父亲回来时，就把牛卖了，

he would sell the products we had,

他会卖掉所有的收成，

and he went and drank with his friends in the bars.

去酒吧里跟朋友喝酒。

Because my mother was a woman,

因为我母亲是个女人，

she was not allowed to own any property,

她不允许拥有财产，

and by default, everything in my family anyway

按规定，我家里所有的东西

belongs to my father, so he had the right.

都属于我父亲，所以他有权力这样做。

And if my mother ever questioned him,

如果我母亲质问他，

he beat her, abused her, and really it was difficult.

他就打她，虐待她，所以生活真的很艰辛。

When I went to school, I had a dream.

在我就学时，有一个梦想。

I wanted to become a teacher.

我想成为老师。

Teachers looked nice.

老师看上去真好。

They wear nice dresses, high-heeled shoes.

她们穿的漂亮，穿高跟鞋。

I found out later that they are uncomfortable, but I admired it.

后来我才知道那很不舒服，但我曾羡慕过。

(Laughter)

（笑）

But most of all, the teacher was just writing on the board --

最重要的是，老师只在板上写字--

not hard work, that's what I thought,

工作不苦，我是这样想的，

compared to what I was doing in the farm.

比起在田里干活。

So I wanted to become a teacher.

所以我想成为一位老师。

I worked hard in school, but when I was in eighth grade,

我非常用功，但在8年级时，

it was a determining factor.

有个决定的因素。

In our tradition, there is a ceremony

在我们传统，女孩要成为女人

that girls have to undergo to become women,

需要经过一个仪式

and it's a rite of passage to womanhood.

这是一个成为女人的通过仪式

And then I was just finishing my eighth grade,

我刚刚念完了8年级，

and that was a transition for me to go to high school.

就要准备上高中了。

This was the crossroad.

我到了人生的十字路口。

Once I go through this tradition, I was going to become a wife.

一旦我通过了这个传统，我就要成为一名妻子。

Well, my dream of becoming a teacher will not come to pass.

我的老师梦就会落空。

So I talked -- I had to come up with a plan

我必须有个计划

to figure these things out.

把这个事情处理好。

I talked to my father. I did something that most girls have never done.

我决定跟父亲谈谈，这是多数女孩都没做过的事。

I told my father, "I will only go through this ceremony

我告诉他，“我参加这个仪式的唯一条件

if you let me go back to school."

就是你得让我回去上学。”

The reason why, if I ran away,

原因是，如果我跑了，

my father will have a stigma, people will be calling him

我父亲会蒙羞，人们会叫他

the father of that girl who didn't go through the ceremony.

那位是没举行仪式的女孩的父亲。

It was a shameful thing for him to carry the rest of his life.

余生要背负这污名是非常丢脸的

So he figured out. "Well," he said, "okay,

所以，他想通了说，“好吧，

you'll go to school after the ceremony."

仪式完了你就去上学。”

I did. The ceremony happened.

我就做了。仪式举行了。

It's a whole week long of excitement.

那个兴奋劲持续一星期之长。

It's a ceremony. People are enjoying it.

那是个仪式，人们在享受它。

And the day before the actual ceremony happens,

在正式仪式的前一天，

we were dancing, having excitement,

我们在跳舞，很兴奋，

and through all the night we did not sleep.

整夜都没睡。

The actual day came, and we walked out of the house

到了那天，我们从之前跳舞的房子出去

that we were dancing in. Yes, we danced and danced.

是的，我们跳呀跳。

We walked out to the courtyard, and there were a bunch of people waiting.

我们走到院子，有一群人在等着。

They were all in a circle.

他们围成个圈。

And as we danced and danced,

我们跳呀跳呀，

and we approached this circle of women,

接近妇女的圈，

men, women, children, everybody was there.

男人，女人，孩子，人人都在。

There was a woman sitting in the middle of it,

有个女人做在中间，

and this woman was waiting to hold us.

在等着我们

I was the first. There were my sisters and a couple of other girls,

我是第一个到的。我的姐妹和其他女孩也在，

and as I approached her,

我接近她，

she looked at me, and I sat down.

她看着我，我坐下了。

And I sat down, and I opened my legs.

我坐下后，打开双腿。

As I opened my leg, another woman came,

我打开腿时，另一个女人过来了，

and this woman was carrying a knife.

她拿着一把刀。

And as she carried the knife, she walked toward me

她拿着刀，走向我

and she held the clitoris, and she cut it off.

她拿着阴蒂，把它切掉。

As you can imagine, I bled. I bled.

你可以想象，我血一直流，流呀。

After bleeding for a while, I fainted thereafter.

流了一会，我就昏过去了。

It's something that so many girls --

很多女孩中--

I'm lucky, I never died -- but many die.

我算幸运的，我没死--但很多人死了。

It's practiced, it's no anesthesia, it's a rusty old knife,

这是惯例，没有麻醉，用的是一把生锈的破刀子，

and it was difficult.

这是个艰难的过程。

I was lucky because one, also, my mom did something

我很幸运，因为我妈妈做了件事，

that most women don't do.

大多数的女人却没有做。

Three days later, after everybody has left the home,

三天后，当大家都离开后，

my mom went and brought a nurse.

我妈妈去请来了一位护士。

We were taken care of.

我们得到了照顾。

Three weeks later, I was healed, and I was back in high school.

三周后，我康复了，回去上高中。

I was so determined to be a teacher now

我下决心要当一名老师，

so that I could make a difference in my family.

这样我就可以帮助我的家人。

Well, while I was in high school, something happened.

我在高中时，发生了一件事。

I met a young gentleman from our village

我遇到了从我们村来的一位年轻人

who had been to the University of Oregon.

他去过俄勒冈大学。

This man was wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, camera,

这个人穿着白衬衣，牛仔裤，带着照相机，

white sneakers -- and I'm talking about white sneakers.

穿着白运动鞋--我讲的是白色的运动鞋。

There is something about clothes, I think, and shoes.

我觉得，这些衣服，和鞋子很特别。

They were sneakers, and this is in a village

它们是运动鞋耶，而这里是一个小村子

that doesn't even have paved roads. It was quite attractive.

连路都没铺过。所以他非常吸引人。

I told him, "Well, I want to go to where you are,"

我跟他说，“我想去你在的那个地方，”

because this man looked very happy, and I admired that.

因为这个男人看上去很开心，我好羡慕。

And he told me, "Well,

他回答

what do you mean, you want to go?

“你说你想去是什么意思？”

Don't you have a husband waiting for you?"

“你的丈夫不是在等你吗？”

And I told him, "Don't worry about that part.

我跟他说，“别担心那个。“

Just tell me how to get there."

”只要告诉我怎么去就好。”

This gentleman, he helped me.

这个人，帮助了我。

While I was in high school also, my dad was sick.

我上高中的时候，我爸爸生病了。

He got a stroke, and he was really, really sick,

他得了中风，病得非常重，

so he really couldn't tell me what to do next.

所以他没法告诉我应做什么。

But the problem is, my father is not the only father I have.

但问题是，我父亲不是我唯一的爸爸。

Everybody who is my dad's age, male in the community,

在社区里，每一个跟我爸爸同龄的

is my father by default --

按规矩，都是我父亲。

my uncles, all of them -- and they dictate what my future is.

我的所有叔叔们，--他们掌管着我的未来。

So the news came, I applied to school

我申请了学校

and I was accepted to Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia,

我被弗吉尼亚州的林奇堡的伦道夫梅肯女子学院录取了，

and I couldn't come without the support of the village,

没有村里的支持我去不了，

because I needed to raise money to buy the air ticket.

因为我要集资买机票。

I got a scholarship but I needed to get myself here.

学校给我奖学金，但我需要想法子去到那里。

But I needed the support of the village,

我需要村里的支持，

and here again, when the men heard,

当男人们听到后，

and the people heard that a woman had gotten an opportunity to go to school,

当人们听到一个女人有机会去上学，

they said, "What a lost opportunity.

他们说，“多么浪费的机会。”

This should have been given to a boy. We can't do this."

“这个机会应该给一个男孩。我们不能这样做。”

So I went back and I had to go back to the tradition.

所以我只好回去，我不得不回到传统。

There's a belief among our people

在我们的人中有个信仰

that morning brings good news.

那就是早晨会带来好消息。

So I had to come up with something to do with the morning,

所以我必须想想要在早上做些什么

because there's good news in the morning.

因为早晨会有好消息。

And in the village also, there is one chief, an elder,

在村里，有一位首领，一位长者，

who if he says yes, everybody will follow him.

如果他说可以，所有的人都听他的。

So I went to him very early in the morning, as the sun rose.

所以清晨在太阳升起的时候，我去找他。

The first thing he sees when he opens his door is, it's me.

他早上看到的第一样东西，就是我。

"My child, what are you doing here?"

他说：“我的孩子，你在这做什么？”

"Well, Dad, I need help. Can you support me to go to America?"

“爸爸，我需要帮忙。你能帮助我去美国吗？”

I promised him that I would be the best girl,

我承诺他，我将是最好的女孩，

I will come back, anything they wanted after that,

我会回来，之后他们想要我做什么

I will do it for them.

我都会做。

He said, "Well, but I can't do it alone."

他说，“可是，我不能一人做主。”

He gave me a list of another 15 men that I went --

他给了我15个男人的名字，让我去找他们

16 more men -- every single morning

之后又加了16个男人--每天早上

I went and visited them.

我去拜访他们。

They all came together.

有天，他们聚集在一起。

The village, the women, the men, everybody came together

整个村子，女人，男人，每个人都来了

to support me to come to get an education.

都支持我去接受教育。

I arrived in America. As you can imagine, what did I find?

我到了美国。你们可以想象，我发现了什么？

I found snow!

我看到了雪！

I found Wal-Marts, vacuum cleaners,

我看到了沃尔马，吸尘器，

and lots of food in the cafeteria.

和食堂里很多的食物。

I was in a land of plenty.

我到达了一片富饶的土地。

I enjoyed myself, but during that moment while I was here,

我过的很开心，可是在这段时间里

I discovered a lot of things.

我发现了很多事情。

I learned that that ceremony that I went through

我得知我13岁时接受的仪式

when I was 13 years old, it was called female genital mutilation.

叫做女性生殖器切割。

I learned that it was against the law in Kenya.

我得知那在肯尼亚是违法的。

I learned that I did not have to trade part of my body

我得知我不必用我的身体

to get an education. I had a right.

去换取教育。我有权利。

And as we speak right now, three million girls

此时此刻，在非洲

in Africa are at risk of going through this mutilation.

有3百万个女孩正面临这种切割的危险。

I learned that my mom had a right to own property.

我得知我妈妈有权拥有财产。

I learned that she did not have to be abused

我得知她不必因为是个女人

because she is a woman.

而受虐待。

Those things made me angry.

这一切让我生气。

I wanted to do something.

我想做点事情。

As I went back, every time I went,

每次我回去，

I found that my neighbors' girls were getting married.

我发现我邻居的女孩们结婚了。

They were getting mutilated, and here,

她们被切割了。

after I graduated from here, I worked at the U.N.,

我毕业后，在联合国工作，

I went back to school to get my graduate work,

我回学校去拿我的毕业作品，

the constant cry of these girls was in my face.

我常常想到那些女孩们的哭喊。

I had to do something.

我必须做点什么。

As I went back, I started talking to the men,

我回去后，开始跟男人们沟通，

to the village, and mothers, and I said,

去村里，对着那些母亲们，我说，

"I want to give back the way I had promised you

“我想实现我对你们的承诺"

that I would come back and help you. What do you need?"

”我承诺过会回来帮助你们。你们需要什么？”

As I spoke to the women, they told me,

我跟妇女们交谈，她们告诉我，

"You know what we need? We really need a school for girls."

“你知道我们需要什么吗？我们需要一所给女孩的学校。”

Because there had not been any school for girls.

因为从未有一所女生学校。

And the reason they wanted the school for girls

她们想要女子学校的原因

is because when a girl is raped when she's walking to school,

是因为如果有个女孩在去学校的路上被强奸了，

the mother is blamed for that.

她妈妈会受到责备。

If she got pregnant before she got married,

如果她在结婚前怀孕，

the mother is blamed for that, and she's punished.

母亲就会被指责，被惩罚。

She's beaten.

她将会被毒打。

They said, "We wanted to put our girls in a safe place."

她们说，“我们想让女孩们有个安全的地方。”

As we moved, and I went to talk to the fathers,

我去跟父亲们谈话，

the fathers, of course, you can imagine what they said:

当然，你能想象父亲们会说什么，

"We want a school for boys."

“我们想要一所男子学校。”

And I said, "Well, there are a couple of men from my village

我说，“从我村里有好几个男人“

who have been out and they have gotten an education.

”出去接受教育。“

Why can't they build a school for boys,

”为何不让他们为男孩们建所学校，”

and I'll build a school for girls?"

“而我会为女生建所学校？”

That made sense. And they agreed.

挺合理的，他们就同意了。

And I told them, I wanted them to show me a sign of commitment.

我跟他们说，我要他们展现承担责任的精神。

And they did. They donated land where we built the girls' school.

他们做到了。他们捐了块地给我们建女子学校。

We have.

我们就有了这所学校。

I want you to meet one of the girls in that school.

我想让你们见见那所学校的其中一位女孩。

Angeline came to apply for the school,

Angeline来学校报名，

and she did not meet any criteria that we had.

她没有符合我们的任何一条标准。

She's an orphan. Yes, we could have taken her for that.

她是个孤儿。是的，我们可以因此录取她。

But she was older. She was 12 years old,

但她有点大了，12岁，

and we were taking girls who were in fourth grade.

而我们收的是4年级的女生。

Angeline had been moving from one place --

Angeline从一个地方搬出来--

because she's an orphan, she has no mother, she has no father --

因为她是个孤儿，无父无母--

moving from one grandmother's house to another one,

从一方祖母的家搬到另一方，

from aunties to aunties. She had no stability in her life.

从姑姑家到姨姨家。她生活不稳定。

And I looked at her, I remember that day,

我看着她，我记得那天，

and I saw something beyond what I was seeing in Angeline.

我看到了超越Angeline本身的东西。

And yes, she was older to be in fourth grade.

是的，她比4年级生大一点。

We gave her the opportunity to come to the class.

我们给她机会来到教室。

Five months later, that is Angeline.

这是五个月后的Angeline。

A transformation had begun in her life.

她的人生在转变。

Angeline wants to be a pilot so she can fly around the world

Angeline想成为一位飞跃世界的飞行员

and make a difference.

有所作为。

She was not the top student when we took her.

我们录取她的时候，她不是头等生。

Now she's the best student, not just in our school,

现在她不只在我们学校是最优秀的，

but in the entire division that we are in.

在我们所在的地区她也是最棒的。

That's Sharon. That's five years later.

这是Sharon。这是5年后。

That's Evelyn. Five months later, that is the difference that we are making.

这个是Evelyn。五个月后，这是我们的成果。

As a new dawn is happening in my school,

我们学校迎来了一个新的黎明，

a new beginning is happening.

迎来了新的开始。

As we speak right now, 125 girls will never be mutilated.

此时此刻，125位女孩再也不会被切割。

One hundred twenty-five girls will not be married when they're 12 years old.

125位女孩子不会在12岁时嫁人。

One hundred twenty-five girls are creating and achieving their dreams.

125位女孩子在创造和追逐她们的梦想。

This is the thing that we are doing,

这就是我们在做的，

giving them opportunities where they can rise.

给她们机会让她们站起来。

As we speak right now, women are not being beaten

此时此刻，妇女不会被虐打

because of the revolutions we've started in our community.

因为我们的社区开始了革命。

(Applause)

（掌声）

I want to challenge you today.

今天我想挑战你们。

You are listening to me because you are here,

你们在这里听我演讲，

very optimistic.

因为你们都非常乐观。

You are somebody who is so passionate.

你们有如此的热情。

You are somebody who wants to see a better world.

你们想看到一个更美好的世界。

You are somebody who wants to see that war ends, no poverty.

你们想看到战争结束，贫困消失。

You are somebody who wants to make a difference.

你们想有所作为。

You are somebody who wants to make our tomorrow better.

你们想让明天更美好。

I want to challenge you today that to be the first,

我想挑战你们去做一位走在前端的人，

because people will follow you.

因为人们会跟随你。

Be the first. People will follow you.

做第一个走在前面的人，人们会跟随你。

Be bold. Stand up. Be fearless. Be confident.

勇敢些， 担责任，不畏惧，有信心。

Move out, because as you change your world,

走出去，因为当你改变了你的世界，

as you change your community,

当你改变了你的社区，

as we believe that we are impacting one girl, one family,

当我们相信我们一次影响一个女孩，一个家庭，

one village, one country at a time.

一个村庄，一个国家

We are making a difference, so if you change your world,

我们就能发挥重要作用。因此，如果你改变你的世界，

you are going to change your community,

你就会改变你的社区，

you are going to change your country,

就会改变你的国家，

and think about that. If you do that, and I do that,

想一想吧。如果你这样做，我这样做，

aren't we going to create a better future for our children,

我们不是在为我们的后代，你们的后代

for your children, for our grandchildren?

创造一个更美好的未来吗？

And we will live in a very peaceful world. Thank you very much.

我们将会住在一个非常和平的世界。谢谢大家！

(Applause)

(掌声）