Nnedi Okorafor: Sci-fi stories that imagine a future Africa | TED

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

What if an African girl from a traditional family

如果一個非洲女孩，

來自未來非洲的一個傳統家庭，

in a part of future Africa

is accepted into the finest university in the galaxy,

被銀河系裡遠處 數個最好的大學錄取，

planets away?

會如何？

What if she decides to go?

如果她決定要去呢？

這段話引述自我的中篇小說 《賓娣》（Binti）三部曲：

This is an excerpt from my "Binti" novella trilogy:

I powered up the transporter and said a silent prayer.

我啟動了運輸機，並默默禱告。

I had no idea what I was going to do if it didn't work.

如果它無法運作， 我就不知道該怎麼辦了。

My transporter was cheap,

我的運輸機很廉價，

so even a droplet of moisture or, more likely, a grain of sand,

即使一滴水汽，或甚至一粒沙子，

would cause it to short.

都可能會使它短路。

It was faulty, and most of the time I had to restart it over and over

它很靠不住，大部份的時候， 我得要不斷重新啟動它，

before it worked.

最後才會運作。

"Please not now, please not now," I thought.

我心想：「拜託現在別短路， 拜託現在別短路。」

The transporter shivered in the sand and I held my breath.

運輸機在沙地中顫動，我屏息以待。

它很小、平平坦坦、 黑色的，就像是個禱告石，

Tiny, flat and black as a prayer stone,

it buzzed softly and then slowly rose from the sand.

它輕柔地發出噪音， 接著緩緩從沙地升起。

Finally, it produced the baggage-lifting force.

最終，它產生能抬起行李的力量。

I grinned.

我露齒而笑。

Now I could make it to the shuttle on time.

這樣我就能準時到達太空梭了。

I swiped otjize from my forehead with my index finger and knelt down,

我用食指抹去額上的 赭色乳脂，跪了下來，

then I touched the finger to the sand,

接著我用那隻手指去觸碰沙子，

grounding the sweet-smelling red clay into it.

讓汗味的紅土留在手指上。

"Thank you," I whispered.

我低語：「謝謝你。」

It was a half-mile walk along the dark desert road.

我沿著黑暗的沙漠道路走了半哩。

With the transporter working I would make it there on time.

因為運輸機成功啟動， 我能準時到達那裡。

Straightening up, I paused and shut my eyes.

我直起身子，暫停一下，閉上眼睛。

Now, the weight of my entire life was pressing on my shoulders.

現在，我整個人生 重重壓在我的肩膀上。

I was defying the most traditional part of myself for the first time

這是我第一次公然反抗

自我生命中最傳統的那一部份。

in my entire life.

I was leaving in the dead of night, and they had no clue.

我在夜晚的死寂中離開， 而他們完全不知情。

My nine siblings, all older than me except for my younger sister and brother,

除了一位妹妹和一位弟弟以外， 其他的九位手足都比我年長，

would never see this coming.

他們絕對料不到。

My parents would never imagine I'd do such a thing in a million years.

我父母一百年也絕對 想像不到我會這樣做。

By the time they all realized what I'd done and where I was going,

當他們發現我做了什麼 以及我要去哪裡時，

I'd have left the planet.

我早已離開這星球了。

In my absence, my parents would growl to each other

我不在的時候， 我父母將會彼此咆哮，

that I was never to set foot in their home again.

說再也不許我踏進家門一步。

My four aunties and two uncles who lived down the road

住在不遠的四個姑姑和兩個叔叔，

would shout and gossip amongst themselves

將會彼此大叫和說八卦，

about how I had scandalized the entire bloodline.

述說我的醜聞如何震驚了整個家族。

I was going to be a pariah.

我將成為被放逐的賤民。

"Go," I softly whispered to the transporter,

我輕聲對著運輸機說：「走吧。」

stamping my foot.

我跺著腳。

The thin metal rings I wore around each ankle jingled noisily,

戴在我腳踝上的細金屬環 吵雜地發出叮噹聲，

but I stamped my foot again.

但我再次跺腳。

Once on, the transporter worked best when I didn't touch it.

運輸機一旦啟動了，我不再碰它 才能讓它處在最佳狀態。

"Go," I said again, sweat forming on my brow.

我眉上冒出了汗水， 再次說：「走吧。」

When nothing moved,

當什麼都沒動時，

I chanced giving the two large suitcases sitting atop the force field a shove.

我冒險推了一下 位在力場上的兩個行李箱。

They moved smoothly, and I breathed another sigh of relief.

它們順暢地移動，我又鬆了一口氣。

At least some luck was on my side.

至少有點運氣是站在我這邊的。

So, in a distant future part of Africa,

所以，在遙遠未來的非洲，

Binti is a mathematical genius of the Himba ethnic group.

賓娣是個辛巴種族的數學天才，

She's been accepted into a university on another planet,

她被另一個星球上的大學錄取，

and she's decided to go.

她決定要去。

Carrying the blood of her people in her veins,

她身上流著族人的血液，

adorned with the teachings, ways, even the land on her very skin,

她的皮膚上裝飾著 那些教誨、風俗、甚至土地，

Binti leaves the earth.

她離開了地球。

As the story progresses, she becomes not other, but more.

隨著故事發展，她成長了更多，

This idea of leaving but bringing and then becoming more

離開，但帶來更多， 接著成長更多的這個想法，

is at one of the hearts of Afrofuturism,

就是非洲未來主義的精神之一，

or you can simply call it a different type of science fiction.

或是你也可以簡單稱它為 不同類型的科幻小說。

I can best explain the difference between classic science fiction and Afrofuturism

如果我使用章魚類比法， 能最清楚解釋古典科幻小說

if I used the octopus analogy.

和非洲未來主義的差別。

Like humans,

和人類一樣，

octopuses are some of the most intelligent creatures on earth.

章魚是地球上最有智慧的生物之一。

However, octopus intelligence evolved from a different evolutionary line,

然而，章魚智慧的演化， 走的是不同的演化路線，

separate from that of human beings,

和人類的演化路線是分開的，

so the foundation is different.

所以基礎並不相同。

The same can be said about the foundations of various forms of science fiction.

各種不同形式之 科幻小說的基礎也是如此。

So much of science fiction speculates

所以，科幻小說大多臆測

about technologies, societies, social issues,

科技、社會、社會議題、

what's beyond our planet, what's within our planet.

我們的星球外有什麼、 我們的星球內有什麼。

Science fiction is one of the greatest and most effective forms

科幻小說是最偉大且最有效的

of political writing.

政治著作形式之一。

It's all about the question, "What if?"

重點總是這個問題： 「如果……會如何？」

Still, not all science fiction has the same ancestral bloodline,

但，並非所有的科幻小說 都有同樣的祖傳血脈，

that line being Western-rooted science fiction,

那血脈扎根在西方的科幻小說，

which is mostly white and male.

多半以白人男性為主。

We're talking Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne,

我們說的是以撒艾西莫夫、 朱爾凡恩、

H.G. Wells, George Orwell, Robert Heinlein, etc.

H.G.威爾斯、喬治歐威爾、 羅伯特海萊因等人。

So what if a Nigerian-American wrote science fiction?

如果奈及利亞裔美國人 來寫科幻小說會如何？

Growing up, I didn't read much science fiction.

成長過程中，我沒有 讀過很多科幻小說。

I couldn't relate to these stories

我無法和這些故事有所連結，

preoccupied with xenophobia, colonization and seeing aliens as others.

它們充滿了仇外和殖民主義， 視外星人為異己。

And I saw no reflection of anyone who looked like me in those narratives.

在那些故事中， 我沒看到任何像我的人。

In the "Binti" novella trilogy,

在中篇小說三部曲《賓娣》中，

Binti leaves the planet to seek education from extraterrestrials.

賓娣離開星球，去尋求外星教育。

She goes out as she is,

她以本來的面貌走出去，

looking the way she looks,

看起來是本來的樣子，

carrying her cultures,

帶著她的文化，

being who she is.

做她自己。

I was inspired to write this story

我得到靈感寫下這個故事，

not because I was following a line of classic space opera narratives,

並不是因為我在追隨 古典太空劇故事的路線，

but because of blood that runs deep,

而是因為深根的血脈、

family, cultural conflict

家庭、文化衝突，

and the need to see an African girl leave the planet on her own terms.

以及要看到非洲女孩 自願離開星球的需求。

My science fiction had different ancestors,

我的科幻小說有不同的祖先，

African ones.

是非洲的祖先。

So I'm Nigerian-American.

我是奈及利亞裔美國人，

I was born to two Nigerian immigrant parents

我父母是奈及利亞移民，

and raised in the United States,

他們在美國把我養大，

one of the birthplaces of classic science fiction.

美國是古典科幻小說的出生地之一。

However, it was my Nigerian heritage that led me to write science fiction.

然而，引導我寫科幻小說 是我的奈及利亞血脈。

Specifically I cite those family trips to Nigeria in the late '90s.

明確來說，我引用了 1990 年代末 和家人回到奈及利亞的旅行。

I'd been taking trips back to Nigeria with my family since I was very young.

我從非常小的時候開始 就會和家人回奈及利亞。

These early trips inspired me.

這些早期的旅行是我的靈感。

Hence the first story that I ever even wrote took place in Nigeria.

因此，我所寫的第一個故事 就發生在奈及利亞。

I wrote mainly magical realism and fantasy

我寫的主要是魔幻寫實主義和奇幻，

inspired by my love of Igbo

靈感來自我對伊博族

and other West African traditional cosmologies and spiritualities.

以及其他西非傳統宇宙論 與靈性事物的熱愛。

However, in the late '90s,

然而，在 1990 年代末期，

I started noticing the role of technology in Nigeria:

我開始注意到科技 在奈及利亞所扮演的角色：

cable TV and cell phones in the village,

村裡的有線電視和手機，

419 scammers occupying the cybercafes,

419 名調情者佔據了網咖，

the small generator connected to my cousin's desktop computer

小型發電機和我表哥的 桌上型電腦連接在一起，

because the power was always going on and off.

因為供電總是時有時無。

And my Americanness othered me enough

我的美國人特質讓我有所不同，

to be intrigued by these things that most Nigerians saw as normal.

足以讓我對這些被奈及利亞人 視為正常的事物感到好奇。

My intrigue eventually gave birth to stories.

我的好奇最終讓我的故事誕生了。

I started opening strange doors.

我開始打開奇怪的門。

What if aliens came to Lagos, Nigeria?

如果外星人來到奈及利亞的 拉哥斯，會如何？

This is an excerpt from my novel, "Lagoon."

這摘自我的小說 《礁湖》(Lagoon)。

Everybody saw it,

每個人都看到了，

all over the world.

全世界的人。

That was a real introduction to the great mess happening in Lagos,

那是對於拉哥斯 所發生之大混亂的真實介紹，

Nigeria, West Africa, Africa, here.

奈及利亞、西非、非洲、這裡。

Because so many people in Lagos had portable, chargeable,

因為在拉哥斯有很多人 有可攜式、可充電、

glowing, vibrating, chirping, tweeting, communicating, connected devices,

發光、震動、發出嘎吱聲、 推特用、溝通用、相連結的裝置，

practically everything was recorded and posted online in some way,

實際上，一切都出於 某種原因、以某種方式，

somehow,

被快速地記錄下來，

quickly.

並張貼在網路上。

The modern human world is connected like a spider's web.

現代的人類世界， 就像是蜘蛛網一樣連結。

The world was watching.

世界在看著。

It watched in fascinated horror

它帶著入迷的恐怖在看著，

for information,

為了資訊，

but mostly for entertainment.

但主要是為了娛樂。

Footage of what was happening dominated every international news source,

發生事件的影片， 主宰了所有國際新聞來源、

video-sharing website, social network, circle, pyramid and trapezoid.

影片分享網站、社交網路、 圈、金字塔和梯形。

But the story goes deeper.

但故事會更深入。

It is in the mud,

它在爛泥中、

the dirt,

在灰塵裡、

the earth,

在地面下，

in the fond memory of the soily cosmos.

深情紀念著土壤的宇宙。

It is in the always mingling past, present and future.

它在不斷混合的過去、 現在、未來當中。

It is in the water.

它在水中。

It is in the powerful spirits and ancestors who dwelled in Lagos.

它在住在拉哥斯的 強大靈體及祖先中。

It is in the hearts and minds of the people of Lagos.

它在拉哥斯人民的心靈與精神中。

Change begets change.

改變引起改變。

The alien Ayodele knew it.

外星人愛尤戴莉明白。

All her people know it.

她所有的同胞明白。

So, this is a voice of Udide, the supreme spider artist,

這是至上蜘蛛藝術家烏狄迪的聲音，

who is older than dirt

他比泥土還老，

and lives in the dirt beneath the city of Lagos,

住在拉哥斯城市下的泥土中，

listening and commenting

傾聽著，評論著，

and weaving the story of extraterrestrials coming to Lagos.

編造著外星生物來到拉哥斯的故事。

In the end, the great spider who was the size of a house

最終，和房子一樣大的大蜘蛛，

and responsible for weaving the past, present and future

負責編造過去、現在及未來的大蜘蛛，

decides to come forth and be a part of the story.

決定要站出來，成為故事的一部份。

Like Udide, the spider artist,

就像蜘蛛藝術家烏狄迪，

African science fiction's blood runs deep

非洲科幻小說的血脈也深深扎根，

and it's old,

它很古老，

and it's ready to come forth,

準備好要站出來了，

and when it does,

當它站出來時，

imagine the new technologies, ideas and sociopolitical changes it'll inspire.

想像它會激起的科技、 想法，和社會政治改變。

For Africans, homegrown science fiction can be a will to power.

對非洲人來說，國產的科幻小說 可以是一個爭取權力的意志

What if?

如果……會如何？

It's a powerful question.

這是個強大的問題。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）