Ziyah Gafić: Everyday objects, tragic histories

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: Anny Chung

These are simple objects:

這些都是很普通的用品：

clocks, keys, combs, glasses.

鐘錶、鑰匙、梳子、眼鏡。

They are the things the victims of genocide in Bosnia

這些是波士尼亞種族大屠殺的受害者

carried with them on their final journey.

在走上絕路時攜帶的東西。

We are all familiar with these mundane,

我們都很熟悉這些平凡無奇的

everyday objects.

日常用品。

The fact that some of the victims carried

一些受害者帶著

personal items such as toothpaste and a toothbrush

個人用品像牙膏及牙刷的事實

is a clear sign they had no idea

清楚的顯示出他們不知道

what was about to happen to them.

他們將面臨什麼命運。

Usually, they were told that they were going to be

通常他們被告知他們

exchanged for prisoners of war.

將與戰俘交換。

These items have been recovered

這些物品從我的家鄉

from numerous mass graves across my homeland,

多個萬人塚中挖掘出來。

and as we speak, forensics are exhuming bodies

就在當下，法醫鑑識人員正從

from newly discovered mass graves,

新發現的萬人塚中掘出屍體。

20 years after the war.

這已是戰後 20 年。

And it is quite possibly the largest ever discovered.

這很可能是有史以來最大的一個。

During the four years of conflict

這四年的衝突，

that devastated the Bosnian nation in the early '90s,

在 90 年代早期， 蹂躪了波士尼亞國，

approximately 30,000 citizens, mainly civilians,

大約三萬公民，主要是平民，

went missing, presumed killed,

從人間蒸發，推定死亡，

and another 100,000 were killed

另外還有十萬人

during combat operations.

在戰鬥作業中被殺。

Most of them were killed

他們受害的時間大多在

either in the early days of the war

戰事早期

or towards the end of the hostilities,

或敵對行動的尾聲，

when U.N. safe zones like Srebrenica

即聯合國安全區如斯雷布雷尼查

fell into the hands of the Serb army.

落入塞爾維亞軍隊手中的時候。

The international criminal tribunal

國際刑事法庭

delivered a number of sentences

宣判了數項刑責

for crimes against humanity and genocide.

針對人權及種族大屠殺的罪行。

Genocide is a systematic and deliberate

種族大屠殺是系統及蓄意

destruction of a racial, political, religious

毀滅一個人種、政治體、宗教

or ethnic group.

或民族的行為。

As much as genocide is about killing.

種族大屠殺不但要趕盡殺絕，

It is also about destroying their property,

它還要摧毀受害者的財產，

their cultural heritage,

他們的文化遺產，

and ultimately the very notion that they ever existed.

最終還要毀滅他們曾經存在的證據。

Genocide is not only about the killing;

種族大屠殺不僅僅是殺人而已：

it is about the denied identity.

它要否定身分。

There are always traces —

總是會留下蛛絲馬跡——

no such thing as a perfect crime.

沒有所謂的完美犯罪。

There are always remnants of the perished ones

總是有一些遇難者的遺物

that are more durable than their fragile bodies

堅固遠超過主人脆弱的身體，

and our selective and fading memory of them.

以及我們對他們選擇及褪色的記憶。

These items are recovered

這些物品，

從多個萬人塚中挖掘出來，

from numerous mass graves,

and the main goal of this collection of the items

而收集這些物品主要的目的，

is a unique process

是一段獨特的過程

of identifying those who disappeared in the killings,

來驗明在屠殺中消失者的身分，

the first act of genocide on European soil

這是歐洲大陸上 在猶太人大屠殺之後，

since the Holocaust.

第一起種族滅絕事件。

Not a single body should remain undiscovered

每一具遺體都該被發掘

or unidentified.

被辨識。

Once recovered,

一旦被挖掘出來，

these items that the victims carried with them

這些受害者帶著

on their way to execution

陪他們走上絕路的物品，

are carefully cleaned, analyzed,

都仔細的清洗、分析、

catalogued and stored.

分類及保存。

Thousands of artifacts are packed in white plastic bags

成千上萬的出土物 包在白色的塑膠袋中

just like the ones you see on CSI.

就像你在 CSI 犯罪現場 看到的一樣。

These objects are used as a forensic tool

這些物品成為法醫辨識人員

in visual identification of the victims,

在目視識別受害者時的工具，

but they are also used as very valuable forensic evidence

但他們也可當作非常 有價值的法醫證據，

in the ongoing war crimes trials.

在持續進行的戰犯審判上承堂供證。

Survivors are occasionally called

倖存者有時候也會被傳喚

to try to identify these items physically,

試著親眼辨認這些物品，

but physical browsing is extremely difficult,

但是親眼瀏覽極其困難，

an ineffective and painful process.

是一段無效又痛苦的過程。

Once the forensics and doctors and lawyers

一旦法醫人員及醫生及律師

不再需要這些物品，

are done with these objects,

they become orphans of the narrative.

它們就成為故事裡沒人要的孤兒。

Many of them get destroyed, believe it or not,

很多都被銷毀，信不信由你，

or they get simply shelved,

或是束之高閣。

out of sight and out of mind.

眼不見為淨。

I decided a few years ago

我在數年前決定

to photograph every single exhumed item

要拍攝每一項挖掘出的物品

in order to create a visual archive

以製作視覺檔案庫

that survivors could easily browse.

讓倖存者很容易地瀏覽。

As a storyteller, I like to give back to the community.

作為一個說故事的人， 我想要回饋社區。

I like to move beyond raising awareness.

我想做的不只是喚起意識。

And in this case, someone may

我這樣做，或許就有人能

recognize these items

辨認這些物品，

or at least their photographs will remain

至少這些物品的照片會留存

as a permanent, unbiased and accurate reminder

成為永久、公正又準確的紀念

of what happened.

提醒我們發生了什麼事。

Photography is about empathy,

攝影是一種同理心，

and the familiarity of these items guarantee empathy.

而這些熟悉的物品 保證讓你產生同理心。

In this case, I am merely a tool,

這樣，我不過就是個工具

a forensic, if you like,

一位法醫鑑定員，你可以這麼說，

and the result is a photography that is as close

其結果就是拍出盡可能

as possible of being a document.

記實的文物攝影。

Once all the missing persons are identified,

一旦確認了所有的失蹤人口，

only decaying bodies in their graves

只有在墳墓中腐化的屍體

and these everyday items will remain.

及這些日常用品會留下。

In all their simplicity,

就是因為它們很普通，

these items are the last testament

這些物品成為最後的證據

to the identity of the victims,

證明著受害者的身分，

the last permanent reminder

也是最後的恆久提醒

that these people ever existed.

這些人曾經存在過。

Thank you very much.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）