From death row to law graduate | Peter Ouko

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Yanyan Hong

I want to tell you a story about Manson.

我想告訴各位一個關於曼森的故事。

Manson was this 28-year-old interior designer,

曼森是這位 28 歲的室內設計師，

a father to a loving daughter,

有一位親愛的女兒，

and a son

和一個兒子，

who found himself behind bars due to a broken-down judicial system.

他因為出了問題的司法制度而入獄。

He was framed for a murder he didn't commit

他被誣告一件不是他犯下的謀殺，

and was sentenced to the gallows.

因而被判入獄。

There were two victims of this murder -- the victim who actually died in the murder

這件謀殺有兩名受害者—— 真正死於謀殺的受害者，

and Manson, who had been sentenced to prison

以及曼森，他被判入獄，

for an offense which he did not commit.

背負不是他所犯的罪過。

He was locked up in a cell, eight by seven,

他被鎖在一間大小 7x8 的牢房中，

with 13 other grown-up men

和十三名成年男子關在一起，

for 23 and a half hours a day.

一天關 23 個半小時，

Food was not guaranteed that you'd get.

也不保證能有食物。

And I remember yesterday,

我記得昨天，

as I walked into the room where I was,

當我走進我所在的房間，

I imagined the kind of cell that Manson would have been living in.

我想像著曼森所住的牢房。

Because the toilet --

因為廁所——

The row of the small rooms

那裡有一列小房間，

that were there were slightly bigger than the eight-by-seven cell.

大小比 8x7 的牢房稍大一點點。

But being in that cell as he awaited the executioner --

但，在牢房裡等著行刑手——

because in prison, he did not have a name --

因為在監獄裡，他沒有名字——

Manson was known by a number.

曼森只是一個號碼，

He was just a statistic.

他只是一個統計數字。

He did not know how long he would wait.

他不知道他要等多久。

The wait could have been a minute,

等待時間可能是一分鐘，

the executioner could have come the next minute,

行刑手可能下一分鐘就來了，

the next day,

可能是隔天才來，

or it could have taken 30 years.

也可能要等三十年。

The wait had no end.

等候沒有終點。

And in the midst of the excruciating pain,

在極度的痛苦當中，

the mental torture,

心理折磨中，

the many unanswered questions that Manson faced,

曼森所面對的許多問題， 未被解答的問題，

he knew he was not going to play the victim.

他知道他不要扮演受害者。

He refused to play the role of the victim.

他拒絕扮演受害者的角色。

He was angry at the justice system that had put him behind bars.

他很氣司法體制把他打入大牢。

But he knew the only way he could change that justice system

但他知道，他能改變 那司法體制的唯一方式，

or help other people get justice

或協助其他人得到正義的方式，

was not to play the victim.

就是不要扮演受害者。

Change came to Manson when he decided to embrace forgiveness

當曼森決定要擁抱寬恕， 原諒那些把他關進來的人時，

for those who had put him in prison.

改變發生在他身上。

I speak that as a fact.

我說的是事實。

Because I know who Manson is.

因為我知道曼森是怎樣的人。

I am Manson.

我就是曼森。

My real name is Peter Manson Ouko.

我的真名是彼得曼森歐可。

And after my conviction,

在我堅定信念之後，

after that awakening of forgiveness,

在寬恕的覺醒之後，

I had this move

我有了一項對策，

to help change the system.

要來協助改變這個體制。

I already decided I was not going to be a victim anymore.

我已經決定我不要再當受害者了。

But how was I going to help change a system

但我要如何協助改變一個體制，

that was bringing in younger inmates every day

且是個每天都會把更年輕、 應該和家人在一起的囚犯

who deserve to be with their families?

給送進來的體制？

So I started mobilizing my colleagues in prison, my fellow inmates,

所以我開始動員我監獄中的 同事，我的獄友們，

to write letters and memoranda to the justice system,

寫信和備忘錄給司法體制，

to the Judicial Service Commission,

給司法服務委員會，

the numerous task forces that had been set up

給在我們的國家，肯亞，設立來

in our country, Kenya,

協助改變憲法的數個工作任務小組。

to help change the constitution.

And we decided to grasp at those --

而我們決定要抓那些——

to clutch at those straws, if I may use that word --

抓住那些巨怪， 如果我可以用這個詞的話——

if only to make the justice system work,

但願能讓司法體制能夠有用，

and work for all.

對所有人都有用。

Just about the same time,

大約同時，

I met a young university graduate from the UK,

我遇到了一位來自英國的 年輕大學畢業生，

called Alexander McLean.

名叫亞歷山大麥克林，

Alexander had come in with three or four of his colleagues from university

亞歷山大和三或四個大學的 同事在他們的空檔年

in their gap year,

一起進來的，

and they wanted to help assist,

他們想要幫忙協助

set up a library in Kamiti Maximum Prison,

在卡米堤高度安全管理 監獄中設立圖書館，

which if you Google,

如果你去 Google 查，

you will see is written as one of the 15 worst prisons in the world.

會發現它是世界上 最糟的十五所監獄之一。

That was then.

那是當時。

But when Alexander came in,

但當亞歷山大來的時候，

he was a young 20-year-old boy.

他是個年輕的 20 歲男孩。

And I was on death row at that time.

我那時等著被執行死刑。

And we took him under our wing.

我們照料、庇護他。

It was an honest trust issue.

那和誠實的信任有關。

He trusted us, even though we were on death row.

他相信我們，儘管我們都是死刑犯。

And through that trust,

透過那份信任，

we saw him and his colleagues from the university

我們看著他和他來自大學的同事

refurbish the library with the latest technology

用最新的科技整修了圖書館，

and set up the infirmary to very good standards

並把醫務室做到非常高水準，

so that those of us falling sick in prison

所以我們當中若有人在監獄中生病，

would not necessarily have to die in indignity.

不見得要沒有尊嚴地死去。

Having met Alexander,

遇見了亞歷山大，

I had a chance,

讓我有了機會，

and he gave me the opportunity and the support,

他給予我機會和支持，

to enroll for a university degree at the University of London.

註冊倫敦大學攻讀大學學位。

Just like Mandela studied from South Africa,

就像曼德拉從南非讀書學習，

I had a chance to study at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.

我有機會在卡米堤高度 安全管理監獄讀書學習。

And two years later,

兩年後，

I became the first graduate of the program

在倫敦大學的這個方案中，

from the University of London from within the prison system.

第一個在監獄體制中 畢業的人就是我。

Having graduated, what happened next --

畢業之後，接著發生的是——

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Thank you.

謝謝你們。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Having graduated,

畢業之後，

now I felt empowered.

現在我覺得有能力。

I was not going to play the helpless victim.

我不要扮演無助的受害者。

But I felt empowered not only to assist myself,

我不只覺得有能力協助我自己，

to prosecute my own case,

起訴我的案子，

but also to assist the other inmates

同時協助我們剛剛在這裡談到的

who are suffering the similar injustices that have just been spoken about here.

同樣也受到類似 不公正問題所苦的獄友。

So I started writing legal briefs for them.

所以我開始為他們 撰寫訴訟案情摘要。

With my other colleagues in prison, we did as much as we could.

我和獄中的同事們 能做多少就做多少。

That wasn't enough.

那還不夠。

Alexander McLean

亞歷山大麥克林

and his team at the African Prisons Project

和他在非洲監獄專案計畫的團隊

decided to support more inmates.

決定要支援更多獄友。

And as I'm speaking to you today,

我現在在這裡演說時，

there are 63 inmates and staff in the Kenya Prison Service

有 63 位獄友以及 肯亞監獄服務的工作人員

studying law at the University of London through distance learning.

透過遠端學習， 在倫敦大學研讀法律。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

These are changemakers who are being motivated

這些造成改變的人不僅積極地

not only to assist the most indolent in society,

去協助社會中最懶惰的人，

but also to help the inmates and others get access to justice.

也協助獄友以及其他人得到正義。

Down there in my prison cell, something kept stirring me.

在我的牢房中， 有樣東西一直激勵著我。

The words of Martin Luther King kept hitting me.

馬丁路德金恩博士的話一直衝擊著我。

And he was always telling me, "Pete, if you can't fly,

他總是告訴我： 「彼得，如果你不能飛，

you can run.

你可以跑。

And if you can't run,

如果你不能跑，

you can walk.

你可以走。

But if you can't walk,

但如果你不能走，

then you can crawl.

你可以爬。

But whatever it is, whatever it takes,

不論是什麼狀況，不論要什麼代價，

just keep on moving."

只管繼續前進。」

And so I had this urge to keep moving.

所以我有強烈的動力要繼續前進。

I still have this urge to keep moving in whatever I do.

不論做什麼，我都有 強烈的動力要繼續前進。

Because I feel the only way we can change our society,

因為我認為，我們能夠 改變社會的唯一方式，

the only way we can change the justice system --

我們能夠改變司法體制的唯一方式，

which has really improved in our country --

這真正改善我們國家的制度，

is to help get the systems right.

就是協助去導正體制。

So, on 26th October last year, after 18 years in prison,

所以，去年 10 月 26 日， 在監獄中待了 18 年後，

I walked out of prison on presidential pardon.

我得到總統赦免，離開了監獄。

I'm now focused on helping APP -- the African Prisons Project --

我現在致力在協助 APP， 非洲監獄專案計畫，

achieve its mandate of training and setting up

達成它的使命：訓練和設立

the first law school and legal college behind bars.

第一所監獄中的法律學校及法學院。

Where we are going to train --

在那裡，我們將會訓練——

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Where we are going to train inmates and staff

在那裡，我們將會 訓練獄友和工作人員，

not only to assist their fellow inmates,

不只是去協助他們的獄友伙伴，

but to assist the entire wider society of the poor

也要協助整個更廣大的貧窮社會，

who cannot access legal justice.

那些無法得到司法正義的人。

So as I speak before you today,

所以，今天我在這裡演說，

I stand here in the full knowledge that we can all reexamine ourselves,

我非常清楚了解，我們 所有人都能夠重新自我檢視，

we can all reexamine our situations,

我們都能夠重新檢視我們的情形，

we can all reexamine our circumstances

我們都能夠重新檢視我們的境況，

and not play the victim narrative.

不要用受害者的方式來說故事。

The victim narrative will not take us anywhere.

這種說故事方式不會有幫助。

I was behind bars, yeah.

我曾坐過牢，是的。

But I never felt and I was not a prisoner.

但我從沒感覺到過， 且我不是個囚犯。

The basic thing I got to learn

我學到一件基本的事，

was that if I thought,

那就是，如果我當時認為，

and if you think, you can,

且如果你認為，你可以，

you will.

你就會做到。

But if you sit thinking that you can't,

但如果你就坐著認為自己不行，

you won't.

你就做不到。

It's as simple as that.

就那麼簡單。

And so I'm encouraged by the peaceful revolutionaries

所以，在這個舞台上演說的 和平革命家們鼓勵了我。

I've heard on this stage.

The world needs you now, the world needs you today.

世界現在就需要你， 世界今天就需要你。

And as I finish my talk,

在我演說的最後，

I'd just like to ask each and every single one of you here,

我想要請在座的每一個人，

wonderful thinkers, changemakers, innovators,

美好的思想家、 推動改變的人、創新者、

the wonderful global citizens we have at TED,

TED 的美好全球公民，

just remember the words of Martin Luther King.

請記住馬丁路德金恩博士的話。

Let them continue ringing in your heart and your life.

讓這段話持續在你心中 及你人生中迴響。

Whatever it is,

不論是什麼事，

wherever you are,

不論你在哪裡，

whatever it takes,

不論要什麼代價，

keep on moving.

繼續走下去。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）