Laura Boushnak: For these women, reading is a daring act

譯者: Zhiting Chen 審譯者: Geoff Chen

As an Arab female photographer,

作為一名阿拉伯女性攝影師，

I have always found ample inspiration for my projects in personal experiences.

我總是能從我的個人經歷中 為案子找到大量靈感。

The passion I developed for knowledge,

我對知識的熱情

which allowed me to break barriers towards a better life

使得我能夠跨越障礙 走向更美好的生活的

was the motivation for my project I Read I Write.

這也是我做「我閱讀，我書寫」 這一專案的動力。

Pushed by my own experience,

在我自身經歷的推動下，

as I was not allowed initially to pursue my higher education,

最初我被禁止接受高等教育，

I decided to explore and document stories of other women

於是我決定探究並記錄其他女性

who changed their lives through education,

通過教育改變人生的故事，

while exposing and questioning the barriers they face.

同時揭露並探尋她們所面對的障礙。

I covered a range of topics that concern women's education,

我涉及了一系列關於女性教育的話題，

keeping in mind the differences among Arab countries

熟記著阿拉伯個國家間

due to economic and social factors.

由於經濟和社會因素而造成的差異。

These issues include female illiteracy, which is quite high in the region;

這些議題包括 該地區高比率的女性文盲、

educational reforms; programs for dropout students;

教育改革、關於輟學學生的專案，

and political activism among university students.

以及大學生中的政治激進主義。

As I started this work,

我剛開始這項工作時

it was not always easy to convince the women to participate.

說服女性加入並不容易。

Only after explaining to them

只有當我向她們解釋

how their stories might influence other women's lives,

她們的故事可能對其他女性的生活 產生何種影響，

how they would become role models for their own community, did some agree.

她們將如何成為她們社區的行為榜樣後， 才得到一些認同。

Seeking a collaborative and reflexive approach,

尋求一個合作和反思的角度，

I asked them to write their own words and ideas

我請她把自己的話和想法

on prints of their own images.

寫在印有自己圖像的畫板上面。

Those images were then shared in some of the classrooms,

我將這些圖像拿到一些教室分享，

and worked to inspire and motivate other women

激發和激勵了其他

going through similar educations and situations.

經歷相似教育和情形的婦女。

Aisha, a teacher from Yemen, wrote,

Aisha，一位葉門的老師，寫到，

"I sought education in order to be independent

「我尋求教育以求自立

and to not count on men with everything."

不讓人生全部依賴於男人。」

One of my first subjects was Umm El-Saad from Egypt.

我的首批訪談對象之一 是來自埃及的 Umm El-Saad。

When we first met, she was barely able to write her name.

我們第一次見面的時候， 她幾乎無法寫下她自己的名字，

She was attending a nine-month literacy program

她當時正在參與 為期九個月的文化培訓課程，

run by a local NGO in the Cairo suburbs.

這課程由一個位於開羅郊區的 本地非政府組織提供。

Months later, she was joking that her husband

數月後，她調侃道，她的丈夫

had threatened to pull her out of the classes,

曾威脅要將她趕出教室，

as he found out that his now literate wife

因為他發現，一個識字的妻子

was going through his phone text messages.

會逐條查看他的手機短信。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Naughty Umm El-Saad.

頑皮的 Umm El-Saad。

Of course, that's not why Umm El-Saad joined the program.

當然，這不是她加入這個學習課程的原因，

I saw how she was longing to gain control over her simple daily routines,

我了解到她渴望掌控 自己簡單的日常生活，

small details that we take for granted,

那些我們認為理所應當的小細節，

from counting money at the market to helping her kids in homework.

從在市場購物數錢 到幫助她的孩子完成家庭作業。

Despite her poverty and her community's mindset,

儘管她處於貧窮的條件、儘管她受困於 其所在社區貶低輕視

which belittles women's education,

女性教育的思維模式，

Umm El-Saad, along with her Egyptian classmates,

Umm El-Saad 與她的埃及同學們，

was eager to learn how to read and write.

渴望學習如何讀書和寫字。

In Tunisia, I met Asma,

在突尼西亞，我遇見 Asma，

one of the four activist women I interviewed.

她是我所訪問的四位政治活動家之一。

The secular bioengineering student is quite active on social media.

這位普通的生物工程系學生 在社群媒體上非常活躍。

Regarding her country, which treasured what has been called the Arab Spring,

她的國家對阿拉伯之春有很高評價，

she said, "I've always dreamt of discovering a new bacteria.

她說：「我一直期望能夠發現一個新的菌種。

Now, after the revolution, we have a new one every single day."

現在，經歷革命之後， 我們每天都發現一個。」

Asma was referring to the rise of religious fundamentalism in the region,

Asma 的隱喻指的是當地 盛行的宗教原教旨主義，

which is another obstacle to women in particular.

對女性來說，這是一個障礙。

Out of all the women I met, Fayza from Yemen affected me the most.

在所有我遇見的女性裡， 來自葉門的 Fayza 對我的影響最大。

Fayza was forced to drop out of school at the age of eight when she was married.

Fayza 在 8 歲時結婚， 立即被強迫退學。

That marriage lasted for a year.

那段婚姻只維持了一年。

At 14, she became the third wife of a 60-year-old man,

在 14 歲的時候，她成為 一位 60 歲老男人的第三任妻子，

and by the time she was 18, she was a divorced mother of three.

18 歲的時候，她成了 獨自撫養三個孩子的離異母親。

Despite her poverty,

雖然貧窮，

despite her social status as a divorcée in an ultra-conservative society,

雖然她處於一個極端保守的社會 她有著離婚人士的社會地位，

and despite the opposition of her parents to her going back to school,

她不顧父母親反對她重回學校 接受教育，

Fayza knew that her only way to control her life was through education.

Fayza 知道，她能夠掌握自己人生的 唯一途徑就是接受教育。

She is now 26.

這時她 26 歲。

She received a grant from a local NGO

她從當地的非政府組織拿到贊助

to fund her business studies at the university.

用以支持她在大學念商科的費用。

Her goal is to find a job, rent a place to live in,

她的目標是找一份工作， 租一個公寓，

and bring her kids back with her.

把她的孩子帶回到自己身邊撫養。

The Arab states are going through tremendous change,

阿拉伯社會正在經歷劇烈的變化，

and the struggles women face are overwhelming.

女人面對的壓倒性的掙扎。

Just like the women I photographed,

就像我照片記錄的這些女性，

I had to overcome many barriers to becoming the photographer I am today,

我跨越了很多障礙 成為現在的我，一名攝影師，

many people along the way telling me what I can and cannot do.

一路走來，太多人告訴我 什麼該做，什麼不該做。

Umm El-Saad, Asma and Fayza, and many women across the Arab world,

Umm El-Saad、Asma 和 Fayza， 還有很多阿拉伯世界的女性，

show that it is possible to overcome barriers to education,

展示了跨越障礙接受教育的可能性，

which they know is the best means to a better future.

因為她們知道， 教育最有可能給她們帶來美好的未來。

And here I would like to end with a quote by Yasmine,

我想用一句 Yasmine 的話來 結束這場演說，

one of the four activist women I interviewed in Tunisia.

Yasmine 是我在突尼西亞採訪的 四位社運份子之一。

Yasmine wrote,

Yasmine 寫道，

"Question your convictions.

「詢問你的信念。

Be who you to want to be, not who they want you to be.

要成為自己， 而不是成為別人心目中的自己。

Don't accept their enslavement, for your mother birthed you free."

不要接受他們的奴役， 因為你母親賦予了你生命和自由。」

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）