Living sculptures that stand for history's truths | Sethembile Msezane

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

I'd like for you to take a moment to imagine this with me.

我想請各位花點時間和我一起想像。

You're a little girl of five years old.

你是個五歲的小女孩，

Sitting in front of a mirror,

坐在一面鏡子前，

you ask yourself,

問自己：

"Do I exist?"

「我存在嗎？」

In this space, there is very little context,

這個空間中的情境太少，

and so you move into a different one,

所以你移到另一個不同的空間，

one filled with people.

一個滿滿是人的空間中。

Surely, now you know you're not a figment of your own imagination.

當然，現在你知道你不是 自己想像出來的虛構人物。

You breathe their air.

你呼吸著他們的空氣。

You see them,

你看見他們，

so they must see you.

所以他們一定也看見了你。

And yet, you still can't help but wonder:

但是，你忍不住會想：

Do I only exist when people speak to me?

只有當人們對我說話時， 我才存在嗎？

Pretty heavy thoughts for a child, right?

對孩子而言，這些想法挺沉重吧？

But through various artworks that reflect upon our society,

但是透過反映我們社會的 各種藝術作品，

I came to understand how a young black girl can grow up

我開始了解到，

年輕的黑人女孩在成長過程中 會覺得她彷彿被視而不見，

feeling as if she's not seen, and perhaps she doesn't exist.

甚至或許不存在。

You see, if young people don't have positive images of themselves

要知道，如果年輕人 沒有正面的自我印象，

and all that remains are negative stereotypes,

只剩下負面的刻板印象，

this affects their self-image.

會影響到他們的自我形象，

But it also affects the way that the rest of society treats them.

也會影響社會上其他人 對待他們的方式。

I discovered this

我會發現這一點，

having lived in Cape Town for about five years at the time.

是因為當時在開普敦住了約五年，

I felt a deep sense of dislocation and invisibility.

深深感受到混亂和隱形。

I couldn't see myself represented.

我看不見自己呈現出來，

I couldn't see the women who've raised me,

看不見養育我的婦女，

the ones who've influenced me,

那些影響我的人，

and the ones that have made South Africa what it is today.

以及那些讓南非有了今日樣貌的人。

I decided to do something about it.

我決定要做點什麼。

What do you think when you see this?

看見這個，使你想到什麼？

If you were a black girl,

如果你是個黑人女孩，

how would it make you feel?

這會讓你有什麼感覺？

Walking down the street,

沿著街道走著，

what does the city you live in say to you?

你所居住的城市對你說了些什麼？

What symbols are present?

呈現了哪些象徵？

Which histories are celebrated?

哪些歷史被頌揚？

And on the other hand,

而另一方面，

which ones are omitted?

哪些被忽略了？

You see, public spaces are hardly ever as neutral as they may seem.

要知道，公共場所一點也不像 表面看來那麼中立。

I discovered this when I made this performance in 2013 on Heritage Day.

我在 2013 年的文化遺產日 表演時發現到這一點。

Cape Town is teeming with masculine architecture,

開普敦充滿了男子氣概的建築、

monuments and statues,

紀念古蹟和雕像，

such as Louis Botha in that photograph.

就像那張照片中的路易斯博塔。

This overt presence of white colonial and Afrikaner nationalist men

這樣公開地展現白人殖民 和荷裔南非民族主義男子，

not only echoes a social, gender and racial divide,

不僅呼應社會、性別和種族的分裂，

but it also continues to affect the way that women --

還持續地影響女性──

and the way, particularly, black women --

特別是黑人女性──

see themselves in relation to dominant male figures

相對於主宰的男性，

在公共場所看待她們自己的方式。

in public spaces.

For this reason, among others,

因為這個和其他的理由，

I don't believe that we need statues.

我不認為我們需要雕像。

The preservation of history and the act of remembering

保存歷史和緬懷歷史的行動，

can be achieved in more memorable and effective ways.

可以用更難忘、更有效的方式。

As part of a year-long public holiday series,

做為長達一年 公定假日系列的一部分，

I use performance art as a form of social commentary

我把表演藝術當作一種 評論社會的形式，

to draw people's attention to certain issues,

來吸引人們注意某些議題，

as well as addressing the absence of the black female body

以及處理在公共紀念場所裡

沒有黑人女性身影的問題，

in memorialized public spaces,

especially on public holidays.

特別是在公定假日裡。

Women's Day was coming up.

婦女節快到了。

I looked at what the day means --

我查了這個日子的意義──

the Women's March to the union buildings in 1956,

1956 年女性朝著聯邦大樓遊行，

petitioning against the pass laws.

請願反對那限制黑人 自由遷徙的法律。

Juxtaposed with the hypocrisy of how women are treated,

對照女性如何被對待的偽善現況，

especially in public spaces today,

尤其是在現今的公共場所裡，

I decided to do something about it.

我決定要做點什麼。

Headline:

標題：

[Women in miniskirt attacked at taxi rank]

【穿迷你裙的婦女 在計程車等候站受到攻擊】

How do I comment on such polar opposites?

我要如何評論這樣的兩極對立？

In the guise of my great-grandmother,

我裝扮成曾祖母的樣子，

I performed bare-breasted,

以袒露胸部的方式，

close to the taxi rank in KwaLanga.

在關拉加的計程車等候站附近表演。

This space is also called Freedom Square,

這個場所也稱為自由廣場，

where women were a part of demonstrations against apartheid laws.

是婦女參與示威 抗議種族隔離政策的地方。

I was not comfortable with women being seen as only victims in society.

我不太能接受婦女在社會裡 只被視為受害者。

You might wonder how people reacted to this.

或許你們會好奇 人們對這表演如何反應。

(Video) Woman: (Cheering)

（影片）女子甲：（歡呼）

Woman 2 (offscreen): Yes!

女子乙（畫面外）：好啊！

Sethembile Msezane: Pretty cool, huh?

西珊比勒梅詹妮：很酷，是吧？

(Applause)

（掌聲）

So I realized that through my performances,

我了解到，透過我的表演，

I've been able to make regular people reflect upon their society,

能使一般人思考反省他們的社會，

looking at the past as well as the current democracy.

審視過去以及目前的民主。

(Video) Man (offscreen): She's been there since three o'clock.

（影片）男子甲（畫面外）： 她自三點起就一直站在那裡了。

男子乙（畫面外）： 比三點早一點。約站了一小時吧？

Man 2 (offscreen): Just before three. About an hour still?

男子甲：是啊。只是今天好熱。

Man 1: Yeah. It's just a really hot day.

Man 1: It's very interesting.

男子甲：非常有意思。

It's very powerful.

非常強而有力。

I think it's cool.

我覺得很酷。

I think a lot of people are quick to join a group

我想有很多人很快地加入一個團體，

that's a movement towards something,

關注某樣議題的運動，

but not many people are ready to do something as an individual.

但沒有多少人已準備好 要以個人身分盡一份力。

Man 2: So it's the individual versus the collective.

男子乙：這是個人對上集體。

Man 1: Yeah.

男子甲：是啊。

So I think her pushing her own individual message in performance ...

我認為她把自己個人的訊息 置入她的表演中 ……

it's powerful.

強而有力。

Yeah, I think it's quite powerful that she's doing it on her own.

是啊，她靠自己做這件事， 這一點真的是強而有力。

I'd be interested to know why she's using hair extensions as wings,

我會想要知道 為什麼她將頭髮延伸為翅膀，

or whatever those things are meant to be.

不論那些是什麼，我想知道。

They are wings, yes?

是翅膀，對吧？

Woman 3: With her standing there right now,

女子丙：現在她站在那裡，

I think it's just my interpretation

我想，這只是我自己的詮釋，

that we are bringing the statue down

我們要拆除這座雕像，

and bringing up something

換成其他東西，

that's supposed to represent African pride, I think.

我想是換成能代表非洲自豪

Or something like that.

或類似的東西吧。

Something should stand while Rhodes falls,

取下羅德斯，原地應要擺個什麼。

I think that's what it's saying. Yeah.

我想這是它所要表達的。對。

Yes. Thank you.

是的，謝謝你。

Man 3: What is behind me represents the African culture.

男子丙：在我身後的是 非洲文化的象徵。

We can't have the colonialist law,

我們不能有殖民主義法律，

so we need to remove all these colonial statues.

所以我們得要移除 所有這些殖民主義的雕像。

We have have our own statues now,

現在我們有自己的雕像了，

our African leaders -- Bhambatha, Moshoeshoe, Kwame Nkrumah --

我們的非洲領袖──班巴薩、 莫舒舒、夸梅恩克魯瑪──

all those who paid their lives for our liberation.

所有為解放我們 而付出生命的那些人。

We can't continue in the 21st century,

進入 21 世紀，

and after 21 years of democracy,

有了 21 年民主之後，

have the colonizers in our own country.

我國不應持續有著殖民主義者。

They belong somewhere. Maybe in a museum; not here.

他們可以被擺在某處， 也許博物館，但不是這裡。

I mean learning institutions, places where young people,

我指的是學習機構，

那些培育年輕人、年輕才子的地方。

young minds are being shaped.

So we cannot continue to have Louis Botha, Rhodes, all these people,

所以我們不能繼續保有路昜斯博塔、 羅德斯、所有這類的人，

because they're representing the colonialism.

因為他們代表殖民主義。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Sethembile Msezane: On April 9, 2015,

西珊比勒梅詹妮： 2015 年 4 月 9 日，

the Cecil John Rhodes statue was scheduled to be removed

預定要移除塞西爾 羅德斯雕像的那一天，

after a month of debates for and against its removal

在各利害關係人辯論了一個月

是否要移除之後。

by various stakeholders.

This caused a widespread interest in statues in South Africa.

這事件引起南非各界 對雕像的廣泛興趣。

Opinions varied, but the media focused on problematizing

各種意見都有，但媒體卻著重在

把移除雕像一事問題化。

the removal of statues.

On that -- well, that year, I had just begun my master's

關於那點──嗯，

那年我剛開始在開普頓大學 攻讀碩士學位。

at the University of Cape Town.

During the time of the debate of the statue,

在辯論雕像的那段期間，

I had been having reoccurring dreams

我反覆做同樣的夢，

about a bird.

與一隻鳥有關。

And so I started conjuring her

所以我開始召喚她，

mentally, spiritually and through dress.

心靈上、靈性上，以及透過服裝。

On that day,

那一天，

I happened to be having a meeting with my supervisors,

我正好與主管開會，

and they told me that the statue was going to fall on that day.

他們說雕像將會在那天被取下。

I told them that I'd explain later,

我告訴他們隨後我將會解釋，

but we had to postpone the meeting

但現在必須要延後會議，

because I was going to perform her as the statue came down.

因為在雕像被移下時我要扮演她。

Her name was Chapungu.

她的名字叫查蓬古，

She was a soapstone bird that was looted from Great Zimbabwe

是一隻皂石鳥，

於十九世紀末從大辛巴威被劫走，

in the late 1800s,

and is still currently housed in Cecil John Rhodes's estate

目前仍被放在開普頓的

塞西爾羅德斯地產上。

in Cape Town.

On that day,

那天，

I embodied her existence using my body,

我用自己的身體將她的存在具體化，

while standing in the blazing sun for nearly four hours.

在烈日下站了將近四個小時。

As the time came,

時候到了，

the crane came alive.

起重機動起來了。

The people did, too --

人們也動起來了──

shouting,

他們大叫、

screaming,

尖叫、

clenching their fists

緊握拳頭、

and taking pictures of the moment on their phones and cameras.

用手機和相機拍照記錄下那個時刻。

Chapungu's wings,

查蓬古的翅膀

along with the crane,

和起重機一起升起，

rose to declare the fall of Cecil John Rhodes.

宣告塞西爾羅德斯的殞落。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Euphoria filled the air as he became absent from his base,

空氣中充滿了狂喜， 他不再站立在基座上，

while she remained still,

而她屹立不搖，

very present,

一直在現場，

half an hour after his removal.

他被移除後半小時她還在。

Twenty-three years after apartheid,

種族隔離政策後 23 年，

a new generation of radicals has arisen in South Africa.

南非出現了激進的新世代。

The story of Chapungu and Rhodes in the same space and time

查蓬古和羅德斯 出現在同一時空的故事

asks important questions

帶出一個重要問題，

related to gender,

這問題與性別、

power,

權力、

self-representation,

自我表徵、

history making

創造歷史，

and repatriation.

以及遣送回國有關。

From then on,

從那時開始，

I realized that my spiritual beliefs and dreams

我明白

是我的靈性信仰以及夢想 構成了我的物質現實。

texture my material reality.

But for me, Chapungu's story felt incomplete.

但對我而言，查蓬古的故事 似乎並不完整。

This soapstone bird,

這隻皂石鳥，

a spiritual medium and messenger of God and the ancestors,

靈性的媒介，神祇與祖先的信差，

needed me to continue her story.

需要我來繼續她的故事。

And so I dabbled in the dream space a little bit more,

因此我又再涉入夢想空間一點點，

and this is how "Falling" was born.

「殞落」就是這樣誕生的。

【影片製作：西珊比勒梅詹妮】

[A film by Sethembile Msezane]

(Video) (A capella singing)

（影片）（清唱）

[FALLING]

【殞落】

(Applause)

（掌聲）

In the film,

在這部影片中，

Zimbabwe, South Africa and Germany share a common story

辛巴威、南非、德國 都有個共同的故事，

about the soapstone birds that were looted from Great Zimbabwe.

關於皂石鳥從大辛巴威 被掠劫走的故事。

After Zimbabwe gained its independence,

在辛巴威獨立之後，

all the birds except for one were returned to the monument.

除一隻外，所有的鳥兒 都回到紀念碑原址。

"Falling" explores the mythological belief that there will be unrest

「殞落」探討一個神話信仰：

動盪將會持續不止， 直到最後一隻鳥兒返巢。

until the final bird is returned.

Through my work,

透過我的作品，

I have realized a lot about the world around me:

我對周遭的世界瞭解了很多：

how we move through spaces,

我們如何在空間裡移動、

who we choose to celebrate

我們選擇去讚頌誰，

and who we remember.

以及我們紀念誰。

Now I look in the mirror and not only see an image of myself,

現在我看向鏡子， 不只看見自己的影像，

but of the women who have made me who I am today.

也看見讓我成為今日之我的女人。

I stand tall in my work,

我挺立在我的作品中，

celebrating women's histories,

讚頌女性的歷史，

in the hope that perhaps one day,

希望也許有一天，

no little black girl has to ever feel

不再有任何一個黑人小女孩

會覺得她似乎並不存在。

like she doesn't exist.

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）