Chinaka Hodge: What will you tell your daughters about 2016?
चीनाका हौज: क्या बताएँगे आप अपनी बेटियों को २०१६ के बारे में?
Poet, playwright, filmmaker and educator Chinaka Hodge uses her own life and experiences as the backbone of wildly creative, powerful works. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
strewn about our morning papers,
अखबारों में बिखरी लाशें पाई,
of our sisters, spouses, small children.
छोटे बच्चों की जलग्रस्त प्रतिकृतियाँ
when she asks, as she certainly should,
जो उसे ज़रूर करना चहिए,
इसे आने में देर हो गई
we didn't own it outright.
तब भी हम पूरे तौर से उसके मालिक नही बने
for every way we used our privates
निजी हिस्सों का किस तरह वापर करें
that enforced them.
कोई कानून नहीं बनाए गए
against the outlines of our fallen,
हमारे शहीदों के शवों के पास,
इबादत की
and moved with courageous abandon
और हिम्मती बेपरवाही के साथ चलें
ducked and parried,
झुके और टाला
collected death threats,
मौत की धमकियाँ इकट्ठा की,
घर बसाने का, अपना साथी ढूँढने का,"
and found a running mate,"
shamed nothing but fear,
सिर्फ़ डर को शर्मिंदा किया,
to be docile or small.
और नीच बने रहने का साल बीत चुका है
that we were women,
कि हम औरतें हैं
and some of us did not,
और कुछ को नहीं हुए
whether that made us real
क्या इससे हम असली
or heir to your triumph,
या आपके जीत की वारिस
teetering towards woman,
जो औरतों की ओर लड़खड़ा रहा है
Were you fearful or fearsome?
क्या आप डरी हुई थी या डरानेवाली थी?
in the year it was time?
औरतों के लिए क्या किया?
which bones had to break?
कौन सी हड्डियों को टूटना पड़ा?
क्या आप ठीक हो, माँ?
about the arc of your brow,
आप की भृकुटि के वक्र की
नहीं पूछगी
already carried so much, wants to know
वो जानना चाहेगी
what light did you keep from extinction?
कोनसी रौशनी आपने बुझने से बचायी
रात को आये
or were you roused?
या जाग गए थे
what did you do with your privilege?
आप ने अपने विशेषाधिकार से क्या किया?
का घूट पी गए?
or directly into the flame?
या आग में झाँक के देखा?
or treat it like a liability?
या उसे बोझ समझ लिया?
of "nasty" or "less than"?
ने आपको मूर्ख बनाया?
or a clenched fist?
या मुट्ठी भींच कर
अपनी ज़िन्दगी बनाओ
कहो "बेटी मैं वहां कड़ी थी"
drawn on my face like a dagger,
खंजर की तरह खिंचा है
in spite of crooked odds.
हर कुटिल परिस्थिति के बावजूद
in the company of courage,
when you just had yourself.
जब आप अकेले ही थे
and the sisters beside them,
सही समय पर पैदा हुई थी
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Chinaka Hodge - Writer, educatorPoet, playwright, filmmaker and educator Chinaka Hodge uses her own life and experiences as the backbone of wildly creative, powerful works.
Why you should listen
Chinaka Hodge is a writer and educator from Oakland. She received her BA from NYU’s Gallatin School and studied Writing for Film and Television at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts MFA program. Her work has been featured in Believer Magazine, Teen People Magazine, Newsweek, San Francisco Magazine, on PBS and NPR, and in two seasons of HBO’s Def Poetry. She was an Associate Producer on Simmons Lathan presents Brave New Voices for HBO.
She is a Cave Canem Graduate Fellow, was a playwright-in-residence at SF Playwrights Foundation and serves as a Visiting Editor at The California Sunday Magazine. She is an inaugural Senior Fellow at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Chinaka Hodge | Speaker | TED.com