ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ingrid Betancourt - Writer, peace advocate
Ingrid Betancourt was a presidential candidate in Colombia in 2002 when she was kidnapped by guerilla rebels. After six years in captivity and a high-profile rescue, she now writes about what she learned about fear, forgiveness and the divine.

Why you should listen

Born December 25, 1961, in Colombia, Ingrid Betancourt is a French-Colombian activist in the cause of freedom. She was a politician and presidential candidate in Colombia, celebrated for her determination to combat widespread corruption. In February 2002 she was taken hostage by the FARC, a communist guerrilla organization. For six and a half years, the FARC held her hostage in the Amazonian jungle. She was rescued on July 2, 2008.

Since her release, Betancourt has become a memoirist and fiction writer. Her first book, Even Silence Has Its End, which lyrically recounts her six years in the impenetrable jungle, was published in 2010. In 2016, she published a second work -- this time of fiction -- called The Blue Line, about the disappearances in Argentina during the Dirty War from 1976 to 1983. 

Betancourt has received multiple international awards, including the French National Order of the Légion d’Honneur, the Spanish Prince of Asturias Prize of Concord, the Italian Prize Grinzane Cavour, and was nominated to the Nobel Peace Prize for her commitment to democratic values, freedom and tolerance.

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TED2017

Ingrid Betancourt: What six years in captivity taught me about fear and faith

Ingrid Betancourt: O que seis anos de cativeiro me ensinaram sobre o medo e a fé

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Em 2002, a guerrilha colombiana, conhecida como FARC (Forças Armadas Revolucionárias da Colômbia), sequestrou Ingrid Betancourt no meio de sua campanha presidencial. Durante os seis anos seguintes, Betancourt foi mantida refém em campos de prisioneiros na selva, onde foi devastada pela malária, pelas pulgas, pela fome e pela crueldade humana, até o seu resgate pelo exército colombiano. Nesta palestra profundamente pessoal, a política que se transformou em escritora nos conta como é viver num perpétuo estado de medo, e como sua fé a sustentou.
- Writer, peace advocate
Ingrid Betancourt was a presidential candidate in Colombia in 2002 when she was kidnapped by guerilla rebels. After six years in captivity and a high-profile rescue, she now writes about what she learned about fear, forgiveness and the divine. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

A primeira vez
00:13
The first time
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que senti medo,
00:15
I felt fear
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eu tinha 41 anos.
00:18
I was 41 years old.
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00:20
People have always said I was brave.
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Sempre me disseram que eu era corajosa.
00:23
When I was little,
I'd climb the highest tree,
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Quando pequena,
eu subia nas árvores mais altas
00:26
and I'd approach any animal fearlessly.
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e me aproximava sem medo
de qualquer animal.
Eu gostava de desafios.
00:30
I liked challenges.
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00:32
My father used to say,
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Meu pai costumava dizer:
"O bom aço aguenta qualquer temperatura".
00:34
"Good steel can withstand
any temperature."
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E, quando ingressei
na política, na Colômbia,
00:40
And when I entered into
Colombian politics,
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pensei que seria capaz
de aguentar qualquer "temperatura".
00:44
I thought I'd be able
to withstand any temperature.
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00:46
I wanted to end corruption;
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Eu queria acabar
com a corrupção no meu país;
00:49
I wanted to cut ties between politicians
and drug traffickers.
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queria cortar os vínculos
entre a classe política e o narcotráfico.
E a primeira vez em que fui eleita
00:53
The first time I was elected,
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foi porque denunciei, pelo nome,
00:56
it was because I called out, by name,
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00:58
corrupt and untouchable politicians.
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políticos corruptos e intocáveis.
Também denunciei o presidente da República
01:02
I also called out the president
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01:05
for his ties to the cartels.
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pelos seus laços com os cartéis.
01:09
That's when the threats started.
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Foi aí que as ameaças começaram.
01:12
I had to send my very young children
out of the country one morning,
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Tive de tirar meus filhos do país,
bem pequenos, uma manhã,
levados escondidos num carro blindado
do embaixador francês até um avião.
01:17
hidden, all the way to the airport,
in the French ambassador's armored car.
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01:22
Days later,
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Dias mais tarde,
fui vítima de um atentado,
mas escapei ilesa.
01:24
I was the victim of an attack,
but emerged unharmed.
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No ano seguinte,
01:29
The following year,
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01:31
the Colombian people elected me
with the highest number of votes.
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os colombianos me elegeram [senadora]
com o maior número de votos.
E eu sentia que as pessoas
me aplaudiam por ser aguerrida.
01:35
I thought people applauded me
because I was brave.
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01:40
I, too, thought I was brave.
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E eu também me achava corajosa.
Mas não era.
01:43
But I wasn't.
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Simplesmente nunca havia experimentado
01:46
I had simply never before experienced
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o que era medo de verdade.
01:51
true fear.
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01:54
That changed
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Isso mudou
no dia 23 de fevereiro de 2002.
01:57
on February 23, 2002.
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À época, eu era candidata
à presidência da Colômbia,
02:01
At the time, I was a presidential
candidate in Colombia
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e estava promovendo
minha agenda de campanha,
02:05
promoting my campaign agenda,
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quando fui detida
por um grupo de homens armados
02:08
when I was detained
by a group of armed men.
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02:12
They were wearing uniforms
with military garments.
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e vestidos com uniformes militares.
02:16
I looked at their boots; they were rubber.
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Então, olhei para suas botas;
elas eram de borracha.
E eu sabia
02:19
And I knew
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que o exército colombiano
usava botas de couro.
02:20
that the Colombian army
wore leather boots.
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Eu sabia que eles eram
guerrilheiros das FARC.
02:23
I knew that these were FARC guerrillas.
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Dali em diante,
tudo aconteceu muito rápido.
02:28
From that point on,
everything happened very quickly.
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O líder do comando ordenou
que parássemos o veículo,
02:33
The commando leader ordered us
to stop the vehicle.
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enquanto um de seus homens
pisava numa mina antipessoal
02:38
Meanwhile, one of his men
stepped on an antipersonnel mine
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02:42
and flew through the air.
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e voava pelos ares.
E ele aterrissou, sentado,
02:45
He landed, sitting upright,
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bem na minha frente.
02:48
right in front of me.
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Nossos olhares se cruzaram,
02:50
We made eye contact
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e foi então que o jovem percebeu:
02:53
and it was then
that the young man understood:
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a bota de borracha com
uma de suas pernas havia caído longe.
02:56
his rubber boot with his leg still in it
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02:58
had landed far away.
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(Suspiros)
03:01
(Sighs)
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Ele começou
03:05
He started
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a gritar enlouquecido.
03:08
screaming like crazy.
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E a verdade é que senti,
03:13
And the truth is,
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03:14
I felt -- as I feel right now,
because I'm reliving these emotions --
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como sinto agora
ao reviver essas emoções,
03:21
I felt at that moment
that something inside of me was breaking
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senti naquele momento
que algo se quebrava dentro de mim,
03:25
and that I was being infected
with his fear.
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e fui contagiada pelo seu medo.
03:28
My mind went blank and couldn't think;
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Me deu um branco,
e eu não conseguia pensar;
03:31
it was paralyzed.
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estava paralisada.
03:33
When I finally reacted,
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Quando finalmente reagi,
foi para dizer a mim mesma:
03:37
I said to myself,
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03:38
"They're going to kill me,
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"Eles vão me matar,
e não me despedi dos meus filhos".
03:41
and I didn't say goodbye to my children."
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03:46
As they took me into
the deepest depths of the jungle,
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Enquanto me levavam
para os confins da selva,
03:52
the FARC soldiers announced
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as FARC anunciaram
que, se o governo não negociasse,
03:55
that if the government didn't negotiate,
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03:58
they'd kill me.
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eles me matariam.
E eu sabia
04:00
And I knew
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04:03
that the government wouldn't negotiate.
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que o governo não ia negociar.
A partir dali,
04:08
From that point on,
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eu ia dormir toda noite com medo,
04:10
I went to sleep in fear every night --
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com suores frios,
04:13
cold sweats,
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tremores,
04:15
shaking,
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04:17
stomach ache,
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dor de estômago e insônia.
04:19
insomnia.
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Mas o pior era o que acontecia
na minha cabeça,
04:21
But worse than that
was what was happening to my mind,
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pois estavam sendo apagados
da minha memória números de telefone,
04:24
because my memory was being erased:
all the phone numbers,
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endereços,
04:29
addresses,
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nome de pessoas muito próximas,
04:30
names of very dear people,
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04:32
even significant life events.
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e até eventos importantes da minha vida.
E então
04:38
And so,
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comecei a duvidar de mim mesma,
duvidar de minha sanidade mental.
04:40
I began to doubt myself,
to doubt my mental health.
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E com a dúvida veio o desespero,
04:45
And with doubt came desperation,
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e com o desespero veio a depressão.
04:48
and with desperation came depression.
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Eu estava sofrendo visíveis
mudanças de comportamento,
04:51
I was suffering notorious
behavioral changes
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04:54
and it wasn't just paranoia
in moments of panic.
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e não era apenas a paranoia
em momentos de pânico.
Era a desconfiança,
04:59
It was distrust,
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05:02
it was hatred,
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era o ódio,
e era também a vontade de matar.
05:04
and it was also the urge to kill.
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E me dei conta disso
05:07
This, I realized
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quando me mantiveram
acorrentada pelo pescoço numa árvore.
05:10
when they had me
chained by the neck to a tree.
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Naquele dia, eles me deixaram
do lado de fora, numa tempestade tropical.
05:15
They kept me outside that day,
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05:20
during a tropical downpour.
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Me lembro de precisar usar o banheiro.
05:23
I remember feeling an urgent need
to use the bathroom.
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"O que quer que vá fazer,
05:33
"Whatever you have to do,
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vai fazer na minha frente,
05:36
you'll do in front of me,
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cadela!",
05:43
bitch,"
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gritou pra mim o guarda.
05:51
the guard screamed at me.
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06:01
And I
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E eu,
naquele momento, decidi
06:04
decided at that moment
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que ia matá-lo.
06:16
to kill him.
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06:22
And for days,
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E fiquei, durante dias,
06:26
I was planning, trying to find
the right moment, the right way to do it,
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planejando, tentando encontrar
o momento certo, o jeito certo de fazer,
cheia de ódio,
06:30
filled with hatred,
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06:32
filled with fear.
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cheia de medo.
Até que, de repente,
06:34
Then suddenly,
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saí,
06:35
I rose up,
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06:37
snapped out of it
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me sacudi
e pensei:
06:39
and thought:
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06:41
"I'm not going to become one of them.
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"Não vou me transformar em um deles.
06:43
I'm not going to become an assassin.
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Não vou me tornar uma assassina.
Ainda tenho liberdade suficiente
06:46
I still have enough freedom
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para decidir
06:52
to decide
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quem quero ser".
06:55
who I want to be."
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07:00
That's when I learned that fear
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Foi aí que aprendi que o medo
me colocava cara a cara comigo mesma.
07:04
brought me face to face with myself.
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07:07
It forced me
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Ele me obrigava
a alinhar minhas energias,
07:09
to align my energies,
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07:11
to align my meridians.
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a alinhar meus meridianos.
Aprendi que encarar o medo
07:15
I learned that facing fear
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poderia se transformar
num caminho para o crescimento.
07:19
could become a pathway to growth.
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São muitas emoções
quando falo de tudo isso,
07:25
A lot of emotions arise
when I talk about all of this,
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mas, quando olho pra trás,
07:29
but when I think back,
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consigo identificar
07:32
I'm able to identify
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os passos que dei para conseguir.
07:35
the steps I took to do it.
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E quero compartilhar três deles com vocês.
07:38
I want to share three of them with you.
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O primeiro
07:41
The first
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foi me guiar por princípios.
07:45
was to be guided by principles.
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Porque percebi que, no meio do pânico
e do bloqueio mental,
07:48
Because I realized
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07:49
that in the midst of panic
and mental block,
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se seguisse meus princípios,
07:53
if I followed my principles,
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07:56
I acted correctly.
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eu agiria corretamente.
Lembro-me da primeira noite
08:00
I remember the first night
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num campo de concentração
que os guerrilheiros haviam construído
08:03
in a concentration camp
that the guerrillas had built
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no meio da selva,
08:07
in the middle of the jungle,
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com grades de quatro metros de altura,
08:09
with 12-foot-high bars,
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arame farpado,
08:13
barbed wire,
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guaritas nos quatro cantos
08:14
lookouts in the four corners
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e homens armados nos apontando
armas 24 horas por dia.
08:16
and armed men pointing
guns at us 24 hours a day.
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Naquela manhã, a primeira manhã,
08:21
That morning, the first morning,
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chegaram uns homens gritando:
08:24
some men arrived, yelling:
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08:27
"Count off! Count off!"
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"Contagem! Contagem!"
Meus companheiros acordaram assustados,
08:30
My fellow hostages woke up, startled,
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e começaram a se identificar
numa sequência numérica.
08:34
and began to identify themselves
in numbered sequence.
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Mas, quando chegou minha vez,
08:38
But when it was my turn,
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eu falei:
08:41
I said,
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"Ingrid Betancourt.
08:44
"Ingrid Betancourt.
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Se quiserem saber se estou aqui,
me chamem pelo nome".
08:45
If you want to know if I'm here,
call me by my name."
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A fúria dos guardas
08:49
The guards' fury
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não foi nada comparada
com a dos meus companheiros,
08:52
was nothing compared
to that of the other hostages,
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porque, claro, eles estavam assustados,
08:56
because, obviously they were scared --
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todos estávamos assustados,
08:59
we were all scared --
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e eles tinham medo de que,
por minha culpa, fossem castigados.
09:00
and they were afraid that, because of me,
they would be punished.
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Mas, para mim,
09:04
But for me,
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acima do medo, estava a necessidade
de defender minha identidade,
09:05
beyond fear was the need
to defend my identity,
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de não deixá-los me transformar
numa coisa ou num número.
09:12
to not let them turn me into
a thing or a number.
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Esse era um dos princípios:
09:16
That was one of the principles:
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defender
09:18
to defend
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o que eu considerava ser
a dignidade humana.
09:21
what I considered to be human dignity.
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Mas não se enganem:
09:25
But make no mistake:
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09:27
the guerrillas had it all
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a guerrilha tinha tudo isso
muito bem-planejado;
09:30
very well analyzed --
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eles sequestravam pessoas há anos
09:32
they had been kidnapping for years,
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e tinham desenvolvido
uma técnica para nos quebrar,
09:34
and they had developed a technique
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09:39
to break us,
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para nos subjugar, nos dividir.
09:40
to defeat us, to divide us.
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09:43
And so,
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E então, o segundo passo
09:44
the second step
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foi aprender a construir
confiança solidária,
09:48
was to learn how to build
supportive trust,
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09:51
to learn how to unite.
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aprender a nos unirmos.
A selva é outro planeta.
09:55
The jungle is like a different planet.
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É um mundo
09:59
It's a world
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de sombras, úmido,
10:04
of shadows, of rain,
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com o zumbido de milhões de bichos,
10:08
with the hum of millions of bugs --
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com todo tipo de formigas.
10:12
majiña ants, bullet ants.
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Não parei de me coçar um único dia
enquanto estive na selva.
10:15
I didn't stop scratching a single day
while I was in the jungle.
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E, claro, havia as tarântulas,
os escorpiões, as anacondas...
10:21
And of course, there were tarantulas,
scorpions, anacondas ...
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Uma vez fiquei cara a cara com
uma anaconda de oito metros de comprimento
10:25
I once came face to face
with a 24-foot long anaconda
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que poderia ter me engolido de um bote.
10:30
that could have swallowed me in one bite.
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10:32
Jaguars ...
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As onças...
Mas o que quero lhes contar
10:34
But I want to tell you
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é que nenhum desses animais
nos causou tanto mal
10:36
that none of these animals
did us as much harm
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quanto o ser humano.
10:40
as the human beings.
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A guerrilha nos aterrorizava
10:47
The guerrillas terrorized us.
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e espalhava fofocas.
10:49
They spread rumors.
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E estimulava a delação entre companheiros,
10:53
Among the hostages,
they sparked betrayals,
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as invejas,
10:57
jealousy,
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10:59
resentment,
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os rancores,
a desconfiança.
11:01
mistrust.
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A primeira vez que escapei
11:03
The first time I escaped
for a long time was with Lucho.
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por um longo tempo foi com Lucho.
Lucho era refém havia
dois anos a mais do que eu.
11:10
Lucho had been a hostage
for two years longer than I had.
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E tomamos a decisão de nos amarrarmos
11:13
We decided to tie ourselves up
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11:17
with ropes
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1647
com cordas
11:19
to have the strength
to lower ourselves into that dark water
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para termos coragem de entrar
naquela água escura
11:23
full of piranhas and alligators.
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3024
cheia de piranhas e jacarés.
O que fizemos foi, durante o dia,
nos esconder nos mangues.
11:28
What we did was, during the day,
we would hide in the mangroves.
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11:33
And at night,
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E, à noite,
saíamos, entrávamos na água,
11:35
we would leave, get in the water,
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nadávamos e deixávamos
a corrente nos levar.
11:38
and we would swim
and let the current carry us.
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3235
Passamos vários dias assim.
11:42
That went on for several days.
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Mas Lucho
11:45
But Lucho
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ficou doente.
11:49
became sick.
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1358
11:50
He was diabetic,
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1314
Ele era diabético
11:52
and he fell into a diabetic coma.
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e entrou em coma diabético.
11:55
So the guerrillas captured us.
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4208
Então, a guerrilha nos recapturou.
Mas, depois de ter vivido
aquilo com Lucho,
12:00
But after having lived
through that with Lucho,
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3221
depois de termos enfrentado
o medo juntos, unidos,
12:04
after having faced fear together, united,
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12:08
not punishment, not violence -- nothing --
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3548
nem os castigos, nem a violência, nada
12:12
could ever again divide us.
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3314
jamais pôde nos dividir.
A verdade é que todas essas manipulações
da guerrilha nos fizeram tanto mal
12:19
What's certain is,
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727308
1786
12:21
all the guerrillas' manipulation
was so damaging to us
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12:26
that even today,
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1782
que, mesmo hoje,
entre alguns dos sequestrados
12:29
among some of the hostages
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2000
daquela época,
12:32
from back then,
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740766
1302
12:35
tensions linger,
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1565
ainda existem tensões,
12:38
passed down from all that poison
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746284
3475
herdadas de todo aquele veneno
que a guerrilha provocou.
12:43
that the guerrillas created.
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2000
12:47
The third step
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1302
O terceiro passo
é muito importante pra mim,
12:50
is very important to me,
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2397
e é um presente que quero lhes dar.
12:53
and it's a gift
that I want to give to you.
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2360
O terceiro passo é aprender
a desenvolver a fé.
12:56
The third step is to learn
how to develop faith.
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4562
13:03
I want to explain it like this:
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Quero explicar desta forma:
Jhon Frank Pinchao
13:07
Jhon Frank Pinchao
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775790
1455
13:10
was a police officer
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2328
era um suboficial da polícia
que estava sequestrado
havia mais de oito anos.
13:12
who had been a hostage
for more than eight years.
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2420
Ele era famoso por ser
o mais medroso de todos nós.
13:15
He was famous for being
the biggest scaredy-cat of us all.
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783565
3906
Mas Pincho -- eu o chamava
de "Pincho", "prego" em espanhol --
13:22
But Pincho -- I called him "Pincho" --
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790343
2755
13:25
Pincho decided that he wanted to escape.
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4655
decidiu que ia fugir.
E me pediu para ajudá-lo.
13:30
And he asked me to help him.
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798372
1363
Naquela altura, eu já tinha
mestrado em tentativas de fuga.
13:31
By that point, I basically had
a master's degree in escape attempts.
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3505
13:35
(Laughter)
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1425
(Risos)
13:37
So
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805192
1232
Então,
começamos, mas demoramos, pois primeiro
Pincho tinha de aprender a nadar.
13:40
we got started but we had a delay,
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808194
1735
13:41
because first, Pincho
had to learn how to swim.
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809953
2659
E tínhamos de fazer todos
os preparativos em completo sigilo.
13:45
And we had to carry out
all these preparations in total secrecy.
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813437
4892
Enfim, quando finalmente
estava tudo pronto,
13:51
Anyway, when we finally
had everything ready,
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819035
3378
Pincho chegou pra mim uma tarde e falou:
13:54
Pincho came up to me
one afternoon and said,
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4170
"Ingrid, suponha que eu esteja na selva
13:58
"Ingrid, suppose I'm in the jungle,
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826631
3159
e fique andando em círculos,
sem conseguir encontrar a saída.
14:01
and I go around and around in circles,
and I can't find the way out.
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829814
3621
O que faço?"
14:05
What do I do?"
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833459
1170
"Pincho,
14:08
"Pincho,
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836026
1177
você pega um telefone
14:10
you grab a phone,
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838751
1307
14:13
and you call the man upstairs."
242
841240
1619
e chama o cara lá de cima".
"Ingrid, você sabe
que não acredito em Deus."
14:16
"Ingrid, you know I don't believe in God."
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844011
3127
"Deus não liga. Ele vai te ajudar."
14:23
"God doesn't care. He'll still help you."
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851757
2709
14:29
(Applause)
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857259
3098
(Aplausos)
E ocorre que choveu a noite toda.
14:35
It rained all night that night.
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863627
2521
Na manhã seguinte,
14:39
The following morning,
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867204
1481
o acampamento acordou numa grande comoção,
14:41
the camp woke up to a big commotion,
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869918
2075
porque Pincho tinha fugido.
14:44
because Pincho had fled.
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872017
2684
Eles nos fizeram desmontar
o acampamento e começarmos a marchar.
14:46
They made us dismantle the camp,
and we started marching.
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874725
2761
14:49
During the march,
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877510
1263
E, durante a marcha,
14:52
the head guerrillas told us
that Pincho had died,
252
880329
4556
os chefes guerrilheiros nos disseram
que Pincho havia morrido,
14:56
and that they had found his remains
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884909
3135
e que tinham encontrado seus restos
comidos por uma anaconda.
15:00
eaten by an anaconda.
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888068
1531
Passaram-se 17 dias...
15:04
Seventeen days passed --
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892559
1694
15:06
and believe me, I counted them,
because they were torture for me.
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894277
5351
e, acreditem, eu os contei,
porque foram uma tortura pra mim.
Mas, no 17.º dia,
15:14
But on the seventeenth day,
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902160
2000
as notícias explodiram no rádio:
15:18
the news exploded from the radio:
258
906183
1916
15:20
Pincho was free and obviously alive.
259
908123
3214
Pincho estava livre e, obviamente, vivo.
E esta foi a primeira declaração
que ele deu no rádio:
15:24
And this was the first thing he said:
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912204
3504
"Sei que meus companheiros
estão me ouvindo.
15:29
"I know my fellow hostages are listening.
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917052
2000
Ingrid,
15:31
Ingrid,
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919813
1494
15:33
I did what you told me.
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921331
1722
fiz o que você me falou.
Eu liguei pro cara lá de cima,
15:35
I called the man upstairs,
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923077
1671
e ele me enviou a patrulha
que me resgatou da selva".
15:36
and he sent me the patrol
that rescued me from the jungle."
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924772
3541
Aquele foi um momento extraordinário,
15:43
That was an extraordinary moment,
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931464
3013
15:46
because ...
267
934501
1166
porque...
obviamente o medo é contagioso,
15:48
obviously fear is contagious.
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936278
2000
15:50
But faith is, too.
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938909
1430
mas a fé também é.
A fé não é racional nem emocional.
15:52
Faith isn't rational or emotional.
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940363
2639
A fé
15:55
Faith
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943811
1182
é um exercício da vontade,
15:58
is an exercise of the will.
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946040
2616
16:01
It's the discipline of the will.
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949267
2634
é uma disciplina da vontade.
É o que nos permite transformar
tudo o que somos,
16:04
It's what allows us to transform
everything that we are --
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952353
3471
nossas fraquezas, nossas fragilidades,
16:07
our weaknesses, our frailties,
275
955848
2298
em força, em poder.
16:10
into strength, into power.
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958170
1590
É realmente uma transformação.
16:11
It's truly a transformation.
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959784
2000
É o que nos dá força
16:14
It's what gives us the strength
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962821
2861
16:17
to stand up
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965706
1381
para nos colocarmos de pé
diante do medo,
16:20
in the face of fear
280
968444
1205
16:22
look above it,
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970664
1724
olhar acima dele,
16:24
and see beyond it.
282
972412
1398
e ver além dele.
Espero que se lembrem disso,
porque sei que todos precisamos
16:28
I hope you remember that,
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976222
2000
16:31
because I know we all need
284
979785
1835
16:34
to connect with that strength
we have inside of us
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982643
2994
nos conectar com essa força
que temos dentro de nós
16:38
for the times when there's a storm
raging around our boat.
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986237
4442
para os momentos de tempestade
ao redor do nosso barco.
16:43
Many, many, many, many years passed
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4409
Muitos, muitos, muitos,
muitos anos se passaram
até que eu pudesse voltar pra casa.
16:49
before I could return to my house.
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997579
4609
Mas, quando eles nos levaram,
algemados, no helicóptero
16:56
But when they took us, handcuffed,
into the helicopter
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1004116
5029
17:01
that finally took us out of the jungle,
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1009169
2055
que finalmente nos tirou da selva,
17:03
everything happened as quickly
as when they kidnapped me.
291
1011248
3245
tudo aconteceu tão rapidamente
como no dia em que fui sequestrada.
Num instante,
17:07
In an instant,
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1015977
1632
vi aos meus pés o comandante guerrilheiro,
17:09
I saw the guerrilla commander at my feet,
293
1017633
4023
17:13
gagged,
294
1021680
1225
amordaçado,
17:15
and the rescue leader,
295
1023746
2266
e o líder do resgate
gritando:
17:19
yelling:
296
1027190
1164
"Somos o exército da Colômbia!
17:21
"We're the Colombian army!
297
1029107
3415
Vocês estão livres!"
17:24
You are free!"
298
1032547
2379
O grito
17:28
The shriek
299
1036483
1538
que saiu de todos nós
17:30
that came out of all of us
300
1038800
2072
17:32
when we regained our freedom,
301
1040896
1991
quando recuperamos nossa liberdade
17:35
continues to vibrate in me to this day.
302
1043381
4571
continua a vibrar em mim até agora.
Bem,
17:42
Now,
303
1050269
1171
sei que podem nos dividir
e nos manipular com o medo.
17:44
I know they can divide all of us,
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1052543
3207
17:47
they can manipulate us all with fear.
305
1055774
2417
O "não" no referendo pela paz na Colômbia;
17:52
The "No" vote on the peace
referendum in Colombia;
306
1060826
4268
17:57
Brexit;
307
1065118
1769
ou o Brexit;
ou a ideia de um muro
entre o México e os Estados Unidos;
17:58
the idea of a wall
between Mexico and the United States;
308
1066911
3747
18:03
Islamic terrorism --
309
1071323
1682
ou o terrorismo islâmico,
são todos casos
de utilização política do medo
18:05
they're all examples
of using fear politically
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1073029
4297
para nos dividir e nos recrutar.
18:10
to divide and recruit us.
311
1078035
2582
Ora, todos sentimos medo.
18:14
We all feel fear.
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2000
Mas todos podemos evitar sermos recrutados
18:17
But we can all avoid being recruited
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1085092
3367
usando os recursos que temos:
nossos princípios, a união e a fé.
18:21
using the resources we have --
our principles, unity, faith.
314
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5112
Sim, o medo faz parte da condição humana,
18:27
Yes, fear is part of the human condition,
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1095839
3608
além de ser necessário para sobrevivermos.
18:31
as well as being necessary for survival.
316
1099471
3279
Mas, sobretudo,
18:35
But above all,
317
1103385
1739
é a referência sobre a qual todos nós
18:37
it's the guide by which each of us builds
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1105148
4756
construímos nossa identidade,
nossa personalidade.
18:42
our identity, our personality.
319
1110754
3168
É verdade...
18:48
It's true, I was 41 years old
the first time I felt fear,
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6980
eu tinha 41 anos
a primeira vez que senti medo,
e sentir medo não foi decisão minha.
18:55
and feeling fear was not my decision.
321
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3580
Mas foi minha decisão
escolher o que fazer com aquele medo.
19:00
But it was my decision
what to do with that fear.
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4692
Podemos sobreviver
19:07
You can survive
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1135234
3412
rastejando, cheios de medo.
19:11
crawling along, fearful.
324
1139640
2821
Mas também podemos
19:15
But you can also
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1143078
1480
passar acima do medo,
19:18
rise above the fear,
326
1146027
2535
19:20
rise up, spread your wings,
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1148586
2812
nos elevar, abrir nossas asas,
19:23
and soar, fly high, high, high, high,
until you reach the stars,
328
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4677
e subir, voar alto, alto,
alto, alto, até as estrelas,
19:28
where all of us want to go.
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3026
aonde todos nós queremos chegar.
Obrigada.
19:33
Thank you.
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1152
(Aplausos)
19:34
(Applause)
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1162723
3808
Translated by Raissa Mendes
Reviewed by Leonardo Silva

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ingrid Betancourt - Writer, peace advocate
Ingrid Betancourt was a presidential candidate in Colombia in 2002 when she was kidnapped by guerilla rebels. After six years in captivity and a high-profile rescue, she now writes about what she learned about fear, forgiveness and the divine.

Why you should listen

Born December 25, 1961, in Colombia, Ingrid Betancourt is a French-Colombian activist in the cause of freedom. She was a politician and presidential candidate in Colombia, celebrated for her determination to combat widespread corruption. In February 2002 she was taken hostage by the FARC, a communist guerrilla organization. For six and a half years, the FARC held her hostage in the Amazonian jungle. She was rescued on July 2, 2008.

Since her release, Betancourt has become a memoirist and fiction writer. Her first book, Even Silence Has Its End, which lyrically recounts her six years in the impenetrable jungle, was published in 2010. In 2016, she published a second work -- this time of fiction -- called The Blue Line, about the disappearances in Argentina during the Dirty War from 1976 to 1983. 

Betancourt has received multiple international awards, including the French National Order of the Légion d’Honneur, the Spanish Prince of Asturias Prize of Concord, the Italian Prize Grinzane Cavour, and was nominated to the Nobel Peace Prize for her commitment to democratic values, freedom and tolerance.

More profile about the speaker
Ingrid Betancourt | Speaker | TED.com
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