ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Chris Abani - Novelist, poet
Imprisoned three times by the Nigerian government, Chris Abani turned his experience into poems that Harold Pinter called "the most naked, harrowing expression of prison life and political torture imaginable." His novels include GraceLand (2004) and The Virgin of Flames (2007).

Why you should listen

Chris Abani's first novel, published when he was 16, was Masters of the Board, a political thriller about a foiled Nigerian coup. The story was convincing enough that the Nigerian government threw him in jail for inciting a coincidentally timed real-life coup. Imprisoned and tortured twice more, he channeled the experience into searing poetry.

Abani's best-selling 2004 novel GraceLand is a searing and funny tale of a young Nigerian boy, an Elvis impersonator who moves through the wide, wild world of Lagos, slipping between pop and traditional cultures, art and crime. It's a perennial book-club pick, a story that brings the postcolonial African experience to vivid life.

Now based in Los Angeles, Abani published The Virgin of Flames in 2007. He is also a publisher, running the poetry imprint Black Goat Press.

More profile about the speaker
Chris Abani | Speaker | TED.com
TED2008

Chris Abani: On humanity

克瑞斯•阿巴尼——人性的冥思

Filmed:
946,913 views

克瑞斯•阿巴尼将普通人的故事娓娓道来:人们对抗士兵,人们流露出的同情,作为完整的人,人们探求他们内心的人性。他说:“这是“乌班图”(南非的语言,有“施人人道”的意思),对于我之所以成为人,唯一的解释是你们将我人性的光辉重新折射在我的身上。”
- Novelist, poet
Imprisoned three times by the Nigerian government, Chris Abani turned his experience into poems that Harold Pinter called "the most naked, harrowing expression of prison life and political torture imaginable." His novels include GraceLand (2004) and The Virgin of Flames (2007). Full bio

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

00:18
My search搜索 is always to find ways方法 to chronicle编年史,
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无论我干什么,我总是想办法记下来。
00:23
to share分享 and to document文件 stories故事 about people, just everyday每天 people.
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我愿意分享和记录人们的故事,就是普普通通老百姓的故事。
00:28
Stories故事 that offer提供 transformation转型, that lean into transcendence超越,
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这些故事给人们带来改变,这种改变又引导人们走向卓越,
00:33
but that are never sentimental感伤,
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但是从来都不伤感。
00:35
that never look away from the darkest最黑暗 things about us.
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我也从来不会忘记我们生命中最黑暗的时光。
00:39
Because I really believe that we're never more beautiful美丽
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因为我相信我们人生中的黑暗
00:42
than when we're most ugly丑陋.
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永远比人生中的光明更加动人。
00:44
Because that's really the moment时刻 we really know what we're made制作 of.
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因为在黑暗中我们才真正知道我们的内心世界。
00:48
As Chris克里斯 said, I grew成长 up in Nigeria尼日利亚
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就像克里斯说的那样,我生长在尼日利亚,
00:53
with a whole整个 generation -- in the '80s --
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我出生在上世纪80年代,
00:55
of students学生们 who were protesting抗议 a military军事 dictatorship专政, which哪一个 has finally最后 ended结束.
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我们这一代人,学生反对如今已经结束的军事独裁。
01:01
So it wasn't just me, there was a whole整个 generation of us.
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不仅仅是我,我们这一代人都是如此。
01:03
But what I've come to learn学习
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但是我从中学到的
01:06
is that the world世界 is never saved保存 in grand盛大 messianic救世主 gestures手势,
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是世界从来不会因为摆出了一副救世主的姿态得救,
01:10
but in the simple简单 accumulation积累 of gentle温和, soft柔软的, almost几乎 invisible无形 acts行为 of compassion同情,
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而是因为点点滴滴温和柔软,甚至看不到的出于同情的行动的积累,
01:17
everyday每天 acts行为 of compassion同情.
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每天出于同情的行动。
01:19
In South Africa非洲, they have a phrase短语 called UbuntuUbuntu的.
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南非语有一个词叫乌班图,
01:26
UbuntuUbuntu的 comes out of a philosophy哲学 that says,
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乌班图来源于哲学,
01:28
the only way for me to be human人的 is for you to reflect反映
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对于我来说它的意思就是我之所以成为人,唯一的解释是
01:32
my humanity人性 back at me.
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你们将我人性的光辉重新折射在我的身上。
01:34
But if you're like me, my humanity人性 is more like a window窗口.
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但是如果你们像我一样,我的人性更像一扇窗。
01:38
I don't really see it, I don't pay工资 attention注意 to it
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我并没有看到人性,我也没有注意到,
01:40
until直到 there's, you know, like a bug窃听器 that's dead on the window窗口.
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直到……打个比方吧……有一只虫的尸体粘在窗子上面。
01:43
Then suddenly突然 I see it, and usually平时, it's never good.
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忽然间我就看到了窗子,这种感觉并不好。
01:47
It's usually平时 when I'm cussing骂人 in traffic交通
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通常堵车的时候,我就会咒骂
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at someone有人 who is trying to drive驾驶 their car汽车 and drink coffee咖啡
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骂那些想法设法开车,喝咖啡,
01:53
and send发送 emails电子邮件 and make notes笔记.
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发邮件和记笔记的人。
01:57
So what UbuntuUbuntu的 really says
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实际上乌班图的意思是
02:00
is that there is no way for us to be human人的 without other people.
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没有别人,我们也就没法成为人。
02:05
It's really very simple简单, but really very complicated复杂.
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这很简单,但是事实上非常复杂。
02:08
So, I thought I should start开始 with some stories故事.
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我想我应该用故事开头。
02:11
I should tell you some stories故事 about remarkable卓越 people,
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我想给大家讲讲一些伟人的故事。
02:13
so I thought I'd start开始 with my mother母亲.
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那么我就说说我的妈妈吧。
02:16
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
02:17
And she was dark黑暗, too.
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她也是黑人。
02:19
My mother母亲 was English英语.
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我的妈妈是个英国人。
02:20
My parents父母 met会见 in Oxford牛津 in the '50s,
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我的父母50年代在牛津相遇,
02:22
and my mother母亲 moved移动 to Nigeria尼日利亚 and lived生活 there.
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然后我妈搬到了尼日利亚,并且在那儿定居。
02:24
She was five foot脚丫子 two, very feisty易怒的 and very English英语.
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她只有5.2英尺高(约158厘米),她精力很旺盛而且英国味十足。
02:28
This is how English英语 my mother母亲 is -- or was, she just passed通过.
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给大家讲一个故事你们就知道了——但她最近才过世。
02:31
She came来了 out to California加州, to Los洛杉矶 Angeles洛杉矶, to visit访问 me,
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她来到加州来到洛杉矶来看我,
02:35
and we went to Malibu马里布, which哪一个 she thought was very disappointing令人失望.
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我们去马里布,她认为这家餐馆很令人失望。
02:37
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
02:39
And then we went to a fish restaurant餐厅,
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然后我们又去一家海鲜餐厅,
02:41
and we had Chad乍得, the surfer冲浪者 dude花花公子, serving服务 us,
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一个叫查德的服务生,也是一个冲浪好手来给我们点菜,
02:44
and he came来了 up and my mother母亲 said,
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他走过来,我妈妈问到,
02:46
"Do you have any specials特价, young年轻 man?"
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“小伙子,你们有什么特色菜吗?”
02:48
And Chad乍得 says, "Sure, like, we have this, like, salmon三文鱼,
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服务生说,“当然了,我们有大马哈鱼,”
02:52
that's, like, rolled热轧 in this, like, wasabi芥末, like, crust脆皮.
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卷起来吃,山葵还有面包。
02:54
It's totally完全 rad拉德."
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这简直酷毙了。”
02:56
And my mother母亲 turned转身 to me and said,
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我妈转过来对我说,
02:59
"What language语言 is he speaking请讲?"
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“他说的是什么话?”
03:01
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
03:02
I said, "English英语, mum沉默."
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我说,“妈,是英语。”
03:04
And she shook震撼 her head and said,
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她摇摇头说,
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"Oh, these Americans美国人. We gave them a language语言,
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“天哪,这些美国人,我们把英语都给他们了。
03:08
why don't they use it?"
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他们为什么不用呢?”
03:10
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
03:16
So, this woman女人, who converted转换 from the Church教会 of England英国
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哎,我妈原本信仰英国国教,
03:20
to Catholicism天主教 when she married已婚 my father父亲 --
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但她嫁给了我爸以后,她就改信仰天主教了——
03:22
and there's no one more rabid疯狂的 than a Catholic天主教徒 convert兑换 --
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没有任何人会比一个天主教的皈依者更急进的了——
03:26
decided决定 to teach in the rural乡村 areas in Nigeria尼日利亚,
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她决定在尼日利亚的农村地区普及知识,
03:30
particularly尤其 among其中 Igbo伊博 women妇女,
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特别是在伊博女人中间,
03:32
the Billings比林斯 ovulation排卵 method方法,
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普及的知识是比林斯排卵法。
03:34
which哪一个 was the only approved批准 birth分娩 control控制 by the Catholic天主教徒 Church教会.
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天主教只允许用这种方法来控制生育。
03:38
But her Igbo伊博 wasn't too good.
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她的伊博语不好。
03:42
So she took me along沿 to translate翻译.
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所以她拉上我帮她翻译。
03:44
I was seven.
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那时我才7岁。
03:46
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
03:47
So, here are these women妇女,
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这些女人
03:49
who never discuss讨论 their period with their husbands丈夫,
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从来不和他们的丈夫讨论月经,
03:52
and here I am telling告诉 them, "Well, how often经常 do you get your period?"
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所以只有我去问他们,“额,你月经多久来一次?”
03:56
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
03:57
And, "Do you notice注意 any discharges放电?"
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你看到什么液体了吗?
03:59
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
04:00
And, "How swollen is your vulva外阴?"
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你的阴户有多肿?
04:02
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
04:07
She never would have thought of herself她自己 as a feminist女权主义者,
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她从来不把自己当成一个女权主义者,
04:10
my mother母亲, but she always used to say,
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但是她总是说,
04:13
"Anything a man can do, I can fix固定."
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“男人能做的任何事,我都能搞定。”
04:16
(Applause掌声)
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(鼓掌)
04:23
And when my father父亲 complained抱怨 about this situation情况,
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我爸对此发过牢骚,
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where she's taking服用 a seven-year-old七十岁 boy男孩
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她居然带一个7岁大的男孩
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to teach this birth分娩 control控制, you know,
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去普及节育知识,
04:32
he used to say, "Oh, you're turning车削 him into --
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他总是说,“我的天,你在把他变成”
04:34
you're teaching教学 him how to be a woman女人."
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不对,你在教他如何做一个女人。”
04:36
My mother母亲 said, "Someone有人 has to."
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我妈说,“总有人要牺牲。”
04:38
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
04:39
This woman女人 -- during the Biafran比夫拉 war战争,
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在比亚法拉战争中,我妈
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we were caught抓住 in the war战争.
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和她的子女都被捕。
04:45
It was my mother母亲 with five little children孩子.
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我妈妈当时带着五个孩子。
04:48
It takes her one year, through通过 refugee难民 camp after refugee难民 camp,
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一年当中,她从一个难民营到另一个难民营,
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to make her way to an airstrip简易机场 where we can fly out of the country国家.
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最后终于到了机场,我们最终逃离了这个国家。
04:53
At every一切 single refugee难民 camp, she has to face面对 off soldiers士兵
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在每一个难民营,她都不得不和士兵周旋,
04:59
who want to take my elder长老 brother哥哥 Mark标记, who was nine,
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这些士兵想把我的哥哥马克带走,他当时才9岁,
05:01
and make him a boy男孩 soldier士兵.
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让他去当童子兵。
05:03
Can you imagine想像 this five-foot-two五英尺二 woman女人,
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你能想象这个5.2英尺的女人
05:05
standing常设 up to men男人 with guns枪炮 who want to kill us?
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是如何对抗那些拿着枪想置我们于死地的士兵的吗?
05:09
All through通过 that one year,
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那一年,
05:11
my mother母亲 never cried哭了 one time, not once一旦.
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我妈从没哭过,一次也没有。
05:14
But when we were in Lisbon里斯本, in the airport飞机场,
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我们后来到了里斯本的机场,
05:16
about to fly to England英国,
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准备飞到英国,
05:18
this woman女人 saw my mother母亲 wearing穿着 this dress连衣裙,
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一个女人看到我妈妈穿着一条
05:21
which哪一个 had been washed so many许多 times it was basically基本上 see through通过,
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洗得发白发透的裙子,
05:25
with five really hungry-looking kids孩子,
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还拖着5个面黄肌瘦的孩子时,
05:28
came来了 over and asked her what had happened发生.
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她走过来问我妈发生了什么。
05:30
And she told this woman女人.
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我妈把这一切都告诉了她。
05:31
And so this woman女人 emptied清空 out her suitcase手提箱
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这个女人紧接着就掏空了她的旅行箱
05:33
and gave all of her clothes衣服 to my mother母亲, and to us,
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把她所有的衣服给了我的妈妈
05:36
and the toys玩具 of her kids孩子, who didn't like that very much, but --
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然后又给我们她孩子不喜欢的玩具,但是——½
05:39
(Laughter笑声) --
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(笑)
05:40
that was the only time she cried哭了.
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那是她第一次哭。
05:43
And I remember记得 years年份 later后来, I was writing写作 about my mother母亲,
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我记得几年后,我写到我妈的时候,
05:45
and I asked her, "Why did you cry then?"
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我问她,“当时你为什么哭?”
05:47
And she said, "You know, you can steel your heart
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她说,“在面对任何困难和恐惧时,你可以
05:50
against反对 any kind of trouble麻烦, any kind of horror恐怖.
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把你的心铸成铁。
05:53
But the simple简单 act法案 of kindness善良 from a complete完成 stranger陌生人
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但是陌生人任何一点善举
05:58
will unstitchunstitch you."
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却能让你瞬间融化。”
06:04
The old women妇女 in my father's父亲的 village, after this war战争 had happened发生,
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战争开始后,我爸爸村子里年老的女人
06:08
memorized记忆 the names of every一切 dead person,
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记住了每个逝者的名字,
06:11
and they would sing these dirges挽歌, made制作 up of these names.
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她们唱挽歌,挽歌是由这些名字组成的。
06:18
Dirges挽歌 so melancholic忧郁 that they would scorch烧焦 you.
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挽歌非常忧沉,会将你灼伤。
06:20
And they would sing them only when they planted种植的 the rice白饭,
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她们只有在播种粮食的时候才唱,
06:24
as though虽然 they were seeding播种 the hearts心中 of the dead
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就好像她们将逝者的心
06:26
into the rice白饭.
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植入了粮食。
06:28
But when it came来了 for harvest收成 time,
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但是等到收获的时节,
06:30
they would sing these joyful快乐 songs歌曲,
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她们又会唱一些愉快的歌,
06:32
that were made制作 up of the names of every一切 child儿童
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歌词是由当年出生的
06:34
who had been born天生 that year.
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每个孩子的名字组成的。
06:37
And then the next下一个 planting种植 season季节, when they sang the dirge挽歌,
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到了下一次播种的时候,她们也会唱挽歌,
06:41
they would remove去掉 as many许多 names of the dead
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当然她们去掉了很多逝者的名字,
06:44
that equaled追平 as many许多 people that were born天生.
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去掉名字的数量等于新生儿出生的数量。
06:46
And in this way, these women妇女 enacted颁布 a lot of transformation转型,
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通过这种方式,这些女人转变了许多,
06:52
beautiful美丽 transformation转型.
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这是一种美丽的转变。
06:54
Did you know, that before the genocide种族灭绝 in Rwanda卢旺达,
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大家知道吗,在卢旺达种族灭绝发生以前,他们的语言里
06:58
the word for rape强奸 and the word for marriage婚姻
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强奸和婚姻
07:01
was the same相同 one?
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是同一个单词?
07:04
But today今天, women妇女 are rebuilding重建 Rwanda卢旺达.
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但是今天妇女在重振卢旺达。
07:08
Did you also know that after apartheid种族隔离,
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大家知道吗,在种族隔离以后,
07:11
when the new government政府 went into the parliament议会 houses房屋,
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新政府进入国会大楼以后,
07:13
there were no female toilets洗手间 in the building建造?
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发现大楼里没有女厕所。
07:17
Which哪一个 would seem似乎 to suggest建议 that apartheid种族隔离
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这似乎也暗示了种族隔离
07:19
was entirely完全 the business商业 of men男人.
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完全是男人弄出的事。
07:22
All of this to say, that despite尽管 the horror恐怖, and despite尽管 the death死亡,
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这些都说明了,除了恐怖,除了死亡,
07:26
women妇女 are never really counted.
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妇女都被排斥开。
07:29
Their humanity人性 never seems似乎 to matter very much to us.
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她们的人性似乎对我们来说从未有太大的影响。
07:34
When I was growing生长 up in Nigeria尼日利亚 --
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我在尼日利亚的时候——
07:37
and I shouldn't不能 say Nigeria尼日利亚, because that's too general一般,
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我不应该说尼日利亚的,因为这个概念太宽泛,
07:39
but in Afikpo阿菲波, the Igbo伊博 part部分 of the country国家 where I'm from --
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应该是乌尔霍伯,是伊博的一个村庄,我来自那里。
07:42
there were always rites仪式 of passage通道 for young年轻 men男人.
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每个小伙子成人时都要举行成人典礼。
07:45
Men男人 were taught to be men男人 in the ways方法 in which哪一个 we are not women妇女,
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教导男人成为男人的方法是要我们知道我们不是女人,
07:49
that's essentially实质上 what it is.
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这是问题的关键。
07:51
And a lot of rituals仪式 involved参与 killing谋杀, killing谋杀 little animals动物,
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很多仪式和杀有关,就是杀死小动物,
07:55
progressing进展 along沿, so when I turned转身 13 --
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贯穿整个仪式,我满13岁的时候——
07:57
and, I mean, it made制作 sense, it was an agrarian农业 community社区,
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恩……这是一个农业社会,
08:00
somebody had to kill the animals动物,
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必须有人来捕杀动物,
08:02
there was no Whole整个 Foods食品 you could go and get kangaroo袋鼠 steak牛扒 at --
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那里没有全食市场你可以去烤袋鼠——
08:05
so when I turned转身 13, it was my turn now to kill a goat山羊.
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我满13岁的时候,该我来杀一只山羊。
08:10
And I was this weird奇怪的, sensitive敏感 kid孩子, who couldn't不能 really do it,
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我当时是一个非常古怪、敏感的孩子,根本无法做到,
08:14
but I had to do it.
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但是我不得不做到。
08:16
And I was supposed应该 to do this alone单独.
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而且我还必须一个人完成。
08:18
But a friend朋友 of mine, called Emmanuel灵光,
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但是我的一个朋友叫伊曼纽尔,
08:20
who was significantly显著 older旧的 than me,
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比我大得不多,
08:22
who'd谁愿意 been a boy男孩 soldier士兵 during the Biafran比夫拉 war战争,
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他在比亚法拉战争中当过童子兵。
08:24
decided决定 to come with me.
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他决定和我去。
08:27
Which哪一个 sort分类 of made制作 me feel good,
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这让我松了一口气,
08:30
because he'd他会 seen看到 a lot of things.
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因为他见多识广。
08:32
Now, when I was growing生长 up, he used to tell me
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他原来总是告诉我
08:34
stories故事 about how he used to bayonet刺刀 people,
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他怎么去刺别人,
08:36
and their intestines would fall秋季 out, but they would keep running赛跑.
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那些人的肠子掉出来了都还在跑。
08:39
So, this guy comes with me.
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他当时就陪着我。
08:42
And I don't know if you've ever heard听说 a goat山羊, or seen看到 one --
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我不知道你们有人听过羊叫或者是看到过羊没有——
08:45
they sound声音 like human人的 beings众生,
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他们叫起来就像人一样,
08:47
that's why we call tragedies悲剧 "a song歌曲 of a goat山羊."
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这也就是为什么我们把灾难叫做“羊之歌”。
08:50
My friend朋友 Brad布拉德 Kessler凯斯勒 says that we didn't become成为 human人的
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我的朋友布拉德•凯斯勒说直到我们开始养羊
08:55
until直到 we started开始 keeping保持 goats山羊.
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我们才成为人。
08:57
Anyway无论如何, a goat's山羊 eyes眼睛 are like a child's孩子的 eyes眼睛.
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不管怎么说,一只羊的眼睛就像一个孩子的眼睛。
09:02
So when I tried试着 to kill this goat山羊 and I couldn't不能,
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我尽力去杀这只羊,但是我做不到,
09:04
Emmanuel灵光 bent弯曲 down, he puts看跌期权 his hand over the mouth of the goat山羊,
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伊曼纽尔弯下身,他把手放到羊的嘴上,
09:09
covers盖子 its eyes眼睛, so I don't have to look into them,
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蒙上它的眼睛,所以我不用看它们。
09:12
while I kill the goat山羊.
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这些都是在我杀这只羊的时候他做的。
09:15
It didn't seem似乎 like a lot, for this guy who'd谁愿意 seen看到 so much,
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对于这样一个见多识广的人来说,这是小菜一碟,
09:19
and to whom the killing谋杀 of a goat山羊 must必须 have seemed似乎
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杀一只羊简直
09:21
such这样 a quotidian瘴气 experience经验,
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是家常便饭,
09:23
still found发现 it in himself他自己 to try to protect保护 me.
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但是我发现他内心上想保护我。
09:29
I was a wimp窝囊废.
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我是个窝囊废。
09:31
I cried哭了 for a very long time.
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我哭了很久。
09:33
And afterwards之后, he didn't say a word.
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我哭的时候他没说一句话,
09:35
He just satSAT there watching观看 me cry for an hour小时.
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他只是坐在那里看我哭了一个小时。
09:37
And then afterwards之后 he said to me,
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哭完了他对我说,
09:39
"It will always be difficult, but if you cry like this every一切 time,
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这确实很难,但是如果你每次都像这样哭的话,
09:44
you will die of heartbreak心碎.
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你会因心碎而死。
09:46
Just know that it is enough足够 sometimes有时
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有时候知道难
09:49
to know that it is difficult."
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就够了。
09:54
Of course课程, talking about goats山羊 makes品牌 me think of sheep,
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当然了,说到山羊让我想到了绵羊,
09:57
and not in good ways方法.
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是不好的联想。
09:59
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
10:01
So, I was born天生 two days after Christmas圣诞.
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我的生日是在圣诞节后的两天。
10:05
So growing生长 up, you know, I had a cake蛋糕 and everything,
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每年我都有蛋糕和其他所有的东西,
10:08
but I never got any presents礼物, because, born天生 two days after Christmas圣诞.
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但我从来没得到过生日礼物,就因为我出生在圣诞节后两天。
10:13
So, I was about nine, and my uncle叔叔 had just come back from Germany德国,
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大约在我九岁那年,我舅舅从德国回来,
10:16
and we had the Catholic天主教徒 priest牧师 over,
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天主教的神父当时也在家里,
10:19
my mother母亲 was entertaining娱乐 him with tea.
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我的母亲给他上茶的时候,
10:21
And my uncle叔叔 suddenly突然 says, "Where are Chris'克里斯' presents礼物?"
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我的舅舅忽然问道,“克瑞斯的礼物呢?”
10:25
And my mother母亲 said, "Don't talk about that in front面前 of guests宾客."
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我妈妈说,“别在客人面前提礼物。”
10:29
But he was desperate殊死 to show显示 that he'd他会 just come back,
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但是他很绝望地显示出他刚刚回来,
10:32
so he summoned传唤 me up, and he said,
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所以他喊我过去对我说,
10:34
"Go into the bedroom卧室, my bedroom卧室.
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“到我的卧室里。
10:36
Take anything you want out of the suitcase手提箱.
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打开行李箱,想拿什么拿什么。
10:38
It's your birthday生日 present当下."
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就当作你的生日礼物。”
10:40
I'm sure he thought I'd take a book or a shirt衬衫,
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我肯定他以为我拿了一本书或者是一件衬衣,
10:42
but I found发现 an inflatable充气 sheep.
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但是我发现了一只充气绵羊。
10:45
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
10:51
So, I blew自爆 it up and ran into the living活的 room房间,
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我吹好气,跑进客厅,
10:53
my finger手指 where it shouldn't不能 have been,
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我的手指放到了不应该放的地方,
10:55
I was waving挥手 this buzzing余音绕梁 sheep around,
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我把这只羊到处晃来晃去,
10:58
and my mother母亲 looked看着 like she was going to die of shock休克.
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我妈当时看起来要被我雷死了。
11:01
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
11:04
And Father父亲 McGetrickMcGetrick was completely全然 unflustered从容不迫,
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神父McGetric却很镇静,
11:07
just stirred搅动 his tea and looked看着 at my mother母亲 and said,
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只是搅拌下他的茶,看着我妈说,
11:09
"It's all right Daphne, I'm Scottish苏格兰的."
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“没事,达芙妮,我是苏格兰人。”
11:12
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
11:14
(Applause掌声)
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(鼓掌)
11:28
My last days in prison监狱, the last 18 months个月,
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我在监狱的最后的日子,一年半吧,
11:34
my cellmate狱友 -- for the last year, the first year of the last 18 months个月 --
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我的狱友——最后一年,一年半的第一年——
11:38
my cellmate狱友 was 14 years年份 old.
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我的狱友只有14岁。
11:41
The name名称 was John约翰 James詹姆士,
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他的名字是约翰•詹姆斯
11:44
and in those days, if a family家庭 member会员 committed提交 a crime犯罪,
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那时候如果家里面一个人犯罪,
11:48
the military军事 would hold保持 you as ransom赎金
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军方会把你当人质关押起来
11:51
till直到 your family家庭 turned转身 themselves他们自己 in.
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直到你的家人进监狱。
11:53
So, here was this 14-year-old-岁 kid孩子 on death死亡 row.
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当时这个14岁的男孩在死囚区。
11:56
And not everybody每个人 on death死亡 row was a political政治 prisoner囚犯.
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并不是死囚区的每个人都是政治犯——
11:58
There were some really bad people there.
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上面当然也有真的很坏的人。
12:01
And he had smuggled走私 in two comics漫画, two comic滑稽 books图书 --
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他走私了两本漫画书——
12:04
"Spiderman蜘蛛侠" and "X-MenX战警."
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蜘蛛侠和X战警。
12:06
He was obsessed痴迷.
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他很着迷。
12:07
And when he got tired of reading them,
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当他读厌的时候,
12:09
he started开始 to teach the men男人 in death死亡 row how to read,
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他开始教死囚区里的那些人来读
12:13
with these comic滑稽 books图书.
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这些漫画书。
12:15
And so, I remember记得 night after night,
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我还记得夜复一夜,
12:19
you'd hear all these men男人, these really hardened硬化 criminals罪犯,
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都可以听到那些人,那些刀枪不入的罪犯,
12:21
huddled around John约翰 James詹姆士, reciting背诵, "Take that, Spidey蜘蛛侠!"
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挤在约翰•詹姆斯的周围,说,“蜘蛛侠,拿着!”
12:26
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
12:28
It's incredible难以置信.
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这太不可思议了。
12:31
I was really worried担心.
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我当时很担心。
12:33
He didn't know what death死亡 row meant意味着.
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他不知道死囚区意味着什么。
12:35
I'd been there twice两次,
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我去过那儿两次,
12:37
and I was terribly可怕 afraid害怕 that I was going to die.
247
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我非常害怕我会死。
12:39
And he would always laugh, and say,
248
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他总是笑笑说,
12:41
"Come on, man, we'll make it out."
249
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“来吧,我们会出去的。”
12:43
Then I'd say, "How do you know?"
250
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我说,“你怎么知道的?”
12:45
And he said, "Oh, I heard听说 it on the grapevine葡萄藤."
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他说,“我打听来的小道消息。”
12:49
They killed杀害 him.
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他们还是杀了他。
12:51
They handcuffed戴上手铐 him to a chair椅子,
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他们把他铐在伊个椅子上,
12:54
and they tacked上涨 his penis阴茎 to a table with a six-inch六英寸 nail,
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他们将他的生殖器用六英寸长的钉子钉在桌子上。
13:00
then left him there to bleed流血 to death死亡.
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他们就让他慢慢流血而死。
13:03
That's how I ended结束 up in solitary, because I let my feelings情怀 be known已知.
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于是我就被单独拘禁了,因为我公开表达我的不满。
13:12
All around us, everywhere到处, there are people like this.
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在我们周围,无论何处,都有像这样的人。
13:17
The Igbo伊博 used to say that they built内置 their own拥有 gods.
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伊博人过去总是说他们创造了自己的神。
13:23
They would come together一起 as a community社区,
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他们会聚集起来成为一个社区,
13:25
and they would express表现 a wish希望.
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他们会集体许愿。
13:28
And their wish希望 would then be brought to a priest牧师,
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牧师会为他们的愿望
13:30
who would find a ritual仪式 object目的,
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举行一个宗教仪式,
13:33
and the appropriate适当 sacrifices牺牲 would be made制作,
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会供上合适的祭品,
13:35
and the shrine神社 would be built内置 for the god.
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会修一个供奉神的庙宇。
13:38
But if the god became成为 unruly不羁 and began开始 to ask for human人的 sacrifice牺牲,
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但是如果神开始专制,而且开始要人来当祭品,
13:43
the IgbosIgbos would destroy破坏 the god.
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伊博人会毁掉神。
13:45
They would knock down the shrine神社,
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他们会砸掉神庙,
13:48
and they would stop saying the god's name名称.
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他们不再说神的名字。
13:50
This is how they came来了 to reclaim回收 their humanity人性.
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这就是他们如何宣扬他们的人性。
13:55
Every一切 day, all of us here,
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每天,我们每一个人,
13:57
we're building建造 gods that have gone走了 rampant猖獗,
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都在创造飞扬跋扈的神,
14:00
and it's time we started开始 knocking敲门 them down
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现在我们应该推翻他们
14:03
and forgetting遗忘 their names.
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忘记他们的名字。
14:06
It doesn't require要求 a tremendous巨大 thing.
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这不需要轰轰烈烈的壮举。
14:09
All it requires要求 is to recognize认识 among其中 us, every一切 day --
275
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需要的只是看到我们每天身边出现的,
14:13
the few少数 of us that can see -- are surrounded包围 by people
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很少人能看到的事,
14:16
like the ones那些 I've told you.
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就像我告诉你们的故事。
14:19
There are some of you in this room房间, amazing惊人 people,
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在座的各位有些是非常卓越的人,
14:22
who offer提供 all of us the mirror镜子 to our own拥有 humanity人性.
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你们给我们提供了一面人性的镜子。
14:28
I want to end结束 with a poem by an American美国 poet诗人 called Lucille露西尔 Clifton克利夫顿.
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我想以美国诗人露西尔 克利夫顿的诗来结尾。
14:33
The poem is called "Libation," and it's for my friend朋友 VusiVusi
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这首诗叫"奠酒",写给我的朋友西,
14:38
who is in the audience听众 here somewhere某处.
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他也来到了现场。
14:42
"Libation,
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“奠酒,”
14:44
North Carolina卡罗来纳州, 1999.
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1999年,北卡罗来拿。
14:47
I offer提供 to this ground地面, this gin杜松子酒.
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我走向大地,端着杜松子酒。
14:54
I imagine想像 an old man crying哭了 here,
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冥冥中一个老人在这里哭泣,
14:57
out of the sight视力 of the overseer监工.
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监工看不到这里的一切。
15:01
He pushes his tongue through通过 a hole
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他将自己的舌头塞进
15:04
where his tooth齿 would be, if he were whole整个.
289
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嘴中的窟窿,仿佛他还依然完整。
15:09
It aches疼痛 in that space空间 where his tooth齿 would be,
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牙齿本应填满窟窿,可如今却剧痛无比,
15:13
where his land土地 would be,
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还有他的土地,
15:16
his house, his wife妻子, his son儿子, his beautiful美丽 daughter女儿.
292
898000
6000
他的房子,他的妻子,他的儿子,以及他漂亮的女儿。
15:22
He wipes湿巾 sorrow悲哀 from his face面对,
293
904000
5000
他拭去了脸上的痛苦,
15:27
and puts看跌期权 his thirsty finger手指 to his thirsty tongue,
294
909000
4000
把他干枯的手指放到干涸的舌头上,
15:31
and tastes口味 the salt.
295
913000
3000
品尝到了咸。
15:37
I call a name名称 that could be his.
296
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2000
我轻唤他的名字,不知是真是假,
15:39
This is for you, old man.
297
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4000
献给你,老人。
15:44
This gin杜松子酒, this salty earth地球."
298
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4000
这杯杜松子酒,这咸咸的土地。”
15:48
Thank you.
299
930000
2000
谢谢。
15:50
(Applause掌声)
300
932000
19000
(掌声)
Translated by Danye Wang
Reviewed by Tony Yet

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Chris Abani - Novelist, poet
Imprisoned three times by the Nigerian government, Chris Abani turned his experience into poems that Harold Pinter called "the most naked, harrowing expression of prison life and political torture imaginable." His novels include GraceLand (2004) and The Virgin of Flames (2007).

Why you should listen

Chris Abani's first novel, published when he was 16, was Masters of the Board, a political thriller about a foiled Nigerian coup. The story was convincing enough that the Nigerian government threw him in jail for inciting a coincidentally timed real-life coup. Imprisoned and tortured twice more, he channeled the experience into searing poetry.

Abani's best-selling 2004 novel GraceLand is a searing and funny tale of a young Nigerian boy, an Elvis impersonator who moves through the wide, wild world of Lagos, slipping between pop and traditional cultures, art and crime. It's a perennial book-club pick, a story that brings the postcolonial African experience to vivid life.

Now based in Los Angeles, Abani published The Virgin of Flames in 2007. He is also a publisher, running the poetry imprint Black Goat Press.

More profile about the speaker
Chris Abani | Speaker | TED.com