ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Bahia Shehab - Artist and historian
TED Fellow Bahia Shehab sends an important message through her street art in Cairo: “You can crush the flowers, but you can’t delay spring."

Why you should listen

Bahia Shehab is an artist, designer and art historian. She is associate professor of design and founder of the graphic design program at The American University in Cairo, where she has developed a full design curriculum mainly focused on visual culture of the Arab world. She has taught over fourteen courses on the topic.

Shehab's artwork has been on display in exhibitions, galleries and streets in Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Morocco, Turkey, UAE and the US. The documentary Nefertiti's Daughters featuring her street artwork during the Egyptian uprising was released in 2015. Her work has received a number of international recognitions and awards; TED fellowship (2012) and TED Senior fellowship (2016), BBC 100 Women list (2013, 2014), The American University in Beirut distinguished alumna (2015), Shortlist for V&A’s Jameel Prize 4 (2016), and a Prince Claus Award (2016). Her book A Thousand Times NO: The Visual History of Lam-Alif was published in 2010.

More profile about the speaker
Bahia Shehab | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2012

Bahia Shehab: A thousand times no

Bahia Shehab: Mil vezes não

Filmed:
1,138,104 views

A historiadora de arte Bahia Shehab há muito é fascinada com a grafia arábe da palavra "não". Quando a revolução se espalhou no Egito em 2011, ela começou a grafitar a imagem nas ruas, dizendo não aos ditadores, não ao governo militar e não à violência.
- Artist and historian
TED Fellow Bahia Shehab sends an important message through her street art in Cairo: “You can crush the flowers, but you can’t delay spring." Full bio

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

00:16
Two years ago, I was invited as an artist
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Há dois anos, fui convidada como artista
00:19
to participate in an exhibition commemorating
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para participar de uma exposição em comemoração
00:22
100 years of Islamic art in Europe.
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aos 100 anos da arte islâmica na Europa.
00:24
The curator had only one condition:
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O curador tinha apenas uma condição:
00:27
I had to use the Arabic script for my artwork.
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eu teria que usar a grafia árabe na minha obra.
00:30
Now, as an artist, a woman, an Arab,
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Como artista, mulher, árabe,
00:33
or a human being living in the world in 2010,
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ou um ser humano vivendo no mundo em 2010,
00:37
I only had one thing to say:
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eu tinha apenas uma coisa a dizer:
00:40
I wanted to say no.
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eu queria dizer "não".
00:43
And in Arabic, to say "no," we say "no,
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Em árabe dizemos "não,
00:45
and a thousand times no."
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e mil vezes não".
00:47
So I decided to look for a thousand different noes.
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Então decidi procurar mil formas diferentes de "não"
00:51
on everything ever produced
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em tudo o que já foi produzido
00:53
under Islamic or Arab patronage in the past 1,400 years,
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sob a patronagem árabe ou islâmica nos últimos 1.400 anos,
00:58
from Spain to the borders of China.
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desde a Espanha até as fronteiras da China.
01:02
I collected my findings in a book,
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Reuni meus achados num livro,
01:04
placed them chronologically, stating the name,
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e organizei-os cronologicamente, mencionando o nome,
01:07
the patron, the medium and the date.
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o patrono, o material e a data.
01:10
Now, the book sat on a small shelf next to the installation,
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O livro ficou numa pequena prateleira perto da instalação,
01:14
which stood three by seven meters, in Munich, Germany,
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que tinha 3 metros por 7, em Munique, Alemanha,
01:17
in September of 2010.
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em setembro de 2010.
01:21
Now, in January, 2011, the revolution started,
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Em janeiro de 2011 a revolução começou,
01:27
and life stopped for 18 days,
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e a vida parou por 18 dias.
01:30
and on the 12th of February,
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Em 12 de fevereiro,
01:31
we naively celebrated on the streets of Cairo,
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ingenuamente celebramos nas ruas do Cairo,
01:34
believing that the revolution had succeeded.
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acreditando que a revolução tinha dado certo.
01:38
Nine months later I found myself spraying messages
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Nove meses depois me vi grafitando mensagens
01:42
in Tahrir Square. The reason for this act
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na praça Tahrir. O motivo desse ato
01:46
was this image that I saw in my newsfeed.
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foi esta imagem que vi nas notícias.
01:50
I did not feel that I could live in a city
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Eu não sentia que podia viver numa cidade
01:53
where people were being killed
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onde as pessoas estavam sendo mortas
01:55
and thrown like garbage on the street.
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e jogadas na rua como lixo.
01:58
So I took one "no" off a tombstone from
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Então peguei um "não" de uma lápide
02:00
the Islamic Museum in Cairo, and I added a message to it:
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do Museu Islâmico do Cairo e acrescentei a mensagem:
02:03
"no to military rule."
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"Não ao governo militar."
02:05
And I started spraying that on the streets in Cairo.
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E comecei a grafitar isso pelas ruas do Cairo.
02:08
But that led to a series of no, coming out of the book
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Isso levou a uma série de "nãos", tirados do livro
02:11
like ammunition, and adding messages to them,
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como munição, e comecei a grafitá-los nos muros
02:14
and I started spraying them on the walls.
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acrescentando mensagens a eles.
02:17
So I'll be sharing some of these noes with you.
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Hoje vou dividir alguns desses "nãos" com vocês.
02:19
No to a new Pharaoh, because whoever comes next
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Não a um novo Faraó, porque quem vier
02:22
should understand that we will never be ruled by another dictator.
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deve entender que nunca seremos governados por outro ditador.
02:26
No to violence: Ramy Essam came to Tahrir
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Não à violência: Ramy Essam veio a Tahrir
02:30
on the second day of the revolution,
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no segundo dia da revolução,
02:32
and he sat there with this guitar, singing.
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e sentou-se lá com seu violão, cantando.
02:35
One month after Mubarak stepped down, this was his reward.
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Mubarak renunciou um mês depois, e essa foi sua recompensa.
02:39
No to blinding heroes. Ahmed Harara lost his right eye
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Não a cegar os heróis. Ahmed Harara perdeu seu olho direito
02:45
on the 28th of January,
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em 28 de janeiro,
02:46
and he lost his left eye on the 19th of November,
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e perdeu o esquerdo em 19 de novembro,
02:50
by two different snipers.
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por dois atiradores diferentes.
02:53
No to killing, in this case no to killing men of religion,
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Não ao assassinato de homens religiosos.
02:56
because Sheikh Ahmed Adina Refaat was shot
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O Xeique Ahmed Adina Refaat foi baleado
03:00
on December 16th, during a demonstration,
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durante uma manifestação em 16 de dezembro,
03:03
leaving behind three orphans and a widow.
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deixando três órfãos e uma viúva.
03:07
No to burning books. The Institute of Egypt was burned
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Não à queima de livros. O Instituto do Egito foi incendiado
03:10
on December 17th, a huge cultural loss.
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em 17 de dezembro, uma enorme perda cultural.
03:14
No to stripping the people,
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Não ao desnudamento de pessoas,
03:17
and the blue bra is to remind us of our shame
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e o sutiã azul é para nos lembrar de nossa vergonha
03:20
as a nation when we allow a veiled woman to be stripped
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enquanto nação, quando permitimos que uma mulher com véu seja despida
03:24
and beaten on the street, and the footprint reads,
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e espancada nas ruas. Na pegada se lê:
03:28
"Long live a peaceful revolution,"
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"Vida longa à revolução pacífica",
03:30
because we will never retaliate with violence.
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porque nunca vamos retaliar com violência.
03:34
No to barrier walls. On February 5th,
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Não às muralhas. Em 5 de fevereiro
03:37
concrete roadblocks were set up in Cairo
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blocos de concreto foram empilhados no Cairo
03:41
to protect the Ministry of Defense from protesters.
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para proteger o Ministro da Defesa dos manifestantes.
03:47
Now, speaking of walls, I want to share with you the story
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Falando de muros, quero dividir com vocês
03:50
of one wall in Cairo.
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a história de um muro no Cairo.
03:52
A group of artists decided to paint a life-size tank
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Um grupo de artistas decidiu pintar um tanque de tamanho real
03:57
on a wall. It's one to one.
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em um muro. Em escala real.
03:59
In front of this tank there's a man on a bicycle
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Em frente ao tanque há um homem numa bicicleta
04:02
with a breadbasket on his head. To any passerby,
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com uma cesta de pães na cabeça. Para qualquer transeunte,
04:05
there's no problem with this visual.
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não há nenhum problema com essa imagem.
04:08
After acts of violence, another artist came,
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Depois dos atos de violência, outro artista
04:12
painted blood, protesters being run over by the tank,
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pintou sangue, manifestantes sendo atropelados pelo tanque
04:17
demonstrators, and a message that read,
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e ativistas, e uma mensagem que dizia:
04:20
"Starting tomorrow, I wear the new face,
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"A partir de amanhã, terei uma nova face,
04:23
the face of every martyr. I exist."
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a face de um mártir. Eu existo."
04:27
Authority comes, paints the wall white,
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As autoridades pintaram o muro de branco,
04:30
leaves the tank and adds a message:
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deixaram o tanque e adicionaram a mensagem:
04:32
"Army and people, one hand. Egypt for Egyptians."
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"Exército e pessoas, uma mão. Egito para os egípcios."
04:37
Another artist comes, paints the head of the military
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Outro artista vem, pinta a cabeça do militar
04:41
as a monster eating a maiden in a river of blood
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como um monstro comendo uma donzela num rio de sangue
04:44
in front of the tank.
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em frente ao tanque.
04:47
Authority comes, paints the wall white, leaves the tank,
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As autoridades pintaram o muro de branco, deixaram o tanque
04:51
leaves the suit, and throws a bucket of black paint
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e o conjunto, e jogaram um balde de tinta preta
04:54
just to hide the face of the monster.
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apenas para esconder a cara do monstro.
04:55
So I come with my stencils, and I spray them on the suit,
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Eu venho com meus estêncils e grafito no conjunto,
04:59
on the tank, and on the whole wall,
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no tanque, e em todo o muro,
05:02
and this is how it stands today
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e assim é como está hoje
05:04
until further notice. (Laughter)
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até novo aviso. (Risos)
05:06
Now, I want to leave you with a final no.
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Quero deixar-lhes um "não" final.
05:10
I found Neruda scribbled on a piece of paper
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Encontrei "Neruda" rabiscado num pedaço de papel
05:13
in a field hospital in Tahrir, and I decided to take a no of
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num hospital de campo em Tahrir e decidi tirar um "não"
05:19
Mamluk Mausoleum in Cairo.
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do Mausoléu Mamluk no Cairo.
05:21
The message reads,
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A mensagem dizia:
05:23
[Arabic]
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[Árabe]
05:29
"You can crush the flowers, but you can't delay spring."
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"Você pode esmagar as flores, mas não pode atrasar a primavera".
05:33
Thank you. (Applause)
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Obrigada. (Aplausos)
05:37
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
05:46
Thank you. Shukran. (Applause)
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Obrigada. Shukran. (Aplausos)
Translated by Naíma Perrella Milani
Reviewed by Andrea Rojas

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Bahia Shehab - Artist and historian
TED Fellow Bahia Shehab sends an important message through her street art in Cairo: “You can crush the flowers, but you can’t delay spring."

Why you should listen

Bahia Shehab is an artist, designer and art historian. She is associate professor of design and founder of the graphic design program at The American University in Cairo, where she has developed a full design curriculum mainly focused on visual culture of the Arab world. She has taught over fourteen courses on the topic.

Shehab's artwork has been on display in exhibitions, galleries and streets in Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Morocco, Turkey, UAE and the US. The documentary Nefertiti's Daughters featuring her street artwork during the Egyptian uprising was released in 2015. Her work has received a number of international recognitions and awards; TED fellowship (2012) and TED Senior fellowship (2016), BBC 100 Women list (2013, 2014), The American University in Beirut distinguished alumna (2015), Shortlist for V&A’s Jameel Prize 4 (2016), and a Prince Claus Award (2016). Her book A Thousand Times NO: The Visual History of Lam-Alif was published in 2010.

More profile about the speaker
Bahia Shehab | Speaker | TED.com

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