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
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.
I'd climb the highest tree,
eu subia nas árvores mais altas
de qualquer animal.
any temperature."
na política, na Colômbia,
Colombian politics,
de aguentar qualquer "temperatura".
to withstand any temperature.
com a corrupção no meu país;
and drug traffickers.
entre a classe política e o narcotráfico.
out of the country one morning,
bem pequenos, uma manhã,
do embaixador francês até um avião.
in the French ambassador's armored car.
mas escapei ilesa.
but emerged unharmed.
with the highest number of votes.
com o maior número de votos.
me aplaudiam por ser aguerrida.
because I was brave.
à presidência da Colômbia,
candidate in Colombia
minha agenda de campanha,
por um grupo de homens armados
by a group of armed men.
with military garments.
elas eram de borracha.
usava botas de couro.
wore leather boots.
guerrilheiros das FARC.
tudo aconteceu muito rápido.
everything happened very quickly.
que parássemos o veículo,
to stop the vehicle.
pisava numa mina antipessoal
stepped on an antipersonnel mine
that the young man understood:
uma de suas pernas havia caído longe.
because I'm reliving these emotions --
ao reviver essas emoções,
that something inside of me was breaking
que algo se quebrava dentro de mim,
with his fear.
e eu não conseguia pensar;
the deepest depths of the jungle,
para os confins da selva,
na minha cabeça,
was what was happening to my mind,
da minha memória números de telefone,
all the phone numbers,
duvidar de minha sanidade mental.
to doubt my mental health.
mudanças de comportamento,
behavioral changes
in moments of panic.
em momentos de pânico.
acorrentada pelo pescoço numa árvore.
chained by the neck to a tree.
do lado de fora, numa tempestade tropical.
to use the bathroom.
the right moment, the right way to do it,
o momento certo, o jeito certo de fazer,
num caminho para o crescimento.
quando falo de tudo isso,
when I talk about all of this,
e do bloqueio mental,
and mental block,
que os guerrilheiros haviam construído
that the guerrillas had built
armas 24 horas por dia.
guns at us 24 hours a day.
numa sequência numérica.
in numbered sequence.
me chamem pelo nome".
call me by my name."
com a dos meus companheiros,
to that of the other hostages,
por minha culpa, fossem castigados.
they would be punished.
de defender minha identidade,
to defend my identity,
numa coisa ou num número.
a thing or a number.
a dignidade humana.
muito bem-planejado;
uma técnica para nos quebrar,
confiança solidária,
supportive trust,
enquanto estive na selva.
while I was in the jungle.
os escorpiões, as anacondas...
scorpions, anacondas ...
uma anaconda de oito metros de comprimento
with a 24-foot long anaconda
nos causou tanto mal
did us as much harm
they sparked betrayals,
for a long time was with Lucho.
dois anos a mais do que eu.
for two years longer than I had.
to lower ourselves into that dark water
naquela água escura
nos esconder nos mangues.
we would hide in the mangroves.
a corrente nos levar.
and let the current carry us.
aquilo com Lucho,
through that with Lucho,
o medo juntos, unidos,
da guerrilha nos fizeram tanto mal
was so damaging to us
that I want to give to you.
a desenvolver a fé.
how to develop faith.
havia mais de oito anos.
for more than eight years.
o mais medroso de todos nós.
the biggest scaredy-cat of us all.
de "Pincho", "prego" em espanhol --
mestrado em tentativas de fuga.
a master's degree in escape attempts.
Pincho tinha de aprender a nadar.
had to learn how to swim.
os preparativos em completo sigilo.
all these preparations in total secrecy.
estava tudo pronto,
had everything ready,
one afternoon and said,
sem conseguir encontrar a saída.
and I can't find the way out.
que não acredito em Deus."
o acampamento e começarmos a marchar.
and we started marching.
that Pincho had died,
que Pincho havia morrido,
because they were torture for me.
porque foram uma tortura pra mim.
que ele deu no rádio:
estão me ouvindo.
que me resgatou da selva".
that rescued me from the jungle."
tudo o que somos,
everything that we are --
porque sei que todos precisamos
we have inside of us
que temos dentro de nós
raging around our boat.
ao redor do nosso barco.
muitos anos se passaram
algemados, no helicóptero
into the helicopter
as when they kidnapped me.
como no dia em que fui sequestrada.
e nos manipular com o medo.
referendum in Colombia;
entre o México e os Estados Unidos;
between Mexico and the United States;
de utilização política do medo
of using fear politically
nossos princípios, a união e a fé.
our principles, unity, faith.
nossa personalidade.
the first time I felt fear,
a primeira vez que senti medo,
escolher o que fazer com aquele medo.
what to do with that fear.
until you reach the stars,
alto, alto, até as estrelas,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ingrid Betancourt - Writer, peace advocateIngrid 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.
Ingrid Betancourt | Speaker | TED.com