TEDGlobal 2013
Hetain Patel: Who am I? Think again
Kumaan ahay? Mar kale feker
Filmed:
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Sidee baan u go'aan sanaa qofkaan nahay? Majaajiladii layaabka laheed ee Hetain Patel uu ka jilaayay aqoonsiga, luqada iyo lahjadaba--- misna idinku taxadiyeenayo inaad si qoto dheer leh u fekertaan intii aad kaliya si muuqal sare ahaaneed u fekeri laheeden. Khilaawo farxad sare leh oo ay asiga iyo majaajilste YuyuRau jilayeen, oo ay ku baroorisay ama ku dhiiri galisay Bruce Lee.
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Hetain Patel: (In Chinese)
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Hetain Patel: (Hadal Shiiinees ah)
00:23
Yuyu Rau: Hi, I'm Hetain. I'm an artist.
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Yuyu Rau: Hi, waxan ahay Hetain. faxshaxamiiste ayaan ahay.
00:26
And this is Yuyu,
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Qoftani waa Yuyu,
00:28
who is a dancer I have been working with.
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Taaso ah qoobka ciyaarto aan la shaqeeynayay.
00:30
I have asked her to translate for me.
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waxan ka dalbaday inay ii tarjunto
00:34
HP: (In Chinese)
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Hp:(Hadal Shiinees ah)
00:39
YR: If I may, I would like to tell you
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YR: waxan jeclaan lahaa inaan idin sheego
00:41
a little bit about myself
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wax yar oo nolosheeda ku saabsan
00:43
and my artwork.
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iyo farshaxankayga
00:45
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP:(Hadal Shiinees ah)
00:51
YR: I was born and raised near Manchester,
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YR: Waxan ku dhashay kuna soo koray meel u dhaw Manchester,
00:54
in England,
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ee Wadanka Ingiriiska
00:55
but I'm not going to say it in English to you,
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Laakin English ma idinkula hadlaayo,
00:59
because I'm trying to avoid any assumptions
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maxaa yeelay waxan iska ilaalinayaa wax malo ah
01:01
that might be made from my northern accent.
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taaso la is oran karo waxa keentay lahjadeyda reer waqooyiga.
01:04
(Laughter)
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(Qosol)
01:07
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP:(Hadal Shiinees ah)
01:16
YR: The only problem with masking it
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YR: Mushkilada kaliya aan ugu qarinayo
01:19
with Chinese Mandarin
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luqada Shiinaha waa
01:21
is I can only speak this paragraph,
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waxaan kaliya ku hadli karaa halkaan sadar,
01:23
which I have learned by heart
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oo aan si niyad ah ubartay
01:25
when I was visiting in China. (Laughter)
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mar aan booqday Shiinaha. (Qosol)
01:28
So all I can do is keep repeating it in different tones
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Marka isla sadarkii ayaan dhoor cod ku celcelinayaa
01:32
and hope you won't notice.
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waxan rajeynaya inaadan dareemin.
01:33
(Laughter)
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(Qosol)
01:39
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP:(Hadal Shiinees ah)
01:43
(Laughter)
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(Qosol)
01:44
YR: Needless to say, I would like to apologize
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Looma baadhno inaan raali galiyo
01:47
to any Mandarin speakers in the audience.
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qof ku hadlo luqada Shiinaha hadu dhageestayaasha kujiro.
01:54
As a child, I would hate being made
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Yaraanteyda, waxaan aad u necbaa
01:56
to wear the Indian kurta pajama,
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in lii xiro dharka hurdada ee Indian-ka,
01:59
because I didn't think it was very cool.
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maxa yeelay maanan is oran jirin waa qatar.
02:02
It felt a bit girly to me, like a dress,
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sidii gabar ayaan isku maleeyay inaan u labisanahay
02:05
and it had this baggy trouser part
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waxay kaloo laheed surwaal aad u weyn
02:08
you had to tie really tight
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waa inaa aad u xertaa
02:10
to avoid the embarrassment of them falling down.
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si aad isaga ilaaliso yax yaxa kaaga iman karta hadey kaa dhacaan.
02:14
My dad never wore it,
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Aabahey waligiis muusan xeran,
02:16
so I didn't see why I had to.
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anigana sabab aan uxerto maba jirin.
02:19
Also, it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable,
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Sidoo kale, Maraka qaar kuma niyad furni
02:22
that people assume I represent something
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iney dadku umaleeyaan inaan matalayo
02:25
genuinely Indian when I wear it,
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Indian dhab ah markii aan xerto,
02:27
because that's not how I feel.
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maxaa yeelay taasi ma'ahin sida aan dareemayo.
02:30
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP:(Hadal Shiinees ah)
02:36
YR: Actually, the only way I feel comfortable
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YR: Xaqiiqdii, qaabka kaliya aan sami/raaxo u dareemo
02:39
wearing it is by pretending
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gashitaan dharkaas waa inaan iska dhig-dhigo
02:42
they are the robes of a kung fu warrior
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ineey yihiin xargaha dagaalyahanka Kun fu-ga
02:45
like Li Mu Bai from that film,
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sidii Li Mu Bai ee filimkii
02:48
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
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"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
02:52
(Music)
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(Muusiko)
03:35
Okay.
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Okey.
03:36
So my artwork is about identity and language,
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Marka, Fankeygu wuxuu ku saabsan yahay aqoonsi iyo luqad,
03:44
challenging common assumptions
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anigoo hor istaagayo malaynta lawadaago
03:46
based on how we look like or where we come from,
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taaso ah sidan aan u egnahay ama meesha aan ka imaanay,
03:51
gender, race, class.
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jinsiyada, midabka,dabaqada.
03:55
What makes us who we are anyway?
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Maxaa naga dhigayo waxan aan nahay?
03:58
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP:(Hadal Shiinees ah)
04:04
YR: I used to read Spider-Man comics,
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YR: Waxaan aqrin jiray majaajilada Spider-Man,
04:07
watch kung fu movies,
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oo aan daawan jiray filimada Kung Fu-ga,
04:08
take philosophy lessons from Bruce Lee.
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waxan kaloo Bruce Lee ka qaadan jiray casharo Falsafad ah.
04:11
He would say things like --
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Wuxuu dhihi jiray--
04:13
HP: Empty your mind.
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HP: Niyadaada faaruji.
04:15
(Laughter)
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(Qosol)
04:16
Be formless, shapeless, like water.
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Ahaaw Hanaan-laawe iyo Qaab-laawe, sidii biyaha.
04:22
Now you put water into a cup.
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Biyo ayaa koop ku shubeesa.
04:24
It becomes the cup.
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waxay noqoneesa koop.
04:27
You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.
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Biyo ayaa dhalo ku shubeesa, waxany noqoneesa dhalada.
04:30
Put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
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Kirli ku shub, weli kirli uunbeey noqoneysa.
04:33
Now, water can flow
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Biyaha weey qulqulayaan hada
04:36
or it can crash.
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ama weey burburi karaan.
04:39
Be water, my friend. (Applause)
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Biyo noqo saaxib. (Sacbis)
04:42
YR: This year, I am 32 years old,
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YR: Sanadaan ayaan 32-jirsaday,
04:46
the same age Bruce Lee was when he died.
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isla da'dii uu Bruce Lee jiray markuu dhintay.
04:49
I have been wondering recently,
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waxaan la fajac-sanaay ayaamankaan,
04:52
if he were alive today,
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haduu maanta noolaan lahaay,
04:54
what advice he would give me
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Waano nooce ah ayuu isiin lahaay
04:56
about making this TED Talk.
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oo ku saabsan sameenta hadalkaan TED.
05:00
HP: Don't imitate my voice.
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HP: Codkeyda haiska doon doonin.
05:03
It offends me.
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weey ii gaftaa.
05:05
(Laughter)
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(Qosol)
05:08
YR: Good advice,
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YR: waano wanaagsan,
05:09
but I still think that we learn who we are
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laakin waxay weli umaleynaya inaan baranay qofkaan nahay
05:13
by copying others.
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nagoo dadka kale iska dhig dhigeeno.
05:15
Who here hasn't imitated their childhood hero
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Keeban waligiis iskaga dhig dhigin geesigoodi caruurnimo
05:19
in the playground, or mum or father?
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goobta cayaarta ama hooyo ama aabe iska dhigin?
05:23
I have.
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Aniga haa.
05:25
HP: A few years ago, in order to make this video
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HP: Dhoor sano kahor, si aan filimkaan u sameyo
05:30
for my artwork, I shaved off all my hair
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ee shaqadayda farshaxanka, waxaan iska xiiray tintayda oo dhan
05:34
so that I could grow it back as my father had it
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si ay hadana iigu soo baxdo sidii aabahey
05:37
when he first emigrated from India
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markii ugu horeeysay uu kasoo qaxay India.
05:40
to the U.K. in the 1960s.
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uu U.K usoo qaxay sanadii 1960s.
05:43
He had a side parting and a neat mustache.
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wuxuu lahaa salaxyo iyo shaarbo nidaamsan.
05:47
At first, it was going very well.
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markii hore si fiican ay usoo baxeysay
05:50
I even started to get discounts in Indian shops.
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xita waxan dukaamada India ka helayay qiima dhimis.
05:53
(Laughter)
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(Qosol)
05:57
But then very quickly,
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Laakin si dhaqso,
05:59
I started to underestimate
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xitaa waxan bilaabay inaan quursado
06:00
my mustache growing ability,
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awooda koritaan ee shaarbaheyga,
06:02
and it got way too big.
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aad ayuu u weeynaaday.
06:05
It didn't look Indian anymore.
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Indian maba u ekeen.
06:08
Instead, people from across the road,
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Halkii aay, dadka wadada marayay,
06:10
they would shout things like --
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aay ku qeelinayeen hadalo sida---
06:12
HP and YR: Arriba! Arriba! Ándale! Ándale!
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HP iyo YR: Arriba! Arriba! Ándale! Ándale!
06:14
(Laughter)
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(Qosol)
06:16
HP: Actually, I don't know why I am even talking like this.
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HP: Xaqiiqdi, ma aqaano sababta aan sidaa ugu hadlayo.
06:18
My dad doesn't even have an Indian accent anymore.
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Xitaa aabahey lahjad Indian maba wato hada.
06:21
He talks like this now.
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Sidan oo kale ayuu hada u hadlaa
06:24
So it's not just my father that I've imitated.
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Maahin kaliya inaan aabahey iska dhig dhigay.
06:28
A few years ago I went to China for a few months,
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Sanado yar kahor waxaan dhoor bil aaday Shiinaha
06:32
and I couldn't speak Chinese,
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mana awoodin inaan ku hadlo Shiinees,
06:34
and this frustrated me,
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Aad ayeeyna ii niyad jebin jidhay arinkaan,
06:36
so I wrote about this and had it translated
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marka arinkaan ayaan wax kaqoray waxaana liigu tarjumay
06:40
into Chinese, and then I learned this by heart,
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Shiinees, kadibna si qalbiyan ah ayaana u xifdiyay,
06:47
like music, I guess.
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sida muusi-ga sida aan isleeyahay.
06:50
YR: This phrase is now etched into my mind
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YH: Oraah-dani waxay hada maskaxdayda ugu sawir matay
06:53
clearer than the pin number to my bank card,
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si ka sii cad sida nambarka pin-ka ee kaarkeyga bankiga,
06:56
so I can pretend I speak Chinese fluently.
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marka waxan iska dhigi karaa inaa si fasiix ah ugu hadli karo af Shiineeska.
07:00
When I had learned this phrase,
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Markii aan bartay Oraah-dani,
07:02
I had an artist over there hear me out
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waxaan heestay fanaan iga dhageesto
07:05
to see how accurate it sounded.
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si aan sida saxda ah ugu dhawaaqo.
07:07
I spoke the phrase, and then he laughed
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Oraah-dii ayaan ku hadlay, kadibna wuu qoslay
07:10
and told me, "Oh yeah, that's great,
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wuxuuna isheegay,"waa qatar,
07:13
only it kind of sounds like a woman."
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kaliya sidii dumar ayaad ugu dhawaaqeysa."
07:15
I said, "What?"
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waxaan dhahay, "Maxay?"
07:16
He said, "Yeah, you learned from a woman?"
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Wuxuu dhahay, "Haa, dumar miyaad ka baratay?"
07:20
I said, "Yes. So?"
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I said, "Haa. Marka?"
07:22
He then explained the tonal differences
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Kadibna wuxuu ii sharaxay farqiga
07:25
between male and female voices
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u dhaxeeya codadka dumar iyo kan rag
07:27
are very different and distinct, and that I had learned it very well,
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ineey yihiin kuwa kala duwan misna aan si wacan u bartay,
07:31
but in a woman's voice.
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laakin asigoo ah cod dumar.
07:33
(Laughter)
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(Qosol)
07:35
(Applause)
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(Sacbis)
07:43
HP: Okay. So this imitation business
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HP: Okay. Marka shaqadaan iska dhig dhigida ah
07:46
does come with risk.
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waxay leedahay dhib.
07:48
It doesn't always go as you plan it,
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mar walbo sidaa qorsheesay manoqoneeso,
07:50
even with a talented translator.
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xitaa adoo heesto turjumaa karti-badan.
07:54
But I am going to stick with it,
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laakin anigu waan wadayaa,
07:56
because contrary to what we might usually assume,
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maxaa yeelay wixii lid ku ah wixii aan malaysano,
08:01
imitating somebody can reveal something unique.
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iska yeel yeelid aad iska yeesh yeesho qof kale waxay cadeyn kartaa wax aan caadi ahayn.
08:05
So every time I fail
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mar walbo aan ku guul dareesto
08:08
to become more like my father,
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inaan aabahey oo kale noqdo,
08:10
I become more like myself.
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waxaan noqdaa sida anoo kale.
08:14
Every time I fail to become Bruce Lee,
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Mar walbo aan ku guul dareesto inaan noqdo sida Bruce Lee,
08:19
I become more authentically me.
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waxaan noqdaa anigoo rasmi ah.
08:23
This is my art.
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Tani waa farshaxankeyga.
08:24
I strive for authenticity,
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xaqiiq ayaa juhdi ugu jiraa,
08:27
even if it comes in a shape
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xitaa hadey igu soo wajahdo ayadoo qaab leh
08:30
that we might not usually expect.
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aanan filaneeynin.
08:33
It's only recently that I've started to understand
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mardhow ayaan fahmay
08:38
that I didn't learn to sit like this
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inaan ogaanin inaan sidaan u fadhiisto
08:41
through being Indian.
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kaliya inaan ahaado Indian.
08:43
I learned this from Spider-Man.
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Tani waxaan kasoo bartay Spider-Man.
08:47
(Laughter)
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(Qosol)
08:48
Thank you.
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Mahadsanidiin.
08:50
(Applause)
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(Sacbis)
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Hetain Patel - ArtistIn his compelling stage works, Hetain Patel uses powerful imagery and storytelling to examine questions of identity.
Why you should listen
"What determines our identities anyway?" asks Hetain Patel. As a child, Patel wanted to be like Spider-Man or Bruce Lee; later, he aimed to be more like his father, who displays a much different kind of bravery. From these ambitions, Patel's new show Be Like Water examines shifting identities of all kinds, using dance and bold imagery to power a story of self-examination and self-creation.
As a conceptual artist, Patel has used photography, sculpture, installation and performance to challenge cultural identity. For his work, he has grown a mustache exactly like the one his father wore when he emigrated from India to the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and remixed the practice henna tattooing to incorporate English words and comics books. Patel's conclusion about identity: that it is an ever-shifting game of imitation.
Hetain Patel | Speaker | TED.com
Yuyu Rau - Dancer
Yuyu Rau's dance skills span a wide range, from ballet to contemporary to Chinese classical.
Why you should listen
Yuyu Rau is a dancer trained in ballet, contemporary and Chinese classical dance. Born in Taiwan and now a resident of the United Kingdom, Rau has performed with a wide range of dance companies and worked with choreographers like Wayne McGregor, Javier De Frutos, Luca Silvestrini and Douglas Thorpe.
Yau has toured with conceptual artist Hetain Patel, performing in his stage work Be Like Water. In the piece, Rau acts as Patel's translator, and often stands in to help him tell his story.
Yuyu Rau | Speaker | TED.com