TEDGlobal 2013
May El-Khalil: Making peace is a marathon
May El- Khalil: Te besh paqe eshte nje maratone
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Ne Liban, njehere ne vit shkrepet arma e cila nuk eshte pjese e nje skene dhune te perditshme: Tingulli hapes i Maratones Nderkombetare te Beirutit. Ne nje ligjerate emocionuese, themeluesja e maratones May El-Khalil shpjegon se perse ajo beson se gara e 26.2 miljeve eshte nje event i cili mund te sjelle me afer nje vend te copetuar per dekada nga politika dhe feja, edhe pse vetem per nje dite te vitit.
May El-Khalil - Founder of the Beirut Marathon
The Beirut Marathon is the largest running event in the Middle East. May El-Khalil founded it as an instrument of peace. Full bio
The Beirut Marathon is the largest running event in the Middle East. May El-Khalil founded it as an instrument of peace. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
I come from Lebanon,
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Une jam nga Libani,
00:16
and I believe that running can change the world.
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dhe besoj se vrapimi mund te ndryshoje boten.
00:20
I know what I have just said is simply not obvious.
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E di se ajo cfare thashe nuk eshte shume e qarte.
00:24
You know, Lebanon as a country has been once destroyed
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Ju e dini, Libani si shtet eshte shkaterruar njehere
00:29
by a long and bloody civil war.
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nga nje lufte e gjate dhe e pergjakshme civile.
00:32
Honestly, I don't know why they call it civil war
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Sinqerisht, nuk e di perse e quajne lufte civile
00:35
when there is nothing civil about it.
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kur nuk ka asgje civile ne te.
00:38
With Syria to the north, Israel and Palestine to the south,
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Me Sirine ne veri, Izraelin dhe Palestinen ne jug,
00:43
and our government even up till this moment
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qeveria jone ne kete moment
00:46
is still fragmented and unstable.
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eshte akoma e copetuar dhe e paqendrueshme.
00:49
For years, the country has been divided
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Per shume vite, vendi ka qene i ndare
00:53
between politics and religion.
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ndermjet politikes dhe fese.
00:57
However, for one day a year,
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Gjithsesi, per nje dite te vitit,
01:00
we truly stand united,
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ne qendrojme me te vertete te bashkuar,
01:02
and that's when the marathon takes place.
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dhe kjo eshte dita kur zhvilllohet maratona.
01:07
I used to be a marathon runner.
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Une kam qene garuese ne maratona.
01:10
Long distance running was not only good for my well-being
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Te vrapoja ne distanca te gjata nuk ishte e mire vetem per shendetin tim,
01:15
but it helped me meditate and dream big.
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por me ndihmonte te meditoja dhe te enderroja.
01:19
So the longer distances I ran,
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Sa me e gjate distanca qe vrapoja,
01:21
the bigger my dreams became,
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aq me e madhe behej endrra ime,
01:25
until one fateful morning,
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derisa nje mengjes fatal,
01:28
and while training, I was hit by a bus.
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ndersa isha duke u stervitur, me goditi nje autobus.
01:34
I nearly died, was in a coma,
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Pothuajse vdiqa, isha ne koma,
01:37
stayed at the hospital for two years,
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dhe qendrova ne spital per dy vjet,
01:40
and underwent 36 surgeries to be able to walk again.
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si dhe iu nenshtrova 36 operacioneve qe te isha ne gjendje te ecja serish.
01:47
As soon as I came out of my coma,
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Sapo dola nga koma,
01:50
I realized that I was no longer the same runner I used to be,
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kuptova se nuk isha me ne gjendje te jem garuesja qe isha dikur,
01:55
so I decided, if I couldn't run myself,
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keshtu qe vendosa, qe nese nuk do te mund te vrapoja vete,
01:59
I wanted to make sure that others could.
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te sigurohesha qe te tjeret te mund ta benin kete.
02:03
So out of my hospital bed,
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Kur dola nga spitali,
02:06
I asked my husband to start taking notes,
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i kerkova bashkeshortit tim qe te fillonte te mbante shenime,
02:09
and a few months later,
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dhe pak muaj me vone,
02:11
the marathon was born.
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lindi maratona.
02:15
Organizing a marathon as a reaction to an accident
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Organizimi i nje maratone si reagim kundrejt aksidentit
02:19
may sound strange,
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mund te tingelloje cuditshem,
02:22
but at that time, even during my most vulnerable condition,
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por ne ate kohe, edhe nen kushtet e mia me te keqija,
02:27
I needed to dream big.
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kisha nevoje te enderroja.
02:29
I needed something to take me out of my pain,
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Kisha nevoje per dicka qe te ma largonte dhimbjen,
02:32
an objective to look forward to.
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nje objektiv te cilin duhej te ndiqja.
02:35
I didn't want to pity myself, nor to be pitied,
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Nuk doja te ndieja keqardhje per veten time, por as te kisha keqardhjen e te tjereve,
02:40
and I thought by organizing such a marathon,
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dhe mendova se duke organizuar nje maratone te tille,
02:43
I'll be able to pay back to my community,
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do te mundesha ti ktheja borxhin komunitetit tim,
02:46
build bridges with the outside world,
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te ndertoja ura lidhese me boten e jashtme,
02:49
and invite runners to come to Lebanon
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dhe te ftoja vrapues te vinin ne Liban,
02:51
and run under the umbrella of peace.
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dhe te garonin nen ombrellen e paqes.
02:56
Organizing a marathon in Lebanon
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Organizimi i nje maratone ne Liban,
02:59
is definitely not like organizing one in New York.
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perfundimisht nuk eshte e njejte si te organizosh nje te tille ne New York.
03:04
How do you introduce the concept of running
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Si mund te prezantosh konceptin e vrapimit
03:07
to a nation that is constantly at the brink of war?
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ne nje shtet i cili ndodhet vazhdimisht ne kufijte e luftes?
03:12
How do you ask those who were once fighting
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Si mund t'u kerkosh atyre te cilet njehere e njekohe luftonin
03:15
and killing each other
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dhe vrisnin njeri tjetrin
03:17
to come together and run next to each other?
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te mblidhen dhe te vrapojne prane njeri tjetrit?
03:21
More than that, how do you convince people
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Me shume se kaq, si mund te bindesh njerezit
03:24
to run a distance of 26.2 miles
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te vrapojne ne nje distance prej 26.2 milje
03:28
at a time they were not even familiar
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ne nje kohe qe ata nuk ishin familjarizuar
03:30
with the word "marathon"?
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me fjalen "maratone"?
03:33
So we had to start from scratch.
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Keshtu qe na duhej te fillonin nga zero.
03:35
For almost two years, we went all over the country
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Pothuajse per dy vjet, shkuam ne gjithe vendin
03:39
and even visited remote villages.
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madje edhe ne fshatrat me te thelle.
03:43
I personally met with people from all walks of life --
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Une personalisht u takova me njerez te profesioneve te ndryshme,
03:47
mayors, NGOs, schoolchildren,
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kryebashkiake, NGOs, femije te shkollave,
03:50
politicians, militiamen, people from mosques, churches,
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politikane, punonjes te milicise, njerez neper xhami, kisha,
03:56
the president of the country, even housewives.
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presidentin e vendit, madje edhe me shtepiake.
04:01
I learned one thing:
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Mesova nje gje:
04:04
When you walk the talk, people believe you.
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Kur merr mundimin te ecesh dhe tu flasesh njerezve, ata te besojne.
04:08
Many were touched by my personal story,
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Shume prej tyre u preken nga historia ime personale,
04:12
and they shared their stories in return.
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dhe me treguan historite e tyre ne kembim.
04:15
It was honesty and transparency that brought us together.
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Ishte pikerisht ndershmeria dhe transparenca ajo qe na bashkoi.
04:20
We spoke one common language to each other,
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Ne flisnim nje gjuhe te perbashket me njeri tjetrin,
04:24
and that was from one human to another.
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dhe qe kalonte nga nje njeri te tjetri.
04:29
Once that trust was built,
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Sapo u ndertua besimi,
04:32
everybody wanted to be part of the marathon
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cdokush deshironte te merrte pjese ne maratone,
04:34
to show the world the true colors of Lebanon
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ti tregonte botes ngjyrat e verteta te Libanit,
04:37
and the Lebanese
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atdhedashurine,
04:40
and their desire to live in peace and harmony.
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si dhe deshiren per te jetuar ne paqe dhe harmoni.
04:45
In October 2003, over 6,000 runners
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Ne Tetor te 2003, mbi 6.000 vrapues
04:50
from 49 different nationalities
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nga 49 nenshtetsi te ndryshme,
04:53
came to the start line, all determined,
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erdhen ne vijen e startit, te gjithe te vendosur,
04:57
and when the gunfire went off,
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dhe kur arma u shkrep,
04:59
this time it was a signal to run in harmony
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ai ishte momenti i sinjalit qe te gjithe te vraponin ne harmoni,
05:04
for a change.
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per nje ndryshim.
05:06
The marathon grew.
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Maratona mori permasa me te medha.
05:08
So did our political problems.
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Po keshtu edhe problemet tona politike.
05:11
But for every disaster we had,
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Por per cdo rrenim qe ne kishim,
05:14
the marathon found ways to bring people together.
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maratona gjente menyren per te bashkuar njerezit.
05:20
In 2005, our prime minister was assassinated,
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Ne 2005, kryeministri yne u vra,
05:25
and the country came to a complete standstill,
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dhe vendi ishte ne nje kolaps total,
05:29
so we organized a five-kilometer United We Run campaign.
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keshtu qe ne organizuam nje fushate vrapimi pese kilometra, nen moton Ne Vrapojme te Bashkuar.
05:33
Over 60,000 people came to the start line,
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Mbi 60.000 njerez erdhen ne vijen e startit,
05:37
all wearing white t-shirts with no political slogans.
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te gjithe veshur me bluza te bardha pa slogane politike.
05:43
That was a turning point for the marathon,
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Ajo ishte pika e ndryshimit per maratonen,
05:46
where people started looking at it as a platform
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ku njerezit filluan ta shihnin ate si nje platforme
05:49
for peace and unity.
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te paqes dhe bashkimit.
05:52
Between 2006 up to 2009, our country, Lebanon,
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Ndermjet 2006 dhe 2009, vendi yne, Libani,
05:57
went through unstable years,
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kaloi vite paqendrueshmerie,
06:00
invasions, and more assassinations
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pushtimi dhe vrasjesh te shumta
06:03
that brought us close to a civil war.
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te cilat na cuan afer nje lufte civile.
06:06
The country was divided again,
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Vendi u nda serish,
06:08
so much that our parliament resigned,
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aq shume saqe parlamenti dha doreheqjen,
06:11
we had no president for a year, and no prime minister.
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per nje vit nuk kishim president, dhe as kryeminister.
06:17
But we did have a marathon.
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Por ne kishim maratone.
06:20
(Applause)
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( Duartrokitje)
06:26
So through the marathon, we learned
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Keshtu nepermjet maratones, ne mesuam
06:29
that political problems can be overcome.
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se problemet politike mund te kaperceheshin.
06:34
When the opposition party decided
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Kur partia opozitare vendosi
06:36
to shut down part of the city center,
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te mbyllte qendren e qytetit,
06:38
we negotiated alternative routes.
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ne negociuam per rruge alternative.
06:41
Government protesters became
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Protestuesit qeveritare u bene
06:45
sideline cheerleaders.
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duartrokitesit dhe mbeshtetesit anesore.
06:46
They even hosted juice stations.
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Madje ata ngriten edhe stacione ku mund te piheshin lengje te ndryshme.
06:51
You know, the marathon has really become
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Sic mund ta dini, maratona eshte bere ne te vertete
06:55
one of a kind.
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unike.
06:57
It gained credibility from both
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Ajo fitoi besueshmeri nga
06:59
the Lebanese and the international community.
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Libanezet dhe komuniteti nderkombetar.
07:04
Last November 2012, over 33,000 runners
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Nentorin e kaluar te 2012, mbi 33.000 vrapues
07:08
from 85 different nationalities
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nga 85 shtete te ndryshme
07:10
came to the start line,
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erdhen ne vijen e startit,
07:12
but this time, they challenged
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por kete here, ata sfiduan
07:14
very stormy and rainy weather.
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motin me shi dhe stuhi.
07:17
The streets were flooded, but people didn't want to miss
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Rruget u permbyten, por njerezit nuk donin te humbnin
07:21
out on the opportunity of being part
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mundesine per te qene pjese
07:23
of such a national day.
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e nje dite te tille kombetare.
07:26
BMA has expanded.
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BMA ishte zgjeruar.
07:28
We include everyone: the young, the elderly,
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Ne perfshinim kedo: te rinjte, te moshuarit,
07:32
the disabled, the mentally challenged,
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ata me aftesi te kufizuara, te semuret mendore,
07:35
the blind, the elite, the amateur runners,
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te verberit, vrapuesit amatore,
07:38
even moms with their babies.
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madje edhe nenat me bebe.
07:41
Themes have included runs for the environment,
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Temat e perfshira ne kete maratone ishin per mjedisin,
07:45
breast cancer, for the love of Lebanon, for peace,
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kancerin e gjirit, dashurine per Libanin, paqen,
07:49
or just simply to run.
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ose thjesht te vraposh.
07:51
The first annual all-women-and-girls race for empowerment,
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Gara e pare vjetore per fuqizimin e grave dhe vajzave,
07:58
which is one of its kind in the region,
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e cila eshte e vetmja e ketij lloji ne rajon,
08:00
has just taken place only a few weeks ago,
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ndodhi para pak javesh,
08:04
with 4,512 women, including the first lady,
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ku u perfshine 4,512 gra, perfshi edhe zonjen e pare te vendit,
08:09
and this is only the beginning.
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dhe ky eshte vetem fillimi.
08:14
Thank you.
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Faleminderit.
08:16
(Applause)
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(Duartrokitje)
08:18
BMA has supported charities and volunteers
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BMA ka mbeshtetur bamiresite dhe vullnetaret
08:24
who have helped reshape Lebanon,
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te cilet kane ndihmuar per ta rimodeluar Libanin
08:27
raising funds for their causes
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duke ngritur fonde per kauzat e tyre
08:29
and encouraging others to give.
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dhe duke inkurajuar te tjeter te dhurojne.
08:32
The culture of giving and doing good
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Kultura e dhurimit dhe e bamiresise
08:35
has become contagious.
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po behet me e forte.
08:37
Stereotypes have been broken.
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Stereotipet jane thyer.
08:39
Change-makers and future leaders
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Ndryshuesit dhe drejtuesit e te ardhmes
08:42
have been created.
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jane krijuar tashme.
08:44
I believe these are the building blocks for future peace.
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Une besoj se keto jane blloqet e ndertimit per paqen ne te ardhmen.
08:50
BMA has become such a respected event in the region
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BMA eshte kthyer ne nje ngarje kaq te respektueshme ne rajon,
08:57
that government officials in the region
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saqe zyrtaret qeveritare ne rajon
09:00
like Iraq, Egypt and Syria,
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si Iraku, Egjipti dhe Siria,
09:03
have asked the organization to help them structure
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i kane kerkuar organizates t'i ndihmoje ne ndertimin
09:07
a similar sporting event.
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e nje ngjarjeje te njejte sportive.
09:09
We are now one of the largest running events
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Ne jemi aktualisht eventi me i madh garues
09:13
in the Middle East, but most importantly,
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ne Lindjen e Mesme, por me e rendesishmja,
09:16
it is a platform for hope and cooperation
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eshte se eshte nje platforme per shpresen dhe bashkepunimin
09:20
in an ever-fragile and unstable part of the world.
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ne nje pjese kaq delikate dhe te paqendrueshme te botes.
09:26
From Boston to Beirut, we stand as one.
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Nga Bostoni ne Beirut, ne jemi nje.
09:31
(Applause)
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( Duartrokitje)
09:37
After 10 years in Lebanon,
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Pas 10 vitesh ne Liban,
09:40
from national marathons or from national events
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nga maratonat kombetare apo nga eventet kombetare
09:43
to smaller regional races, we've seen
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deri te garat e vogla rajonale, ne kemi pare
09:46
that people want to run for a better future.
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se njerezit duan te vrapojne per nje te ardhme me te mire.
09:51
After all, peacemaking is not a sprint.
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Mbi te gjitha, te besh paqje nuk eshte thjesht nje sprint.
09:57
It is more of a marathon.
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Eshte nje maratone.
09:59
Thank you.
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Faleminderit.
10:00
(Applause)
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( Duartrokitje)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
May El-Khalil - Founder of the Beirut MarathonThe Beirut Marathon is the largest running event in the Middle East. May El-Khalil founded it as an instrument of peace.
Why you should listen
The beautiful city of Beirut, Lebanon, has seen its share of tragedy, as a seat of Lebanon's long-running civil war (1975-1990) and the Israeli-Lebanese conflict that came to a head in 2006. But in 2003, May El-Khalil, a local sports official, decided: It's time to start a marathon, open to all, as an antidote to sectarianism. And despite ongoing political and security pressure, the Beirut Marathon, now entering its 11th year, has become not only the largest running event in the Middle East but a powerful force for peace.
El-Khalil was inspired to start the marathon after a personal tragedy: a near-fatal running accident. Doctors told her she would never run again. She was hospitalized for two years and had to undergo a long series of surgeries. But the resolve from this personal struggle created an event that, each year, draws runners and fans from opposing political and religious communities in a symbolic act of peace. Case in point: In 2012, on a rainy and windy November day, more than 33,000 runners turned out. Other countries around the region are now thinking of replicating this model.
May El-Khalil | Speaker | TED.com