Thordis Elva and Tom Stranger: Our story of rape and reconciliation
Tordis Elva (Thordis Elva), Tom Strejndžer (Tom Stranger): Naša priča o silovanju i pomirenju
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and descriptions of sexual violence
i opise seksualnog nasilja.
when I was 18 years old,
kad mi je bilo 18 godina,
on an international exchange program.
u međunarodnom programu razmene.
who prefers proper icy cold weather,
kome se sviđa pravo ledeno hladno vreme,
when I got on a plane to Iceland,
kad sam se ukrcao na avion za Island,
my parents and brothers goodbye.
s roditeljima i braćom.
of a beautiful Icelandic family
me je primila u svoj dom,
of the melodic Icelandic language.
melodični islandski jezik.
period of homesickness.
sam se malo mučio s melanholijom.
that you don't yet fully understand
koji još uvek dobro ne razumete
da se okušam u školskoj predstavi,
I try out for the school play,
društveno angažovao.
being part of the play,
nisam bio deo predstave,
samo da bismo se držali za ruke
to just hold hands
and she met my friends.
a ona je upoznala moje prijatelje.
for a bit over a month
nešto više od meseca
and in love for the first time.
i prvi put sam bila zaljubljena.
of our relationship,
girl in the world.
kao najsrećnija devojka na svetu.
rum for the first time that night, too.
da probam rum prvi put te noći, takođe.
to call me an ambulance,
da pozove hitnu za mene,
in shining armor,
kao moj vitez u bleštavom oklopu
towards him soon turned to horror
prema njemu uskoro prešla u užas
and get on top of me.
i spuštao se preko mene.
too weak to fight back,
suviše slabo da se odupre,
on my alarm clock.
seconds in two hours.
and crying for weeks,
i plakala nedeljama,
about rape like I'd seen on TV.
silovanja koje sam videla na TV-u.
what had happened to me as rape,
kao silovanje ono što mi se desilo,
to address what had happened.
baviti se onim što se desilo.
where girls are taught
from being raped that night,
da budem silovana te noći,
from being raped that night
da budem silovana te noći
that I tried to stifle.
koju sam pokušao da ugušim.
na Tordisinim vratima.
onim što jeste bilo.
around my mind as it should've,
u mom umu kao što je trebalo,
with memories of the night before.
of reality was forbidden.
stvarnosti zabranjeno.
refuted any recognition
je odbijala bilo kakvo priznanje
in the days afterwards
narednih dana
myself it was sex and not rape.
da je to bio seks, a ne silovanje.
spine-bending guilt for.
me je izjedala krivica.
a couple of days later,
nekoliko dana kasnije
of my year in Iceland,
of heavyheartedness each time.
oštro probadanje utučenosti.
something immeasurably wrong.
da sam uradio nešto bezmerno pogrešno.
I sunk the memories deep,
duboko sam potisnuo sećanja,
as "Denial and Running."
kao: "Poricanje i bežanje".
the real torment that I caused,
istinsku agoniju koju sam uzrokovao,
of my inner speak,
mog unutrašnjeg govora,
upon other parts of my life
druge aspekte svog života
that I wasn't a bad person.
da nisam loša osoba.
this dark corner of myself,
u taj mračni ugao sebe
for a nervous breakdown.
under a soul-crushing load of silence
pod teretom tišine koja je mrvila dušu,
that I cared about,
koji su mi značili,
with misplaced hatred and anger
pogrešno usmerene mržnje i besa
of the door in tears
izjurila kroz vrata
in moments of inspiration,
u momentima inspiracije,
to be constantly fidgeting,
da se uvek vrpoljim
as the words streamed out of my pen,
kako se reči slivaju niz moju olovku,
I've ever written,
koje sam ikad napisala,
that he subjected me to,
was my way out of my suffering,
da je ovo moj izlaz iz patnje
he deserved my forgiveness,
da li je on zasluživao ili ne moj oprost,
of negative responses,
negativnog odgovora
no response whatsoever.
odsustva bilo kakvog odgovora.
that I didn't prepare myself for
full of disarming regret.
ispunjeno razoružavajućim kajanjem.
had been imprisoned by silence.
bio zraobljenik tišine.
of an eight-year-long correspondence
osmogodišnje prepiske
nikad nije bila laka,
that I'd wrongfully shouldered,
koji sam nepravedno sebi natovarila,
owned up to what he'd done.
svesrdno ovladao onim što je uradio.
from gut-wrenching
closure for me.
didn't feel personal enough,
nije bio dovoljno ličan,
screen on the other side of the planet.
na drugoj strani planete.
to explore to its fullest.
da se dokraja istraži.
to propose a wild idea:
da predložim ludu zamisao:
are geographically like this.
su geografski ovako udaljeni.
a stunningly powerful environment
kao zapanjujuće moćna sredina
and forgiveness.
and rapprochement been tested
nisu tako testirani
to sit within the truth of its past,
mesto između istine o svojoj prošlosti
of its history.
that Cape Town had on us.
imao na nas je bilo još jače.
our life stories to each other,
ispričali naše životne priče,
our own history.
of being honest,
with a certain exposure,
izvesnu izloženost,
absolutely couldn't fathom
uopšte nismo mogli da dokučimo
were spoken aloud and felt,
su glasno izgovarana i osećana,
but liberating laughter.
ali oslobađajući smeh.
to each other intently.
da pažljivo saslušamo jedno drugo.
were aired with an unfiltered purity
su oslobođene nefilterisanom čistoćom
than lighten the soul.
nego razvedrila naše duše.
is a very human emotion --
je veoma ljudsko osećanje -
as he had hurt me.
podjednako snažno koliko je on mene.
out of the hatred and anger,
iz mržnje i besa,
my doubts along the way.
sumnje sve vreme.
on that landing strip in Cape Town,
na pistu u Kejptaunu,
a therapist and a bottle of vodka
terapeuta i flašu votke,
for understanding in Cape Town
za razumevanjem u Kejptaunu
husband, Vidir,
svom dragom mužu Vidiru
in a victorious feeling
pobedonosnim osećanjem
could be built out of the ruins.
moglo da se izgradi na ruševinama.
that you needed when you were younger.
koja vam je bila potrebna u mladosti.
that the shame wasn't mine,
da sramota nije bila moja,
upon my return from Cape Town,
počela grozničavo da pišem
u koautorstvu s Tomom,
to people from both ends
ljudima s oba kraja
to hear when we were younger.
da čujemo kad smo bili mlađi.
that inevitably accompany it --
koje neizbežno idu uz nju -
organizovanja koncepata,
in their connotations.
svojim konotacijama da onečovečuju.
as someone damaged,
kao nekoga oštećenog,
has been branded a rapist,
označe kao silovatelja,
to call him a monster --
what it is in human societies
šta to u ljudskim društvima
the humanity of those who commit it?
ljudskost onima koji ga počine?
if we're making them feel less than?
ako ih teramo da se osećaju manje vrednim?
to one of the biggest threats
za jednu od najvećih pretnji
around the world,
are part of the problem?
koje koristimo deo problema?
were a self-centered taking.
bilo sebično uzimanje.
social influences
društvene uticaje
behavior around me.
as having less intrinsic worth,
kao da imaju po prirodi manju vrednost,
and symbolic claim to their bodies.
i simbolično pravo na njihova tela.
are external to me, though.
su ipak za mene spoljni.
making choices,
donosio odluke,
sa svojom krivicom,
mogu da se dese.
under the weight of responsibility.
pod teretom odgovornosti.
of humanity would be burnt.
čovečnosti da sagori.
to really own what I did,
da zaista ovladam svojim delom
the entirety of who I am.
mojom celokupnom ličnošću.
to constitute the sum of who you are.
da bude zbir svega što jeste.
was starved of oxygen,
je lišeno kiseonika
with the clean air of acceptance --
this wonderful person standing next to me;
ovo divno biće koje stoji pored mene;
and shockingly everyday grouping of men
svakodnevnog gomilanja muškaraca
toward their partners.
prema svojim partnerima.
changed my accord with myself,
promenio se moj odnos prema sebi,
to female survivors of sexual violence,
koje su preživele seksualno nasilje,
at a great distance from the truth.
na velikoj udaljenosti od istine.
conversation happening now,
that there's less retreating
but important discussion.
to add our voices to it.
da joj doprinesem našim glasovima.
that we're prescribing for others.
koji prepisujemo drugima.
how to handle their deepest pain
kako da se bori sa najvećim bolom
you are in the world,
gde se nalazite u svetu,
to speak out about rape.
govoriti o silovanju.
traumatic event of my life
događaj u mom životu
without getting ostracized,
a da ne budem prognana
my fellow survivors who can't.
mojim kolegama preživelim koji ne mogu.
je jedinstvena,
violence being a global pandemic.
globalna pandemija.
on my own healing journey
na sopstvenom putu isceljenja
I've been reading, writing
for over a decade now,
sad već više od deceniju,
are almost exclusively women.
su skoro isključivo žene.
sexual violence as a women's issue.
seksualno nasilje kao žensko pitanje.
against women and men
nad ženama i muškarcima
underrepresented in this discussion.
nezastupljeni u ovoj raspravi.
we could alleviate
bismo mogli da ublažimo,
da se zajedno suočimo s ovim problemom.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Thordis Elva - WriterThordis Elva is one of the two authors of "South of Forgiveness," a unique collaboration between a survivor and perpetrator of rape.
Why you should listen
Thordis Elva is a firm believer in the healing potential of dialogue when it comes to ending the silence that shrouds sexual violence. In 2015, she was voted Woman of the Year in her native Iceland due to her tireless campaigning for gender equality.
As an award-winning writer, journalist and public speaker, Elva has utilized many different platforms for her activism, including plays, films and books. Her passion for equality extends to the internet, and she has toured extensively giving lectures about online bullying, non-consensual pornography and digital human rights to audiences such as the United Nations and the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Read a Q&A with Elva about her TED Talk on the TED Blog.
Thordis Elva | Speaker | TED.com
Tom Stranger - Co-author, landscape gardener
Tom Stranger is the co-author "South of Forgiveness."
Why you should listen
Social sciences and the outdoors have been both professional directions and personal themes for Tom Stranger. After studying social science and working in outdoor recreation, Tom Stranger's focus shifted towards working with young people with complex needs -- mental health challenges, substance addiction, homelessness and neurological impairment. His time working with young people has taught him the immense value of listening with intent.
Stranger has recently completed and thoroughly enjoyed a Master of Cultural Studies at the University of Sydney, and he has returned to work in the outdoors as a landscaper. During his studies, he was involved as a co-author in the writing of South of Forgiveness. He and the book's primary author, Thordis Elva, share the hope that in speaking up they will add their voices to the ever-growing public discourse around relations of gender and sexual violence.
Read a Q&A with Stranger about his TED Talk on the TED Blog.
Tom Stranger | Speaker | TED.com