TEDGlobal 2007
Joseph Lekuton: A parable for Kenya
喬瑟夫．里克頓的肯亞寓言
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喬瑟夫．里克頓是肯亞的國會議員，他從自己所受的非凡教育講起，然後他說了一個寓言隱喻非洲可以成長的方向，他對未來的願景是至關重要的。
Joseph Lekuton - Kenyan MP
A teacher, writer and member of the Kenyan parliament, Joseph Lekuton has an inspiring vision for Kenya. Full bio
A teacher, writer and member of the Kenyan parliament, Joseph Lekuton has an inspiring vision for Kenya. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:18
My name is Joseph, a Member of Parliament in Kenya.
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我的名字是喬瑟夫，我是肯亞的國會議員。
00:21
Picture a Maasai village,
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你們試著想像一下，在肯亞的馬塞村，
00:23
and one evening, government soldiers come, surround the village
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有天晚上，政府的軍隊來了，包圍整個村莊，
00:27
and ask each elder to bring one boy to school.
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然後要每一個長者帶一個小男孩去上學，
00:29
That's how I went to school --
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那就是我去上學的原因--
00:31
pretty much a government guy pointing a gun
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就像有個在政府上班的傢伙，拿著一把槍，
00:33
and told my father, "You have to make a choice."
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對我父親說：「你得做出決定。」
00:35
So, I walked very comfortably to this missionary school
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就這樣，我很愉快地去上傳教士開的學校，
00:38
that was run by an American missionary,
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那是由美國的傳教士所開設的學校，
00:40
and the first thing the American missionary gave me was a candy.
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而美國傳教士給我的第一樣東西就是一顆糖果。
00:43
I had never in my life ever tasted candy.
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在那之前，我從未吃過糖果。
00:45
So I said to myself, with all these hundred other boys,
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所以我對我自己說，儘管這裡有其他一百多個男孩子，
00:47
this is where I belong. (Laughter)
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這就是我要待的地方，待下來--
00:50
Stayed
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(笑聲)
00:51
when everybody else was dropping out.
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--直到別人都退出為止。
00:53
My family moved; we're nomads.
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我父母不停地搬家，因為我們是遊牧民族，
00:55
Every time school closed -- it was a boarding school and I was seven --
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而每當學期結束--那是一所寄宿學校，我那時七歲--
00:57
you had to travel until you find them.
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我就得一直找，直到找到我的家人為止。
00:59
Fifty miles, 40 miles, it doesn't matter.
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50哩路、40哩路，我不管，
01:01
You slept in the bush, but you kept going.
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就算睡在樹叢裡，還是得繼續走。
01:03
And I stayed. I don't know why I stayed, but I stayed.
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我不知道我為什麼要待在那所學校，但我還是待下來了。
01:06
And all of a sudden I passed the national examination,
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一轉眼間，我通過了國家考試，
01:10
found myself in a very beautiful high school in Kenya.
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我置身於肯亞一所非常美麗的高中，
01:13
And I finished high school. And just walking, I found a man
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接著我完成了高中學業，然後有一個人
01:17
who gave me a full scholarship to the United States.
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提供給我全額的獎學金，讓我去美國唸書。
01:20
My mother still lives in a cow-dung hut,
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我母親現在還住在一個用牛糞糊的小棚屋裡，
01:22
none of my brothers are going to school,
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我的兄弟沒有人上過學校，
01:24
and this man told me, "Here, go."
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但這個人告訴我：「去吧。」
01:26
So I got a scholarship to St. Lawrence University, Upstate New York;
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所以我拿了獎學金到紐約州北部的聖羅倫斯大學，
01:30
finished that. And then after that I went to Harvard Graduate School;
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完成學業之後，我又去哈佛唸了研究所；
01:35
finished that. And then I worked in DC a little bit:
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研究所畢業之後，我到華盛頓特區工作了一陣子。
01:38
I wrote a book for National Geographic and taught history, U.S. history.
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我為國家地理雜誌撰寫了一本書，並教授歷史，美國歷史。
01:41
And every time, I kept going back home
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每當我回到家鄉來，
01:44
listening to the problems of these people --
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聆聽家鄉人民訴苦，
01:46
sick people, people with no water, all this stuff --
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有的人生病，有的人缺水，這一類的問題不斷。
01:48
and every time I go back to America, I kept thinking about them.
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每當我再回到美國時，我仍忍不住想起家鄉的人。
01:51
Then one day, an elder gave me a story and this story went like this:
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然後有一天，一個老者告訴了我一個故事，故事是這樣的：
01:55
long time ago, there was a big war between tribes.
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很久以前，在二個部落裡發生了戰爭，
02:00
And there was this specific tribe that was really afraid of this other Luhya tribe.
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其中一個部落很怕另一個路西亞部落，
02:03
And every time, they sent scouts out there to make sure no one attacked them.
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所以每一次他們都派偵察員去看對方是否來襲。
02:06
So one day, the scouts came running and told the villagers,
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有一天，偵察員跑回來告訴村民：
02:10
"The enemies are coming. Only half an hour away, they'll be here."
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「敵人來了，只有半個小時的距離--他們就要來了！」
02:13
So people scrambled, took their things and ready to go, move out.
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大家亂成一團，趕忙收拾東西，準備逃走。
02:17
But there were two men:
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但有二個人，
02:19
one man was blind, one man had no legs -- he was born like that.
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一個是瞎子，一個天生就沒了兩條腿，
02:22
The leader of the chiefs said, "No, sorry. We can't take you. You'll slow us down.
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族長對他們說：「對不起，我們不能帶你們走，你們會拖累我們，
02:26
We have to flee our women and children, we have to run."
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我們得疏散女人和小孩，我們要走了。」
02:30
And they were left behind, waiting to die.
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所以他們就被留下來等死。
02:33
But these two people worked something out.
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但這二個人想出了一個辦法。
02:36
The blind man said, "Look, I'm a very strong man but I can't see."
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瞎子說：「你看，雖然我看不到，但我很強壯。」
02:39
The man with no legs says, "I can see as far as the end of the world,
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沒腿的人說：「我的視力好到可以看到世界的盡頭，
02:42
but I can't save myself from a cat, or whatever animals."
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但我卻沒辦法從一隻貓身邊逃開，更別說其他動物了。」
02:47
So the blind man went down on his knees, down like this,
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這時瞎子蹲下身來，像這樣，
02:51
and told the man with no legs to go over his back, and stood up.
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要沒腿的人爬到他的背上，然後站起身來。
02:54
The man on top can see, the blind man can walk.
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在上面的人看得很清楚，瞎子則可以走路，
02:57
And these guys took off, followed the footsteps of the villagers
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所以這二個人循著其他村民的腳印出發了，
03:00
until they found and passed them.
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他們追上了其他村民，還超越了他們。
03:05
So, this was told to me in a setup of elders.
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這是我在老人之家聽來的故事，
03:09
And it's a really poor area. I represent Northern Kenya:
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那個地區很貧窮，我代表的是北肯亞--
03:12
the most nomadic, remote areas you can even find.
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大部分是遊牧民放，在最遙遠的地方。
03:16
And that man told me, "So, here you are.
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那個人告訴我：「你現在在這裡，
03:18
You've got a good education from America,
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你受過美國良好的教育，
03:20
you have a good life in America; what are you going to do for us?
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你在美國有好的生活，你究竟要為我們做什麼？
03:25
We want you to be our eyes, we'll give you the legs.
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我們希望你能當我們的眼睛，我們會當你的腳，
03:28
We'll walk you, you lead us."
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我們會幫你跑腿，你只要帶領我們就行了。」
03:30
So the opportunity came, and I was always thinking about that:
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機會來了，那是我一直在思考的事情，
03:33
"what can I do to help my people?
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我可以為家鄉的人做些什麼？
03:35
Every time you go to an area where for 43 years of independence,
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每次我到這個已經獨立43年的地區來時，
03:38
we still don't have basic health facilities.
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都發現我們還是沒有基本的醫療設施。
03:41
A man has to be transported in a wheelbarrow
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我們必須用獨輪車把病人運送到
03:43
20, 30 kilometers for a hospital. No clean drinking water.
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20或30公里以外的醫院去，我們也沒有乾淨的飲用水。
03:45
So I said, "I'm going to dedicate myself.
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所以我說：「我要奉獻我自己，
03:48
I'm leaving America. I'm going to run for office."
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我會離開美國，我要參加競選。」
03:51
So last July ... I moved from America in June, ran in July election and won.
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所以去年七月--我在六月離開美國，七月投入選舉並獲選為國會議員。
03:59
And I came for them, and that's my goal.
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我是為家鄉的人民回來的，那是我的目標。
04:03
And right now I have in place, for the last nine months,
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現在，我已經籌劃了九個月了，
04:06
a plan that in five years, every nomad will have clean drinking water.
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我希望在未來五年內，每一個牧人都可以享有乾淨的飲用水。
04:14
We're building dispensaries across that constituency.
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我們在選區裡設置了幾個診療所，
04:17
I'm asking my friends from America to help
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我還請在美國的朋友幫忙，
04:19
with bringing nurses or doctors to help us out.
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希望他們能帶護士或醫生來幫我們。
04:22
I'm trying to improve infrastructure.
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我正在著手改善基礎建設，
04:25
I'm using the knowledge I received from the United States
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我運用了我在美國所學得的知識，
04:27
and from my community to move them forward.
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以及我從社區裡學來的知識，推動這些基礎建設。
04:30
I'm trying to develop homegrown solutions to our issues
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我希望能以肯亞自己的方式來解決自己的問題，
04:34
because we realize that people from outside can come and help us,
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因為我們知道，外界的人或許可以幫助我們，
04:37
but if we don't help ourselves, there's nothing we can do.
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但若我們自己都不幫自己，那我們就做不成任何事。
04:40
So my plan right now as I continue with introducing students to different fields --
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我現在的計畫是，我會繼續讓學生在各種學科裡學習，
04:45
some become doctors, some lawyers --
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讓他們變成醫生，變成律師，
04:47
we want to produce a comprehensive group of people, students,
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我希望我們的學生能學會多種技能，
04:49
who can come back and help us see a community grow
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最後回來家鄉幫助這個社區成長。
04:52
that is in the middle of a huge economic recession.
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雖然我們正經歷巨大的經濟衰退，
04:56
So as I continue to be a Member of Parliament
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只要我還擔任國會議員一天，
04:59
and as I continue listening to all of you talking about botany,
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只要我還繼續聆聽你們的聲音一天，不管你們談的是植物、
05:02
talking about health, talking about democracy, talking about new inventions,
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健康、民主或新的發明，
05:05
I'm hoping that one day in my own little community --
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我希望總有一天，我們這個小小的社區--
05:08
which is 26,000 square kilometers,
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縱然只有二萬六千平方公里，
05:10
maybe five times the size of Rhode Island -- with no roads,
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或許只有羅德島的五倍大，也沒有道路--
05:14
we'll be able to become a model to help others develop.
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能夠成為其他社區發展的楷模。
05:18
Thank you very much. (Applause)
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謝謝你們。
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Joseph Lekuton - Kenyan MPA teacher, writer and member of the Kenyan parliament, Joseph Lekuton has an inspiring vision for Kenya.
Why you should listen
Born into a Maasai tribe in Northern Kenya, Joseph Lekuton was chosen to attend a missionary boarding school as a child -- sometimes walking 50 miles during vacations to find and rejoin his nomadic family. He won a scholarship to St. Lawrence University, then attended Harvard, and worked as a writer and history teacher in Virginia. He was named a National Geographic Energing Explorer for his work in sharing the culture of Kenya with America, including efforts to share educational resources with nomadic children through the BOMA Fund and Cows for Kids.
In 2006, after a plane crash killed five members of the Kenyan parliament, Lekuton decided to return to Kenya and stand for election to fill the seat in his region. He won a parliamentary seat in the 2006 by-election, and was a member of the winning party in the December 2007 elections -- the results of which continue to be contested throughout Kenya.
Joseph Lekuton | Speaker | TED.com