Adong Judith: How I use art to bridge misunderstanding
ئادۆنگ جەیس: چۆن هونەرم بۆ زاڵبوون بەسەر بەربەستی هەڵە تێگەیشتن بەکارهێنا
Adong Judith uses art as a vehicle to drive social change and trains aspiring makers to create art that dares to ask serious questions. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
who tells social-change stories,
كۆمەڵایەتییەكانتان بۆ باس دەکەم،
touch and move us.
فێرمان دەکەن و هەستمان دەجولێنن.
and teach us to empathize.
دڵسۆزیمان دەکەن
دەڕهێنانی شانۆگەریم،
of disadvantaged groups,
away from social, political theater
چەوسادنەوە و سنوردارکردنی هونەرمەندانی،
by former Ugandan president, Idi Amin.
ڕووی کۆمەلایەتی و سیاسی دەبمەوە.
I am breaking the silence
conversations on taboo issues,
قەدەغەکراوەکان دەوروژێنم،
is the rule of thumb.
and challenge our minds to think,
ناچار دەكات بیر بکەینەوە،
لە بیر و هزرماندا.
چالاكبوونم تەنها یەک لایەنی بەر چاوە
is its often one-sided nature
who see issues differently
کێشەکان بە شێوەیەکی جیاواز دەبینن
sellout or plain stupid.
سەر لێشێواو، خۆ فرۆش و گەمژە دێنە بەرچاو.
لە بوارە جیاوازەکاندا هەیە.
only in different fields.
"stay in your truth" is misleading.
لەگەڵ خۆت" چەواشەکارە.
خۆت ڕاستگۆ بیت،
you believe is wrong
avenues of conversations.
to touch, humanize
بۆ نزیک بوونەوە لە مرۆڤایەتی
to the conversation table
بۆ سەرمێزی گفتوگۆ.
will not magically solve all problems.
کێشەکان چارەسەر ناکات.
to create avenues
many of humanity's problems.
زۆربەی کێشە کۆمەڵایەتیەکان دەدات .
of the Northern Uganda war
قوربانییانی شەری باکوری ئۆگەندا
and Joseph Kony's LRA rebel group,
LRAدەستەی یاخی،
political leaders, religious leaders,
and transitional justice leadership
لێخۆشبوون و دادپەروەری پێکەوە هێنان.
of justice for war crime victims --
لەسەر تاوانبارانی قوربانیانی جەنگ،
in the history of Uganda.
cover them all right now.
to sit at the table
تا لەسەر مێزی گفتوگۆ
لێخۆشبوونی گشتی دابنیشن،
the big injustice they suffered
of the war perpetrators.
حەوانەوە بۆ قوربانیانی جەنگ.
ئازاری ئەم قوربانیانەدا نا
acknowledged the victims' pain
behind their flawed approaches.
هەڵە تێگەیشتنێک هەبووە.
that has stayed with me
کە لە بیرم ناچێتەوە:
tour of the play,
سەردانی باکوری ئۆگەندەم کرد،
جۆزێف کۆنی پێ ناساندم.
بێهیوابوون بکەم،
feeling disappointed,
inappropriate laughter.
کاتی نمایشەکە.
was a laughter of embarrassment
of his own embarrassment.
دەهاتە بەرچاو و
of his past actions.
a more powerfully uniting truth
زۆربەی هاوڕێ
would be shocked at my ignorance
لە بێئاگایم
like lasagna, for instance.
رۆژئاوایی سوڕما بوو.
about malakwang,
richer and fuller individuals.
فێر دەبووین و ئاسودەتر دەبووین.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Adong Judith - Playwright, filmmakerAdong Judith uses art as a vehicle to drive social change and trains aspiring makers to create art that dares to ask serious questions.
Why you should listen
Founder and artistic director of Silent Voices Uganda, a nonprofit performing arts company, Adong Judith creates art that provokes meaningful conversation on issues often considered taboo.
Notable among her training programs is the annual Summer Theater Directors Apprenticeship, a two-tier program that combines production and training of ten aspiring theater directors. Originally only for Ugandans, Judith has opened the 2018 and future apprenticeships to aspiring theater directors across the African continent, who she believes share the same challenges in practicum gaps.
In 2018, Judith will be in residence at Illinois State University, where she will direct her 2016 social media buzz-stirring play, Ga-AD!, which explores spirituality and the place of women in Pentecostal churches. Her first social change play, Silent Voices, which she wrote after accidentally encountering the inescapable stories of war crime victims in her hometown of Gulu, developed at Sundance Institute’s Theater Lab, received its world premiere in 2012 at the National Theater of Uganda and was described by the Ugandan media as "the spiritual rebirth of theater since its decline due to political persecution of artists by the Idi Amin regime."
Adong’s plays are taught at Ivy League Universities including Dartmouth College and Princeton University, and she recently signed a contract with Methuen Publishers UK to publish Silent Voices in an anthology of Contemporary African Women Playwrights.
Adong Judith | Speaker | TED.com