ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Monika Bulaj - Photographer
Monika Bulaj’s stunning, painting-like photographs blur religious and cultural divisions, exploding stereotypes. She is a TED Fellow.

Why you should listen

Monika Bulaj is a photographer and writer who explores -- in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe -- the dim areas of monotheism, where the sacred can transcend borders: Bonfires, dances, cults of the dead, possession rites. She describes outskirts and deserts, frontiers and megalopolis. And the world of the last ones: nomads, farmers, immigrants, outcasts, untouchables and impure.

Her photos and reportaging have been published by GEO, National Geographic (Italy), La Repubblica, periodicals by Gruppo Espresso and Rcs, Courrier International, Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland), Internazionale, Freundin, Teatr (Poland) and other international magazines.
She has displayed more than 50 personal exibitions in Italy, Germany, Ungheria, Bulgaria, Egypt.

Her books include Libya felix, a travel into Sufism and the world of the Tuaregh; Figli di Noè, on minorities and faiths in Azerbaijian; Rebecca e la pioggia, on the nomadic tribe of the Dinka of South Sudan; Gerusalemme perduta with Paolo Rumiz, the special correspondent of La Repubblica, on the pellegrinage in the research of the Eastern Christians; Genti di Dio, viaggio nell'Altra Europa, a synthesis of 20 years of research in East Europe and Israel, and her latest book, Bozy ludzie. 

She has screenwritten documentaries, among which is the movie Romani Rat (2002) by M. Orlandi, on the Holocaust of the Roms, with the contribution of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. She's the director, photography director, and screenwriter of the documentary Figli di Noè, about the villages of Caucasus on the border between Dagestan and Azerbaigian.

Bulaj is a TED Fellow. Read TED's Q&A with Monika Bulaj >>

More profile about the speaker
Monika Bulaj | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2011

Monika Bulaj: The hidden light of Afghanistan

Monika Bulaj: Cahaya tersembunyi Afghanistan

Filmed:
669,507 views

Jurugambar Monika Bulaj mengongsi gambaran Afghanistan yang luar biasa dan peribadi -- dari upacara seharian hingga ke cara hidup serta kaum adam dan hawanya. Disebalik tajuk-tajuk utama dalam akhbar, apakah yang kami benar-benar tahu tentang tempat ini?
- Photographer
Monika Bulaj’s stunning, painting-like photographs blur religious and cultural divisions, exploding stereotypes. She is a TED Fellow. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

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My travelsperjalanan to AfghanistanAfghanistan
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Pengembaraan saya ke Afghanistan
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beganbermula manyramai, manyramai yearstahun agosebelum ini
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bermula beberapa tahun dahulu
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on the easterntimur bordersempadan of my countrynegara,
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di sempadan timur negara dan
00:24
my homelandtanah air, PolandPoland.
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tanah air saya, Poland.
00:27
I was walkingberjalan kaki throughmelalui the forestshutan
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Saya berjalan melewati hutan rimba
00:29
of my grandmother'snenek talescerita-cerita dongeng.
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yang diceritai nenek saya.
00:33
A landtanah where everysetiap fieldbidang hidesSembunyi a gravekubur,
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Ia sebuah tempat di mana setiap padang menyembunyikan sebuah kubur,
00:38
where millionsberjuta-juta of people
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di mana jutaan orang
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have been deporteddeported or killeddibunuh
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telah diusir atau dibunuh
00:43
in the 20thth centuryabad.
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dalam abad ke-20.
00:46
BehindDi sebalik the destructionkemusnahan,
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Disebalik kemusnahan dan penggempuran,
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I founddijumpai a souljiwa of placestempat.
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saya menjumpai jati diri sesebuah tempat.
00:51
I metbertemu humblerendah hati people.
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Saya berjumpa dengan mereka yang merendah diri dan tidak berada.
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I heardmendengarnya theirmereka prayerdoa
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Saya mendengari harapan dan doa-doa mereka,
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and atemakan theirmereka breadroti.
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dan makan apa yang dimakan oleh mereka.
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Then I have been walkingberjalan kaki EastTimur for 20 yearstahun --
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Setelah merantau ke Timur selama 20 tahun --
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from EasternTimur EuropeEurope to CentralPusat bandar AsiaAsia --
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dari Eropah Timur hingga ke Asia Tengah --
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throughmelalui the CaucasusCaucasus MountainsPergunungan,
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melalui Pergunungan Caucasus,
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MiddleTengah-tengah EastTimur,
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Timur Tengah,
01:09
NorthUtara AfricaAfrika,
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Afrika Utara,
01:11
RussiaRusia.
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Rusia.
01:13
And I ever metbertemu more humblerendah hati people.
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Dan saya bertemu lagi dengan mereka yang merendahkan diri.
01:17
And I shareddikongsi theirmereka breadroti and theirmereka prayerdoa.
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Dan saya makan bersama mereka dan mengongsi harapan mereka.
01:20
This is why I wentpergi to AfghanistanAfghanistan.
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Oleh sebab itulah saya ke Afghanistan.
01:23
One day, I crossedmenyeberang the bridgejambatan
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Pada suatu hari, saya melintasi jambatan
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over the OxusOxus RiverSungai.
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yang merentasi Sungai Oxus.
01:29
I was alonesahaja on footkaki.
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Saya berjalan kaki sendirian.
01:31
And the AfghanAfghanistan soldieraskar was so surprisedterkejut to see me
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Askar Afghanistan yang bertugas teramat hairan melihat saya
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that he forgotterlupa to stampsetem my passportpasport.
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sehinggakan dia terlupa mengecap pasport saya.
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But he gavememberi me a cupcawan of teateh.
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Namun dia memberi saya secawan teh.
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And I understoodfaham
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Lantas saya mengerti
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that his surprisekejutan was my protectionperlindungan.
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bahawa kehairanannya melindungi saya.
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So I have been walkingberjalan kaki and travelingperjalanan,
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Saya terus berjalan dan mengembara
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by horseskuda, by yakyak, by trucktrak, by hitchhikinghitchhiking,
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sama ada menaiki kuda, yak, lori atau dengan menumpang
01:49
from Iran'sIran bordersempadan
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dari sempadan Iran
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to the bottombawah, to the edgekelebihan of the WakhanWakhan CorridorKoridor.
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hingga ke pinggir Koridor Wakhan.
01:56
And in this way
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Dan dengan melalui ini
01:58
I could find noorNoor, the hiddentersembunyi lightcahaya of AfghanistanAfghanistan.
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saya dapat menemui 'noor', cahaya tersembunyi Afghanistan.
02:05
My only weaponsenjata
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Senjata saya hanyalah
02:07
was my notebookkomputer riba and my LeicaVideografi.
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buku nota dan kamera Leica saya.
02:12
I heardmendengarnya prayersdoa of the SufiSufi --
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Saya terdengar doa-doa para Sufi --
02:14
humblerendah hati MuslimsUmat Islam,
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segolongan Muslimin yang merendah diri,
02:16
hateddibenci by the TalibanTaliban.
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namun dibenci oleh pihak Taliban.
02:18
HiddenTersembunyi riversungai,
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Sungai-sungai tersembunyi
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interconnectedsaling berhubungan with the mysticismtasawuf
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yang dikait oleh tasawuf dan tarekat
02:22
from GibraltarGibraltar to IndiaIndia.
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dari Gibraltar hingga India.
02:25
The mosqueMasjid where the respectfulmenghormati foreignerwarga asing
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Sebuah masjid di mana orang asing yang datang degan penuh hormat
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is showeredmembimbing with blessingsrahmat
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dicucuri berkat
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and with tearsair mata,
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dan air mata,
02:35
and welcomeddialu-alukan as a gifthadiah.
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dan disambut seandai hadiah.
02:39
What do we know
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Apakah yang kita tahu
02:41
about the countrynegara and the people
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tentang negara dan orang-orang
02:43
that we pretendberpura-pura to protectmelindungi,
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yang kita berpura-pura lindungi,
02:46
about the villageskampung
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tentang kampung-kampung
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where the only one medicineubat
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di mana satu-satunya ubat
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to killbunuh the painkesakitan and to stop the hungerlapar
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untuk menahan rasa sakit dan lapar
02:53
is opiumcandu?
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ialah candu?
02:55
These are opium-addictedketagih candu people
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Inilah mereka yang ketagihan candu
02:58
on the roofsbumbung of KabulKabul
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di atas bumbung-bumbung Kabul
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10 yearstahun after the beginningpermulaan of our warperang.
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10 tahun setelah permulaan peperangan kami.
03:05
These are the nomadNomad girlsperempuan
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Inilah anak-anak gadis kaum nomad
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who becamemenjadi prostitutespelacur for AfghanAfghanistan businessmenpeniaga-peniaga.
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yang menjadi pelacur kepada saudagar-saudagar Afghanistan.
03:12
What do we know about the womenwanita
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Apakah yang kita tahu tentang kaum hawanya
03:14
10 yearstahun after the warperang?
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10 tahun setalah peperangan?
03:16
ClothedBerpakaian in this nylonnilon bagbeg,
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Berpakaian beg nilon
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madedibuat in ChinaChina,
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buatan China
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with the namenama of burqaburqa.
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yang diberikan nama 'burqa'.
03:24
I saw one day,
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Suatu hari saya menziarahi
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the largestterbesar schoolsekolah in AfghanistanAfghanistan,
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sekolah terbesar di Afghanistan,
03:29
a girls'kanak perempuan ' schoolsekolah.
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sebuah sekolah khusus untuk anak-anak gadis.
03:31
13,000 girlsperempuan
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13,000 anak-anak gadis
03:34
studyingbelajar here
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menuntut ilmu di sana,
03:38
in the roomsbilik undergroundbawah tanah,
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di dalam bilik-bilik bawah tanah
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fullpenuh of scorpionskalajengking.
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yang penuh dengan kala jengking.
03:44
And theirmereka love [for studyingbelajar]
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Keinginan mereka (untuk menuntut ilmu)
03:47
was so bigbesar that I criedmenangis.
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yang begitu hebat membuat saya terharu dan menangis.
03:52
What do we know
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Apakah yang kita tahu
03:54
about the deathkematian threatsancaman by the TalibanTaliban
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tentang ancaman mati daripada pihak Taliban
03:57
naileddipaku on the doorspintu
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yang dipaku pada pintu-pintu
03:59
of the people who dareberani to sendhantar theirmereka daughtersanak perempuan to schoolsekolah as in BalkhBalkh?
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mereka yang berani menghantar anak-anak gadis mereka ke sekolah seperti di Balkh?
04:05
The regionrantau is not secureselamat, but fullpenuh of the TalibanTaliban,
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Wilayah tersebut masih belum aman malah dipenuhi pihak Taliban,
04:08
and they did it.
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dan mereka melakukannya.
04:10
My aimmatlamat is to give a voicesuara
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Tujuan saya adalah untuk memberikan suara
04:12
to the silentsenyap people,
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kepada mereka yang tidak berdaya,
04:15
to showtunjukkan the hiddentersembunyi lightslampu
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untuk menunjukkan cahaya tersembunyi
04:19
behinddi belakang the curtaintirai of the great gamepermainan,
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di sebalik tirai permainan besar ini
04:22
the smallkecil worldsdunia ignoreddiabaikan by the mediamedia
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di mana dunia-dunia kecil diabaikan media massa
04:25
and the prophetsNabi-Nabi of a globalglobal conflictkonflik.
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dan para dalang konflik sejagat.
04:27
ThanksTerima kasih.
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Terima Kasih.
04:29
(ApplauseTepukan)
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(Tepukan)
Translated by Jafnie Ardie Jaffa
Reviewed by Vivek Kumar

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Monika Bulaj - Photographer
Monika Bulaj’s stunning, painting-like photographs blur religious and cultural divisions, exploding stereotypes. She is a TED Fellow.

Why you should listen

Monika Bulaj is a photographer and writer who explores -- in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe -- the dim areas of monotheism, where the sacred can transcend borders: Bonfires, dances, cults of the dead, possession rites. She describes outskirts and deserts, frontiers and megalopolis. And the world of the last ones: nomads, farmers, immigrants, outcasts, untouchables and impure.

Her photos and reportaging have been published by GEO, National Geographic (Italy), La Repubblica, periodicals by Gruppo Espresso and Rcs, Courrier International, Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland), Internazionale, Freundin, Teatr (Poland) and other international magazines.
She has displayed more than 50 personal exibitions in Italy, Germany, Ungheria, Bulgaria, Egypt.

Her books include Libya felix, a travel into Sufism and the world of the Tuaregh; Figli di Noè, on minorities and faiths in Azerbaijian; Rebecca e la pioggia, on the nomadic tribe of the Dinka of South Sudan; Gerusalemme perduta with Paolo Rumiz, the special correspondent of La Repubblica, on the pellegrinage in the research of the Eastern Christians; Genti di Dio, viaggio nell'Altra Europa, a synthesis of 20 years of research in East Europe and Israel, and her latest book, Bozy ludzie. 

She has screenwritten documentaries, among which is the movie Romani Rat (2002) by M. Orlandi, on the Holocaust of the Roms, with the contribution of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. She's the director, photography director, and screenwriter of the documentary Figli di Noè, about the villages of Caucasus on the border between Dagestan and Azerbaigian.

Bulaj is a TED Fellow. Read TED's Q&A with Monika Bulaj >>

More profile about the speaker
Monika Bulaj | Speaker | TED.com