TED2017
Anjan Sundaram: Why I risked my life to expose a government massacre
Andžan Sundaram (Anjan Sundaram): Zašto sam rizikovao svoj život da razotkrijem masakr koji je vlada počinila
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Andžan Sundaram, novinar-istraživač i TED Fellow, kaže da ratno područje može proći kao uglavnom mirno mesto ako niko ne gleda. U ovom kratkom i odsečnom govoru on nas vodi u središte konflikta u Centralnoafričkoj Republici, gde je video sistematsku pripremu etničkog čišćenja, i deli savet zašto je važno biti svedok patnji drugih ljudi. „Zanemareni ljudi u svim našim zajednicama nam govore nešto važno o tome ko smo“, kaže Sundaram. „Očevidac može postati dragocen, a njegov pogled veoma neophodan kada se nasilje odvija u tišini, kada se ne vidi i ne čuje.“
Anjan Sundaram - Author, journalist
TED Fellow Anjan Sundaram has spent the last decade writing about 21st century dictatorships, forgotten conflicts and discrimination around the world – from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda and India. Full bio
TED Fellow Anjan Sundaram has spent the last decade writing about 21st century dictatorships, forgotten conflicts and discrimination around the world – from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda and India. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
What does it mean to be a witness?
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Šta znači biti očevidac?
00:17
Why is it important to bear witness
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Zašto je važno biti svedok patnji ljudi,
00:20
to people's suffering,
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00:22
especially when those people
are isolated from us?
are isolated from us?
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naročito ako su ti ljudi izolovani od nas?
00:27
And what happens when we turn away?
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Šta se dešava kada okrenemo leđa?
00:32
Three years ago, I traveled
to the Central African Republic
to the Central African Republic
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Pre tri godine sam otputovao
u Centralnoafričku Republiku
u Centralnoafričku Republiku
00:35
to report on its ongoing war.
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da izveštavam o ratu
koji je tamo bio u toku.
koji je tamo bio u toku.
00:38
I'd heard warnings of massacres
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Čuo sam upozorenja o masakrima
00:41
in the country's jungles and deserts,
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u tamošnjim džunglama i pustinjama,
00:45
but no one could locate these massacres
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ali niko nije mogao da locira te masakre
00:48
or tell me who was killed, or when.
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ili da mi kaže ko je ubijen ili kada.
00:53
I drove into this war
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Uputio sam se u ovaj rat
sa malo informacija.
sa malo informacija.
00:56
with little information.
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00:58
I witnessed scenes
that were tragic and unreal,
that were tragic and unreal,
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Bio sam očevidac scena
koje su bile tragične i nestvarne,
koje su bile tragične i nestvarne,
01:03
and only at the end did I realize
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a tek na kraju sam shvatio
01:06
that I had witnessed
the slow preparation of ethnic cleansing.
the slow preparation of ethnic cleansing.
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da sam bio očevidac postepenih
priprema etničkog čišćenja.
priprema etničkog čišćenja.
01:14
The Central African Republic
is a country of about five million people
is a country of about five million people
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Centralnoafrička Republika je država
sa oko pet miliona ljudi,
sa oko pet miliona ljudi,
01:18
the size of Texas
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veličine je Teksasa
01:19
in the center of Africa.
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i nalazi se u središnjem delu Afrike.
01:22
The country has known chronic violence
since French colonial rule ended in 1960.
since French colonial rule ended in 1960.
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Ova država živi uz neprestalno nasilje
od kada se francuska kolonijalna
vladavina okončala 1960. godine.
vladavina okončala 1960. godine.
01:28
The war I reported on
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Rat o kojem sam izveštavao
01:30
was between the minority
Muslim government,
Muslim government,
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bio je između manjinske muslimanske vlade,
01:33
called the Seleka,
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zvane Seleka,
01:35
and citizen militias,
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i uglavnom hrišćanske narodne vojske,
01:38
mostly Christian,
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01:39
called the anti-balaka.
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zvane „antibalaka“.
01:44
The first sign of the impending cleansing
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Prvi znak predstojećeg etničkog čišćenja
01:47
was the breakdown of trust
within communities.
within communities.
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bio je prekid poverenja u zajednicama.
01:52
Three days after I arrived in the country,
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Tri dana nakon što sam stigao u državu
01:54
I watched the small city
of Gaga be abandoned.
of Gaga be abandoned.
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posmatrao sam kako ljudi
napuštaju gradić Gagu.
napuštaju gradić Gagu.
01:59
A battle was about to break out.
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Sukob samo što nije izbio.
02:02
And to save themselves,
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Da bi se spasli
02:03
many people were working
as government spies,
as government spies,
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mnogi ljudi su radili kao špijuni za vladu
02:07
identifying friends and neighbors
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i identifikovali su prijatelje i komšije
02:11
to be killed.
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koje je trebalo ubiti.
02:14
Cities and towns,
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Veliki i mali gradovi,
02:17
any place with humans, had become unsafe.
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bilo koje naselje sa ljudima,
postali su nebezbedni,
postali su nebezbedni,
02:22
So people moved to the jungle.
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tako da su se ljudi preselili u džunglu.
02:25
I felt strangely isolated
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Osećao sam čudnu izolovanost
02:29
as pigs and livestock
moved into the empty homes.
moved into the empty homes.
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kada su se svinje i stoka
uselili u prazne kuće.
uselili u prazne kuće.
02:36
In a war zone,
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U ratnom području
02:37
you know that you are near the killing
when people have left.
when people have left.
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znate da ubijanja slede kada ljudi odu.
02:42
The war moved across the jungle
and reached Gaga,
and reached Gaga,
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Rat se proširio kroz džunglu
i stigao do Gage,
i stigao do Gage,
02:45
and I was surrounded
by the thunder of bombs.
by the thunder of bombs.
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a ja sam bio okružen grmljavinom
izazvanom bombama.
izazvanom bombama.
02:49
Government forces drove into the jungle
to attack a town sheltering a militia.
to attack a town sheltering a militia.
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Vladine snage su ušle u džunglu
da napadnu grad koji je pružao
utočište narodnoj vojsci.
utočište narodnoj vojsci.
02:56
I rode on motorcycle for hours,
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Satima sam se vozio na motoru
02:59
crossing jungle streams
and tall elephant grass,
and tall elephant grass,
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preko potoka u džungli
i kroz visoko rastinje,
i kroz visoko rastinje,
03:03
but I only got to the town
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ali stigao sam u taj grad
03:05
after the government had burned it
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tek nakon što ga je vlada spalila,
03:07
and its people were gone.
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a stanovnici ga napustili.
03:10
To see if I could speak to someone,
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Da bih popričao sa nekim,
03:12
I shouted out that I was a friend,
that I would not hurt them.
that I would not hurt them.
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uzviknuo sam da sam prijatelj,
da ih neću povrediti.
da ih neću povrediti.
03:16
A woman in a red shirt
ran out of the forest.
ran out of the forest.
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Žena u crvenoj košulji
je istrčala iz šume.
je istrčala iz šume.
03:21
Others cautiously emerged from the trees
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Ostali su obazrivo izašli iza drveća
03:24
and asked, "Est-ce les gens savent?"
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i upitali: „Est-ce les gens savent?“
03:28
"Do people know?"
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„Da li svet zna?“
03:30
The question surprised me.
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Pitanje me je iznenadilo.
03:32
Their children were hungry and sick,
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Deca su im bila gladna i bolesna,
03:35
but they didn't ask for food or medicine.
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ali oni nisu tražili hranu ili lekove.
03:38
They asked me,
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Pitali su me:
03:40
"Do people know what is happening to us?"
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„Da li svet zna šta nam se dešava?“
03:45
I felt helpless
as I wrote down their question.
as I wrote down their question.
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Osećao sam se bespomoćno
dok sam zapisivao njihovo pitanje.
dok sam zapisivao njihovo pitanje.
03:49
And I became determined
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Bio sam odlučan
03:52
that this moment in their lives
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da ovaj trenutak njihovih života
03:56
should not be forgotten.
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ne treba biti zaboravljen.
03:59
In bearing witness to their crisis,
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Dok sam bio svedok njihove nesreće,
04:01
I felt a small communion
with these people.
with these people.
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osećao sam izvesnu prisnost
sa ovim ljudima.
sa ovim ljudima.
04:06
From far away, this war had felt
like a footnote in world news.
like a footnote in world news.
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Iz daleka ovaj rat je izgledao
kao marginalna vest iz sveta.
kao marginalna vest iz sveta.
04:13
As a witness,
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Kao svedoku,
04:14
the war felt like history unfolding.
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rat je izgledao kao stvaranje istorije.
04:18
The government denied
that it was committing any violence,
that it was committing any violence,
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Vlada je negirala
da je vršila ikakvo nasilje,
da je vršila ikakvo nasilje,
04:22
but I continually drove through towns
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ali sam se ja neprestano
vozio kroz gradove
vozio kroz gradove
04:25
where people described
government massacres
government massacres
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u kojima su ljudi opisivali masakre
koje je vlada počinila
koje je vlada počinila
04:28
from a day or a week before.
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dan ili nedelju dana pre toga.
04:33
I felt overwhelmed
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Bio sam potresen
04:35
and tried to calm myself.
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i pokušao sam da se smirim.
04:38
As I reported on these massacres,
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Dok sam izveštavao o ovim masakrima,
04:40
I bought and ate
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kupovao sam i jeo
04:43
little sweets,
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male poslastice,
04:45
seeking the familiar
comfort of their taste.
comfort of their taste.
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tražeći poznatu utehu njihovog ukusa.
04:51
Central Africans ate these sweets
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Lokalno stanovništvo
je jelo ove poslastice
je jelo ove poslastice
04:54
to ease their hunger,
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da bi ublažilo glad,
04:56
leaving a trail of thousands
of plastic wrappers as they fled.
of plastic wrappers as they fled.
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pri tom ostavljajući trag hiljade
plastičnih omotača dok su bežali.
plastičnih omotača dok su bežali.
05:02
On the few radio stations
still operating in the country,
still operating in the country,
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Na nekoliko radio stanica
koje su još uvek radile u državi
koje su još uvek radile u državi
05:06
I mostly heard pop music.
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uglavnom sam čuo pop muziku.
05:10
As the war mounted,
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Kako je rat napredovao,
05:12
we received less information
about the massacres.
about the massacres.
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dobijali smo manje
informacija o masakrima.
informacija o masakrima.
05:16
It became easier
to feel a sense of normalcy.
to feel a sense of normalcy.
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Postajalo je lakše
imati osećaj normalnosti.
imati osećaj normalnosti.
05:24
I witnessed the effect
of this missing information.
of this missing information.
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Bio sam svedok posledice
ovog nedostatka informacija.
ovog nedostatka informacija.
05:28
Two weeks later, I slowly and anxiously
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Dve nedelje kasnije polako i zabrinuto
05:32
drove into an isolated
militia headquarters,
militia headquarters,
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sam se odvezao u udaljeno
sedište narodne vojske,
sedište narodne vojske,
05:35
a town called PK100.
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grad po imenu PK100.
05:38
Here, Christian fighters told me
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Tu su mi hrišćanski borci rekli
05:41
that all Muslims were foreigners,
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da su svi muslimani stranci,
zli i u savezu sa vladom.
zli i u savezu sa vladom.
05:44
evil and allied with the government.
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05:47
They likened Muslims to animals.
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Poredili su muslimane sa životinjama.
05:52
Without neutral observers or media
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Bez neutralnih posmatrača ili medija
05:55
to counter this absurd narrative,
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da se suprotstave ovoj apsurdnoj priči,
05:58
it became the single narrative
in these camps.
in these camps.
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to je postala jedina priča
u ovim kampovima.
u ovim kampovima.
06:02
The militias began to hunt down Muslims,
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Narodna vojska je počela progon muslimana
06:05
and emptied the capital, Bangui,
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i proterala je skoro 140 000 muslimana
iz glavnog grada, Bangija,
iz glavnog grada, Bangija,
06:08
of nearly 140,000 Muslims
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06:11
in just a few months.
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za samo nekoliko meseci.
06:14
Most of the killing and fleeing of Muslims
went unrecorded by witnesses.
went unrecorded by witnesses.
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Većina slučajeva ubijanja muslimana
i njihovog bežanja
i njihovog bežanja
nije bila zabeležena od strane svedoka.
06:22
I'm telling you about my reporting
in the Central African Republic,
in the Central African Republic,
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Pričam vam o svom izveštavanju
u Centralnoafričkoj Republici,
u Centralnoafričkoj Republici,
06:27
but I still ask myself why I went there.
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ali se i dalje pitam
zašto sam otišao tamo,
zašto sam otišao tamo,
06:31
Why put myself at risk?
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zašto sam se izložio riziku.
06:34
I do this work
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Radim ovaj posao
06:35
because I feel that ignored people
in all our communities
in all our communities
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jer mislim da nam zanemareni ljudi
u svim našim zajednicama
u svim našim zajednicama
06:41
tell us something important
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govore nešto važno o tome ko smo.
06:43
about who we are.
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06:48
When information is missing,
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Kada informacije nedostaju
06:50
people have the power
to manipulate reality.
to manipulate reality.
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ljudi imaju moć da manipulišu stvarnost.
06:55
Without witnesses,
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Bez očevidaca
06:57
we would believe that those thousands
of massacred people are still alive,
of massacred people are still alive,
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verovali bismo da su te hiljade
masakriranih ljudi i dalje žive,
masakriranih ljudi i dalje žive,
07:02
that those hundreds
of burned homes are still standing.
of burned homes are still standing.
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da su te stotine spaljenih kuća
još uvek na mestu.
još uvek na mestu.
07:06
A war zone can pass
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Ratno područje može proći
07:08
for a mostly peaceful place
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kao uglavnom mirno mesto
07:10
when no one is watching.
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ako niko ne gleda.
07:14
And a witness can become precious,
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Očevidac može postati dragocen,
07:17
and their gaze most necessary,
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a njegov pogled krajnje neophodan
07:20
when violence passes silently,
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kada se nasilje odvija u tišini,
07:25
unseen and unheard.
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kada se ne vidi i ne čuje.
07:27
Thank you.
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Hvala.
07:29
(Applause)
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(Aplauz)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Anjan Sundaram - Author, journalistTED Fellow Anjan Sundaram has spent the last decade writing about 21st century dictatorships, forgotten conflicts and discrimination around the world – from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda and India.
Why you should listen
Anjan Sundaram is the author of Bad News: Last Journalists in a Dictatorship (Ingabire prize, PEN America prize finalist, Amazon Best Book of 2016) and Stringer: A Reporter's Journey in the Congo (Royal African Society Book of the Year in 2014, BBC Book of the Week). His writing has appeared in Granta, The New York Review of Books, the New York Times, The Guardian and Foreign Policy. His war correspondence won a Frontline Club award in 2015 and a Reuters prize in 2006. Sundaram is a TED Fellow. He graduated from Yale University.
Anjan Sundaram | Speaker | TED.com