TED2017
Wanuri Kahiu: Fun, fierce and fantastical African art
Wanuri Kahiu: Sanaa maridadi ya Kiafrika inayochekesha na kushangaza.
Filmed:
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Tumeshazoea hadithi za kutoka nje zikieleza Afrika kama sehemu ya vita, umasikini na uharibifu, anasema Wanuri Kahiu ambaye ni mwenza wa TED. Furaha ipo wapi? Anatambulisha "AfroBubbleGum" -- Sanaa ya Afrika ambayo inasisimua, yenye kufurahisha na isiyo na mjadala wa kisiasa. Kuwaza tena thamani ya mambo ambayo si makubwa. Kama anavyoelezea Kahiu kwa nini tunahitaji sanaa ambayo inagusa sehemu yote ya mapitio mwanadamu ili kuelezea hadithi za Afrika.
Wanuri Kahiu - Filmmaker, writer
Wanuri Kahiu wants to curate, commission and create art that celebrates fun, fierce and frivolous Africa. Full bio
Wanuri Kahiu wants to curate, commission and create art that celebrates fun, fierce and frivolous Africa. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
Mama yangu ni daktari wa watoto,
00:12
So, my mother's a pediatrician,
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and when I was young,
she'd tell the craziest stories
she'd tell the craziest stories
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na nilipokuwa mdogo, alikuwa akisimulia hadithi za kusisimua
00:19
that combined science
with her overactive imagination.
with her overactive imagination.
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zilizojumuisha sayansi na fikira zake zilizo hai kuliko kawaida.
00:23
One of the stories she told
was that if you eat a lot of salt,
was that if you eat a lot of salt,
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Moja ya hadithi alizonisimulia ni kuwa ukila chumvi nyingi,
00:27
all of the blood rushes up your legs,
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damu itapanda kutoka miguuni kwako,
00:31
through your body,
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kupitia mwili wako wote,
00:32
and shoots out the top of your head,
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na kutoka nje ya mwili juu ya kichwa chako,
00:34
killing you instantly.
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na kukuua mara moja.
00:36
(Laughter)
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(Kicheko)
00:37
She called it "high blood pressure."
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Aliita "shinikizo la damu"
00:39
(Laughter)
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(Kicheko)
00:41
This was my first experience
with science fiction,
with science fiction,
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Hii ilikuwa mara yangu ya kwanza kusikia hadithi ya sayansi ya kufikirika,
00:44
and I loved it.
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na niliipenda.
00:45
So when I started to write
my own science fiction and fantasy,
my own science fiction and fantasy,
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Kwa hiyo nilipoanza kuandika hadithi zangu mwenyewe za sayansi ya kufikirika,
00:49
I was surprised that it
was considered un-African.
was considered un-African.
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Nilishangaa kwamba ilichukuliwa kama si Uafrika.
00:52
So naturally, I asked, what is African?
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Kwa uhalisia, niliuliza, Uafrika ni nini?
00:54
And this is what I know so far:
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Na hili ndilo ninalojua kwa sasa:
00:57
Africa is important.
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Afrika ni muhimu.
01:00
Africa is the future.
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Afrika ndiyo kesho.
01:01
It is, though.
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Ni kweli, ingawa.
01:03
And Africa is a serious place
where only serious things happen.
where only serious things happen.
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Na Afrika ni sehemu makini ambapo vitu makini pekee hutokea.
01:07
So when I present my work somewhere,
someone will always ask,
someone will always ask,
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Kwa hiyo nikiwakilisha kazi yangu sehemu fulani, mtu fulani lazima atauliza,
01:12
"What's so important about it?
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"Ina umuhimu gani hasa?
01:14
How does it deal with real African issues
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Inashughulika vipi na matatizo halisi ya Kiafrika
01:17
like war, poverty, devastation or AIDS?"
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kama vita, umasikini, uharibifu au UKIMWI?"
01:22
And it doesn't.
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Na haishughuliki na hayo mambo.
01:24
My work is about Nairobi pop bands
that want to go to space
that want to go to space
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Kazi yangu ni kuhusu bendi ya muziki wa pop ambayo inataka kwenda anga la juu
01:29
or about seven-foot-tall robots
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au kuhusu roboti mwenye urefu wa futi saba
01:32
that fall in love.
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ambaye anatokea kupenda.
01:34
It's nothing incredibly important.
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Si vitu muhimu kwa kiasi kikubwa.
01:37
It's just fun, fierce and frivolous,
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Ni vitu vya kufurahisha, visivyo na umuhimu na vya kijinga,
01:41
as frivolous as bubble gum --
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visivyo na umuhimu kama peremende --
01:43
"AfroBubbleGum."
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"AfroBubbleGum"
01:46
So I'm not saying that
agenda art isn't important;
agenda art isn't important;
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Si kwamba nasema kwamba mjadala wa sanaa sio muhimu;
01:49
I'm the chairperson of a charity
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Mimi ni mwenyekiti wa mfuko wa kujitolea
01:52
that deals with films and theaters
that write about HIV and radicalization
that write about HIV and radicalization
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ambao unashughulika na filamu na maigizo ambapo huandika kuhusu UKIMWI na msimamo mkali.
01:58
and female genital mutilation.
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na ukeketaji kwa wanawake.
02:01
It's vital and important art,
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Ni sanaa muhimu mno,
02:03
but it cannot be the only art
that comes out of the continent.
that comes out of the continent.
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lakini si sanaa pekee inayotokea katika bara hili.
02:08
We have to tell more stories
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Tunatakiwa kusema hadithi zaidi
02:10
that are vibrant.
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ambazo ni za kutetemesha.
02:13
The danger of the single story
is still being realized.
is still being realized.
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Hatari ya hadithi bado inatambulika.
02:18
And maybe it's because of the funding.
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Na pengine ni kwa sababu ya michango.
02:19
A lot of art is still dependent
on developmental aid.
on developmental aid.
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Aina nyingi za sanaa bado zinategemea misaada ya maendeleo.
02:23
So art becomes a tool for agenda.
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Kwa hiyo sanaa inakuwa zana ya mjadala.
02:27
Or maybe it's because we've only seen
one image of ourselves for so long
one image of ourselves for so long
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Au kwa sababu tumeona taswira moja tu ya sisi wenyewe kwa muda mrefu
02:32
that that's all we know how to create.
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na hiyo ndiyo pekee tunayoweza kutengeneza.
02:34
Whatever the reason, we need a new way,
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Kwa sababu yoyote ile, tunahitaji njia mpya,
02:38
and AfroBubbleGum is one approach.
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na AfroBubbleGum ni moja ya njia.
02:40
It's the advocacy of art for art's sake.
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Ni mwakilishi wa sanaa kwa ajili ya sanaa.
02:44
It's the advocacy of art
that is not policy-driven
that is not policy-driven
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Ni mwakilishi wa sanaa ambayo haiongozwi na sera
02:47
or agenda-driven
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au mjadala
02:49
or based on education,
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au inayotegemea elimu,
02:51
just for the sake of imagination:
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ni kwa ajili ya fikira:
02:54
AfroBubbleGum art.
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Sanaa ya AfroBubbleGum.
02:56
And we can't all be AfroBubbleGumists.
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Na hatuwezi wote kuwa watu wa AfroBubbleGum.
02:59
We have to judge our work
for its potential poverty porn pitfalls.
for its potential poverty porn pitfalls.
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Tunatakiwa kutathmini kazi zetu kutokana mashimo ya kudhihirisha taswira ya umasikini.
03:03
We have to have tests
that are similar to the Bechdel test,
that are similar to the Bechdel test,
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Tunatakiwa kuwa na majaribio yanayorandana na jaribio la Bechdel,
03:09
and ask questions like:
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na kuuliza maswali kama:
03:11
Are two or more Africans
in this piece of fiction healthy?
in this piece of fiction healthy?
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Kuna waafrika wawili au zaidi wenye afya katika kipande hiki cha kufikirika?
03:17
Are those same Africans financially stable
and not in need of saving?
and not in need of saving?
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Waafrika haohao wapo imara kiuchumi na hawahitaji kuweka akiba?
03:23
Are they having fun and enjoying life?
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Wanaburudika na kufurahia maisha?
03:26
And if we can answer yes
to two or more of these questions,
to two or more of these questions,
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Na kama tutajibu ndiyo mara mbili au zaidi katika maswali haya,
03:29
then surely we're AfroBubbleGumists.
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basi kwa uhakika sisi ni AfroBubbleGumists.
03:32
(Laughter)
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(Kicheko)
03:33
(Applause)
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(Makofi)
03:38
And fun is political,
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Na furaha ni siasa,
03:40
because imagine if we have
images of Africans who were vibrant
images of Africans who were vibrant
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kwa sababu fikiria kwamba tuna taswira ya waafrika ambao walikuwa wanasisimua
03:44
and loving and thriving
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na wenye upendo na uhimilivu
03:46
and living a beautiful, vibrant life.
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na wanaoishi maisha mazuri na ya kusisimua.
03:49
What would we think of ourselves then?
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Tungewaza nini kuhusu nafsi zetu?
03:51
Would we think that maybe
we're worthy of more happiness?
we're worthy of more happiness?
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Tungewaza labda tunastahili furaha zaidi?
03:54
Would we think of our shared humanity
through our shared joy?
through our shared joy?
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Tungewaza ubinadamu wetu tunaoshirikishana kupitia furaha tunayoshirikishana?
03:59
I think of these things when I create.
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Huwa ninawaza kuhusu hivi vitu ninapofanya utunzi.
04:01
I think of the people and the places
that give me immeasurable joy,
that give me immeasurable joy,
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Ninawaza kuhusu watu na sehemu ambazo hunipa furaha isiyo na kipimo,
04:05
and I work to represent them.
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na ninafanya kazi kuwawakilisha.
04:07
And that's why I write stories
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Na ndiyo maana ninaandika hadithi
04:08
about futuristic girls that risk
everything to save plants
everything to save plants
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kuhusu msichana anayewaza kesho ambaye anajihatarisha kwa kila namna ili kuokoa mimea
04:13
or to race camels
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au kufanya mbio za ngamia
04:15
or even just to dance,
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au hata kucheza tu,
04:18
to honor fun,
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kwa ajili ya heshima ya furaha,
04:19
because my world is mostly happy.
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kwa sababu dunia yangu huwa na furaha mara nyingi.
04:21
And I know happiness is a privilege
in this current splintered world
in this current splintered world
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Na ninajua furaha ni upendeleo katika dunia ya sasa iliyogawanyika.
04:25
where remaining hopeful
requires diligence.
requires diligence.
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ambapo kubaki na matumaini kunahitaji bidii.
04:31
But maybe, if you join me
in creating, curating and commissioning
in creating, curating and commissioning
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Lakini labda, kama utaungana na mimi, kutengeneza, kuhariri na kutoa vibali kwa
04:36
more AfroBubbleGum art,
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sanaa zaidi ya AfroBubbleGum,
04:38
there might be hope
for a different view of the world,
for a different view of the world,
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kutakuwa na matumaini kwa mtazamo tofauti wa dunia,
04:41
a happy Africa view
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mtazamo wa furaha wa Afrika
04:43
where children are strangely traumatized
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ambapo watoto wanaweweseshwa kwa namna isiyojulikana
04:45
by their mother's dark sense of humor,
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kutokana na ucheshi wa mama zao ambao ni wa kutisha,
04:47
(Laughter)
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(Kicheko)
04:48
but also they're claiming fun,
fierce and frivolous art
fierce and frivolous art
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Lakini pia ni sanaa inayochekesha, isiyo na umuhimu na ya kijinga
04:53
in the name of all things
unseriously African.
unseriously African.
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katika majina ya vitu vyote ambavyo ni vya Kiafrika.
04:58
Because we're AfroBubbleGumists
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Kwa sababu sisi ni AfroBubbleGumists
05:00
and there's so many more of us
than you can imagine.
than you can imagine.
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na tupo wengi sana kuliko unavyoweza kufikiria.
05:04
Thank you so much.
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Asante sana.
05:05
(Applause)
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(Makofi)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Wanuri Kahiu - Filmmaker, writerWanuri Kahiu wants to curate, commission and create art that celebrates fun, fierce and frivolous Africa.
Why you should listen
Born in Nairobi, TED Fellow Wanuri Kahiu is part of the new generation of African filmmakers. Her films have received international acclaim and have been screened in more than 100 film festivals around the world. To date, Kahiu has written and directed six films and is working on her second feature length film.
Kahiu's first feature film, From a Whisper, based on the real events surrounding the 1998 twin bombings of US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, won Best Narrative Feature in 2010 at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles as well as five awards at the African Movie Academy Award, including Best Director and Best Screenplay.
In 2009 Wanuri produced TV documentary For Our Land about Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai for MNET, a pan-African cable station. In 2010, her short science fiction Pumzi premiered at Sundance and went on to win best short film at Cannes and the silver at Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia. Pumzi also earned Kahiu the Citta di Venezia 2010 award in Venice, Italy. She is currently in post production on her second feature film, Rafiki, as well as a feature length documentary Ger about UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Ger Duany.
Wanuri Kahiu | Speaker | TED.com