Farida Nabourema: Is your country at risk of becoming a dictatorship? Here's how to know
法里达·纳博雷马: 如何辨别贵国是否存在专政风险
Farida Nabourema is a key voice in Togo’s pro-democracy movement. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
elections in the United States
should be made a holiday.
to my country and vote.
以方便军方统计票数。“
to allow the military to count it."
位于西非。
located in West Africa.
interesting facts about my country.
by the same family for 51 years,
世界上幸福感最低的国家。
as the unhappiest country on earth.
to live under an autocracy.
met, throughout the course of my activism,
他们的反应都是:
their reaction is always,
to terrorize you for 51 years?
you must be very patient."
of saying "stupid."
that those who are oppressed
or are comfortable with it,
民主是一种先进的治理方式
as a progressive form of governance
who don't live under democratic countries
intellectually or maybe morally
are covered about dictatorships.
with so many news outlets out there,
“ 你是怎么开始的?
"What got you started?
I was triggered."
"Well, what triggered you?"
父亲被逮捕和折磨的故事,
was arrested when I was 13, and tortured,
to get into details now,
采访者最感兴趣的话题是
what interests them the most is:
有多少人被折磨致死。
in the abuse, in the killing,
能博人眼球,引人同情。
will gain attention and sympathy.
the purpose of the dictator.
I call "Faure Must Go,"
“富尔下台”的运动,
the first name of our president.
多哥的官方语言是法语,
country, by the way,
I had my issues with France as well.
“富尔下台”的运动后,
你60天内必须下台,
I give you 60 days to resign as president,
把你拉下马,
and we will bring you down,
over 500 of our countrymen
and we will remove you."
of the movement.
因为我就是那个愚蠢的人。
we don't want to die with you,
so I haven't talked to them in five years.
I have been working with countries
overcome their fear
they want change.
的要务是去动员,
as an activist is to mobilize,
understand that, as citizens,
我们才是国家的主宰。
are using to intimidate them
from getting what we want.
to cover the stories of activists
报道社会积极分子的故事很重要,
deter their action
to the oppressive system.
that I've been an activist,
because I couldn't take it.
465 miles from his village to the city,
the sacrifice of my father,
they would write pamphlets
afford to make copies,
the same pamphlet 500 times each
knew their handwriting,
they'd go and get them.
you know, today you have a blog.
the same thing 500 times.
calling me the WhatsApp girl,
attacking the government.
I just make an angry note,
and thousands of people share it.
I'm always angry, by the way.
to showcase our stories,
讲述我们故事的必要性,
那些牺牲者的血与泪,
the sacrifices that were made for us,
of our Faure Must Go movement
asking citizens to sign
宪法允许的范围内重新选举。
as the constitution allows.
they don't want to get in trouble.
也很害怕签字。
who was in her 60s.
毫不犹豫地签字了,
she took the petition,
over 1,000 [signatures].
得到什么利益的60岁的人
nothing more to gain in this regime
the stories of defiance,
and killings and hurt,
for us to be scared.
a few characteristics of dictatorships
独裁者的一些特质,
你们是否面临着独裁的风险。
at risk of joining us.
concentration of power.
in the hands of a few, an elite?
政治精英或者思想精英。
ideological elite.
who is presented as the messiah
that they are the saviors,
国家就会分崩离析。
the country will fall apart.
some foreign forces, you know?
我们就会灭亡了。
we'll all be broke.
he fights pirates.
1300百万美金的船去抗击海盗。
13 million dollars to fight pirates,
还饱受饥饿之苦。
from some foreign forces.
militarization.
to suppress dissident voices,
to give the impression
is to protect the nation.
and destroy them
held accountable.
militarized country?
what I call human cruelty.
我们称之为虐畜罪,
when animals are abused,
acknowledged by the UN
So you don't have that.
我们称之为虐畜罪,
we say animal cruelty.
我们称之为侵犯人权,
we say human rights abuses,
that all humans have rights.
for our right to have rights.
human rights abuse or violation.
由你反对的总统治理的国家时,
and you have an issue with the president
is he bans you from the presidency,
而你反对多哥的总统,
and have an issue with the president,
甚至是消失在这个世界上,
you vanish from the universe,
我们不住在多哥。
we don't get to live in Togo anymore.
生活不超过一个月,
for more than a month,
in all impunity under dictatorships
of the activists that were killed,
their hearing or their sight --
多过死亡本身。
than how it will happen.
然后想象那些场景。
and I imagine all scenarios.
他们会先把我的耳朵剪下来吗?
Are they going to cut my ears first?
而割掉我的舌头吗?
because I'm always insulting them?
但这就是现实。
to share about autocracies,
看看你们是否面临独裁风险。
and see if there are risks there.
the gains of freedom that you have today,
为之付出了生命。
to give their lives for you to have it.
you also need to know
destined to be oppressed,
能免受压迫和独裁。
to oppression and dictatorship.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Farida Nabourema - Activist, writerFarida Nabourema is a key voice in Togo’s pro-democracy movement.
Why you should listen
A political activist and writer, Farida Nabourema has been a fearless advocate for democracy and human rights in Togo since she was a teenager. Through more than 400 articles on her blog and other sites, she denounces corruption and dictatorship and promotes a form of progressive pan-Africanism. In 2014, she published La Pression de l'Oppression (The Pressure of Oppression), in which she discussed the different forms of oppression that people face throughout Africa and highlighted the need for oppressed people to fight back.
Nabourema is also the engagement and collaboration coordinator of Africans Rising, a pan-African movement that fights for justice, peace and dignity through grassroots organizing, civic education and advocacy. She cofounded and is the executive director of the Togolese Civil League, an NGO that promotes democracy through civil resistance. In 2001, at age 20, Nabourema founded the "Faure Must Go" movement, where she supported and organized with Togolese youths to stand against the dictatorial regime of Faure Gnassingbé. "Faure Must Go" has become the slogan for the civil resistance movement in Togo, of which Nabourema is one of the most well-known leaders.
Nabourema was awarded the "Young Advocate of the Year" and the "Female African Youth of the Year" in 2018 by Africa Youth Award for her contribution to raising awareness on the oldest military regime in Africa.
Farida Nabourema | Speaker | TED.com