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

莫妮卡·布拉赫:阿富汗不為人知唧一面

Filmed:
669,507 views

攝影師莫妮卡·布拉赫同觀眾分享咗佢喺阿富汗影唧相,佢哋展示咗阿富汗強大而親密唧一面,展現咗人們唧屋企、習俗、男人同女人。通過新聞頭條之餘,大家究竟有幾瞭解依個地方呢?
- 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.

00:15
My travels旅行 to Afghanistan阿富汗
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好多好多年以前
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began初時 many好多, many好多 years ago
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我就以阿富汗為終點開始旅行。
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on the eastern東部 border邊境 of my country國家,
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旅程由我唧祖國,
00:24
my homeland家園, Poland波蘭.
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波蘭唧東邊界開始。
00:27
I was walking through透過 the forests森林
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我行過嫲嫲故仔入邊
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of my grandmother's祖母的 tales故事.
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唧森林。
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A land土地 where every field領域 hides隱藏 a grave墳墓,
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我行過周圍都喺墓地唧地方;
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where millions数百万 of people
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喺果啲地方,喺20世紀
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have been deported驅逐出境 or killed
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成千上萬唧人
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in the 20th century世紀.
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被放逐或殺害。
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Behind背後 the destruction破壞,
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但喺喺依啲災難之外,
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I found發現 a soul靈魂 of places地方.
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我發現咗一片充滿靈魂唧土地,
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I met遇到 humble卑微 people.
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我見到謙遜唧人,
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I heard聽到 their佢哋 prayer祈禱
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我聽到佢哋唧祈禱,
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and ate their佢哋 bread麵包.
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我食佢哋食唧麵包。
00:57
Then I have been walking East for 20 years --
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從東歐到中亞,
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from Eastern東部 Europe歐洲 to Central中央 Asia亞洲 --
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我行咗20年;
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through透過 the Caucasus高加索 Mountains,
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我穿過咗高加索山脈,
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Middle中間 East,
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行過咗中東
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North Africa非洲,
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北非
01:11
Russia俄羅斯.
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同俄羅斯。
01:13
And I ever met遇到 more humble卑微 people.
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我見到更多謙遜唧人,
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And I shared共享 their佢哋 bread麵包 and their佢哋 prayer祈禱.
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食佢哋唧麵包,聽佢哋唧祈禱。
01:20
This is why I went to Afghanistan阿富汗.
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依個就喺我去阿富汗唧原因。
01:23
One day, I crossed越過 the bridge
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有一日,我行過
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over the Oxus奥克苏斯 River.
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奧克蘇斯河上條橋。
01:29
I was alone一手一腳 on foot隻腳.
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我獨自一人行走,
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And the Afghan阿富汗 soldier士兵 was so surprised驚訝 to see me
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個阿富汗士兵見到我唧時候都好驚訝,
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that he forgot唔記得 to stamp郵票 my passport護照.
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甚至唔記得喺我唧護照上蓋章,
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But he gave me a cup of tea.
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但喺佢哋畀咗杯茶我。
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And I understood理解
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我覺得
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that his surprise驚喜 was my protection保護.
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佢唧驚訝反而保護咗我。
01:43
So I have been walking and traveling旅行,
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由阿富汗唧伊朗邊境,
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by horses, by yak氂牛, by truck貨車, by hitchhiking搭便車,
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到阿富汗底部唧瓦罕走廊,
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from Iran's伊朗嘅 border邊境
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我行過路,騎過馬,
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to the bottom底部, to the edge邊緣 of the Wakhan瓦罕 Corridor走廊.
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撐過艇,仲搭過便車。
01:56
And in this way
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就喺通過依啲方式,
01:58
I could find noor努爾, the hidden隱藏 light of Afghanistan阿富汗.
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我發現咗阿富汗神秘唧一面:努爾鎮。
02:05
My only weapon武器
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我唯一唧武器
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was my notebook筆記本 and my Leica萊卡.
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就喺我本筆記簿同我部相機。
02:12
I heard聽到 prayers祈禱 of the Sufi蘇菲 --
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我聽到伊斯蘭教蘇菲派唧祈禱
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humble卑微 Muslims穆斯林,
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見到謙遜唧穆斯林,
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hated討厭 by the Taliban塔利班.
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但系塔利班分子好憎佢哋。
02:18
Hidden隱藏 river,
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仲有不為人知唧河流,
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interconnected互聯 with the mysticism神秘主義
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將從直布羅陀到印度
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from Gibraltar直布羅陀 to India印度.
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所有神秘唧嘢連接起身。
02:25
The mosque清真寺 where the respectful尊重 foreigner外國人
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喺清真寺,恭敬唧外國人
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is showered冲完凉 with blessings祝福
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都受到保佑,
02:32
and with tears眼淚,
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感到溫情,
02:35
and welcomed歡迎 as a gift禮物.
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當地人都當寶咁歡迎佢哋。
02:39
What do we know
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關於依個國家同人民
02:41
about the country國家 and the people
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我哋知道幾多?
02:43
that we pretend假裝 to protect保護,
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我哋只喺假裝保護佢哋。
02:46
about the villages村莊
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我哋又有幾瞭解啲鄉鎮?
02:49
where the only one medicine醫學
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依度唯一止痛唧藥
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to kill the pain痛苦 and to stop the hunger飢餓
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唯一止餓唧食物
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is opium鴉片?
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喺鴉片。
02:55
These are opium-addicted鴉片上癮 people
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依啲戰爭10年後
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on the roofs屋頂 of Kabul喀布爾
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喺喀布爾屋頂上
03:01
10 years after the beginning初時 of our war戰爭.
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染上鴉片癮唧人。
03:05
These are the nomad遊牧 girls女孩
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依啲喺遊牧民族唧女仔,
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who became成為 prostitutes娼妓 for Afghan阿富汗 businessmen商人.
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佢哋成為咗阿富汗商人唧性工具。
03:12
What do we know about the women婦女
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戰爭10年後,
03:14
10 years after the war戰爭?
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我哋對女性瞭解幾多?
03:16
Clothed穿 in this nylon尼龍 bag,
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佢哋身上套住個中國製造唧
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made作出 in China中國,
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尼龍袋,
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with the name名字 of burqa罩袍.
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所謂唧穆斯林傳統波卡服裝。
03:24
I saw one day,
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有一日,
03:26
the largest最大 school學校 in Afghanistan阿富汗,
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我見到阿富汗最大唧學校,
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a girls'女仔 ' school學校.
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喺間女子學校。
03:31
13,000 girls女孩
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有一萬三千個女仔
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studying研究 here
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喺依度返學,
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in the rooms間房 underground地下,
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佢哋喺地面下一間房上課,
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full of scorpions蠍子.
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入邊周圍都喺蝎子。
03:44
And their佢哋 love [for studying研究]
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但喺佢哋對學習唧熱愛
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was so big that I cried.
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令我熱淚盈眶。
03:52
What do we know
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我哋又知道幾多
03:54
about the death死亡 threats威脅 by the Taliban塔利班
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果啲夠膽送自己個女去返學唧家長
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nailed on the doors
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受到幾多
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of the people who dare to send發送 their佢哋 daughters女兒 to school學校 as in Balkh巴尔赫?
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阿富汗恐怖分子唧死亡恐嚇?
04:05
The region一區 is not secure安全, but full of the Taliban塔利班,
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依個地區好危險,而且周圍都喺塔利班份子,
04:08
and they did it.
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但喺啲女仔都讀到書。
04:10
My aim目的 is to give a voice聲音
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我想幫啲無辦法出聲唧人,
04:12
to the silent沉默 people,
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講出佢哋唧故仔,
04:15
to show顯示 the hidden隱藏 lights
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展示佢哋不為人知唧一面;
04:19
behind背後 the curtain窗簾 of the great game遊戲,
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展示喺依場遊戲唧帷幕后邊,
04:22
the small worlds世界 ignored忽視 by the media媒體
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被媒體,被全球危機先知
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and the prophets先知 of a global全球 conflict衝突.
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所遺忘唧小小世界。
04:27
Thanks多謝.
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多謝。
04:29
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Xun Lin
Reviewed by Yipeng Xie

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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