TEDGlobal 2014
Boniface Mwangi: The day I stood up alone
Boniface Mwangi: Seul debout !
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Le photographe Boniface Mwangi a voulu protester contre la corruption dans son pays natal, le Kenya. Il a donc planifié ça : avec des amis, il se lèverait et ferait du chahut pendant un rassemblement public. Mais au moment de se lever... il était seul.
Ce qui lui est arrivé après, dit-il, lui dévoila qui il était vraiment. Selon lui, « il y a deux jours vraiment marquants dans votre vie : le jour de votre naissance, et celui où vous découvrez pourquoi vous êtes né. ».
Boniface Mwangi -
Boniface Mwangi is an award-winning Kenyan photographer, artist and activist. He is a TED Fellow. Full bio
Boniface Mwangi is an award-winning Kenyan photographer, artist and activist. He is a TED Fellow. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
People back home call me a heckler,
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A la maison, on m'appelle un perturbateur,
00:16
a troublemaker, an irritant,
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un fauteur de troubles, un provocateur,
00:19
a rebel, an activist,
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un rebelle, un activiste,
00:21
the voice of the people.
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ou la voix du peuple.
00:23
But that wasn't always me.
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Mais je n'ai pas toujours été ainsi.
00:26
Growing up, I had a nickname.
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Adolescent, j'avais un surnom.
00:28
They used to call me Softy,
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On m'appelait Softy,
00:30
meaning the soft, harmless boy.
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le garçon doux et inoffensif.
Comme tous les autres êtres humains,
j'évitais les problèmes.
j'évitais les problèmes.
00:33
Like every other human being,
I avoided trouble.
I avoided trouble.
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00:36
In my childhood, they taught me silence.
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Enfant, on m'a appris le silence.
00:38
Don't argue, do as you're told.
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Ne contredis pas, fais ce qu'on te dit.
00:40
In Sunday school, they taught me
don't confront, don't argue,
don't confront, don't argue,
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A l'école du dimanche, on m'a appris
à ne pas affronter ni contredire autrui.
à ne pas affronter ni contredire autrui.
00:44
even if you're right,
turn the other cheek.
turn the other cheek.
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Même quand tu as raison,
tends l'autre joue.
tends l'autre joue.
00:47
This was reinforced
by the political climate of the time.
by the political climate of the time.
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Ceci était ratifié
par le climat politique de l'époque.
par le climat politique de l'époque.
00:52
(Laughter)
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(Rires)
00:55
Kenya is a country
where you are guilty
where you are guilty
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Le Kenya est un pays
où on est coupable,
où on est coupable,
00:57
until proven rich.
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jusqu'à preuve de richesse.
01:00
(Laughter)
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(Rires)
01:02
Kenya's poor are five times more likely
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Les pauvres au Kenya
sont 5 fois plus susceptibles
sont 5 fois plus susceptibles
01:05
to be shot dead by the police
who are meant to protect them
who are meant to protect them
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d'être tués par la police,
censée les protéger,
censée les protéger,
01:08
than by criminals.
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que par des criminels.
01:10
This was reinforced
by the political climate of the day.
by the political climate of the day.
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Ceci était ratifié
par le climat politique de l'époque.
par le climat politique de l'époque.
01:12
We had a president,
Moi, who was a dictator.
Moi, who was a dictator.
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Notre président, Moi,
était un dictateur.
était un dictateur.
01:15
He ruled the country with an iron fist,
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Il régnait sur le pays
avec une main de fer,
avec une main de fer,
01:18
and anyone who dared
question his authority
question his authority
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et quiconque osant défier son autorité
01:20
was arrested, tortured,
jailed or even killed.
jailed or even killed.
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était arrêté, torturé,
mis en prison, ou même tué.
mis en prison, ou même tué.
01:25
That meant that people were taught
to be smart cowards, stay out of trouble.
to be smart cowards, stay out of trouble.
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Donc, on apprenait aux gens à être
de lâches malins et d'éviter les ennuis.
de lâches malins et d'éviter les ennuis.
01:29
Being a coward was not an insult.
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Être un lâche n'était pas injurieux.
01:31
Being a coward was a compliment.
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Être un lâche était un compliment.
01:33
We used to be told that a coward
goes home to his mother.
goes home to his mother.
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On nous apprenait qu'un lâche
rentre à la maison, chez sa mère.
rentre à la maison, chez sa mère.
01:36
What that meant: that if you stayed
out of trouble you're going to stay alive.
out of trouble you're going to stay alive.
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Ce qui signifie : en évitant les ennuis,
on reste en vie.
on reste en vie.
Je remettais en question ce conseil.
01:40
I used to question this advice,
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Il y a 8 ans, c'était
les élections au Kenya,
les élections au Kenya,
01:42
and eight years ago
we had an election in Kenya,
we had an election in Kenya,
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dont les résultats furent
contestés dans la violence.
contestés dans la violence.
01:45
and the results were violently disputed.
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01:47
What followed that election
was terrible violence, rape,
was terrible violence, rape,
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Suite à ces élections, il y a eu
une vague terrible de violence, de viols,
une vague terrible de violence, de viols,
01:52
and the killing of over 1,000 people.
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et le meurtre de plus de 1000 personnes.
01:56
My work was to document the violence.
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Mon travail était de documenter
cette violence.
cette violence.
01:59
As a photographer,
I took thousands of images,
I took thousands of images,
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En tant que photographe,
je pris des centaines d'images.
je pris des centaines d'images.
02:02
and after two months,
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Mais deux mois plus tard,
02:04
the two politicians came together,
had a cup of tea,
had a cup of tea,
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les deux politiciens se sont rencontrés,
ont pris une tasse de thé,
ont pris une tasse de thé,
02:09
signed a peace agreement,
and the country moved on.
and the country moved on.
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ont signé un accord de paix,
et la vie a repris son cours.
et la vie a repris son cours.
02:12
I was a very disturbed man
because I saw the violence firsthand.
because I saw the violence firsthand.
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J'étais très troublé parce que j'étais
le témoin direct de cette violence.
le témoin direct de cette violence.
02:16
I saw the killings.
I saw the displacement.
I saw the displacement.
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J'avais vu les meurtres.
J'avais vu les déplacements.
J'avais vu les déplacements.
02:19
I met women who had been raped,
and it disturbed me,
and it disturbed me,
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J'avais rencontré des femmes violées,
et ça me troublait.
et ça me troublait.
02:22
but the country never spoke about it.
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Mais le pays se taisait sur le sujet.
02:24
We pretended. We all became smart cowards.
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Nous faisions semblant.
Nous étions des lâches malins.
Nous étions des lâches malins.
02:27
We decided to stay out of trouble
and not talk about it.
and not talk about it.
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Nous avions décidé d'éviter les ennuis,
et de ne pas en parler.
et de ne pas en parler.
02:30
Ten months later, I quit my job.
I said I could not stand it anymore.
I said I could not stand it anymore.
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Dix mois plus tard, j'ai donné ma
démission, je ne supportais plus ça.
démission, je ne supportais plus ça.
02:34
After quitting my job,
I decided to organize my friends
I decided to organize my friends
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Après ça, j'ai décidé de réunir mes amis
02:36
to speak about
the violence in the country,
the violence in the country,
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pour parler de la violence dans le pays,
02:38
to speak about the state of the nation,
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pour parler de l'état de notre nation.
02:40
and June 1, 2009 was the day
that we were meant to go to the stadium
that we were meant to go to the stadium
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Le 1er juin 2009,
nous devions aller au stade,
nous devions aller au stade,
02:44
and try and get the president's attention.
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pour capter l'attention du président.
02:46
It's a national holiday,
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C'est un jour férié,
02:48
it's broadcast across the country,
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l'événement est retransmis
dans tout le pays.
dans tout le pays.
02:49
and I showed up at the stadium.
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Je suis allé au stade.
02:53
My friends did not show up.
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Mais pas mes amis.
02:56
I found myself alone,
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J'étais seul,
02:59
and I didn't know what to do.
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sans savoir quoi faire.
03:02
I was scared,
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J'avais peur,
03:03
but I knew very well
that that particular day,
that that particular day,
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mais je savais que je devais
03:05
I had to make a decision.
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prendre une décision.
03:07
Was I able to live as a coward,
like everyone else,
like everyone else,
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Allais-je vivre en lâche,
comme les autres,
comme les autres,
03:09
or was I going to make a stand?
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ou allais-je me battre ?
03:11
And when the president stood up to speak,
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Quand le président s'est levé
pour parler,
pour parler,
03:13
I found myself on my feet
shouting at the president,
shouting at the president,
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je me suis retrouvé debout,
en train de crier au président
en train de crier au président
03:17
telling him to remember
the post-election violence victims,
the post-election violence victims,
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de se souvenir des victimes
des violences après les élections,
des violences après les élections,
03:21
to stop the corruption.
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et de mettre fin à la corruption.
03:23
And suddenly, out of nowhere,
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Brusquement, sortie du néant,
03:25
the police pounced on me
like hungry lions.
like hungry lions.
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la police s'est ruée sur moi,
comme des lions affamés.
comme des lions affamés.
03:28
They held my mouth
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Ils m'ont mis la main sur la bouche,
03:30
and dragged me out of the stadium,
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traîné hors du stade,
03:32
where they thoroughly beat me up
and locked me up in jail.
and locked me up in jail.
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pour me tabasser et ensuite
m'enfermer en prison.
m'enfermer en prison.
03:37
I spent that night in
a cold cement floor in the jail,
a cold cement floor in the jail,
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J'ai passé cette nuit-là
sur le sol en ciment glacé,
sur le sol en ciment glacé,
03:43
and that got me thinking.
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et ça m'a fait réfléchir.
03:46
What was making me feel this way?
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Qu'est-ce qui me poussait à être ainsi ?
03:48
My friends and family thought
I was crazy because of what I did,
I was crazy because of what I did,
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Mes amis et ma famille pensaient
que j'avais perdu la tête.
que j'avais perdu la tête.
03:51
and the images that I took
were disturbing my life.
were disturbing my life.
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Mais les photos que j'avais prises
perturbaient ma vie,
perturbaient ma vie,
03:56
The images that I took
were just a number to many Kenyans.
were just a number to many Kenyans.
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alors que pour trop de Kényans,
elles n'étaient que des statistiques.
elles n'étaient que des statistiques.
03:59
Most Kenyans did not see the violence.
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La plupart ne voyait pas la violence.
04:01
It was a story to them.
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C'était juste un fait divers.
04:03
And so I decided to actually
start a street exhibition
start a street exhibition
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Alors, j'ai décidé de réaliser
une exposition de rue
une exposition de rue
04:05
to show the images of the violence
across the country
across the country
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pour montrer les images de la violence
dans notre pays,
dans notre pays,
04:08
and get people talking about it.
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pour que les gens commencent à en parler.
04:10
We traveled the country
and showed the images,
and showed the images,
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A travers le pays,
on a montré ces photographies,
on a montré ces photographies,
04:13
and this was a journey that has started me
to the activist path,
to the activist path,
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et ce parcours m'a mis
sur la route de l'activisme.
sur la route de l'activisme.
04:16
where I decided to become silent no more,
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J'ai décidé à ce moment
de ne plus rester muet
de ne plus rester muet
04:19
to talk about those things.
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mais de parler de ces choses.
04:21
We traveled, and our general site
from our street exhibit
from our street exhibit
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On a voyagé et le site où nous avions
installé notre exposition urbaine
installé notre exposition urbaine
04:25
became for political graffiti
about the situation in the country,
about the situation in the country,
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a attiré les graffiti politiques
sur la situation du pays,
sur la situation du pays,
04:30
talking about corruption, bad leadership.
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sur la corruption,
la mauvaise gouvernance.
la mauvaise gouvernance.
04:33
We have even done symbolic burials.
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On y a même fait
des enterrements symboliques.
des enterrements symboliques.
04:36
We have delivered live pigs
to Kenya's parliament
to Kenya's parliament
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On a livré des cochons
au parlement kényan,
au parlement kényan,
symboles de la cupidité
de nos politiciens.
de nos politiciens.
04:40
as a symbol of our politicians' greed.
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04:42
It has been done in Uganda
and other countries,
and other countries,
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On l'a fait en Ouganda
et dans d'autres pays.
et dans d'autres pays.
04:45
and what is most powerful is that
the images have been picked by the media
the images have been picked by the media
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Le plus puissant, c'est que ces images
ont été reprises par les média
ont été reprises par les média
04:48
and amplified across the country,
across the continent.
across the continent.
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et amplifiées dans tout le pays,
sur tout le continent.
sur tout le continent.
04:51
Where I used to stand up alone
seven years ago,
seven years ago,
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Alors que j'étais seul il y a 7 ans,
04:54
now I belong to a community
of many people who stand up with me.
of many people who stand up with me.
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aujourd'hui, je faisais partie
d'une communauté debout, avec moi.
d'une communauté debout, avec moi.
04:57
I am no longer alone when I stand up
to speak about these things.
to speak about these things.
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Je ne suis plus tout seul quand je me lève
pour parler de ces sujets.
pour parler de ces sujets.
05:02
I belong to a group of young people
who are passionate about the country,
who are passionate about the country,
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Je fais partie d'un groupe de jeunes gens
passionnés par leur pays,
passionnés par leur pays,
05:06
who want to bring about change,
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et qui veulent apporter le changement.
05:08
and they're no longer afraid,
and they're no longer smart cowards.
and they're no longer smart cowards.
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Ils n'ont plus peur.
Ils ne sont plus des lâches malins.
Ils ne sont plus des lâches malins.
05:13
So that was my story.
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Voilà mon histoire.
05:18
That day in the stadium,
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Ce jour-là, au stade,
05:20
I stood up as a smart coward.
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j'ai tourné la page de ma faiblesse.
05:23
By that one action, I said goodbye
to the 24 years living as a coward.
to the 24 years living as a coward.
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Par cette seule action, j'ai tourné le dos
à 24 ans de vie dans la lâcheté.
à 24 ans de vie dans la lâcheté.
05:28
There are two most powerful
days in your life:
days in your life:
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Il y a deux jours
vraiment marquants dans votre vie :
vraiment marquants dans votre vie :
05:31
the day you're born,
and the day you discover why.
and the day you discover why.
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le jour de votre naissance, et le jour
où vous découvrez pourquoi vous êtes né.
où vous découvrez pourquoi vous êtes né.
05:36
That day standing up in that stadium
shouting at the President,
shouting at the President,
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Ce jour-là, debout dans le stade,
hurlant sur le président,
hurlant sur le président,
05:40
I discovered why I was truly born,
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j'ai découvert pourquoi j'étais né,
05:43
that I would no longer be silent
in the face of injustice.
in the face of injustice.
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et que je ne resterai
plus jamais muet devant l'injustice.
plus jamais muet devant l'injustice.
05:47
Do you know why you were born?
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Savez-vous pourquoi vous êtes né ?
05:51
Thank you.
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Merci.
05:53
(Applause)
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(Applaudissements)
06:00
Tom Rielly: It's an amazing story.
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Tom Rielly :
Quelle histoire extraordinaire.
Quelle histoire extraordinaire.
06:03
I just want to ask you
a couple quick questions.
a couple quick questions.
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J'ai quelques questions pour vous.
06:05
So PAWA254:
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PAWA254 :
06:07
you've created a studio, a place
where young people can go
where young people can go
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vous avez créé un studio,
un endroit où les jeunes peuvent aller
un endroit où les jeunes peuvent aller
06:12
and harness the power of digital media
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et catalyser le pouvoir des média digitaux
06:14
to do some of this action.
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pour contribuer à cette action.
06:16
What's happening now with PAWA?
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Qu'est-ce qui se passe
avec PAWA aujourd'hui ?
avec PAWA aujourd'hui ?
06:18
Boniface Mwangi: So we have
this community of filmmakers,
this community of filmmakers,
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Boniface Mwangi : on a une communauté
de réalisateurs,
de réalisateurs,
06:21
graffiti artists, musicians,
and when there's an issue in the country,
and when there's an issue in the country,
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de graffeurs, de musiciens.
Quand il y un problème dans le pays,
Quand il y un problème dans le pays,
06:24
we come together, we brainstorm,
and take up on that issue.
and take up on that issue.
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on se réunit, on brainstorme,
on s'engage sur ce problème.
on s'engage sur ce problème.
06:27
So our most powerful tool is art,
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L'art est notre outil le plus puissant.
06:29
because we live in a very busy world
where people are so busy in their life,
where people are so busy in their life,
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Nous vivons dans un monde effréné
et les gens sont très occupés,
et les gens sont très occupés,
06:33
and they don't have time to read.
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ils n'ont donc pas le temps de lire.
06:35
So we package our activism
and we package our message in art.
and we package our message in art.
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Alors, on emballe notre activisme,
notre message dans de l'art.
notre message dans de l'art.
06:39
So from the music, the graffiti,
the art, that's what we do.
the art, that's what we do.
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On fait de la musique,
des graffiti, de l'art.
des graffiti, de l'art.
06:45
Can I say one more thing?
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Puis-je ajouter quelque chose ?
06:47
TR: Yeah, of course. (Applause)
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TR : Bien entendu.
(Applaudissements)
(Applaudissements)
06:49
BM: In spite of being arrested,
beaten up, threatened,
beaten up, threatened,
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BM : Malgré mon arrestation,
mon passage à tabac, les menaces,
mon passage à tabac, les menaces,
06:52
the moment I discovered my voice,
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quand j'ai découvert ma voix,
06:53
that I could actually stand up
for what I really believed in,
for what I really believed in,
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et que je pouvais me battre
pour les choses auxquelles je crois,
pour les choses auxquelles je crois,
je n'ai plus eu peur.
06:56
I'm no longer afraid.
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06:57
I used to be called softy,
but I'm no longer softy,
but I'm no longer softy,
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On m'appelait Softy,
mais je ne le suis plus.
mais je ne le suis plus.
07:00
because I discovered who I really am,
as in, that's what I want to do,
as in, that's what I want to do,
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Parce que j'ai découvert
qui je suis vraiment, ma mission,
qui je suis vraiment, ma mission,
07:03
and there's such beauty in doing that.
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et qu'il n'y a rien de plus beau
que de la réaliser.
que de la réaliser.
07:06
There's nothing as powerful as that,
knowing that I'm meant to do this,
knowing that I'm meant to do this,
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Il n'y a rien de plus fort
que savoir qu'on est là pour ça.
que savoir qu'on est là pour ça.
07:10
because you don't get scared,
you just continue living your life.
you just continue living your life.
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Parce qu'on ne craint plus rien,
on vit sa vie, simplement.
on vit sa vie, simplement.
07:13
Thank you.
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Merci.
07:15
(Applause)
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(Applaudissements)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Boniface Mwangi -Boniface Mwangi is an award-winning Kenyan photographer, artist and activist. He is a TED Fellow.
Why you should listen
For four years Boniface Mwangi held a staff photography position at The Standard, the second largest Kenyan newspaper, taking on various assignments of increasing responsibility in a number of countries. Mwangi became the eye of Kenyans during the 2007 post-election violence and showed courage and compassion to capture thousands of images, some so gory that they could not be published.
Following the political resolution to the election crisis, Boniface started to see himself as a visual artist, using photography as the vehicle for social change in Kenya. His focus was the fight against the impunity of politicians in the face of over 1000 dead and half a million people displaced as a result of the violence they caused.
"Boniface’s images are crucial for the healing of our nation; his ability to stay focused and inject a sense of artistry into his work is a testimony to the spirit of professional journalism," wrote Jackson Biko after Boniface was voted Kenya Photojournalist of the Year in 2008 by readers of Adam, a men’s magazine in the country.
Since then, Boniface has continued to work as a freelance photographer for Bloomberg, the AFP, Reuters, the Boston Globe, and other media outlets while building a movement for social change in Kenya through “Picha Mtaani” (Swahili for street exhibition). The photo exhibit aims to heal the scars of Kenyans and draw their attention to the dynamics of the violence to prevent a repeat during the upcoming elections of 2013.
Boniface founded Pawa254 as a collaborative hub where journalists, artists and activists could meet to find innovative ways of achieving social change. The hub has already had many functions, but two campaigns stand out. “Heal the Nation” is a very successful initiative to show a half-hour documentary about post-election violence to as many Kenyans as possible and facilitate discussions around the film. The campaign is accompanied by a more shadowy graffiti campaign that has evoked strong reactions and fired up the youth of Kenya and the world, as images of the clever graffiti grace the pages of the world’s newspapers.
In 2009 United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote a letter commending Boniface for his work during the post-election violence. She stated, "Your photography is absolutely stunning and tells an important and powerful story for the world to hear."
More profile about the speakerFollowing the political resolution to the election crisis, Boniface started to see himself as a visual artist, using photography as the vehicle for social change in Kenya. His focus was the fight against the impunity of politicians in the face of over 1000 dead and half a million people displaced as a result of the violence they caused.
"Boniface’s images are crucial for the healing of our nation; his ability to stay focused and inject a sense of artistry into his work is a testimony to the spirit of professional journalism," wrote Jackson Biko after Boniface was voted Kenya Photojournalist of the Year in 2008 by readers of Adam, a men’s magazine in the country.
Since then, Boniface has continued to work as a freelance photographer for Bloomberg, the AFP, Reuters, the Boston Globe, and other media outlets while building a movement for social change in Kenya through “Picha Mtaani” (Swahili for street exhibition). The photo exhibit aims to heal the scars of Kenyans and draw their attention to the dynamics of the violence to prevent a repeat during the upcoming elections of 2013.
Boniface founded Pawa254 as a collaborative hub where journalists, artists and activists could meet to find innovative ways of achieving social change. The hub has already had many functions, but two campaigns stand out. “Heal the Nation” is a very successful initiative to show a half-hour documentary about post-election violence to as many Kenyans as possible and facilitate discussions around the film. The campaign is accompanied by a more shadowy graffiti campaign that has evoked strong reactions and fired up the youth of Kenya and the world, as images of the clever graffiti grace the pages of the world’s newspapers.
In 2009 United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote a letter commending Boniface for his work during the post-election violence. She stated, "Your photography is absolutely stunning and tells an important and powerful story for the world to hear."
Boniface Mwangi | Speaker | TED.com