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

Monika Bulāja: Nemanītā Afganistānas gaisma

Filmed:
669,507 views

Fotogrāfe Monika Bulāja dalās ar spilgtām un personīgām Afganistānas ainām — mājas dzīvi, rituāliem, sievietēm un vīriešiem. Ko gan pasaule patiesībā zina par šo zemi, atskaitot laikrakstu virsrakstus?
- 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.

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My travelsceļo to AfghanistanAfganistāna
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Mani ceļojumi uz Afganistānu
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begansākās manydaudzi, manydaudzi yearsgadiem agopirms
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sākās pirms daudziem jo daudziem gadiem,
00:21
on the easternaustrumu borderrobeža of my countryvalsts,
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pie manas valsts, manas dzimtenes — Polijas
00:24
my homelanddzimtene, PolandPolija.
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austrumu robežas.
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I was walkingejot throughcauri the forestsmeži
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Es staigāju
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of my grandmother'svecmammas talespasakas.
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pa savas vecmammas pasakās aprakstītajiem mežiem.
00:33
A landzeme where everykatrs fieldlaukā hidespaslēpj a gravekapa,
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Zemi, kur ikviens lauks sevī glabā aizgājušos,
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where millionsmiljoniem of people
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kur 20. gadsimtā
00:40
have been deporteddeportēja or killednogalināts
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miljoniem cilvēkus
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in the 20thth centurygadsimts.
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deportēja vai nogalināja.
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BehindAiz the destructioniznīcināšana,
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Par spīti iznīcībai,
00:48
I foundatrasts a souldvēsele of placesvietas.
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man izdevās saskatīt šo vietu dvēseli.
00:51
I mettikās humblepazemīgs people.
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Es satiku pazemīgus ļaudis.
00:53
I hearddzirdējuši theirviņu prayerlūgšana
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Es dzirdēju viņu lūgsnas
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and ateēda theirviņu breadmaize.
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un ēdu viņu maizi.
00:57
Then I have been walkingejot EastAustrumi for 20 yearsgadiem --
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Tad 20 gadus es devos uz austrumiem,
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from EasternAustrumu EuropeEiropa to CentralCentrālā AsiaĀzija --
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no Austrumeiropas līdz Centrālāzijai,
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throughcauri the CaucasusKaukāzs MountainsKalni,
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cauri Kaukāzu kalniem,
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MiddleVidējā EastAustrumi,
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Tuvajiem Austrumiem,
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NorthZiemeļu AfricaĀfrika,
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Ziemeļāfrikai,
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RussiaKrievija.
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Krievijai.
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And I ever mettikās more humblepazemīgs people.
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Es satiku vēl pazemīgākus cilvēkus.
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And I shareddalīts theirviņu breadmaize and theirviņu prayerlūgšana.
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Viņi dalījās ar mani savā maizē un lūgsnās.
01:20
This is why I wentdevās to AfghanistanAfganistāna.
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Tādēļ es devos uz Afganistānu.
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One day, I crossedšķērsoti the bridgetilts
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Kādudien es šķērsoju tiltu
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over the OxusOxus RiverUpes.
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pāri Oksas upei.
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I was alonevienatnē on footkājām.
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Es gāju kājām, viena.
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And the AfghanAfgāņu soldierkaravīrs was so surprisedpārsteigts to see me
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Afgāņu karavīrs bija tik izbrīnīts mani ieraugot,
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that he forgotaizmirsa to stampzīmogs my passportpase.
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ka aizmirsa apzīmogot manu pasi.
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But he gavedeva me a cupkauss of teatēja.
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Taču viņš man piedāvāja tasi tējas.
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And I understoodsaprasts
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Es sapratu,
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that his surprisepārsteigums was my protectionaizsardzība.
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ka viņa izbrīns bija mana aizsardzība.
01:43
So I have been walkingejot and travelingceļojot,
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Tā nu es gāju kājām, jāju uz zirga,
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by horseszirgi, by yakjaks, by trucksmagā mašīna, by hitchhikingstopošana,
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jaka, braucu ar kravas mašīnām, autostopiem,
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from Iran'sIrāna borderrobeža
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no Irānas robežas
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to the bottomapakšā, to the edgemalu of the WakhanWakhan CorridorKoridorā.
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līdz Vahānas koridora robežai.
01:56
And in this way
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Un pa ceļam
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I could find noorNoor, the hiddenslēpta lightgaisma of AfghanistanAfganistāna.
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es atradu nūru — Afganistānas apslēpto gaismu.
02:05
My only weaponierocis
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Mani vienīgie ieroči
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was my notebookpiezīmju grāmatiņas and my LeicaLeica.
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bija burtnīca un „Leica” kamera.
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I hearddzirdējuši prayerslūgšanas of the SufiSufi --
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Es dzirdēju sufi, pazemīgo,
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humblepazemīgs MuslimsMusulmaņi,
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taču talibu nīsto,
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hatedienīda by the TalibanTaliban.
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musulmaņu, lūgsnas.
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HiddenPaslēpts riverupe,
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Apslēptā upe,
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interconnectedsavstarpēji saistīti with the mysticismmisticisms
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kurā vijas misticisms,
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from GibraltarGibraltārs to IndiaIndija.
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no Gibraltāra līdz Indijai.
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The mosquemošeja where the respectfulcieņu foreignerārzemnieks
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Mošeja, kur godbijīgos citzemniekus
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is showerednomazgājušies with blessingsSvētības
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apber ar svētībām un
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and with tearsasaras,
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prieka asarām,
02:35
and welcomedatzinīgi novērtēja as a giftdāvana.
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un uzņem kā Dieva dāvanu.
02:39
What do we know
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Ko gan mēs zinām
02:41
about the countryvalsts and the people
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par šo valsti un cilvēkiem,
02:43
that we pretendizlikties to protectaizsargāt,
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kurus mēs izliekamies aizstāvam,
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about the villagesciemi
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par ciemiem,
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where the only one medicinezāles
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kur vienīgās zāles pret
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to killnogalināt the painsāpes and to stop the hungerizsalkums
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sāpēm un izsalkumu
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is opiumopijs?
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ir opijs?
02:55
These are opium-addictedatkarīgi no opija people
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Lūk, no opija atkarīgi cilvēki, kuri
02:58
on the roofsjumti of KabulKabul
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guļ uz Kabulas māju jumtiem
03:01
10 yearsgadiem after the beginningsākums of our warkarš.
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10 gadus pēc mūsu kara sākuma.
03:05
These are the nomadNomad girlsmeitenes
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Lūk, klejojošas meitenes,
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who becamekļuva prostitutesprostitūtas for AfghanAfgāņu businessmenuzņēmēji.
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kuras kļuva par afgāņu uzņēmēju prostitūtām.
03:12
What do we know about the womensievietes
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Ko gan mēs zinām par sievietēm
03:14
10 yearsgadiem after the warkarš?
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10 gadus pēc kara?
03:16
ClothedClothed in this nylonneilons bagsoma,
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Tērpušās Ķīnā ražotos
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madeizgatavots in ChinaĶīna,
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neilona maisos,
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with the namevārds of burqaburqa.
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ko sauc par burkām.
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I saw one day,
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Vienudien es redzēju
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the largestlielākais schoolskola in AfghanistanAfganistāna,
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lielāko Afganistānas skolu,
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a girls'meiteņu schoolskola.
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meiteņu skolu.
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13,000 girlsmeitenes
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Skorpionu pilnajās
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studyingmācās here
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pazemes telpās
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in the roomsistabas undergroundpazemē,
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šeit mācās
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fullpilna of scorpionsskorpioni.
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13,000 meiteņu.
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And theirviņu love [for studyingmācās]
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Viņu kaisme mācīties
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was so bigliels that I cried! iesaucās.
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bija tik liela, ka man acīs sariesās asaras.
03:52
What do we know
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Ko gan mēs zinām
03:54
about the deathnāve threatsdraudi by the TalibanTaliban
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par talibanu pie durvīm piespraustajiem
03:57
nailedpavirši on the doorsdurvis
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nāves draudiem
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of the people who dareuzdrošināsies to sendnosūtīt theirviņu daughtersmeitas to schoolskola as in BalkhBalkh?
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tiem cilvēkiem, kuri uzdrošinās sūtīt savas meitas uz Balhu mācīties?
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The regionreģionā is not securedroša, but fullpilna of the TalibanTaliban,
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Reģions nav drošs, tas ir pilns ar talibiem,
04:08
and they did it.
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taču viņi to dara tik un tā.
04:10
My aimmērķis is to give a voicebalss
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Mans mērķis ir sniegt balsi
04:12
to the silentkluss people,
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šiem klusējošajiem cilvēkiem,
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to showparādīt the hiddenslēpta lightsgaismas
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parādīt apslēpto gaismu
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behindaiz muguras the curtainaizkaru of the great gamespēle,
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šīs lielās spēles aizsegā,
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the smallmazs worldspasaules ignoredignorēts by the mediaplašsaziņas līdzekļi
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plašsaziņas līdzekļu neievērotās mazās pasaules
04:25
and the prophetspravieši of a globalglobāls conflictkonflikts.
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un pasaules konfliktu praviešus.
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Thankspaldies.
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Pateicos.
04:29
(ApplauseAplausi)
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(Aplausi)
Translated by Kristaps Kadiķis
Reviewed by Laura Taurina

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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