ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sunni Patterson - Poet
Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage, culture, and traditions of her native town with a spiritual worldview to create powerful music and poetry.

Why you should listen

Emerging from the musical womb that is New Orleans, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage of her native town with an enlightened modern style to create music and poetry that is timeless in its groove. She began her career as a full-time high school teacher, and much of her life since has been devoted to serving as a cultural worker and grassroots activist, using art and poetry to encourage dialogue and healing.

She has been a featured performer at many of the nation's premier spoken-word venues, including HBO's Def Poetry and BET’s Lyric Cafe. She also had the privilege of speaking at the Panafest in Ghana, West Africa and has collaborated with artists and performers, including Hannibal Lokumbe (singing lead vocals for his score, ”King and the Crescent City Moon"), Kalamu Ya Salaam, Sonia Sanchez, Wanda Coleman, Amiri Baraka, Mos Def, Eve Ensler, The Last Poets and many more.

More profile about the speaker
Sunni Patterson | Speaker | TED.com
TEDWomen 2017

Sunni Patterson: "Wild Women"

Sunni Patterson: Gra të Egra

Filmed:
371,890 views

Me një gjuhë të rrufeshme, Sunni Patterson performon poemën e saj të fuqishme "Gra të Egra", shoqëruar nga lëvizjet magjepsëse te kërcimtares Chanice Holmes.
- Poet
Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage, culture, and traditions of her native town with a spiritual worldview to create powerful music and poetry. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
They wanted her piecemealed,
papier-mâchéd,
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Ata e donin atë të përpjestuar,
si nje kukull lecke,
00:16
practically broken,
limp-like and loveless,
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praktikisht të thyer,
si një gjymtyrë pa dashuri,
00:20
a litany of exaggeration.
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një recital i mërzitshëm ekzagjërimi.
00:22
They wanted her low.
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Ata e donin atë poshtë.
00:24
And high.
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Dhe lart.
00:25
Flat and wide.
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Të sheshtë dhe të gjerë.
00:28
Filled with all of their empty.
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Mbushur me gjithë zbrazëtinë e tyre.
00:31
They wanted her to be more like them.
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Ata donin që ajo të ishte më shumë si ata.
00:34
Not knowing her conception was immaculate.
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Pa ditur që arsyetimi i saj
ishte i pacënuar.
00:37
That she was birthed
in sandalwood-scented river water,
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Që ajo kishte lindur në ujrat e lumit
që mbarte aromën e drurit santal,
00:40
sweet sapphire honey-touched tongue,
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me gjuhën e ëmbël prej mjaltit të safirit,
ajo ishte një kafshatë e tepërt
për të babëziturut.
00:42
she was too much
of a mouthful for the greedy.
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Thjesht një sasi e vogël e saj
ishte më shumë se ata mund të përballonin.
00:45
Just a small amount of her
was more than they could stand.
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00:48
Oh, they wanted her bland.
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Oh, ata e donin të përmbajtur.
00:49
And barren.
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Dhe shterpë.
00:51
Unspirited, un-African, uncultured,
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Monotone, jo-afrikane, pa kulturë,
00:54
under siege in the streets.
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të rrethuar mes rrugëve.
00:56
They wanted her face down, ass up,
hands cuffed and ankles strapped.
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Ata donin me fytyrë poshtë, vithe lart,
duart e prangosura dhe kyçet e lidhura.
01:00
They wanted her knowing
she could never want them back.
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Ata e dëshironin atë duke e ditur që ajo
kurrë nuk do të mund ti dëshironte mbrapsht.
01:03
Oh, they wanted her holy,
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Oh, ata donin atë të shenjtë,
01:05
baptized in her divine,
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të pagëzuar në hyjninë e saj,
01:07
they wanted her secrets,
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ata donin sekretet e saj,
01:08
pearls to swine.
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perlat për derrat.
01:10
They wanted to unravel
the mystery of her design.
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Ata donin të zgjidhnin
misterin e dizajnit të saj.
01:14
Fascinated by glory,
hypnotized by her kind.
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Të magjepsur nga lavdia,
të hipnotizuar nga raca e saj.
01:17
Oh, they wanted her complete.
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Oh, ata e dëshironin të kompletuar.
01:19
They wanted her whole,
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Ata e donin të gjithë,
01:20
though they came fractioned,
half-hearted, half-soul,
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edhe pse ata erdhën të ndarë,
me gjysmë zemër, gjysmë-shpirt,
01:24
with no regards and no knowledge
as to who she really was.
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pa konsideratë dhe njohuri
se kush ajo ishte në të vërtetë.
01:27
Oh, but if they knew.
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Oh, sikur ata ta dinin.
01:29
If they knew her,
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Sikur ta njihnin atë,
01:31
praise songs would rain
from the clouds of their eyes,
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këngë lavdërimi do të binin si shiu
nga retë e syve të tyre,
01:35
clearing the vision, bathing the heart.
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duke e qartësuar vizionin,
duke e shplarë zemrën.
01:37
They would bow every time they saw her.
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Ata do të përuleshin sa herë që e shihnin.
Do të tregonin më të mirën
e vetes së tyre kur ajo ishte rrotull.
01:40
Be their best selves when she was around.
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01:43
If they knew her,
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Sikur ta njihnin atë,
01:45
knew she was the glue to their revolution,
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ta dinin se ajo ishte zamku
i revolucionit të tyre,
01:47
the life flow of blood
through their veins.
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rrjedha e jetës së gjakut
përmes venave të tyre.
01:50
If they knew her,
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Sikur ta njihnin atë,
01:52
she would know,
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ajo do ta dinte,
01:54
she would feel
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ajo do të ndihej
01:56
that her body is more than battlefield.
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se trupi i saj është
më shumë se një fushëbetejë.
01:59
More than bone break and bleeding bigotry.
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Më shumë se thyerje kockash
dhe gjakderdhje paragjykimi.
02:03
More than bridge
over your troubled conscience.
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Më shumë se një urë
përmbi ndërgjegjen tuaj të shqetësuar.
02:06
More than used up, walked on,
driven through, shot up.
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Më shumë se e përdorur, e poshtëruar,
e përplasur, e qëlluar.
02:09
More than your "Selma, Lord, Selma"
Edmund Pettus.
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Më shumë se "Selma, Zoti, Selma" juaj
Edmund Pettus.
02:13
More than your killer Katrina Danziger.
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Më shumë se vrasësi juaj Katrina Danziger.
02:16
More than your bust them out of Baltimore
"Highway to Nowhere."
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Më shumë se gjoksi yt jashtë Baltimore
"Autostrada drejt askundit."
02:19
If they knew her,
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Sikur ta njihnin atë,
02:21
she would know.
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ajo do ta dinte.
02:23
(Singing)
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(Duke kënduar)
02:51
Wild women,
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Gratë e egra,
02:53
wild women, they walk with buffalo.
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gratë e egra, ato ecin me buajt.
02:55
Have lightning on their tongues,
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Kanë rrufe në gjuhët e tyre,
02:57
fly whisks as weapons.
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fluturojnë rrahëse vezësh si armë.
02:59
Wild women, they walk with machetes.
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Gratë e egra, ato ecin me hanxharë.
03:01
With wisdom, with grace, with ease.
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Me mençuri, hijeshi e lehtësi.
03:05
Wild women have hurricanes
in their bellies,
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Gratë e egra kanë uragane
në barqet e tyre,
03:07
releasing a flood of a lesson.
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duke liruar përmbytje si mësim.
03:09
Oh, wild women, they fly free.
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Oh, gratë e egra, ato fluturojnë të lira.
03:12
Just watch their ways,
how they rip and shred.
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Vetëm shihini mënyrat e tyre,
si ato shqyejnë dhe copëtojnë.
03:15
Oh, who can understand her,
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Oh, e kush mund ta kuptojë atë,
03:17
this winding Niger river of a woman
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këtë grua që vjen nga erërat e lumit Niger
03:20
one who is unafraid to tear away
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që nuk ka frikë të jetë huligane
03:23
only to roam and then become the wind.
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vetëm të bredhi dhe pastaj të bëhet erë.
03:26
She who speaks in gusts and cyclones
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Ajo që flet mes furish e ciklonesh
03:30
blasting us back to high ground,
high consciousness,
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duke na hedhur sërish në tokë të lartë,
në vetëdije e lartë,
03:34
she turns and so does the world.
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ajo kthehet dhe po ashtu kthehet bota.
03:37
Feel her spinning,
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Ndjeni atë teksa rrotullohet,
03:38
spanning several lifetimes.
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duke kapërcyer disa jetëgjatësi.
03:40
Hear her speaking, sparking alarm.
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Dëgjoni teksa flet,
duke ndezur shkëndija alarmi.
03:43
See her dancing, summoning the dead,
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Shihni vallëzimin e saj,
teksa thërret të vdekurit,
03:46
resurrecting new life.
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teksa ringjall një jetë të re.
03:48
Heaven hears her knocking on the door,
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Parajsa e dëgjon trokitjen e saj në derë,
03:51
safely transporting the ones
who call for her assistance.
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duke i transportuar të sigurtë
ata që kërkojnë ndihmën e saj.
03:55
Wild women, they open
portals to new worlds,
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Gratë e egra, ato hapin
portale drejt botëve të reja,
03:59
new speech, new dreams.
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ligjeratës së re, ëndrrave të reja.
04:02
Oh, dearly beloveds,
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Oh, të dashur të shtrenjtë,
04:05
so dearly departed
from the ways of the guardian,
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aq mirësisht te vdekur
nga mënyrat e gardianit,
04:08
beware.
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kini kujdes.
04:10
For wild women are not to be tamed.
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Sepse gratë e egra nuk janë për tu zbutur.
04:15
Only admired.
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Vetëm për tu admiruar.
04:17
Just let her in and witness her
set your days ablaze.
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Thjesht mikpriteni dhe dëshmojeni
se si do i shtojë ngjyrat ditëve tuaja .
04:25
(Cheers) (Applause)
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(Brohorima) (Duartrokitje)
04:27
Thank you.
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Ju falemnderit.
04:28
(Applause)
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(Duartrokitje)
Translated by oldea mamo
Reviewed by Helena Bedalli

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sunni Patterson - Poet
Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage, culture, and traditions of her native town with a spiritual worldview to create powerful music and poetry.

Why you should listen

Emerging from the musical womb that is New Orleans, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage of her native town with an enlightened modern style to create music and poetry that is timeless in its groove. She began her career as a full-time high school teacher, and much of her life since has been devoted to serving as a cultural worker and grassroots activist, using art and poetry to encourage dialogue and healing.

She has been a featured performer at many of the nation's premier spoken-word venues, including HBO's Def Poetry and BET’s Lyric Cafe. She also had the privilege of speaking at the Panafest in Ghana, West Africa and has collaborated with artists and performers, including Hannibal Lokumbe (singing lead vocals for his score, ”King and the Crescent City Moon"), Kalamu Ya Salaam, Sonia Sanchez, Wanda Coleman, Amiri Baraka, Mos Def, Eve Ensler, The Last Poets and many more.

More profile about the speaker
Sunni Patterson | Speaker | TED.com