ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Wanuri Kahiu - Filmmaker, writer
Wanuri Kahiu wants to curate, commission and create art that celebrates fun, fierce and frivolous Africa.

Why you should listen

Born in Nairobi, TED Fellow Wanuri Kahiu is part of the new generation of African filmmakers. Her films have received international acclaim and have been screened in more than 100 film festivals around the world. To date, Kahiu has written and directed six films and is working on her second feature length film.

Kahiu's first feature film, From a Whisper, based on the real events surrounding the 1998 twin bombings of US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, won Best Narrative Feature in 2010 at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles as well as five awards at the African Movie Academy Award, including Best Director and Best Screenplay.

In 2009 Wanuri produced TV documentary For Our Land about Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai for MNET, a pan-African cable station. In 2010, her short science fiction Pumzi premiered at Sundance and went on to win best short film at Cannes and the silver at Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia. Pumzi also earned Kahiu the Citta di Venezia 2010 award in Venice, Italy. She is currently in post production on her second feature film, Rafiki, as well as a feature length documentary Ger about UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Ger Duany.

More profile about the speaker
Wanuri Kahiu | Speaker | TED.com
TED2017

Wanuri Kahiu: Fun, fierce and fantastical African art

瓦努莉卡修: 好玩、激烈、奇幻的非洲藝術

Filmed:
894,360 views

TED 成員瓦努莉卡修說:「我們太習慣於聽到關於戰爭、貧困、毀壞的非洲故事。樂趣在哪裡?」她介紹「非洲泡泡糖」──有活力、輕鬆愉快、沒有應辦政治事項的非洲藝術。隨著卡修解釋為什麼我們需要能夠捕捉全面人類體驗的藝術來訴說非洲的故事,讓我們重新思考一切不嚴肅事物的價值。
- Filmmaker, writer
Wanuri Kahiu wants to curate, commission and create art that celebrates fun, fierce and frivolous Africa. Full bio

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

00:12
So, my mother's母親 a pediatrician兒科醫師,
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我媽媽是小兒科醫生,
00:15
and when I was young年輕,
she'd tell the craziest瘋狂 stories故事
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我小時候,她會說非常瘋狂的故事,
00:19
that combined結合 science科學
with her overactive過度活躍 imagination想像力.
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結合了科學和她過度活躍的想像力。
00:23
One of the stories故事 she told
was that if you eat a lot of salt,
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其中一個故事是如果你吃很多鹽,
00:27
all of the blood血液 rushes七嘴八舌 up your legs,
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所有的血液會從你的腳向上衝,
00:31
through通過 your body身體,
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通過你的身體,
00:32
and shoots out the top最佳 of your head,
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從你的頭頂噴出,
00:34
killing謀殺 you instantly即刻.
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讓你立即死亡。
00:36
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
00:37
She called it "high blood血液 pressure壓力."
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她稱之為「高血壓」。
00:39
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
00:41
This was my first experience經驗
with science科學 fiction小說,
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這是我對科幻小說的初體驗,
00:44
and I loved喜愛 it.
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我很喜歡。
00:45
So when I started開始 to write
my own擁有 science科學 fiction小說 and fantasy幻想,
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所以當我開始寫我自己的
科幻及奇幻小說時,
00:49
I was surprised詫異 that it
was considered考慮 un-African聯合國-非洲.
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我很意外它們被認為是「不非洲的」。
00:52
So naturally自然, I asked, what is African非洲人?
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很自然的,我會問,
什麼才算非洲的?
00:54
And this is what I know so far:
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目前我所知道的如下:
00:57
Africa非洲 is important重要.
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非洲是重要的。
01:00
Africa非洲 is the future未來.
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非洲是未來。
01:01
It is, though雖然.
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儘管,它的確是。
01:03
And Africa非洲 is a serious嚴重 place地點
where only serious嚴重 things happen發生.
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且非洲是個嚴肅的地方,
所有嚴肅的事都會在那裡發生。
01:07
So when I present當下 my work somewhere某處,
someone有人 will always ask,
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所以當我在某處展示作品,總有人問:
01:12
"What's so important重要 about it?
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「它有什麼重要性?
01:14
How does it deal合同 with real真實 African非洲人 issues問題
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它如何處理真正的非洲議題,
01:17
like war戰爭, poverty貧窮, devastation毀壞 or AIDS艾滋病?"
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如戰爭、貧窮、毀壞、或愛滋病?」
01:22
And it doesn't.
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我的作品不處理這些。
01:24
My work is about Nairobi內羅畢 pop流行的 bands
that want to go to space空間
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我的作品內容是關於
奈洛比流行樂團想要上太空,
01:29
or about seven-foot-tall七英尺高 robots機器人
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或是關於七呎高的機器人
01:32
that fall秋季 in love.
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陷入愛河。
01:34
It's nothing incredibly令人難以置信 important重要.
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它不是什麼特別重要的東西。
01:37
It's just fun開玩笑, fierce激烈 and frivolous輕浮,
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它就是好玩、激烈、輕浮的,
01:41
as frivolous輕浮 as bubble泡沫 gum --
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和泡泡糖一樣輕浮──
01:43
"AfroBubbleGumAfroBubbleGum."
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「非洲泡泡糖」。
01:46
So I'm not saying that
agenda議程 art藝術 isn't important重要;
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我並不是說應辦事項的藝術不重要;
01:49
I'm the chairperson主席 of a charity慈善機構
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我是一間慈善機構的主席,
01:52
that deals交易 with films影片 and theaters劇院
that write about HIVHIV and radicalization激進
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這機構處理影片和劇院
寫作有關愛滋病、激進化、
和女性割禮等議題的劇本。
01:58
and female genital生殖器 mutilation斷肢.
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02:01
It's vital重要 and important重要 art藝術,
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那是必要且重要的藝術,
02:03
but it cannot不能 be the only art藝術
that comes out of the continent大陸.
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但非洲大陸不能只產出這種藝術。
02:08
We have to tell more stories故事
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我們得要說更多的故事,
02:10
that are vibrant充滿活力.
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充滿生氣的故事。
02:13
The danger危險 of the single story故事
is still being存在 realized實現.
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單一故事的危險性,還正在發生中。
02:18
And maybe it's because of the funding資金.
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也許資金是原因。
02:19
A lot of art藝術 is still dependent依賴的
on developmental發展的 aid援助.
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許多藝術還仰賴發展的金援。
02:23
So art藝術 becomes a tool工具 for agenda議程.
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所以藝術成了應辦事項的工具。
02:27
Or maybe it's because we've我們已經 only seen看到
one image圖片 of ourselves我們自己 for so long
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也可能是因為長久以來
我們只看見自己的形象,
02:32
that that's all we know how to create創建.
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以致於我們只會創造這樣的形象。
02:34
Whatever隨你 the reason原因, we need a new way,
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不論是什麼理由,
我們都需要新方法。
02:38
and AfroBubbleGumAfroBubbleGum is one approach途徑.
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而非洲泡泡糖是一種方式。
02:40
It's the advocacy擁護 of art藝術 for art's藝術的 sake清酒.
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它是為藝術而做的藝術擁護。
02:44
It's the advocacy擁護 of art藝術
that is not policy-driven政策驅動
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它不是被政治驅使的藝術擁護,
02:47
or agenda-driven議程驅動
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不由應辦事項所驅使,
02:49
or based基於 on education教育,
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也不以教育為基礎,
02:51
just for the sake清酒 of imagination想像力:
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單純就是為了想像而做:
02:54
AfroBubbleGumAfroBubbleGum art藝術.
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非洲泡泡糖藝術。
02:56
And we can't all be AfroBubbleGumistsAfroBubbleGumists.
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我們不能全都當非洲泡泡糖藝術家。
02:59
We have to judge法官 our work
for its potential潛在 poverty貧窮 pornA片 pitfalls陷阱.
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我們得要判斷我們的作品,
避免陷入貧困色情的陷阱。
03:03
We have to have tests測試
that are similar類似 to the BechdelBechdel test測試,
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我們得要有類似
「貝克德爾測驗」的測驗,
03:09
and ask questions問題 like:
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問類似這樣的問題:
03:11
Are two or more Africans非洲人
in this piece of fiction小說 healthy健康?
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這部小說中,有兩個以上的
健全非洲人嗎?
03:17
Are those same相同 Africans非洲人 financially經濟 stable穩定
and not in need of saving保存?
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這些健全的非洲人,
財務穩定且不需被救助嗎?
03:23
Are they having fun開玩笑 and enjoying享受 life?
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他們過得開心、能享受人生嗎?
03:26
And if we can answer回答 yes
to two or more of these questions問題,
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如果有兩個以上的答案是肯定的,
03:29
then surely一定 we're AfroBubbleGumistsAfroBubbleGumists.
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當然,我們就是非洲泡泡糖藝術家
03:32
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
03:33
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
03:38
And fun開玩笑 is political政治,
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樂趣是政治的,
03:40
because imagine想像 if we have
images圖片 of Africans非洲人 who were vibrant充滿活力
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因為,想像一下,如果我們的
非洲人形象是充滿活力的、
03:44
and loving愛心 and thriving
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慈愛的、茁壯成長的、
03:46
and living活的 a beautiful美麗, vibrant充滿活力 life.
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過著美好、充滿活力的生活。
03:49
What would we think of ourselves我們自己 then?
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那麼我們會如何看待我們自己?
03:51
Would we think that maybe
we're worthy值得 of more happiness幸福?
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也許會覺得我們值得更快樂?
03:54
Would we think of our shared共享 humanity人性
through通過 our shared共享 joy喜悅?
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我們會透過共同的喜悅
來思考我們共同的人性嗎?
03:59
I think of these things when I create創建.
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當我創作時,我會想這些事。
04:01
I think of the people and the places地方
that give me immeasurable不可計量的 joy喜悅,
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我會想著給我無限喜悅的人與地,
04:05
and I work to represent代表 them.
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我會努力來代表他們。
04:07
And that's why I write stories故事
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那就是為什麼我寫的故事是關於
04:08
about futuristic未來 girls女孩 that risk風險
everything to save保存 plants植物
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未來的女孩願賭上一切去拯救植物,
04:13
or to race種族 camels駱駝
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或是去賽駱駝,
04:15
or even just to dance舞蹈,
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或甚至只是跳舞。
04:18
to honor榮譽 fun開玩笑,
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向樂趣致敬,
04:19
because my world世界 is mostly大多 happy快樂.
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因為我的世界大部份是快樂的。
04:21
And I know happiness幸福 is a privilege特權
in this current當前 splintered分裂 world世界
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我知道在目前這個分裂的
世界裡,快樂是項特權,
04:25
where remaining其餘 hopeful有希望
requires要求 diligence勤勉.
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得要勤勉才能保有希望。
04:31
But maybe, if you join加入 me
in creating創建, curating策展 and commissioning試運行
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但也許,如果你們能加入我,
創作、策展、委託
更多的非洲泡泡糖藝術,
04:36
more AfroBubbleGumAfroBubbleGum art藝術,
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04:38
there might威力 be hope希望
for a different不同 view視圖 of the world世界,
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也許有希望達成不同的世界觀,
04:41
a happy快樂 Africa非洲 view視圖
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一個快樂的非洲觀,
04:43
where children孩子 are strangely奇怪 traumatized創傷
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那裡的孩童因為母親的黑色幽默
04:45
by their mother's母親 dark黑暗 sense of humor幽默,
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而受到奇特的心理創傷,
04:47
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
04:48
but also they're claiming自稱 fun開玩笑,
fierce激烈 and frivolous輕浮 art藝術
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但同時他們也主張
好玩、激烈、輕浮的藝術,
04:53
in the name名稱 of all things
unseriouslyunseriously African非洲人.
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以所有不嚴肅的非洲事物為名。
04:58
Because we're AfroBubbleGumistsAfroBubbleGumists
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因為我們是非洲泡泡糖藝術家,
05:00
and there's so many許多 more of us
than you can imagine想像.
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我們的人數眾多,超出你們的想像。
05:04
Thank you so much.
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非常謝謝。
05:05
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Lilian Chiu
Reviewed by Yabing Lv

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Wanuri Kahiu - Filmmaker, writer
Wanuri Kahiu wants to curate, commission and create art that celebrates fun, fierce and frivolous Africa.

Why you should listen

Born in Nairobi, TED Fellow Wanuri Kahiu is part of the new generation of African filmmakers. Her films have received international acclaim and have been screened in more than 100 film festivals around the world. To date, Kahiu has written and directed six films and is working on her second feature length film.

Kahiu's first feature film, From a Whisper, based on the real events surrounding the 1998 twin bombings of US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, won Best Narrative Feature in 2010 at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles as well as five awards at the African Movie Academy Award, including Best Director and Best Screenplay.

In 2009 Wanuri produced TV documentary For Our Land about Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai for MNET, a pan-African cable station. In 2010, her short science fiction Pumzi premiered at Sundance and went on to win best short film at Cannes and the silver at Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia. Pumzi also earned Kahiu the Citta di Venezia 2010 award in Venice, Italy. She is currently in post production on her second feature film, Rafiki, as well as a feature length documentary Ger about UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Ger Duany.

More profile about the speaker
Wanuri Kahiu | Speaker | TED.com