去年，我第一次踏上簽書之旅。

在 13 個月內， 我飛了 14 個國家，

and every introduction began, alas, with a lie:

每一次介紹都以謊言開始，唉！

"Taiye Selasi comes from Ghana and Nigeria,"

「泰雅思來自迦納及奈及利亞。」

or "Taiye Selasi comes from England and the States."

或「泰雅思來自英國及美國。」

no matter the country that concluded it --

不管裡面提到的是哪個國家 ——

英國、美國、迦納、奈及利亞 ——

Yes, I was born in England and grew up in the United States.

是的，我出生於英國，在美國長大。

My mom, born in England, and raised in Nigeria,

我媽媽出生於英國，在奈及利亞長大，

My father was born in Gold Coast, a British colony,

我父親生在英國殖民地黃金海岸，

and has lived for over 30 years in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

然後在沙烏地阿拉伯住了 30 多年。

For this reason, my introducers also called me "multinational."

因為這個原因，我的介紹人也常形容我為「跨國的」。

但是耐吉 (Nike) 才是跨國的，我想著，

我到了丹麥的路易斯安納現代美術館，

where I shared the stage with the writer Colum McCann.

We were discussing the role of locality in writing,

我們討論了「地方」對寫作有什麼作用，

How can a human being come from a concept?

一個「人」怎麼能來自一個「概念」呢？

It's a question that had been bothering me for going on two decades.

From newspapers, textbooks, conversations,

as if they were eternal, singular, naturally occurring things,

好像它們是永恆、獨一、自然發生的東西，

suggested that the country was an absolute,

意思是那個國家是個絕對實體，

是持續不變的東西。但是真的是這樣嗎？

In my lifetime, countries had disappeared -- Czechoslovakia;

在我一生中，我看過消失的國家——捷克斯洛伐克；

appeared -- Timor-Leste; failed -- Somalia.

出現的東帝汶；失敗的索馬利亞。

My parents came from countries that didn't exist when they were born.

我雙親的國家在他們出生時還不存在。

To me, a country -- this thing that could be born, die, expand, contract --

對我而言，國家會誕生、死亡、擴張、縮小，

hardly seemed the basis for understanding a human being.

實在不能拿來當作瞭解人的基礎。

And so it came as a huge relief to discover the sovereign state.

所以我發現「主權國家」時真是鬆了一口氣。

various expressions of sovereign statehood,

「主權國家地位」的各種說法，

an idea that came into fashion only 400 years ago.

這個想法在400 年前才流行起來。

When I learned this, beginning my masters degree in international relations,

當我學到這一點，那時我剛開始修國際關係碩士，

歷史是真實的，文化是真實的，

For the next 10 years, I sought to re- or un-define myself,

接下來十年，我尋求重新定義，或說從定義中釋放自己，

我的世界、我的工作、我的經歷

In 2005, I wrote an essay, "What is an Afropolitan,"

2005 年，我寫了一篇論文，「什麼是大非洲人？」

sketching out an identity that privileged culture over country.

描繪一種以文化而非國家定義出的身分。

It was thrilling how many people could relate to my experience,

我很興奮有很多人能認同我的經驗，

and instructional how many others didn't buy my sense of self.

也很受教，因為很多人無法接受我的自我感覺。

"How can Selasi claim to come from Ghana," one such critic asked,

有個評論這麼說：「泰雅思怎能自稱是迦納人，

of traveling abroad on a Ghanian passport?"

拿著迦納護照出國旅行要受的屈辱？」

I've got a friend named Layla who was born and raised in Ghana.

我有個朋友叫蕾拉，她在迦納出生長大。

Her parents are third-generation Ghanians of Lebanese descent.

她的父母是第三代黎巴嫩裔迦納人。

Layla, who speaks fluent Twi, knows Accra like the back of her hand,

蕾拉說著一口流利的方言契維語，對首都阿克拉瞭若指掌，

but when we first met years ago, I thought, "She's not from Ghana."

但是我們數年前第一次見面時，我想著，「她才不是迦納人。」

despite the patent fact that all her formative experience

was imagining some Ghana where all Ghanaians had brown skin

that the language of coming from countries sets --

即我們都來自某個國家的說法，

the privileging of a fiction, the singular country,

享受來自某個虛構、單一國家的殊榮，

Speaking with Colum McCann that day, the penny finally dropped.

那天與科拉姆·麥卡恩的一席對談，終於讓我了解這件事。

「所有的經驗都與地方有關，」他這麼說。

「所有的身分都與經歷有關」，我這麼想。

"I'm not a national," I proclaimed onstage.

「我不是哪國國民，」我在台上這麼宣稱。

「我是某地的居民。我是跨地方的。」

See, "Taiye Selasi comes from the United States," isn't the truth.

你看，說泰雅絲來自美國並非事實。

I have no relationship with the United States,

My relationship is with Brookline, the town where I grew up;

我只與布魯克林有關係，因為那是我成長的地方；

with New York City, where I started work;

與紐約市有關，那是我開始工作的地方；

with Lawrenceville, where I spend Thanksgiving.

與羅倫斯威爾有關，那是我度過感恩節的地方。

What makes America home for me is not my passport or accent,

讓我覺得美國是家鄉的原因不是我的護照或口音，

the Black Stars, and my love of Ghanaian food,

國家足球隊「黑星」引以為傲，也非常愛迦納食物，

I've never had a relationship with the Republic of Ghana, writ large.

我與迦納共和國沒有任何關聯，非常明顯。

My relationship is with Accra, where my mother lives,

我只與阿克拉有關聯，因為那是我母親住的地方，

with the little garden in Dzorwulu where my father and I talk for hours.

與佐烏魯區一座小花園有關，我父親與我會在裡面聊上幾小時。

These are the places that shape my experience.

如果有人問你你是哪裡人，你會不會一時語塞？作家泰雅思為跨地方族群代言，他們覺得生長的地方、現在住的城市，或許還有另外一兩個地方都像家。「我怎麼能來自某個國家？」她問：「人怎麼能來自一個概念？」 *Pronunciation Challenge 每日口說挑戰從這部影片節錄一句英文，配上主持人詳細的講解，讓你輕鬆搞懂英文發音！...