Good morning.

大家好

Given my TED profile, you might be expecting

早上好。

that I'm going to speak to you about

根據我的TED簡介, 你們可能在期待

the latest philanthropic trends --

我是來談論

the one that's currently got Wall Street

最近很流行的慈善話題，

and the World Bank buzzing --

也就是目前在華爾街

how to invest in women,

與世界銀行内部都引發了熱烈討論的一個話題：

how to empower them, how to save them.

該如何在女性身上投資，

Not me.

該如何賦予女性權力以及該如何拯救她們。

I am interested in how women

但這並不是我今天要談的。

are saving us.

我對女性如何拯救大眾

They're saving us by redefining and re-imagining

比較感興趣。

a future that defies and blurs

女性拯救我們的方式，是重新定義及重塑一個

accepted polarities,

挑戰並消除

polarities we've taken for granted for a long time,

普遍存在的分歧的未來。

like the ones between modernity and tradition,

長期以來，我們都認爲這些分歧是理所當然的，

First World and Third World,

比如説現代性和傳統之間的分歧，

oppression and opportunity.

比如説第一世界國家與第三世界國家之間的分歧，

In the midst of the daunting challenges

壓制與機遇的分歧。

we face as a global community,

在一個地球村中，

there's something about

我們面臨的挑戰是驚人的，

this third way raga

而其中有一種

that is making my heart sing.

如拉格調子（印度教的一種傳統曲調）一般的第三方式

What intrigues me most

讓我的心在歌唱。

is how women are doing this,

最使我着迷的，

despite a set of paradoxes

是女性如何做到這些的，

that are both frustrating and fascinating.

縱使其間有一堆

Why is it that women are, on the one hand,

令人沮喪又令人着迷的悖論。

viciously oppressed by cultural practices,

爲什麽女性一方面

and yet at the same time,

被文化習俗不懷好意地壓迫着，

are the preservers of cultures in most societies?

而另一方面，

Is the hijab or the headscarf

她們又是許多社會中文化的保護者？

a symbol of submission

戴面紗或裹頭巾

or resistance?

是象徵屈服

When so many women and girls

還是抗拒？

are beaten, raped, maimed

有這麽多的女人和女孩子

on a daily basis

被打、被強姦、被致殘

in the name of all kinds of causes --

每天都有，

honor, religion, nationality --

而人們把各種各樣的原因

what allows women to replant trees,

歸咎與榮譽、宗教和國籍。

to rebuild societies,

女性還能凴什麽去改植樹木，

to lead radical, non-violent movements

去重建社會

for social change?

去領導全新的非暴力運動，

Is it different women

從而為社會帶來改變呢？

who are doing the preserving and the radicalizing?

難道進行改革的女性和

Or are they one and the same?

保留傳統的女性不是同一類？

Are we guilty, as Chimamanda Adichie reminded us

還是說她們是同一類，而且都是一樣的？

at the TED conference in Oxford,

是否如恩戈阿迪契在

of assuming that there is a single story

一個在牛津舉行的TED會議上所提醒我們時說的，

of women's struggles for their rights

我們總是假設

while there are, in fact, many?

女性在爭取自己權力的時候只有一種情況，

And what, if anything,

而實際上，情況是很多的。我們是否爲此而感到内疚？

do men have to do with it?

如果有，

Much of my life has been a quest

男性們又和這有什麽關係嗎？

to get some answers to these questions.

我生活的大部分時間都在探索，

It's taken me across the globe

以期能尋找到一些答案。

and introduced me to some amazing people.

這種探索帶領我環游全球，

In the process, I've gathered a few fragments

並讓我認識了許多出色的人。

that help me shed some light on this puzzle.

在探索的過程中，我收集了一些片斷，

Among those who've helped open my eyes

使我的謎團開始逐渐清晰起來。

to a third way

在衆多用第三种方式幫助過我

are: a devout Muslim in Afghanistan,

大開眼界的人中，

a group of harmonizing lesbians in Croatia

包括一名在阿富汗的虔誠的穆斯林女人，

and a taboo breaker in Liberia.

一群在克羅地亞的和睦的女同性戀

I'm indebted to them,

和一位在利比里亞打破禁忌的女人。

as I am to my parents,

我非常感激她們，

who for some set of misdemeanors in their last life,

如我感激我的父母一般。

were blessed with three daughters in this one.

我的父母在世時曾經有過一些不軌的行爲，

And for reasons equally unclear to me,

但有着三位女兒的祝福。

seem to be inordinately proud of the three of us.

但雖然我也不知是什麽原因，

I was born and raised here in India,

他們卻非常以我們三姐妹而自豪。

and I learned from an early age

我在印度出生和長大，

to be deeply suspicious of the aunties and uncles

我很小的時候

who would bend down, pat us on the head

就很懷疑我的姑媽阿姨和叔叔伯伯

and then say to my parents

他們總是彎下腰，拍着我們的頭

with no problem at all,

然後沒事般跟

"Poor things. You only have three daughters.

我的父母親說：

But you're young, you could still try again."

真可憐。你只有三個女兒。

My sense of outrage

不過你還年輕。你們還可以再生。”

about women's rights

我對女性權利的

was brought to a boil when I was about 11.

的憤慨被激發了，

My aunt, an incredibly articulate

那年我只有11嵗。

and brilliant woman,

我的姑姑是一位口齒非常淩利

was widowed early.

和聰明的女人，

A flock of relatives descended on her.

她很年輕的時候就成了寡婦。

They took off her colorful sari.

一群的親戚都看不起她。

They made her wear a white one.

他們把她彩色的莎麗脫了下來，

They wiped her bindi off her forehead.

而給了她一件白色的莎麗。

They broke her bangles.

他們把她額頭上的紅點也擦掉了，

Her daughter, Rani,

還把她的鐲子給打碎了。

a few years older than me,

她的女兒，拉尼，

sat in her lap bewildered,

比我大幾嵗，

not knowing what had happened

跪坐在膝上，迷惑着，

to the confident woman

不知道她的母親，

she once knew as her mother.

一個自信的女人，

Late that night, I heard my mother

到底在她身上發生了什麽事情。

begging my father,

那天晚上，我聽到我母親

"Please do something Ramu. Can't you intervene?"

乞求般跟我的父親說：

And my father, in a low voice, muttering,

“拉姆，求求你為她做點什麽吧。你不能出面嗎？”

"I'm just the youngest brother, there's nothing I can do.

而我的父親小聲咕噥着說：

This is tradition."

“我是兄弟們中最小的，我做不了什麽。

That's the night I learned the rules

這是慣例。”

about what it means to be female in this world.

那個晚上，我意識到這些常規對

Women don't make those rules,

在這個世界上對女性意味着什麽。

but they define us, and they define

女性並沒有製造這些慣例，

our opportunities and our chances.

但這些慣例卻界定了女性及界定了

And men are affected by those rules too.

女性的機遇和機會。

My father, who had fought in three wars,

而男性們也被這些慣例影響着。

could not save his own sister

我的父親，他參加過三次戰爭，

from this suffering.

卻無法把他自己的妹妹從痛苦中

By 18,

拯救出來。

under the excellent tutelage of my mother,

當我18嵗的時候，

I was therefore, as you might expect,

在我母親優秀的監護下，

defiantly feminist.

我正如你們可能所預想的

On the streets chanting,

成爲了一名大膽的女權主義者。

"[Hindi]

在街上頌唱：

[Hindi]

“印度語”

We are the women of India.

“印度語”

We are not flowers, we are sparks of change."

“我們是印度的女人。

By the time I got to Beijing in 1995,

我們不是鮮花，我們是變革的火花。”

it was clear to me, the only way

直到我1995年去北京的時候，

to achieve gender equality

我清楚地意識到，要取得

was to overturn centuries

性別平等唯一的方法，

of oppressive tradition.

是推翻幾個世紀的

Soon after I returned from Beijing,

壓迫的傳統。

I leapt at the chance to work for this wonderful organization,

在從北京回來后不久，

founded by women,

我抓住了機會到一個機構工作。

to support women's rights organizations around the globe.

這個機構是由女性創辦的，

But barely six months into my new job,

主要是支持全球其他女權組織。

I met a woman

我工作后還不到六個月的時候，

who forced me to challenge all my assumptions.

我遇到了一位女士，

Her name is Sakena Yacoobi.

她迫使我挑戰我自己所有的假設。

She walked into my office

她的名字叫薩奇娜.雅庫碧。

at a time when no one knew

她走進我的辦公室。

where Afghanistan was in the United States.

那時候的美國，

She said to me, "It is not about the burka."

沒有人知道阿富汗在哪。

She was the most determined advocate

她對我說：“與這身長袍無關。”

for women's rights I had ever heard.

她是我所聽説的主張女權的

She told me women were running underground schools

最堅定的分子。

in her communities inside Afghanistan,

她告訴我，在她的社區裏，

and that her organization, the Afghan Institute of Learning,

由女性舉辦的地下學校，

had started a school in Pakistan.

而她自己所在的機構，阿富汗學習學院，

She said, "The first thing anyone who is a Muslim knows

也在巴基斯坦開了一所。

is that the Koran requires

她說：“穆斯林人都知道的第一件事，

and strongly supports literacy.

是可蘭經要求

The prophet wanted every believer

而且大力支持文化學習。

to be able to read the Koran for themselves."

穆罕默德希望每個信徒

Had I heard right?

都能自己閲讀可蘭經。”

Was a women's rights advocate

我有沒有聼錯？

invoking religion?

主張喚醒宗教

But Sakena defies labels.

是女性的權利？

She always wears a headscarf,

不過薩奇娜反對被標記。

but I've walked alongside with her on a beach

她總是裹着頭巾。

with her long hair flying in the breeze.

但我也曾和她一起漫步在沙灘上，

She starts every lecture with a prayer,

她披散的長髮在微風中飛舞。

but she's a single, feisty,

她每次講座前都會以祈禱開場，

financially independent woman

但在一個女孩子12嵗就要被嫁掉的國家裏，

in a country where girls are married off at the age of 12.

她確是一個單身，活躍，

She is also immensely pragmatic.

經濟獨立的女人。

"This headscarf and these clothes," she says,

而且她是一個非常實務的人。

"give me the freedom to do what I need to do

她說：“這些頭巾和衣服，

to speak to those whose support and assistance

給了我自由去與那些在這工作中

are critical for this work.

與一些人交談並得到他們

When I had to open the school in the refugee camp,

能起到關鍵作用的支持和協助。

I went to see the imam.

當我要在難民營開一所學校的時候，

I told him, 'I'm a believer, and women and children

我去找了教長。

in these terrible conditions

我跟他說：“我是一位信徒，而女人和孩子

need their faith to survive.'"

在這可怕的條件下

She smiles slyly.

需要靠他們的信仰來生存下去。”

"He was flattered.

她俏皮地笑笑說：

He began to come twice a week to my center

“他覺得很榮幸。

because women could not go to the mosque.

於是他每週來兩次我的中心

And after he would leave,

因爲女人不能到寺廟去。

women and girls would stay behind.

而當他要離開時，

We began with a small literacy class

婦女和女孩子們總是跟在後面。

to read the Koran,

我們開始了一班小型的掃盲班，

then a math class, then an English class, then computer classes.

開始讀可蘭經，

In a few weeks, everyone in the refugee camp

然後開了數學班，然後英語班，再然後電腦班。

was in our classes."

幾周后，難民營裏的每個人

Sakena is a teacher

都來上我們的課。”

at a time when to educate women

薩奇娜是一位老師。

is a dangerous business in Afghanistan.

在當時的阿富汗教導女性是

She is on the Taliban's hit list.

一門危險的行業。

I worry about her every time she travels across that country.

她在塔利班的襲擊名單裏。

She shrugs when I ask her about safety.

每次她穿越那個國家的時候，我都替她擔心。

"Kavita jaan, we cannot allow ourselves to be afraid.

我問起她關於她的人身安全時，她只是聳了聳肩說：

Look at those young girls who go back to school

“朋友卡維塔，我們不能讓自己害怕。

when acid is thrown in their face."

看看那些年輕的女孩子回學校時

And I smile, and I nod,

即使被人潑往臉上潑硫酸的情景。”

realizing I'm watching women and girls

聽到這，我微笑着點了點頭。

using their own religious traditions and practices,

我意識到我自己正看着婦女和女孩子們

turning them into instruments

用她們宗教的傳統和慣例，

of opposition and opportunity.

把壓迫和機會

Their path is their own

變爲工具。

and it looks towards an Afghanistan

她們的道路在她們腳下，

that will be different.

向著成爲不一樣的阿富汗人

Being different is something the women

延伸。

of Lesbor in Zagreb, Croatia

與衆不同，對於來自

know all too well.

克羅地亞萨格勒布的列玆波組合（樂隊名）的幾名女性來説

To be a lesbian, a dyke,

再熟悉不過了。

a homosexual

作爲同性戀者，女同性戀者，

in most parts of the world, including right here

有同性戀關係的人，

in our country, India,

在世界上的許多國家，包括在這，

is to occupy a place of immense discomfort

印度，

and extreme prejudice.

都充滿了無限的苦惱

In post-conflict societies like Croatia,

和極端的偏見。

where a hyper-nationalism and religiosity

在一個像克羅地亞這種衝突后的社會裏，

have created an environment unbearable

高度的愛國主義和宗教主義

for anyone who might

創造了一種環境，就是不可容忍

be considered a social outcast.

任何一個

So enter a group of out dykes,

被社會排斥的人。

young women who love the old music

所以進入一群排斥的同性戀的群體，

that once spread across that region

年輕的女人們非常喜歡古老的音樂。

from Macedonia to Bosnia,

那音樂曾經穿過整個地區，

from Serbia to Slovenia.

從馬其頓到波斯尼亞，

These folk singers met at college at a gender studies program.

從塞爾維亞到斯洛文尼亞。

Many are in their 20s, some are mothers.

這些年輕的歌手在學校的性別學科的課上相遇。

Many have struggled to come out to their communities,

她們都是20幾嵗。有一些已經作了母親。

in families whose religious beliefs make it hard to accept

很多都掙扎着從她們本身的社區中逃離出來。

that their daughters are not sick,

宗教的信仰都使她們的家人很難接受

just queer.

他們的女兒並不是生病，

As Leah, one of the founders of the group, says,

但卻是同性戀。

"I like traditional music very much.

正如團體的其中一位創辦者麗阿所說，

I also like rock and roll.

“我特別喜歡傳統音樂。

So Lesbor, we blend the two.

我也喜歡搖滾樂。

I see traditional music like a kind of rebellion,

所以，在列斯波，我們融合了兩种音樂。

in which people can really speak their voice,

我認爲傳統音樂如一種反叛，

especially traditional songs

人們可以通過傳統音樂表達自己，

from other parts of the former Yugoslav Republic.

尤其是一些來自

After the war, lots of these songs were lost,

前南斯拉夫共和國幾個地區的傳統歌曲。

but they are a part of our childhood and our history,

戰後，很多這類歌曲都遺失了。

and we should not forget them."

但這些卻是我們童年和歷史的一部分，

Improbably, this LGBT singing choir

我們不能把它們遺忘了。”

has demonstrated how women

不太可能的是，這個屬於LGBT（指男、女同性戀、雙性戀者）群體的合唱團

are investing in tradition to create change,

演示了女人如何

like alchemists turning discord into harmony.

投入在傳統中並創造變革，

Their repertoire includes

如同煉金術士在混亂中造出和諧

the Croatian national anthem,

她們演奏的曲目包括

a Bosnian love song

克羅地亞國歌，

and Serbian duets.

一首波斯尼亞的愛情曲目

And, Leah adds with a grin,

以及一首塞爾維亞的二重唱。

"Kavita, we especially are proud of our Christmas music,

還有，麗阿笑着補充道，

because it shows we are open to religious practices

“卡維塔，我們尤其為我們的聖誕曲目感到驕傲，

even though Catholic Church

因爲它顯示了我們對宗教慣例的開放態度，

hates us LGBT."

儘管，天主教的教堂裏

Their concerts draw from

容不下我們這些 LGBT。

their own communities, yes,

他們的音樂會源自

but also from an older generation:

他們自己的社區，沒錯，

a generation that might be

但也源自上一代，

suspicious of homosexuality,

上一代的人也許

but is nostalgic for its own music and the past it represents.

對同性戀持有懷疑態度，

One father, who had initially balked at his daughter

但是他們懷念自己的音樂和音樂所代表的過去。

coming out in such a choir,

一位父親，開始曾對自己的女兒來自這樣的一個

now writes songs for them.

合唱團而覺得猶豫，

In the Middle Ages, troubadours

現在也在為合唱團寫歌。

would travel across the land

在中世紀時，游吟詩人

singing their tales and sharing their verses:

會遊歷整片土地，

Lesbor travels through the Balkans like this,

唱他們的故事，分享他們的詩歌。

singing, connecting people divided

列斯波也如此游走在巴爾幹地區，

by religion, nationality and language.

歌唱着，聯係着人們，

Bosnians, Croats and Serbs

那些被宗教，國籍和語言區分開的人們。

find a rare shared space of pride in their history,