Hello. This is my first trip, first time in life I'm outside of the walls of Gaza. I'm so happy to be here.
Pershendetje. Ky eshte udhetimi im i pare, hera e pare ne jeten time qe jam jashte mureve te Gazes. Jam shume e gezuar qe jam ketu.
(Applause)
(Duartrokitje)
My ambition always was to be a pilot, to fly a plane, to feel free to fly the sky, to touch the sky. But that didn't happen. Simply, I live in Gaza, there is no airport. All borders are closed on every side. We live in one of the biggest prisons in the world. The only thing I can do is just to look up to the sky. On some days, we are lucky if we have electricity for four or five hours. When it's cold, we make a fire on the front or on the roof of our homes. Sometimes we make food, too.
Ambicja ime ka qene gjithmone te behesha pilote, te pilotoja nje avion, te isha e lire te fluturoja ne qiell, te prekja qiellin. Por kjo nuk ndodhi. Une, thjesht jetoj ne Gaza, nuk ka aeroport. Te gjithe kufijte jane mbyllur ne cdo ane. Ne jetojme ne nje nga burgjet me te medha ne bote. E vetmja gje qe mund te bej eshte thjesht te shoh qiellin lart. Ne disa dite, jemi me fat nese kemi energji elektrike per kater apo pese ore. Kur eshte ftohte, bejme zjarr perpara ose ne catite e shtepive tona. Ndonjehere gatuajme, gjithashtu.
My job in Gaza is to arrange everything for journalists who come to my homeland to tell the stories about what's going on in Gaza. Many mornings, I had to go to the border area to collect a journalist. If anything should happen to the journalist, or if the journalist decides to cover a story the government doesn't want us to cover, bad things could happen.
Puna ime ne Gaza eshte te sistemoj gjithcka per gazetaret qe vizitojne atdheun tim per te treguar historite e asaj cfare po ndodh ne Gaza. Shume mengjese, me eshte dashur te shkoj ne zonen e kufirit per te pritur nje gazetar. Nese ndonje gje i ndodh gazetarit, ose nese gazetari vendos tregoje nje lajm qe qeveria nuk do qe te dale, gjera te keqija mund te ndodhin.
Navigating through my country helping journalists, filmmakers, news crews, is my working life. I believe my success comes from building a relationship not only with journalists and the news crews, but also with the communities in the Gaza Strip. These communities who don't want their stories to be told, I never looked to them as stories or numbers. But like me, they are human beings.
Te udhetoj permes vendit tim duke ndihmuar gazetaret, prodhuesit e filmave, ekipet e lajmeve eshte jeta ime e punes. Besoj qe suksesi im vjen nga ngritja e nje lidhjeje jo vetem me gazetaret dhe ekipet e lajmeve, por gjithashtu me komunitetet ne Rripin e Gazes. Keto komunitete qe nuk duan qe historite e tyre te rrefehen, Nuk i kam pare kurre si histori apo numra. Por si une, ata jane qenie njerezore.
I have built up many relationships over 10 years. And guess what? This gives me the chance to get access to people, to stories that others can't. In some certain situations, I feel, as a woman, I have more power. Many male journalists in my society, they want to cover a story about drug addiction in my country. That problem started when the Gaza tunnel was being built. With the siege on Gaza, tunnels brought people all the basic needs like food, building material, other stuff we needed. But not anymore, because the Egyptian side flooded them up with water and they are not working anymore. Drugs were being smuggled, and many young people got addicted, too. In the tradition of the Palestinian society, it's forbidden for men to enter the household. So, no male journalists get the story. But I did.
Kam ndertuar shume marredhenie gjate 10 viteve. Dhe a e dini cfare? Kjo me jep shansin te kem akses tek njerezit, tek histori qe te tjeret nuk munden. Ne disa situata te vecanta, ndjej, si grua, kam me shume force. Shume gazetare meshkuj ne shoqerine time, duan te tregojne nje histori per vartesine nga droga ne vendin tim. Problemi nisi kur tuneli i Gazes po ndertohej. Me rrethimin e Gazes, tunelet i sillnin njerezve gjithe nevojat baze si ushqim, materiale ndertimi, gjera te tjera qe na duheshin. Por tani jo me, sepse pala Egjiptiane i permbyti me uje dhe nuk jane me ne pune. Po trafikoheshin edhe narkotike, dhe shume te rinj krijuan vartesi, gjithashtu. Ne traditen e shoqerise Palestineze, eshte e ndaluar per burrat te futen ne shtepi. Keshtu, asnje gazetar mashkull nuk e merr lajmin. Por une ia dola.
I have a wonderful husband, a wonderful husband who supports me despite all the criticism he gets from the society. He's at home now with my two kids, and I have another one that's growing in here.
Une kam nje bashkeshort te mrekullueshem, nje bashkeshort te mrekullueshem, qe me mbeshtet megjithe kritiken qe merr nga shoqeria. Ai tani eshte ne shtepi me dy femijet e mi, dhe kam edhe nje tjeter qe po rritet ketu.
(Applause)
(Duartrokitje)
When I'm working, I call him every two hours, and he knows if he doesn't hear from me, he should call my contact, the one who gives me access to the story, which is the one who I trust.
Kur punoj e marr ne telefon cdo dy ore, dhe ai e di nese nuk merr lajme nga une, duhet te marrre ne telefon kontaktin tim, ate qe me jep akses per lajmin, qe eshte ai tek i cili kam besim.
One of the times in Gaza, during the kidnapping of the British journalist Alan Johnston, I was asked by an American magazine to set up a meeting with the kidnappers in Gaza, and I did. The journalist covering the story and I were asked to meet outside of his hotel. They came, they picked us up in a black van with black windows, they were wearing masks on that day. And they drove us away, far away in the middle of a field. They took our cell phones and we did the interview with the kidnapper outside in that field. I was so scared that day, a day I will never forget.
Ne nje nga heret ne Gaza, gjate rrembimit te gazetarit Britanik Alan Johnston, Mu kerkua nga nje reviste amerikane te rregulloj nje takim me rrembyesit ne Gaza, dhe une e bera. Gazetarit qe mbulonte lajmin dhe mua na u kerkua te takoheshim ne dalje te ketij hoteli. Erdhen, na moren me nje furgon te zi me xhama te zi, mbanin maska ate dite. Dhe na derguan me makine larg, ne mes te nje fushe. Na moren telefonat celulare dhe e beme intervisten me rrembyesin jashte ne ate fushe. Isha kaq e frikesuar ate dite, nje dite qe nuk do ta harroj.
So, why do I do what I do? I do it because I believe if I didn't, a huge part of the story about Gaza will be missing. There are some more stories I could tell you about my country. And not all of them are bad. I love my country, despite the terrible situation we live in -- siege, poverty, unemployment -- but there is life. There are people who are dreamers and amazing people full of energy. We have wonderful music, and a great music school. We have parkour dancers who dance in the rubble of their homes. And Gaza is the only place in the Arab world where Muslims and Christians live in strong brotherhood.
Pra, pse e bej kete qe bej? E bej sepse besoj se nese nuk e bej, nje pjese e madhe e historise per Gazen do te humbase. Ka dhe disa histori te tjera qe mund t'ju tregoj per vendin tim Dhe jo te gjitha jane te keqija. Une e dua vendin tim, megjithe situaten e tmerrshme ku jetojme-- rrethim, varferi, papunesi-- por ka dhe jete. Ka njerez qe jane enderrimtare dhe njerez te mrekullueshem plot energji. Kemi muzike mahnitese, dhe nje shkolle muzike te madhe. Kemi kercimtare parkur qe kercejne ne mbetjet e shtepive te tyre. Dhe Gaza eshte i vetmi vend ne boten Arabe ku muslimanet dhe kristianet jetojne ne nje vellazeri te forte.
(Applause)
(Duartrokitje)
During the time of war, the hardest part for me is leaving the house early in the morning, leaving my children. I take a picture of them everyday because I never know if I will make it back to them. Being a fixer and a journalist is difficult and dangerous in Gaza. But when I hear the sound of the shelling or the sound of the bombing, I just head straight toward it, because I want to be there first, because these stories should be told.
Gjate kohes se luftes, gjeja me e veshtire per mua eshte largimi nga shtepia heret ne mengjes, lenia e femijeve. U bej nje fotografi cdo dite sepse asnjehere nuk e di nese do te kthehem apo jo tek ta. Te jesh nje rregulluese dhe gazetare, eshte e veshtire dhe e rrezikshme ne Gaza. Por kur degjoj zhurmen e predhave apo zhurmen e bombave, thjesht shkoj drejt tyre, sepse dua te jem e para, sepse keto histori duhen treguar.
When my children were small and we heard the sound of the war, I used to tell them that they were fireworks. Now they are older, they understand. I do have terrible nightmares because of all that I witnessed during war times, especially these lifeless bodies of young children. I still remember a little girl, her name is Hala. She's the only survivor from her family. Her picture will be with me forever. I will never forget her.
Kur femijet ishin te vegjel dhe degjonim zhurmen e luftes, u thoja qe ishin fishekzjarre. Tani jane me te rritur, kuptojne. Kam makthe te tmerrshme per shkak te gjithe asaj qe kam qene deshmitare gjate kohes se luftes, vecanerisht ato trupa pajete femijesh te vegjel. Akoma e kujtoj nje vajze te vogel, e ka emrin Hala Eshte e mbijetuara e vetme nga familja e saj. Pamja e saj do te me ndjeke kudo. Nuk do ta harroj kurre.
I'm proud that I can stand here and be here today with you. I'm proud that I can tell you stories, sad and happy, stories about my small corner of the world, Gaza. I'm proud that I am the first female fixer working in Gaza. And the funny thing is they call me Mr. Rambo in Gaza.
Jam krenare qe mund te qendroj ketu dhe te jem sot ketu me ju. Jam krenare qe mund t'ju tregoj histori, te trishta e te gezuara, histori rreth cepit tim te vogel te botes, Gazen. Jam krenare qe jam rregulluesja e pare femer qe punon ne Gaza. C'ka eshte per te qeshur eshte se ne Gaza me quajne z. Rambo.
(Laughter)
(Te qeshura)
I hope one day, I will get the chance to tell the stories of all other women, all other amazing women I know in my country. I hope that one day I can help other women in my country to be fixers like me. And of course sometimes, I feel I can't do this work anymore, it's just too much for me. But I remember these words: "Don't limit your challenge, but challenge your limit. Don't allow others to stand in front of your dreams."
Shpresoj nje dite, do me jepet rasti te tregoj historite e gjithe grave te tjera, gjithe grave te tjera te mrekullueshme qe njoh ne vendin tim. Shpresoj qe nje dite mund te ndihmoj grate e tjera ne vendin tim te jene rregulluese si une. Sigurisht ndonjehere, ndjej qe nuk mund da bej me kete pune, eshte teper per mua. Por kujtoj keto fjale: "Mos kufizo sfiden, por sfido kufirin. Mos lejo qe te tjeret te pengojne endrrat e tua."
Thank you.
Faleminderit.
(Applause)
(Duartrokitje)