People back home call me a heckler, a troublemaker, an irritant, a rebel, an activist, the voice of the people. But that wasn't always me.
Nyumbani, watu huniita mpiga makelele, mleta matata, msumbufu, muasi, mwanaharakati, kioo cha jamii. Lakini sikuwa hivyo.
Growing up, I had a nickname. They used to call me Softy, meaning the soft, harmless boy. Like every other human being, I avoided trouble. In my childhood, they taught me silence. Don't argue, do as you're told. In Sunday school, they taught me don't confront, don't argue, even if you're right, turn the other cheek.
Utotoni, nilikuwa na jina la utani. Waliniita Softi, yaani kijana mwepesi asiye na mambo mengi. Kama binaadamu yeyote, niliepuka balaa, Utotoni, walinifunza kimya. Usibishane, fanya unachoambiwa. Kwenye shule ya dini, walinifunza nisilete bughudha, nisibishane. hata kama huna hatia, nyenyekea.
This was reinforced by the political climate of the time. (Laughter) Kenya is a country where you are guilty until proven rich. (Laughter) Kenya's poor are five times more likely to be shot dead by the police who are meant to protect them than by criminals. This was reinforced by the political climate of the day. We had a president, Moi, who was a dictator. He ruled the country with an iron fist, and anyone who dared question his authority was arrested, tortured, jailed or even killed. That meant that people were taught to be smart cowards, stay out of trouble. Being a coward was not an insult. Being a coward was a compliment. We used to be told that a coward goes home to his mother. What that meant: that if you stayed out of trouble you're going to stay alive.
Hili lilisisitizwa na hali ya siasa. (Kicheko) Kenya ni nchi unayochukuliwa kuwa na hatia hadi unapojulikana una mali (Kicheko) Wakenya maskini wanaweza mara tano zaidi kupigwa risasi na polisi wanaopaswa kuwalinda Kuliko wahalifu. Haya yalisisitizwa na hali ya kisiasa nyakati hizo. Tulikuwa na rais, Moi, aliyekuwa kiongozi wa kiimla. Aliitawala nchi kwa mabavu, na yeyote aliyethubutu kukiuka uongozi wake alishikwa, akapigwa, akafungwa au kuuawa. Hivyo wananchi walikuwa waoga werevu, kujiepusha na matata. Kuwa mwoga halikuwa tusi. Kuwa mwoga lilikuwa jambo zuri. Tuliishi kuelezwa kuwa mtu mwoga hurudi nyumbani kwa mamaye. Ilikuwa na maana hii: ukijiepusha na matata utaishi.
I used to question this advice, and eight years ago we had an election in Kenya, and the results were violently disputed. What followed that election was terrible violence, rape, and the killing of over 1,000 people. My work was to document the violence. As a photographer, I took thousands of images, and after two months, the two politicians came together, had a cup of tea, signed a peace agreement, and the country moved on.
Niliushuku wosia huu, na miaka minane iliyopita tukawa na uchaguzi nchini Kenya, na matokeo yakapingwa vikali. Kilichofuata kilikuwa fujo mbaya, ubakaji, na mauaji ya zaidi ya watu elfu moja. Kazi yangu ilikuwa kunasa fujo hizo. Kama mnasa picha, nilinasa maelfu ya picha, na baada ya miezi miwili, wanasiasa hao walikutana, wakapata chai wakatia sahihi mkataba wa amani na nchi ikasonga mbele.
I was a very disturbed man because I saw the violence firsthand. I saw the killings. I saw the displacement. I met women who had been raped, and it disturbed me, but the country never spoke about it. We pretended. We all became smart cowards. We decided to stay out of trouble and not talk about it.
Nilitatizika sana kwa sababu nilishuhudia rabsha kinaganaga Niliona mauaji. Niliona waliofurushwa kutoka kwa makao yao. Nilipata wanawake waliobakwa, na lilinitatiza, lakini nchi kaikuyajali hayo. Tulijidai. Tuligeuka kuwa waoga werevu. Tuliamua kujiepusha na rabsha na kutojishughulisha.
Ten months later, I quit my job. I said I could not stand it anymore. After quitting my job, I decided to organize my friends to speak about the violence in the country, to speak about the state of the nation, and June 1, 2009 was the day that we were meant to go to the stadium and try and get the president's attention. It's a national holiday, it's broadcast across the country, and I showed up at the stadium. My friends did not show up. I found myself alone, and I didn't know what to do. I was scared, but I knew very well that that particular day, I had to make a decision. Was I able to live as a coward, like everyone else, or was I going to make a stand? And when the president stood up to speak, I found myself on my feet shouting at the president, telling him to remember the post-election violence victims, to stop the corruption. And suddenly, out of nowhere, the police pounced on me like hungry lions. They held my mouth and dragged me out of the stadium, where they thoroughly beat me up and locked me up in jail. I spent that night in a cold cement floor in the jail, and that got me thinking. What was making me feel this way? My friends and family thought I was crazy because of what I did, and the images that I took were disturbing my life. The images that I took were just a number to many Kenyans. Most Kenyans did not see the violence. It was a story to them.
Miezi kumi baadaye, niliacha kazi. Singeweza tena kustahimili hayo. Baada ya kuiacha kazi, niliamua kujiunga na marafiki zangu kuongea kuhusu ghasia nchini, kuongeakuhusu hali taifa lilipokuwa, na Juni Mosi Elfu mwaka wa Mbili na Tisa ilikuwa siku tuliyopanga kufika uwanjani na kujaribu kupata sikio la rais. Ilikuwa siku kuu, sherehe yenyewe ilitangazwa kote nchini, na nilifika uwanjani. Marafiki zangu hawakutokea. Nilijipata peke yangu, na sikujua la kufanya. Niliogopa, lakini nilifahamu vyema kuwa siku hiyo, Nilihitaji kufanya uamuzi. Ningeweza kuishi kama mwoga, kama watu wengine, au ningechukua msimamo thabiti? Na rais aliposimama kuhutubu, Nilijipata nimesimama nimkemea, nikimwambia awakumbuke waasiriwa wa ghasia za baada ya uchaguzi, kumaliza ufisadi. Na punde si punde, polisi walinirukia kama simba wenye njaa. Walinifunga mdomo na kuniburuta hadi nje ya uwanja, ambapo walinitwanga na kunitupa jela. Usiku huo nililala kwenye sakafu baridi ndani ya jela, ndipo nikawaza. Ni lipi lililonifanya nihisi hivyo? Marafiki zangu na jamaa zangu walifikiri nimekuwa kichaa kwa yale niliyofanya, na picha nilizonasa zilinisumbua. Picha nilizonasa zilikuwa nambari tu kwa wakenya wengi. Wakenya wengi hawakushuhudia ghasia. Kwao ilikuwa hadithi tu.
And so I decided to actually start a street exhibition to show the images of the violence across the country and get people talking about it. We traveled the country and showed the images, and this was a journey that has started me to the activist path, where I decided to become silent no more, to talk about those things. We traveled, and our general site from our street exhibit became for political graffiti about the situation in the country, talking about corruption, bad leadership. We have even done symbolic burials. We have delivered live pigs to Kenya's parliament as a symbol of our politicians' greed. It has been done in Uganda and other countries, and what is most powerful is that the images have been picked by the media and amplified across the country, across the continent.
Hivyo nikaamua kuanza maonyesho mtaani kuonyesha picha za ghasia hizo nchini kote na kuwapa watu fursa ya kujadiliana kuhusu ghasia hizo. Tulizuru sehemu mbali mbali nchini na kuonyesha picha hizo, na hio ilikuwa safari iliyoniweka katika mkondo wa uwanaharakati, nilipoamua kutonyamaza tena kamwe, Kuongea wazi kuhusu mambo yale. Tulitembea na ugunduzi uliotokana na kuonyesha picha mitaani ukachangia unanzilishi wa picha za kisiasa kuhusu hali iliyokumba nchi yetu, kuongea kuhusu ufisadi, uongozi mbovu. Hata tumefanya mazishi-ashiria. Tumefikisha nguruwe kwenye bunge la Kenya kuashiria tamaa ya wanasiasa Hili limeigizwa nchini Uganda na nchi zingine, na jambo kuu ni kwamba picha hizo zimechukuliwa na vyombo vya habari na kusambazwa kote nchini, kote Africa.
Where I used to stand up alone seven years ago, now I belong to a community of many people who stand up with me. I am no longer alone when I stand up to speak about these things. I belong to a group of young people who are passionate about the country, who want to bring about change, and they're no longer afraid, and they're no longer smart cowards. So that was my story. That day in the stadium, I stood up as a smart coward. By that one action, I said goodbye to the 24 years living as a coward.
Ingawa nilisimama peke yangu miaka saba iliyopita, sasa nimekuwa mmoja katika jamii ya watu wanaosimama pamoja nami. Simo peke yangu tena ninaposimama kuongea kuhusu mambo haya. Mie ni mmoja kati ya kikundi cha vijana wanaopenda sana nchi yao, wanaopania kuleta mabadiliko, na hawaogopi tena, na si waoga werevu. Hio ndio hadithi yangu. Siku ile uwanjani, Nilisimama kama mwoga mwerevu. Kwa kitendo hicho kimoja, niliipungia mkono wa buriani miaka ishirini na nne ya kuishi kama mwoga.
There are two most powerful days in your life: the day you're born, and the day you discover why. That day standing up in that stadium shouting at the President, I discovered why I was truly born, that I would no longer be silent in the face of injustice. Do you know why you were born? Thank you. (Applause)
Kuna siku mbili kuu zaidi maishani mwako: ile siku uliyozaliwa, na ile utakapogundua kwa nini. Siku ile niliposimama uwanjani nikikemea Rais, Niligundua kwa kweli kwa nini nilizaliwa, kwamba sitakimya tena nionapo unyanyasaji. Je, wajua nia yako ya kuzaliwa? Asanteni. (Makofi)
Tom Rielly: It's an amazing story. I just want to ask you a couple quick questions. So PAWA254: you've created a studio, a place where young people can go and harness the power of digital media to do some of this action. What's happening now with PAWA?
Tom Rielly: Hadithi nzuri sana hii. Nataka tu kukuuliza maswali machache. Hii PAWA254: umeunda studio, mahali vijana wanaweza kwenda na kudhihirisha umuhimu wa vyombo vya utandawazi kufanya mambo haya. Ni yepi yanayoendelea na PAWA?
Boniface Mwangi: So we have this community of filmmakers, graffiti artists, musicians, and when there's an issue in the country, we come together, we brainstorm, and take up on that issue. So our most powerful tool is art, because we live in a very busy world where people are so busy in their life, and they don't have time to read. So we package our activism and we package our message in art. So from the music, the graffiti, the art, that's what we do. Can I say one more thing?
Boniface Mwangi: Tuna hii jamii ya watengeneza filamu, wasanii, wanamuziki, na wakati kuna tukio nchini, tunajiunga pamoja, tunajadiliana, na kulichukulia maanani tukio hilo. Chombo muhimu zaidi kwetu ni sanaa, kwa sababu tunaishi nyakati mabazo watu wanashughulika na mambo mengi maishani, na hawana ule wakati wa kusoma. Hivyo tunaeleza uwanaharakati na ujumbe wetu tukitumia sanaa. Tukitumia muziki, usanii, sanaa, hayo ndiyo tufanyayo. Naweza kusema jambo la ziada?
TR: Yeah, of course. (Applause)
TR: Kwa kweli. (Makofi)
BM: In spite of being arrested, beaten up, threatened, the moment I discovered my voice, that I could actually stand up for what I really believed in, I'm no longer afraid. I used to be called softy, but I'm no longer softy, because I discovered who I really am, as in, that's what I want to do, and there's such beauty in doing that. There's nothing as powerful as that, knowing that I'm meant to do this, because you don't get scared, you just continue living your life.
BM: Licha ya kutiwa mbaroni, kupigwa, kutishwa, nilipogundua sauti yangu, kuwa ningeweza kuchukua msimamo kwa lile nililoamini, sina uoga tena. Waliniita softi, lakini mie si softi tena, kwa sababu niligundua mimi ni nani, yaani, kazi hio tu ndio nataka kufanya, na ni raha ilioje kufanya kazi hio. Hakuna jambo kuu kama kufahamu unapaswa kufanya jambo fulani, kwa sababu hautakuwa na woga, unaendelea tu kuishi maisha kivyako.
Thank you.
Asanteni.
(Applause)
(Makofi)