Some months back, I was visiting this East African city, and we were stuck in traffic. And this vendor suddenly approaches my window with a half-opened alphabet sheet. I took a quick look at the alphabet sheet, and I thought of my daughter, how it would be nice to spread it on the floor and just play all over it with her while getting her to learn the alphabet. So the traffic moved a bit, and I quickly grabbed a copy, and we moved on.
几个月前, 我去拜访一个东非的城市, 我们正好堵在路上 一个小商贩走到我们车窗边 手里拿着半开的字母表 我迅速的看了一下字母表 然后我想起了我的女儿 如果把它铺在地上 让我女儿在上面玩耍的同时 还能学习字母是多好啊 当车流开始走动 我马上买了一份 然后我们就走了
When I had time to fully open the alphabet sheet and take a more detailed look at it, I knew I was not going to use that to teach my daughter. I regretted my purchase. Why so? Looking at the alphabet sheet reminded me of the fact that not much has changed in the education curricula in Africa. Some decades back, I was taught out of a similar alphabet sheet. And because of that, I struggled for years. I struggled to reconcile my reality with the formal education I received in school, in the schools I attended. I had identity crises. I looked down on my reality. I looked at my ancestry, I looked at my lineage with disrespect. I had very little patience for what my life had to offer around me.
当我有空完全打开字母表时 更加仔细的看了它 我意识到我不会用它来教我女儿 我后悔买了这个东西 为什么这样? 看到字母表提醒了我 非洲的教育课程 没有太多改变 几十年前,我也是学相似的字母表 正因如此,我挣扎了多年 我努力使自己的现状 与我之前所受的教育和解 在学校,在我上过的学校 我当时不认同自己的身份 我不看好我的现状 我想到我的祖先, 不再以尊重的眼光看待我的血统 我对我的生活失去耐心
Why? "A is for apple." "A is for apple." "A is for apple" is for that child in that part of the world where apples grow out; who has an apple in her lunch bag; who goes to the grocery store with her mom and sees red, green, yellow -- apples of all shapes and colors and sizes. And so, introducing education to this child with an alphabet sheet like this fulfills one of the major functions of education, which is to introduce the learner to an appreciation of the learner's environment and a curiosity to explore more in order to add value.
为什么? "A is for apple." "A is for apple." "A is for apple." 只适用于有苹果生长的 地方的孩子们 午餐背包里有苹果的孩子们 可以跟妈妈去杂货店里 看到各种形状大小,红、绿、黄 各种颜色的孩子们 所以,教育这样的孩子时 可以用这样的字母表 来履行教育中的一个重要作用 给学生介绍 让他们认识他们的环境 激起他们的好奇心去探索 增长见闻
In my own case, when and where I grew up in Africa, apple was an exotic fruit. Two or three times a year, I could get some yellowish apples with brown dots, you know, signifying thousands of miles traveled -- warehouses storing -- to get to me. I grew up in the city to very financially comfortable parents, so it was my dignified reality, exactly the same way cassava fufu or ugali would not regularly feature in an American, Chinese or Indian diet, apples didn't count as part of my reality. So what this did to me, introducing education to me with "A is for apple," made education an abstraction. It made it something out of my reach -- a foreign concept, a phenomenon for which I would have to constantly and perpetually seek the validation of those it belonged to for me to make progress within it and with it. That was tough for a child; it would be tough for anyone.
就我个人而言 我在非洲长大的这段时间和地点 苹果是外来水果 一年也就两三次 我能得到些带棕色斑点的淡黄色苹果 意味着经过了千万里运输、仓储 来到我这儿 我在城市长大 父母经济宽裕 所以我的现状还算有尊严 同样的 甜木薯或者粗玉米粉也不会经常出现在 美国、中国或印度餐桌上 苹果不算我生活的一部分 那这对我意味着什么 用"A is for apple,"来教育我 让教育抽象化 使一些东西触不可及 一个外国概念 一种我不得不持续尝试 它存在、并且于我有关 我才能在现有的知识基础上更上层楼 这对孩子来说很难, 可能对所有人都很难
As I grew up and I advanced academically, my reality was further separated from my education. In history, I was taught that the Scottish explorer Mungo Park discovered the Niger River. And so it bothered me. My great-great-grandparents grew up quite close to the edge of the Niger River.
随着我的成长,学业有所进展 我的环境和我所受的教育 愈发背道而驰 历史课上 我学到苏格兰探险家 蒙哥·帕克发现了尼日河 我备受困扰 我的曾曾祖父母 在尼日河畔长大
(Laughter)
(笑声)
And it took someone to travel thousands of miles from Europe to discover a river right under their nose?
有人从欧洲跨越了数千里 去发现他们脚下的一条河?
(Laughter)
(笑声)
No!
不!
(Applause and cheers)
(掌声和欢呼声)
What did they do with their time?
他们把时间都花在哪儿了?
(Laughter)
(笑声)
Playing board games, roasting fresh yams, fighting tribal wars? I mean, I just knew my education was preparing me to go somewhere else and practice and give to another environment that it belonged to. It was not for my environment, where and when I grew up.
玩棋盘游戏,烤新鲜的山药 部落战争? 我只知道我的教育 是为了让我去别的地方 教我如何在其他地方贡献所学 它不适用于我所成长的环境
And this continued. This philosophy undergirded my studies all through the time I studied in Africa. It took a lot of experiences and some studies for me to begin to have a change of mindset. I will share a couple of the remarkable ones with us.
并且这仍在持续 这种理念一直伴随着 我在非洲的学习生涯 它耗费了我很多经历和一定的研究 来开始改变观念 我要和大家分享一些不同寻常的经历
I was in the United States in Washington, DC studying towards my doctorate, and I got this consultancy position with the World Bank Africa Region. And so I remember one day, my boss -- we were having a conversation on some project, and he mentioned a particular World Bank project, a large-scale irrigation project that cost millions of dollars in Niger Republic that was faltering sustainably. He said this project wasn't so sustainable, and it bothered those that instituted the whole package. But then he mentioned a particular project, a particular traditional irrigation method that was hugely successful in the same Niger Republic where the World Bank project was failing. And that got me thinking. So I did further research, and I found out about Tassa.
当时我在美国的华盛顿区 攻读博士学位 我获得了世界银行非洲地区的咨询职位 记得有一天 我在与老板讨论一些项目 他提到了一个世界银行项目 一个在尼日尔共和国耗资百万美元的 大型灌溉项目 进展持续缓慢 他说这个项目不那么可持续 它将影响整体项目 但他提出了一个特别的项目 一种特别传统的灌溉方法获得了巨大成功 在世界银行项目失败的尼日尔共和国 这让我思考 于是我做了进一步研究 并且我发现了Tassa
Tassa is a traditional irrigation method where 20- to 30-centimeter-wide and 20- to 30-centimeter-deep holes are dug across a field to be cultivated. Then, a small dam is constructed around the field, and then crops are planted across the surface area. What happens is that when rain falls, the holes are able to store the water and appropriate it to the extent that the plant needs the water. The plant can only assimilate as much water as needed until harvest time. Niger is 75 percent scorched desert, so this is something that is a life-or-death situation, and it has been used for centuries. In an experiment that was conducted, two similar plots of land were used in the experiment, and one plot of land did not have the Tassa technique on it. Similar plots. The other one had Tassa technique constructed on it. Then similar grains of millet also were planted on both plots. During harvest time, the plot of land without Tassa technique yielded 11 kilograms of millet per hectare. The plot of land with Tassa technique yielded 553 kilograms of millet per hectare.
Tassa是一种传统的灌溉方法 20~30CM宽、20~30CM深的洞 在田地被挖出来用于种植 然后在田地四周修筑小型水坝 在地表区域种植农作物 当下雨的时候 那些洞可以用于储水 刚好用于植物需要的水分 植物可以吸收充足的水分 直到收获季节 尼日尔75%土地被沙漠覆盖 所以这是一个生死攸关的情况 这种方式已经采用了几个世纪之久 在一个试验中 相似的两块田地 其中一块地 没有采用Tassa技术 相似的土地 另一块采用了Tassa技术 在两块土地种上相似的小米 到了收获的时候 没有采用Tassa技术的土地 每公顷产出11kg小米 采用Tassa技术的土地 每公顷产出553kg小米
(Applause)
(掌声)
I looked at the research, and I looked at myself. I said, "I studied agriculture for 12 years, from primary to Senior Six, as we say in East Africa, SS3 in West Africa or 12th grade. No one ever taught me of any form of traditional African knowledge of cultivation -- of harvesting, of anything -- that will work in modern times and actually succeed, where something imported from the West would struggle to succeed. That was when I knew the challenge, the challenge of Africa's curricula, And I thus began my quest to dedicate my life, concern my life work, to studying, conducting research on Africa's own knowledge system and being able to advocate for its mainstreaming in education, in research, policy across sectors and industries.
我看着研究报告,看着我自己 我说“我学了12年农业 小学到高中六年级在我们提到的东非 SS3在西非或者12年级 没有人教过我 关于耕种、收获等任何形式的 传统非洲技术 而它们仍有效并且确实成功 那些从西方引进的却很难有效 在那个时我意识到这是一个挑战 对非洲课程的挑战 于是我开始了我的追求, 献身于,将我的工作致力于 学习并研究非洲的知识系统 提倡其作为主流知识 在教育、研发、政策 贯穿各行业、工业领域
Another conversation and experience I had at the bank I guess made me take that final decision of where I was going to go, even though it wasn't the most lucrative research to go into, but it was just about what I believed in. And so one day, my boss said that he likes to go to Africa to negotiate World Bank loans and to work on World Bank projects. And I was intrigued. I asked him why. He said, "Oh, when I go to Africa, it's so easy. I just write up my loan documents and my project proposal in Washington, DC, I go to Africa, and they all just get signed. I get the best deal, and I'm back to base. My bosses are happy with me."
在银行的另一次谈话和经历 使我最终决定了我的去向 即使这不是最有利可图的研究 但是这关乎于我的信念 一天,老板说他想去非洲 协商世界银行的贷款 和世界银行的相关工作 我当时相当好奇并问了他原因 他说“噢,我去非洲的时候 这太简单了 我只是在华盛顿写了贷款报告和项目方案 我到了非洲,他们在这些方案上签字就行了 我达成了最有利的交易,然后回到基地 上司们对我很满意‘’
But then he said, "I hate going to Asia or ..." and he mentioned a particular country, Asia and some of these countries. "They keep me for this, trying to get the best deal for their countries. They get the best deal. They tell me, 'Oh, that clause will not work for us in our environment. It's not our reality. It's just so Western.' And they tell me, 'Oh, we have enough experts to take care of this. You don't have enough experts. We know our aim.' And they just keep going through all these things. By the time they finish, yes, they get the best deal, but I'm so exhausted and I don't get the best deal for the bank, and we're in business." "Really?" I thought in my head, "OK."
但他接着说“我讨厌去亚洲或。。。” 他提到一个国家,亚洲和一些其他国家 “他们让我参与, 目的是给自己国家谋求最好的交易” 他们得到了最好的交易 他们告诉我“哦,这条款对我们不适用 在我们这边 这不符合我们现状,这适合西方。” 他们告诉我“我们有足够多的专家 解决这些问题 你们没有足够多的专家 我们知道我们的方向。” 他们只是按照这些进行 在他们完成之前, 他们得到最大的收益 但是我非常疲倦, 并且没有给银行带来最大利益 我们是在做生意 “真的吗?”我思考说“OK”
I was privileged to sit in on a loan negotiating session in an African country. So I would do these consultancy positions during summer, you know, since I was a doctoral student. And then I traveled with the team, with the World Bank team, as more like someone to help out with organizational matters. But I sat in during the negotiating session. I had mostly Euro-Americans, you know, with me from Washington, DC. And I looked across the table at my African brothers and sisters. I could see intimidation on their faces. They didn't believe they had anything to offer the great-great-grandchildren of Mungo Park -- the owners of "apple" in "A is for apple." They just sat and watched: "Oh, just give us, let us sign. You own the knowledge. You know it all. Just, where do we sign? Show us, let us sign." They had no voice. They didn't believe in themselves.
我有幸参加了一个贷款谈判会议 在一个非洲国家 自从我作为博士生以来 夏天我都会去做这些项目的顾问 整个行程都与世界银行团队一起 像是在帮助组织做事 但在那次协商会议中 我与来自华盛顿的欧美人一起 谈判桌对面坐的是我非洲的同胞 我能看到他们脸上的恐慌 他们不认为自己 可以给蒙哥·帕克的曾曾子孙们 提供任何帮助 “apple”in“A is for apple”的拥有者 他们只是坐在那儿看着: “噢,给我们,让我们签吧 你们拥有技术,你们知道一切 我们在哪儿签?告诉我们,让我们签” 他们不吭声 他们不相信自己
Excuse me.
不好意思
And so, I have been doing this for a decade. I have been conducting research on Africa's knowledge system, original, authentic, traditional knowledge. In the few cases where this has been implemented in Africa, there has been remarkable successes recorded.
因此 我为此努力了十年 我已经对非洲的知识系统进行研究 原始的、真实的、传统的知识 有一小部分案例在非洲被实行 已经有标志意义的成功记录了
I think of Gacaca. Gacaca is Rwanda's traditional judicial system that was used after the genocide. In 1994, when the genocide ended, Rwanda's national court system was in shambles: no judges, no lawyers to try hundreds of thousands of genocide cases. So the government of Rwanda came up with this idea to resuscitate a traditional judicial system known as Gacaca. Gacaca is a community-based judicial system, where community members come together to elect men and women of proven integrity to try cases of crimes committed within these communities. So by the time Gacaca concluded its trial of genocide cases in 2012, 12,000 community-based courts had tried approximately 1.2 million cases. That's a record.
我想到了 Gacaca Gacaca 是卢旺达的一种司法系统 在大屠杀之后被使用 在1994年,当大屠杀结束时 卢旺达的国家司法系统进展缓慢 没有法官和律师 能处理成百上千的屠杀案件 所以卢旺达政府想出这个方案 重新启用叫 Gacaca 的传统司法系统 Gacaca 是一种以社区为基础的司法系统 社区成员聚集到 一起 推选诚实守信的人 来处理这些社区内提交的犯罪案件 在2012年之前, Gacaca被用于屠杀案件的审判 12000 个社区法院 处理了大概一百二十万例案件 破了记录。
(Applause)
(鼓掌)
Most importantly is that Gacaca emphasized Rwanda's traditional philosophy of reconciliation and reintegration, as against the whole punitive and banishment idea that undergirds present-day Western style. And not to compare, but just to say that it really emphasized Rwanda's traditional method of philosophy.
最重要的是 Gacaca 强调了卢旺达 和解和重返社会的传统学说 用于反对今天西方社会的 整体流放和惩罚的想法 不是为了做比较, 只是为了表达这确实强调了 卢旺达的传统方式
And so it was Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, former president of Tanzania --
坦桑尼亚的前总统 Mwalimu Julius Nyerere 也有类似理论
(Applause)
(掌声)
who said that you cannot develop people. People will have to develop themselves. I agree with Mwalimu. I am convinced that Africa's further transformation, Africa's advancement, rests simply in the acknowledgment, validation and mainstreaming of Africa's own traditional, authentic, original, indigenous knowledge in education, in research, in policy making and across sectors. This is not going to be easy for Africa. It is not going to be easy for a people used to being told how to think, what to do, how to go about it, a people long subjected to the intellectual guidance and direction of others, be they the colonial masters, aid industry or international news media. But it is a task that we have to do to make progress.
他提出你无法发展人民 人民必须自我发展 我同意Mwalimu的观点 我深信 非洲进一步的转变,非洲的进步 依靠非洲自身传统的、 真实的、纯粹的、本土的知识 价值和主航道 在教育、研发、政策等各方面 这对非洲来说并不容易 对于那些习惯被人牵着鼻子走的人 更为困难 做什么,如何达成目标 对长期受知识指导的人 跟着他人步伐的人 他们是殖民地的主人 国际援助业或者国际新闻媒体 但这是一项为了发展 我们必须要做的工作
I am strengthened by the words of Joseph Shabalala, founder of the South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. He said that the task ahead of us can never, ever be greater than the power within us. We can do it. We can unlearn looking down on ourselves. We can learn to place value on our reality and our knowledge.
Joseph Shabalala 的话鼓舞了我 他是南非合唱团组合 Ladysmith Black Mambazo 的创始人 他说我们肩负的任务远没有 我们自身的能力大 我们可以做到 我们可以忘却对自己的蔑视 我们可以学着给我们的现状 和知识赋予价值
Thank you.
谢谢
(Swahili) Thank you very much.
(斯瓦希里语)非常感谢
(Applause)
(掌声)
Thank you. Thank you.
谢谢 谢谢
(Applause)
(掌声)