The history of the country I come from, the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been one of colonizing, disempowering, extracting resources and removing the people's agency over their bodies, their land, their hearts, their destinies. The reason for this unrelenting violence is an ongoing proxy war for the country's vast mineral resources, which are essential to the production of your computers, phones and electronics. In Congo, rape is a weapon of war used by militias to rip apart our communities, resulting in catastrophic sexual violence, political upheaval, displacement and disease.
我来自的国家, 刚果民主共和国, 有殖民、剥夺权力、 榨取资源、 以及剥夺人民对自己的身体、 土地、心灵和命运的控制权的历史。 这种无休止的暴力, 是因为对刚果庞大矿产资源的持续代理战, 这些资源对计算机、手机 和电子产品的生产至关重要。 在刚果,强奸是一种战争武器, 民兵使用强奸来分裂我们的社区。 导致了灾难性的性暴力、 政治动荡、流离失所和疾病。
But the Democratic Republic of Congo is also a place of extreme beauty, lush greenery and lakes and forests, where anything can grow if you plant it. Our people are beautiful, fierce, generous. And our women are formidable, creative. When they dance, they change the world.
但是,刚果民主共和国 也是一个极其美丽的地方, 拥有郁郁葱葱的绿色植物、湖泊和森林, 任何种下的东西,都可以生长出来。 我们的人民美丽、强大,而且慷慨。 我们的女性令人敬仰,富有创造力。 她们的舞蹈,可以改变世界。
After my best friend was murdered in 1998, I devoted my life to the women of Congo and to ending the sexual terrorism that plagues our country. City of Joy, located in Bukavu, in eastern DRC, is a transformational leadership community for women survivors of gender violence that serves 90 women ages 18 to 30 at a time for six months. Women are selected based on their leadership potential by our graduates who are spread across the country, turning pain to power. City of Joy returns women to their bodies, educates them about their rights and develops them as leaders who will one day take back their country.
在我最好的朋友在 1998 年被谋杀后, 我把我的一生奉献给了刚果妇女, 致力于终结扰乱我们国家的性恐怖主义。 欢乐之城, 位于刚果民主共和国东部的布卡武。 是一个变革型领导社区, 面向性别暴力的女性幸存者。 这里为 90 名在 18 至 30 岁之间的女性, 提供为期六个月的服务。 将伤痛转化为力量, 我们分布在全国各地的毕业生 根据领导潜力选择了这些女性。 欢乐之城让女性重返自己的身体, 教育她们了解自己的权利, 并培养她们, 成为有朝一日将夺回祖国的领导者。
City of Joy is a physical place, but it is also a desire, a vision, a metaphor for turning pain into power. And by power we mean care, compassion, community. We opened a sanctuary for healing and a revolutionary center in the most impoverished, impossible place in the world, and we were able to succeed at our mission. This may look like a miracle, but it is based on a set of hard-earned guiding principles. I share them with you in the hope that they may inspire you.
欢乐之城是一个实体场所, 但它也是一种欲望、愿景, 和将痛苦转化为力量的隐喻。 我们所说的权力, 是指关怀、同情心,和社区。 我们在世界上最贫困、最不可能的地方, 开设了一个疗愈避难所, 和一个革命中心。 我们成功地完成了我们的使命。 这可能看起来像一个奇迹, 但它建立在一套来之不易的指导原则上。 希望分享它们后, 你们也能有所收获。
[They] are: rebirth is possible. Firstly, we believe that there is no woman, no matter how hurt or violated, broken or lost, who cannot be restored. This, like all the tenets, is a living principle, repeated often at City of Joy. We learn from experience that women who have survived the most violence can, with support and training, become the most visionary leaders. Most women who come to City of Joy have been marginalized due to the stigma surrounding rape.
(这些原则)是: 重生是可能的。 首先我们认为,所有的女性, 无论受到多重的伤害或侵犯, 无论多么破碎或迷茫, 都是可以康复的。 与所有教义一样, 这是一项活生生的原则, 我们在欢乐之城经常重复强调。 我们从经验中学到, 在最严重的暴力中幸存下来的女性, 在支持和训练下, 可以成为最有远见的领导者。 大多数来到欢乐之城的女性, 都是因为强奸带来的耻辱而被边缘化的。
Jane Mukunilwa was one of those women, born in the village of Lulingu, one of the worst places for women. In 2005, after being physically and psychologically destroyed through gang rape, Jane underwent nine surgeries to repair the damage that was done to her body. During a long hospital stay, Jane committed herself to helping other women who had undergone similar atrocities, and she imagined creating a shelter of sorts for them. During a chance encounter in May 2007, Jane revealed her deepest desire to V, formerly Eve Ensler, to build a place for women survivors to live together so that they could heal, transform and lead. Jane was in the first class of women at City of Joy, where she proved that change is possible even after one's life has seemingly been destroyed. Jane arrived at City of Joy illiterate, and she graduated able to read and write, with the skills to rebuild her life. She was able to buy a plot of land and build a small house. She joined the staff and is a strong role model for other women living there. When she arrived, her name was Jeanne.
简·穆库尼尔瓦(Jane Mukunilwa) 就是其中一位。她出生在卢林古村, 一个对女性最糟糕的地方。 2005 年,因为遭受了轮奸, 导致身心受创后, 简接受了九次手术, 以修复对身体造成的损伤。 在长期住院期间, 简投身于帮助其他妇女, 帮助那些遭受过类似暴行的人, 她构想能够为她们建造一种避难所。 在2007年5月的一次偶然相遇中, 简向 V【夏娃·恩斯勒(Eve Ensler)】 透露了她最深切的愿望, 希望为女性幸存者, 建造一个共同生活的地方, 让她们能够康复、转变和领导。 简是欢乐之城的最出色的女性之一, 在那里她证明了, 即使一个人的生活看似被摧毁, 改变也是可能的。 简以文盲的身份来到欢乐之城, 毕业后,她能读能写, 具备了重建生活的技能。 她可以买一块地,建一座小房子。 她成为了员工, 是其他生活在那里的女性仰望的榜样。 当她到刚来时,她的名字叫珍妮。
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When she arrived, her name was Jeanne. She renamed herself Jane. Jane is now a powerful leader and a woman of magnificent energy, vision and life force.
当她到刚来时,她的名字叫珍妮。 她给自己改名为简。 简现在是一位强大的领导者, 是一位充满活力、远见和生命力的女性。
Two: grassroots women know what they need.
二:底层女性知道她们需要什么。
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They don't need direction or coercion from outside funders. They need resources and respect. The women of Congo envisioned the City of Joy, and they are the ones who run it. Our sisters in the West help by providing resources and sharing our story by being wings at our back. Because of this, we have been able to take risks, become innovators. City of Joy is modeling a new kind of program for survivors, one that has moved from social service to social justice.
她们不需要外部资助者的指导或胁迫。 她们需要的是资源和尊重。 刚果的女性构想了欢乐之城, 而她们是这座城市的管理者。 我们在西方的姐妹们, 通过提供资源, 分享我们的故事, 通过成为我们的翅膀来帮助我们。 正因为如此,我们可以进行冒险, 成为创新者。 欢乐之城示范了一种新型的幸存者项目, 从社会服务转向社会正义。
Three: women heal in community. Women cannot heal outside community, for as long as the community remains ill or sexist or violent, women remain oppressed and unseen. At City of Joy, women come to understand that their healing is intertwined with their sisters' healing.
三:女性在群体中康复。 女性无法在群体之外康复, 只要群体仍然病态, 或存在性别歧视、暴力, 女性就会受到压迫,从而隐身。 在欢乐之城,女性开始理解, 她们的治疗与其他姐妹的治疗相互交织。
For example, there is no individual therapy at City of Joy, only group therapy. As your sister changes and grows, you change and grow. As she is able to tell her story, it encourages you to tell yours. As you watch your sister let go of her anger or sadness, you begin to let go of yours. The collective healing of women leads to radical political awakening. It teaches women how to lead by learning how to lead by investing in the whole community.
比如,欢乐之城没有个人疗法, 只有团体疗法。 随着姐妹的变化和成长, 你也会随之变化和成长。 当她能够讲述自己的故事时, 这会鼓励你讲述自己的故事。 当你看着姐妹让她的愤怒或悲伤释放, 你也会开始放开自己的愤怒或悲伤。 女性的集体康复带来了激进的政治觉醒。 通过学习如何投资于整个群体, 女性学习如何领导,并学会了如何领导。
Four: the Earth is a central part of our healing. I grew up with a deep love and respect of the Earth, and a vision for connecting the healing of women with the healing of the Earth. City of Joy was able to acquire a 350-hectare farm, which became a centerpiece for our healing. Turning pain to power to planting. There, women learn how to grow cassava, rice, avocados, mangoes, sweet potatoes, beans. They learn to take care of pigs and cows, to harvest nine tilapia ponds and dry fish, to make honey from beehives, to advance their understanding of permaculture. The farm is a living classroom, and we have witnessed the profound healing of survivors as they connect with and cherish the Earth. And the whole farm is stunningly beautiful, which is as healing in itself.
四:地球是我们康复的核心部分。 在成长中,我一直怀着 对地球的深切爱护和尊重, 以及将女性的康复, 与地球的康复联系起来的愿景。 欢乐之城得以收购 一个占地 350 公顷的农场, 它是我们康复的核心。 将痛苦转化为种植的力量。 在那里,她们学习如何种植木薯、 水稻、牛油果、芒果、红薯和豆类。 她们学会照顾猪和牛, 养殖了九个池塘的罗非鱼, 收获了鱼干, 用蜂箱做蜂蜜, 增进了对永久养殖的理解。 农场是一间活的教室, 我们见证了幸存者通过和地球建立联系, 珍惜地球,取得了显著康复。 而且整个农场都非常漂亮, 这本身也是一种治愈。
Five: art, theater, music, dance are critical to recovery. At City of Joy, song is the delivery system for many of our principles and ideas. We sing together and dance throughout every day. As we move our bodies, we move the trauma out and bring in new energy. Dance is central to healing, as it allows women to feel the expanse of their power and energy, to begin to love their bodies, to move in community, to express their creativity, to share community tribal dances, and thus remove cultural barriers.
五:艺术、戏剧、音乐、舞蹈 对康复至关重要。 在欢乐之城, 歌曲传递着许多我们的原则和理念。 我们每天都在一起唱歌跳舞。 当我们晃动身体时, 我们会将创伤转移到身体外, 将新的能量注入身体。 舞蹈是康复的核心, 因为它使女性感受到 自己广阔的力量和能量, 开始热爱自己的身体、 融入社区、 表达自己的创造力、 分享部落舞蹈、 最终消除文化障碍。
To date, 1987 women have graduated from the City of Joy.
迄今为止, 已有 1987 名女性从欢乐之城毕业。
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They are now leaders in their communities, educators, journalists, university students, entrepreneurs of small businesses, initiators of collectives, restaurant owners, farmers and advocates, etc. 1987 women have healed, studied and become empowered, and have joined into a network of love and revolution in over 64 villages and urban areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One --
她们现在是社区的领导者、 教育工作者、记者、 大学生、小企业的企业家、 团体的发起者、餐馆老板、 农民和倡导者,等等。 1987 位女性已经康复,学习并获得了权力, 拥有了由爱和革命构建的人脉, 她们遍布在, 刚果民主共和国的 64 个村庄和城市, 1——
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1987 women have released massive trauma and horrific memories. They have danced, sang, learned their rights, performed plays, developed agricultural skills and come to love their bodies. 1987 women have become leaders in their communities and are no longer stigmatized for being raped. 1987 women have turned poison into medicine, isolation into community, shame into self-love, silence into story.
1987 位女性释放了巨大的创伤, 和可怕的回忆。 她们跳舞、唱歌、 了解她们的权利、表演戏剧、 发展农业技能, 并学会爱上自己的身体。 1987 位妇女已成为了社区的领袖, 不再因被强奸而蒙受耻辱。 1987 位女性, 把毒药变成了药物, 把孤立变成了社区, 把羞辱变成了自爱, 把沉默变成了故事。
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When we named our sanctuary City of Joy, we were told it was inappropriate to use the word "joy" when women had experienced so many horrific rapes and atrocities. But we learned the opposite is true. Joy is possibility, gratitude, and the bodily expression of freedom when pain has turned to power. Joy is the opposite of violence, a far more powerful force in the world. Love ignited in action.
当我们为避难所命名欢乐之城时, 我们被告知,当女性经历过 如此多可怕的强奸和暴行时, 使用“欢乐”一词是不合适的。 但是我们知道,事实正相反。 欢乐是可能,是感激, 是当痛苦转化为力量时, 身体的自由表达。 欢乐是暴力的反义, 是世界上更为强大的一种力量。 行动能点燃爱。
Thank you.
谢谢。
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