Every day, I listen to harrowing stories of people fleeing for their lives, across dangerous borders and unfriendly seas. But there's one story that keeps me awake at night, and it's about Doaa.
Svakog dana slušam zastrašujuće priče o ljudima koji beže od smrti preko opasnih granica i neprijateljskih mora. Ali ima jedna priča koja me drži budnom po noći, a to je priča o Doi.
A Syrian refugee, 19 years old, she was living a grinding existence in Egypt working day wages. Her dad was constantly thinking of his thriving business back in Syria that had been blown to pieces by a bomb. And the war that drove them there was still raging in its fourth year. And the community that once welcomed them there had become weary of them. And one day, men on motorcycles tried to kidnap her. Once an aspiring student thinking only of her future, now she was scared all the time.
Sirijskoj izbeglici od 19 godina, koja je živela iscrpljujući život u Egiptu, radeći kao nadničarka. Njen otac je stalno mislio na svoj uspešni posao u Siriji, koji je bomba raznela u paramparčad. Rat koji ih je doveo tu, buktao je četvrtu godinu za redom. A zajednica koja ih je nekad spremno dočekala, bila ih je sita. Jednoga dana su muškarci na motorima pokušali da je kidnapuju. Nekada ambiciozni đak koji je jedino mislio na budućnost, sada je bila uplašena sve vreme.
But she was also full of hope, because she was in love with a fellow Syrian refugee named Bassem. Bassem was also struggling in Egypt, and he said to Doaa, "Let's go to Europe; seek asylum, safety. I will work, you can study -- the promise of a new life." And he asked her father for her hand in marriage.
Ali je takođe bila puna nade jer je bila zaljubljena u drugara, izbeglicu iz Sirije po imenu Basem. Basem se takođe mučio u Egiptu, pa je rekao Doi: "Pođimo u Evropu; zatražimo azil, sigurnost. Ja ću da radim, ti možeš da studiraš - to je obećanje novog života." I tražio je od njenog oca ruku da je oženi.
But they knew to get to Europe they had to risk their lives, traveling across the Mediterranean Sea, putting their hands in smugglers', notorious for their cruelty. And Doaa was terrified of the water. She always had been. She never learned to swim.
Ali su znali da bi stigli do Evrope, moraće da rizikuju svoje živote, putujući preko Sredozemnog mora, stavljajući se u ruke krijumčara, koji su poznati po svojoj okrutnosti. A Doa je bila preplašena vode. Oduvek se plašila vode. Nikada nije naučila da pliva.
It was August that year, and already 2,000 people had died trying to cross the Mediterranean, but Doaa knew of a friend who had made it all the way to Northern Europe, and she thought, "Maybe we can, too." So she asked her parents if they could go, and after a painful discussion, they consented, and Bassem paid his entire life savings -- 2,500 dollars each -- to the smugglers.
Bio je avgust te godine i već je 2000 ljudi poginulo pokušavajući da pređu Mediteran, ali Doa je imala prijatelja koji je uspeo da stigne skroz do Severne Evrope, pa je razmišljala: "Možda i mi uspemo." Stoga je pitala roditelje da li može da pođe s Basemom i nakon mučne rasprave, pristali su, a Basem je uplatio svu ušteđevinu - 2 500 dolara po osobi - krijumčarima.
It was a Saturday morning when the call came, and they were taken by bus to a beach, hundreds of people on the beach. They were taken then by small boats onto an old fishing boat, 500 of them crammed onto that boat, 300 below, [200] above. There were Syrians, Palestinians, Africans, Muslims and Christians, 100 children, including Sandra -- little Sandra, six years old -- and Masa, 18 months. There were families on that boat, crammed together shoulder to shoulder, feet to feet. Doaa was sitting with her legs crammed up to her chest, Bassem holding her hand.
Bilo je subotnje jutro kada je stigao poziv i autobus ih je dovezao do plaže, na stotine ljudi je bilo na plaži. Mali čamci su ih prevozili do starog broda za pecanje, njih 500 je bilo natrpano na tom brodu, 300 ispod, 500 iznad. Tu su bili Sirijci, Palestinci, Afrikanci, muslimani i hrišćani, 100 dece, uključujući i Sandru - malenu Sandru od šest godina - i Masu od 18 meseci. Tu su bile čitave porodice natrpane, rame uz rame, stopalo uz stopalo. Doa je sedela nogu pribijenih uz grudi, Basem ju je držao za ruku.
Day two on the water, they were sick with worry and sick to their stomachs from the rough sea.
Drugog dana na vodi, bilo im je muka od brige i bilo im je muka u stomacima zbog uzburkanog mora.
Day three, Doaa had a premonition. And she said to Bassem, "I fear we're not going to make it. I fear the boat is going to sink." And Bassem said to her, "Please be patient. We will make it to Sweden, we will get married and we will have a future."
Trećeg dana, Doa je imala predosećanje. Rekla je Basemu: "Strahujem da nećemo uspeti. Strahujem da će brod da potone." A Basem joj je rekao: "Molim te, budi strpljiva. Stići ćemo do Švedske, venčaćemo se i imaćemo budućnost."
Day four, the passengers were getting agitated. They asked the captain, "When will we get there?" He told them to shut up, and he insulted them. He said, "In 16 hours we will reach the shores of Italy." They were weak and weary. Soon they saw a boat approach -- a smaller boat, 10 men on board, who started shouting at them, hurling insults, throwing sticks, asking them to all disembark and get on this smaller, more unseaworthy boat. The parents were terrified for their children, and they collectively refused to disembark. So the boat sped away in anger, and a half an hour later, came back and started deliberately ramming a hole in the side of Doaa's boat, just below where she and Bassem were sitting. And she heard how they yelled, "Let the fish eat your flesh!" And they started laughing as the boat capsized and sank.
Četvrtog dana, putnici su postajali uzrujani. Pitali su kapetana: "Kada ćemo stići?" Rekao im je da ućute i izvređao ih je. Rekao je: "Za 16 sati stići ćemo na obale Italije." Bili su slabi i iscrpljeni. Ubrzo su videli brod kako se približava - manji brod, sa 10 muškaraca na njemu, koji su počeli da viču na njih, dobacujući uvrede, gađajući ih štapovima, tražeći od njih da se iskrcaju i da pređu na ovaj manji, manje podesan brod za plovidbu. Roditelji su bili preplašeni zbog dece i kolektivno su odbili da se iskrcaju. Pa je brod ljutito odjurio i pola sata kasnije se vratio i počeli su namerno da prave rupu na boku Doinog broda, tačno ispod mesta gde su ona i Basem sedeli. I čula ih je kako viču: "Neka ribe jedu vaše meso!" Te su počeli da se smeju dok se brod prevrtao i tonuo.
The 300 people below deck were doomed. Doaa was holding on to the side of the boat as it sank, and watched in horror as a small child was cut to pieces by the propeller. Bassem said to her, "Please let go, or you'll be swept in and the propeller will kill you, too." And remember -- she can't swim. But she let go and she started moving her arms and her legs, thinking, "This is swimming." And miraculously, Bassem found a life ring. It was one of those child's rings that they use to play in swimming pools and on calm seas. And Doaa climbed onto the ring, her arms and her legs dangling by the side. Bassem was a good swimmer, so he held her hand and tread water. Around them there were corpses. Around 100 people survived initially, and they started coming together in groups, praying for rescue. But when a day went by and no one came, some people gave up hope, and Doaa and Bassem watched as men in the distance took their life vests off and sank into the water.
300 ljudi u potpalublju je bilo osuđeno na smrt. Doa se držala za stranu broda dok je tonuo i gledala je sa užasom kako propeler seče na komadiće detence. Basem joj je rekao: "Molim te, pusti se, ili će te propeler povući i ubiti i tebe." I sećate se - ona ne zna da pliva. Ali ona se pušta i počinje da pokreće ruke i noge, misleći: "Ovako se pliva." I nekim čudom, Basem je pronašao šlauf. Bio je to jedan od dečjih šlaufa kojim su se nekad igrali u bazenima i na mirnom moru. I Doa se popela na šlauf, ruke i noge su joj visile sa strane. Basem je bio dobar plivač, pa je držao za ruku i probijao se kroz vodu. Oko njih su bili leševi. Prvobitno je oko 100 ljudi preživelo i počeli su da se okupljaju u grupama, moleći se za spas. Ali kako je dan prošao i niko nije došao, neki ljudi su izgubili nadu i Doa i Basem su posmatrali kako muškarci u daljini skidaju svoje prsluke i tonu u vodi.
One man approached them with a small baby perched on his shoulder, nine months old -- Malek. He was holding onto a gas canister to stay afloat, and he said to them, "I fear I am not going to survive. I'm too weak. I don't have the courage anymore." And he handed little Malek over to Bassem and to Doaa, and they perched her onto the life ring. So now they were three, Doaa, Bassem and little Malek.
Prišao im je jedan muškarac s bebom nakrkačenom na ramenu, starom devet meseci - Malek. Držao se za limenu kantu od benzina, kako bi plutao, i rekao im je: "Plašim se da neću preživeti. Suviše sam slab. Nemam više hrabrosti." I predao je malenu Malek Basemu i Doi, a oni su je prebacili na šlauf za spasavanje. Dakle, sad ih je bilo troje: Doa, Basem i malena Malek.
And let me take a pause in this story right here and ask the question: why do refugees like Doaa take these kinds of risks? Millions of refugees are living in exile, in limbo. They're living in countries [fleeing] from a war that has been raging for four years. Even if they wanted to return, they can't. Their homes, their businesses, their towns and their cities have been completely destroyed. This is a UNESCO World Heritage City, Homs, in Syria. So people continue to flee into neighboring countries, and we build refugee camps for them in the desert. Hundreds of thousands of people live in camps like these, and thousands and thousands more, millions, live in towns and cities. And the communities, the neighboring countries that once welcomed them with open arms and hearts are overwhelmed. There are simply not enough schools, water systems, sanitation. Even rich European countries could never handle such an influx without massive investment. The Syria war has driven almost four million people over the borders, but over seven million people are on the run inside the country. That means that over half the Syrian population has been forced to flee. Back to those neighboring countries hosting so many. They feel that the richer world has done too little to support them. And days have turned into months, months into years. A refugee's stay is supposed to be temporary.
Dozvolite da napravim pauzu ovde i postavim pitanje: zašto izbeglice poput Doe prave ovakve rizike? Milioni izbeglica žive u egzilu, u limbu. Žive u državama, bežeći od rata koji bukti već četiri godine. Čak i da žele da se vrate, ne mogu. Njihovi domovi, poslovi, njihovi velegradovi i gradovi su skroz uništeni. Ovo je grad sa UNESCO-ove liste svetskih baština, Homs u Siriji. Dakle, ljudi i dalje beže u susedne države, a mi gradimo izbegličke kampove za njih u pustinji. Na stotine hiljada ljudi živi u ovakvim kampovima i na hiljade i hiljade još, milioni žive u gradovima i velegradovima. A zajednice u susednim državama koje su ih nekad prihvatale raširenih ruku i otvorenog srca, sada su preplavljene. Prosto nema dovoljno škola, vodovodne mreže, sanitacije. Čak ni bogate evropske države ne bi mogle da se izbore s takvim prilivom bez ogromnih investicija. Rat u Siriji je proterao skoro četiri miliona ljudi preko granice, ali preko sedam miliona ljudi je u bekstvu unutar države. To znači da je više od pola sirijske populacije bilo prinuđeno na izbeglištvo. Vratimo se na susedne države koje su prihvatile mnoge od njih. One osećaju da je bogatiji svet učinio premalo da im pomogne. A dani su se pretvorili u mesece, meseci u godine. Izbeglice su trebale da ostanu privremeno.
Back to Doaa and Bassem in the water. It was their second day, and Bassem was getting very weak. And now it was Doaa's turn to say to Bassem, "My love, please hold on to hope, to our future. We will make it." And he said to her, "I'm sorry, my love, that I put you in this situation. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you." And he released himself into the water, and Doaa watched as the love of her life drowned before her eyes.
Vratimo se Doi i Basemu koji su u vodi. Drugi dan su u vodi i Basem je postajao sve slabiji. I sada je bio red na Dou da kaže Basemu: "Ljubavi, neka te nada održava i vera u našu budućnost. Uspećemo." A on joj je rekao: "Žao mi je, ljubavi, što sam te doveo u ovu situaciju. Nikada nisam voleo nikoga onoliko koliko volim tebe." I prepustio se dubinama, a Doa je posmatrala kako se ljubav njenog života davi pred njom.
Later that day, a mother came up to Doaa with her small 18-month-old daughter, Masa. This was the little girl I showed you in the picture earlier, with the life vests. Her older sister Sandra had just drowned, and her mother knew she had to do everything in her power to save her daughter. And she said to Doaa, "Please take this child. Let her be part of you. I will not survive." And then she went away and drowned.
Kasnije tog dana, Doi je prišla majka sa malenom 18-mesečnom kćerkom, Masom. To je bila devojčica čiju sam vam sliku ranije pokazala, ona u prsluku za spasavanje. Njena starija sestra Sandra se upravo udavila i njena majka je znala da mora da učini sve što je u njenoj moći da spase svoju kćerku. Pa je rekla Doi: "Molim te, uzmi ovo dete. Neka bude deo tebe. Ja neću preživeti." A onda se odmakla i udavila.
So Doaa, the 19-year-old refugee who was terrified of the water, who couldn't swim, found herself in charge of two little baby kids. And they were thirsty and they were hungry and they were agitated, and she tried her best to amuse them, to sing to them, to say words to them from the Quran. Around them, the bodies were bloating and turning black. The sun was blazing during the day. At night, there was a cold moon and fog. It was very frightening. On the fourth day in the water, this is how Doaa probably looked on the ring with her two children.
Pa se Doa, 19-ogodišnja izbeglica koja se plašila vode, koja nije znala da pliva, zatekla odgovornom za dve bebe. A one su bile žedne i bile su gladne i bile su uznemirene, a ona je davala sve od sebe da ih zabavi, pevala im je, govorila reči iz Kurana. Oko njih tela su se nadimala i tamnila. Sunce je peklo po danu. Noću je sijao hladan mesec i bila je magla. Bilo je veoma zastrašujuće. Četvrtog dana u vodi, Doa je verovatno ovako izgledala sa dva deteta na šlaufu.
A woman came on the fourth day and approached her and asked her to take another child -- a little boy, just four years old. When Doaa took the little boy and the mother drowned, she said to the sobbing child, "She just went away to find you water and food." But his heart soon stopped, and Doaa had to release the little boy into the water.
Četvrtog dana je došla žena i obratila joj se i zamolila je da prihvati još jedno dete - dečačića, od svega četiri godine. Kada je Doa prihvatila dečačića i nakon što se majka udavila, rekla je detetu koje je jecalo: "Otišla je samo da ti nađe vodu i hranu." Međutim njegovo srce je uskoro stalo i Doa ga je morala spustiti u vodu.
Later that day, she looked up into the sky with hope, because she saw two planes crossing in the sky. And she waved her arms, hoping they would see her, but the planes were soon gone.
Kasnije tog dana, pogledala je u nebo ispunjena nadom jer je videla dva aviona kako preleću nebom. Mahala je rukama u nadi da će je videti, ali avioni su uskoro nestali.
But that afternoon, as the sun was going down, she saw a boat, a merchant vessel. And she said, "Please, God, let them rescue me." She waved her arms and she felt like she shouted for about two hours. And it had become dark, but finally the searchlights found her and they extended a rope, astonished to see a woman clutching onto two babies.
No tog popodneva, dok je sunce zalazilo, videla je brod, trgovačko plovilo. I rekla je: "Molim te, Bože, da me spasu." Mahala je rukama i imala je osećaj da ih je dovikivala oko dva sata. Postalo je mračno, ali su je naposletku reflektori otkrili i dobacili su joj uže, zapanjeni prizorom žene koja drži dva deteta.
They pulled them onto the boat, they got oxygen and blankets, and a Greek helicopter came to pick them up and take them to the island of Crete.
Dovukli su ih na brod, doneli kiseonik i ćebad, a helikopter iz Grčke je došao da ih pokupi i da ih odnese na ostrvo Krit.
But Doaa looked down and asked, "What of Malek?" And they told her the little baby did not survive -- she drew her last breath in the boat's clinic. But Doaa was sure that as they had been pulled up onto the rescue boat, that little baby girl had been smiling.
Međutim, Doa je pogledala dole i pitala: "Šta je s Malekom?" Rekli su joj da bebica nije preživela - poslednji dah je udahnula na brodskoj klinici. No Doa je bila sigurna, dok su ih podizali na čamac za spasavanje, da se bebica devojčica smešila.
Only 11 people survived that wreck, of the 500. There was never an international investigation into what happened. There were some media reports about mass murder at sea, a terrible tragedy, but that was only for one day. And then the news cycle moved on.
Samo 11 od 500 ljudi je preživelo taj brodolom. Nikada nije otvarana međunarodna istraga o tome šta se desilo. Bilo je nekih medijskih izveštavanja o masovnim ubicama na moru, užasna tragedija, no to je trajalo samo dan. I mediji su nastavili dalje.
Meanwhile, in a pediatric hospital on Crete, little Masa was on the edge of death. She was really dehydrated. Her kidneys were failing. Her glucose levels were dangerously low. The doctors did everything in their medical power to save them, and the Greek nurses never left her side, holding her, hugging her, singing her words. My colleagues also visited and said pretty words to her in Arabic. Amazingly, little Masa survived.
U međuvremenu, na pedijatriji na Kritu, malena Masa je bila na granici smrti. Bila je uistinu dehidrirana. Bubrezi su joj otkazivali. Vrednosti glukoze su joj bile opasno niske. Doktori su učinili sve što je bilo u njihovoj lekarskoj moći da ih spase, a grčke medicinske sestre se nisu odvajale od nje, držeći je, grleći je, pevajući joj. Moje kolege su je takođe posećivale i govorile joj lepe reči na arapskom. Neverovatno, ali malena Masa je preživela.
And soon the Greek press started reporting about the miracle baby, who had survived four days in the water without food or anything to drink, and offers to adopt her came from all over the country.
I ubrzo je grčka štampa počela da izveštava o čudesnoj bebi, koja je preživela četiri dana u vodi bez hrane i pića, a ponude za usvajanje su stizale iz svih krajeva zemlje.
And meanwhile, Doaa was in another hospital on Crete, thin, dehydrated. An Egyptian family took her into their home as soon as she was released. And soon word went around about Doaa's survival, and a phone number was published on Facebook. Messages started coming in.
U međuvremenu, Doa je bila u drugoj bolnici na Kritu, mršava, dehidrirana. Egipatska porodica ju je prihvatila u svoj dom, čim su je otpustili. Ubrzo se pročulo za Doinu borbu za opstanak i broj telefona je objavljen na Fejzbuku. Počele su da stižu poruke.
"Doaa, do you know what happened to my brother? My sister? My parents? My friends? Do you know if they survived?"
"Doa, da li znaš šta se desilo s mojim bratom? Mojom sestrom? Mojim roditeljima? Mojim prijateljima? Da li su preživeli?"
One of those messages said, "I believe you saved my little niece, Masa." And it had this photo. This was from Masa's uncle, a Syrian refugee who had made it to Sweden with his family and also Masa's older sister. Soon, we hope, Masa will be reunited with him in Sweden, and until then, she's being cared for in a beautiful orphanage in Athens.
Jedna od poruka je glasila: "Verujem da si spasila moju malenu nećaku, Masu." Uz nju je stigla ova slika. Bila je to poruka od Masinog strica, izbeglice iz Sirije koji se s porodicom domogao Švedske, takođe je s njima Masina starija sestra. Nadamo se da će uskoro Masa biti s njim u Švedskoj, a do tada o njoj se brinu u prelepom sirotištu u Atini.
And Doaa? Well, word went around about her survival, too. And the media wrote about this slight woman, and couldn't imagine how she could survive all this time under such conditions in that sea, and still save another life. The Academy of Athens, one of Greece's most prestigious institutions, gave her an award of bravery, and she deserves all that praise, and she deserves a second chance. But she wants to still go to Sweden. She wants to reunite with her family there. She wants to bring her mother and her father and her younger siblings away from Egypt there as well, and I believe she will succeed. She wants to become a lawyer or a politician or something that can help fight injustice. She is an extraordinary survivor.
A Doa? Pa, pročulo se i za njen opstanak. Mediji su pisali o ovoj vižljastoj ženi i nisu mogli da zamisle kako je preživela sve vreme u takvim uslovima na tom moru, i pritom spase još jedan život. Atinska akademija, jedna od najprestižnijih grčkih institucija joj je dodelila nagradu za hrabrost i ona zavređuje sve pohvale i zaslužuje još jednu priliku. Ali ona i dalje želi da ode u Švedsku. Želi da se ujedini sa svojom porodicom tamo. Želi da dovede tamo majku, oca i mlađu braću i sestre, što dalje iz Egipta i ja verujem da će uspeti. Želi da postane advokatica ili političarka ili neko ko može da pomogne u borbi protiv nepravde. Ona je neverovatan borac.
But I have to ask: what if she didn't have to take that risk? Why did she have to go through all that? Why wasn't there a legal way for her to study in Europe? Why couldn't Masa have taken an airplane to Sweden? Why couldn't Bassem have found work? Why is there no massive resettlement program for Syrian refugees, the victims of the worst war of our times? The world did this for the Vietnamese in the 1970s. Why not now? Why is there so little investment in the neighboring countries hosting so many refugees? And why, the root question, is so little being done to stop the wars, the persecution and the poverty that is driving so many people to the shores of Europe? Until these issues are resolved, people will continue to take to the seas and to seek safety and asylum.
Ali moram da pitam: šta da ona nije morala da rizikuje? Zašto je morala da prođe kroz sve to? Zašto nije postojao legalan način da studira u Evropi? Zašto Masa nije mogla poći avionom u Švedsku? Zašto Basem nije mogao da nađe posao? Zašto ne postoji obimniji program raseljavanja sirijskih izbeglica, žrtava najgoreg rata našeg doba? Svet je to uradio za Vijetnamce 1970-ih. Zašto ne i ovaj put? Zašto imamo tako mala ulaganja u susedne države, koje zbrinjavaju tolike izbeglice? I zašto, ovo je suštinsko pitanje, je tako malo učinjeno da se zaustave ratovi, proganjanja i siromaštvo koje tera tolike ljude na obale Evrope? Dok se ovi problemi ne reše, ljudi će nastaviti da idu preko mora i da traže sigurnost i azil.
And what happens next? Well, that is largely Europe's choice. And I understand the public fears. People are worried about their security, their economies, the changes of culture. But is that more important than saving human lives? Because there is something fundamental here that I think overrides the rest, and it is about our common humanity. No person fleeing war or persecution should have to die crossing a sea to reach safety.
Šta sledi? Pa, to je najvećim delom na Evropi da odabere. I ja razumem strahove javnosti. Ljudi su zabrinuti za svoju sigurnost, ekonomiju, promene u kulturi. No, je li to važnije od spašavanja ljudskih života? Jer ovde imamo nešto temeljno što mislim da potiskuje sve ostalo, a tiče se humanosti svih nas. Nijedna osoba koja beži od rata i proganjanja ne bi trebalo da umre, prelazeći more do sigurnosti.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)
One thing is for sure, that no refugee would be on those dangerous boats if they could thrive where they are. And no migrant would take that dangerous journey if they had enough food for themselves and their children. And no one would put their life savings in the hands of those notorious smugglers if there was a legal way to migrate.
Jedno je sigurno, nijedna izbeglica se ne bi našla na tim opasnim brodovima da je mogla da uspe kod kuće. I nijedan migrant ne bi pošao na to opasno putovanje, da je imao dovoljno hrane za sebe i svoju decu. I niko ne bi stavio svoju životnu ušteđevinu u ruke tih ozloglašenih krijumčara, da je postojao legalan način za migraciju.
So on behalf of little Masa and on behalf of Doaa and of Bassem and of those 500 people who drowned with them, can we make sure that they did not die in vain? Could we be inspired by what happened, and take a stand for a world in which every life matters?
Zato, u ime malene Mase, i u ime Doe i Basema i onih 500 ljudi koji su se udavili, možemo li se postarati za to da nisu umrli uzalud? Može li ono što se desilo da nas podstakne da se zauzmemo za svet u kome je svaki život važan?
Thank you.
Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)