My travels to Afghanistan began many, many years ago on the eastern border of my country, my homeland, Poland. I was walking through the forests of my grandmother's tales. A land where every field hides a grave, where millions of people have been deported or killed in the 20th century.
Moja putovanja u Afganistan počela su prije puno, puno godina na istočnoj granici moje zemlje, moje domovine, Poljske. Hodala sam kroz šume bakinih priča. Zemljom u kojoj se na svakom polju krije grob, gdje su milijuni ljudi deportirani ili ubijeni u 20. stoljeću.
Behind the destruction, I found a soul of places. I met humble people. I heard their prayer and ate their bread. Then I have been walking East for 20 years -- from Eastern Europe to Central Asia -- through the Caucasus Mountains, Middle East, North Africa, Russia. And I ever met more humble people. And I shared their bread and their prayer. This is why I went to Afghanistan.
Iza destrukcije, našla sam dušu mjesta. Upoznala sam skromne ljude. Čula njihove molitve i jela njihov kruh. Onda sam hodala istočno 20 godina -- od istočne Europe do centralne Azije -- kroz planine Kavkaza, srednjeg Istoka, sjeverne Afrike, Rusije. I stalno sam sretala sve skromnije ljude. I dijelila sam njihov kruh i molitve. Zato sam otišla u Afganistan.
One day, I crossed the bridge over the Oxus River. I was alone on foot. And the Afghan soldier was so surprised to see me that he forgot to stamp my passport. But he gave me a cup of tea. And I understood that his surprise was my protection.
Jednog dana, prelazeći most preko rijeke Oxus. Bila sam sama, pješice. I afganistanski vojnik je bio toliko iznenađen što me vidi da je zaboravio poštambiljati mi putovnicu. Ali mi je dao šalicu čaja. I razumjela sam da je njegovo iznenađenje bila moja zaštita.
So I have been walking and traveling, by horses, by yak, by truck, by hitchhiking, from Iran's border to the bottom, to the edge of the Wakhan Corridor. And in this way I could find noor, the hidden light of Afghanistan. My only weapon was my notebook and my Leica. I heard prayers of the Sufi -- humble Muslims, hated by the Taliban. Hidden river, interconnected with the mysticism from Gibraltar to India. The mosque where the respectful foreigner is showered with blessings and with tears, and welcomed as a gift.
Tako sam hodala i putovala, konjima, jakovima, kaminonima, autostopirajući, od iranske granice do dna, do ruba Wakhan koridora. I na tom putu mogla sam pronaći noor, skriveno svjetlo Afganistana. Moje jedino oružje je bila moja bilježnica i moja Leica. Čula sam molitve Sufija -- skromnih Muslimana koje mrze Talibani. Skrivena rijeka, isprepletena s misticizmom od Gibraltara do Indije. Džamija u kojoj je poštovani stranac okupan blagoslovom i suzama, i pozdravljen kao poklon.
What do we know about the country and the people that we pretend to protect, about the villages where the only one medicine to kill the pain and to stop the hunger is opium? These are opium-addicted people on the roofs of Kabul 10 years after the beginning of our war. These are the nomad girls who became prostitutes for Afghan businessmen.
Što znamo o zemlji i ljudima koji se prave da štite, sela u kojima je jedini lijek koji ubija bol i zaustavlja glad opijum? To su ovisnici o opijumu na krovovima Kabula 10 godina nakon početka našeg rata. Ovo su nomadske djevojke koje su postale prostitutke za afganistanske poslovnjake.
What do we know about the women 10 years after the war? Clothed in this nylon bag, made in China, with the name of burqa. I saw one day, the largest school in Afghanistan, a girls' school. 13,000 girls studying here in the rooms underground, full of scorpions. And their love [for studying] was so big that I cried.
Što znamo o ženama 10 godina nakon rata? Obučene u najlonske vrećice, proizvedene u Kini, s imenom burka. Vidjela sam jednog dana najveću školu u Afganistanu, žensku školu. 13.000 cura studira ovdje u podzemnim sobama, punim škorpiona. I njihova ljubav [za studiranjem] je bila toliko velika da sam zaplakala.
What do we know about the death threats by the Taliban nailed on the doors of the people who dare to send their daughters to school as in Balkh? The region is not secure, but full of the Taliban, and they did it.
Što znamo o smrtnim prijetnjama Talibana naljepljenim na vrata ljudi koji su se usudili poslati svoje kćeri u školu kao u Balkhu? Regija nije sigurna, i puna je Talibana, ali su oni to učinili.
My aim is to give a voice to the silent people, to show the hidden lights behind the curtain of the great game, the small worlds ignored by the media and the prophets of a global conflict.
Moj cilj je dati glas tihim ljudima, pokazati skriveno svjetlo iza zavjesa velike igre, malih svjetova koje mediji ignoriraju kao i propovjednici globalnog sukoba.
Thanks.
Hvala.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)