My name is Ryan Lobo, and I've been involved in the documentary filmmaking business all over the world for the last 10 years. During the process of making these films I found myself taking photographs, often much to the annoyance of the video cameramen.
Zovem se Ryan Lobo, i bavim se snimanjem dokumentaraca širom svijeta posljednjih 10 godina. Tijekom snimanja tih filmova počeo sam fotografirati, što filmske snimatelje često zna uzrujati.
I found this photography of mine almost compulsive. And at the end of a shoot, I would sometimes feel that I had photographs that told a better story than a sometimes-sensational documentary. I felt, when I had my photographs, that I was holding on to something true, regardless of agendas or politics. In 2007, I traveled to three war zones. I traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan and Liberia. And over there I experienced other people's suffering, up close and personal, immersed myself in some rather intense and emotional stories, and at times I experienced great fear for my own life.
Fotografiram skoro kompulzivno, a na kraju snimanja katkad bih osjećao da moje fotografije bolje pričaju tu priču nego ponekad stvarno izvrstan dokumentarac. Osjećao sam da svojim fotografijama hvatam nešto duboko istinito, neovisno o ciljevima ili politici. 2007. sam posjetio tri ratne zone. Bio sam u Iraku, Afganistanu i Liberiji. Tamo sam iskusio tuđe patnje, izbliza i osobno, bio sam uvučen u jako snažne i potresne priče, ponekad se i bojao za vlastiti život.
As always, I would return to Bangalore, and often to animated discussions at friend's homes, where we would discuss various issues while they complained bitterly about the new pub timings, where a drink often cost more than what they'd paid their 14-year-old maid. I would feel very isolated during these discussions. But at the same time, I questioned myself and my own integrity and purpose in storytelling. And I decided that I had compromised, just like my friends in those discussions, where we told stories in contexts we made excuses for, rather than taking responsibility for.
Kao i uvijek, vratio bih se u Bangalore, i često u žučne rasprave u domovima mojih prijatelja, u kojima smo pretresali različite probleme, a oni bi se gorko žalili na novo radno vrijeme pubova u kojima jedno piće često plaćaju više nego svoju 14-godišnju sluškinju. Osjećao bih se jako osamljenim u tim raspravama. Istovremeno, propitivao sam sebe, vlastitu čast i ulogu u pričanju priča. I shvatio sam da sam radio kompromise, baš poput mojih prijatelja u tim raspravama, kada smo pričali priče u kontekstu izgovora umjesto da preuzmemo odgovornost.
I won't go into details about what led to a decision I made, but let's just say it involved alcohol, cigarettes, other substances and a woman. (Laughter) I basically decided that it was I, not the camera or the network, or anything that lay outside myself, that was the only instrument in storytelling truly worth tuning. In my life, when I tried to achieve things like success or recognition, they eluded me. Paradoxically, when I let go of these objectives, and worked from a place of compassion and purpose, looking for excellence, rather than the results of it, everything arrived on its own, including fulfillment.
Ne bih detaljno o tome što me navelo na moju odluku, recimo samo da je uključivalo alkohol, cigarete, ostala opojna sredstva i jednu ženu. (Smijeh) U osnovi sam shvatio da sam ja, a ne kamera, ni TV mreža, niti bilo što drugo izvan mene, jedini instrument u pričanju priča koji zasta treba naštimati. Kada sam u životu pokušavao nešto postići, poput uspjeha ili priznanja, to mi je izmicalo. Paradoksalno, kad sam odustao od tih ciljeva i radio sa suosjećanjem i svrhom, želeći postići izvrsnost, a ne rezultat, sve je stizalo samo od sebe, pa i ostvarenje.
Photography transcended culture, including my own. And it is, for me, a language which expressed the intangible, and gives voice to people and stories without. I invite you into three recent stories of mine, which are about this way of looking, if you will, which I believe exemplify the tenets of what I like to call compassion in storytelling.
Fotografija je nadišla kulturu, uključujući i moju vlastitu. Za mene je ona jezik koji izražava neopipljivo i daje glas ljudima i pričama koji ga nemaju. Pozivam vas u tri moje nedavne priče koje govore o takvom gledanju na stvari, i za koje smatram da su primjer onog što volim nazivati suosjećajnim pričanjem priča.
In 2007 I went to Liberia, where a group of my friends and I did an independent, self-funded film, still in progress, on a very legendary and brutal war-lord named General Butt Naked. His real name is Joshua, and he's pictured here in a cell where he once used to torture and murder people, including children. Joshua claims to have personally killed more than 10,000 people during Liberia's civil war. He got his name from fighting stark naked. And he is probably the most prolific mass murderer alive on Earth today.
2007. sam otputovao u Liberiju gdje sam s grupom prijatelja radio na našoj vlastitoj produkciji, još uvijek nedovršenoj, o legendarnom i okrutnom vojnom zapovjedniku zvanom general Gologuzi. Njegovo pravo ime je Joshua, i ovdje ga vidite u ćeliji u kojoj je i sam nekoć mučio i ubijao ljude, uključujući i djecu. Joshua tvrdi da je osobno ubio preko 10.000 ljudi tijekom građanskog rata u Liberiji. Nadimak je dobio jer se borio potpuno gol. I najvjerojatnije je najveći živući masovni ubojica na svijetu.
This woman witnessed the General murdering her brother. Joshua commanded his child-soldiers to commit unspeakable crimes, and enforced his command with great brutality. Today many of these children are addicted to drugs like heroin, and they are destitute, like these young men in the image. How do you live with yourself if you know you've committed horrific crimes? Today the General is a baptized Christian evangelist. And he's on a mission.
Ova žena je gledala kako joj general ubija brata. Joshua je naređivao svojim vojnicima-djeci da čine neopisive zločine, i svoje je zapovjedi provodio uz strašne okrutnosti. Mnoga ova djeca danas su ovisnici o drogama poput heroina, i žive u bijedi, kao ovi mladi ljudi na slici. Kako živjeti sam sa sobom znajući da si počinio takve jezovite zločine? General je danas kršteni kršćanski evangelist. I ima misiju.
We accompanied Joshua, as he walked the Earth, visiting villages where he had once killed and raped. He seeked forgiveness, and he claims to endeavor to improve the lives of his child-soldiers. During this expedition I expected him to be killed outright, and us as well. But what I saw opened my eyes to an idea of forgiveness which I never thought possible. In the midst of incredible poverty and loss, people who had nothing absolved a man who had taken everything from them. He begs for forgiveness, and receives it from the same woman whose brother he murdered. Senegalese, the young man seated on the wheelchair here, was once a child soldier, under the General's command, until he disobeyed orders, and the General shot off both his legs. He forgives the General in this image. He risked his life as he walked up to people whose families he'd murdered.
Pratili smo Joshuu, dok je šetao zemljom, posjećujući sela u kojima je nekoć ubijao i silovao. Tražio je oprost, tvrdeći kako će se truditi poboljšati živote svojih vojnika-djece. Tijekom ove ekspedicije, očekivao sam da će biti ubijen na licu mjesta, i mi skupa s njim. Ali, ono što sam vidio otvorilo mi je oči prema ideji oprosta kojeg sam smatrao nemogućim. Usred nevjerojatnog siromaštva i gubitka, ljudi bez ičega opraštali su grijehe onome koji im je oduzeo sve. Moli za oprost i dobija ga od žene čijeg je brata ubio. Senegalac, mladi čovjek sa slike u invalidskim kolicima, jednom je bio vojnik-dijete pod generalovim zapovjedništvom dok se nije oglušio o zapovjedi zbog čega mu je general propucao obje noge. Na ovoj slici on oprašta generalu. Riskirao je život dok je išao prema ljudima čije je obitelji poubijao.
In this photograph a hostile crowd in a slum surrounds him. And Joshua remains silent as they vented their rage against him. This image, to me, is almost like from a Shakespearean play, with a man, surrounded by various influences, desperate to hold on to something true within himself, in a context of great suffering that he has created himself.
Ovdje je okružen neprijateljskom svjetinom u jednoj siromašnoj četvrti. Joshua stoji šutke dok na njemu iskaljuju svoj bijes. Ovo me gotovo podsjeća na neku Shakespearijansku dramu sa čovjekom koji se, usred najrazličitijih utjecaja, grčevito trudi zadržati neku svoju unutarnju istinu, u kontekstu strašne patnje koju je sam izazvao.
I was intensely moved during all this. But the question is, does forgiveness and redemption replace justice? Joshua, in his own words, says that he does not mind standing trial for his crimes, and speaks about them from soapboxes across Monrovia, to an audience that often includes his victims. A very unlikely spokesperson for the idea of separation of church and state.
Sve me to jako dirnulo. No pitanje je... mogu li oprost i iskupljenje zamijeniti pravdu? Joshua, kako sam kaže, nema ništa protiv da mu se za njegove zločine sudi, i o njima progovara s improviziranih govornica širom Monrovije, publici u kojoj su često i njegove žrtve. Vrlo nevjerojatan zagovornik ideje o odvajanju crkve od države.
The second story I'm going to tell you about is about a group of very special fighting women with rather unique peace-keeping skills. Liberia has been devastated by one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars, which has left more than 200,000 people dead, thousands of women scarred by rape and crime on a spectacular scale. Liberia is now home to an all-woman United Nations contingent of Indian peacekeepers.
Druga priča koju ću vam ispričati je o skupini vrlo posebnih žena boraca s jedinstvenim vještinama očuvanja mira. Liberija je opustošena u jednom od najkrvavijih afričkih građanskih ratova, u kojem je poginulo preko 200.000 ljudi, a na tisuće žena bilo izloženo silovanju i zločinima strašnih razmjera. Liberija danas udomljuje ženski kontingent mirotvorkinja UN-a iz Indije.
These women, many from small towns in India, help keep the peace, far away from home and family. They use negotiation and tolerance more often than an armed response. The commander told me that a woman could gauge a potentially violent situation much better than men. And that they were definitely capable of diffusing it non-aggressively. This man was very drunk, and he was very interested in my camera, until he noticed the women, who handled him with smiles, and AK-47s at the ready, of course. (Laughter)
Ove žene, od kojih mnoge dolaze iz malih indijskih gradova, pomažu očuvanju mira, daleko od svojih domova i obitelji. Služe se pregovorima i tolerancijom češće nego oružjem. Zapovjednik mi je rekao da žene znaju ocijeniti potencijalno opasnu situaciju mnogo bolje od muškaraca, i da su je one definitivno u stanju ublažiti na neagresivan način. Ovaj čovjek je bio jako pijan, i zanimao ga je moj foto-aparat, dok nije primijetio žene, koje su mu se obratile s osmjesima, i naravno, pripravnim Kalašnjikovom. (Smijeh)
This contingent seems to be quite lucky, and it has not sustained any casualties, even though dozens of peacekeepers have been killed in Liberia. And yes, all of those people killed were male. Many of the women are married with children, and they say the hardest part of their deployment was being kept away from their children.
Čini se da ovaj kontingent ima prilično sreće i nije imao žrtava, iako je u Liberiji ubijeno na desetke mirotvoraca. Da, svi ubijeni bili su muškarci. Mnoge od tih žena imaju muževe i djecu i kažu da im je najteži dio njihovog zadatka to što su odvojene od svoje djece.
I accompanied these women on their patrols, and watched as they walked past men, many who passed very lewd comments incessantly. And when I asked one of the women about the shock and awe response, she said, "Don't worry, same thing back home. We know how to deal with these fellows," and ignored them.
Pratio sam ove žene pri patrolama i promatrao dok su prolazile pored muškaraca, od kojih su mnogi neprestano dobacivali lascivne komentare. A kada sam zapitao jednu od njih o strahopoštovanju koje izazivaju, rekla mi je "Ne brini, i kod kuće imamo takve. Znamo kako izaći na kraj s ovakvim momcima," i ignorirala ih je.
In a country ravaged by violence against women, Indian peacekeepers have inspired many local women to join the police force. Sometimes, when the war is over and all the film crews have left, the most inspiring stories are the ones that float just beneath the radar. I came back to India and nobody was interested in buying the story. And one editor told me that she wasn't interested in doing what she called "manual labor stories."
U zemlji u kojoj hara nasilje nad ženama, indijske mirotvorkinje potakle su brojne lokalne žene da se pridruže policijskim snagama. Ponekad, kad je rat gotov i kad filmske ekipe odu, najinspirativnije priče su one koje ćete naći tik ispod radara. Vratio sam se u Indiju, a priču nitko nije želio kupiti. Jedan izdavač mi je rekao da je ne zanimaju "priče o fizičkom radu", kako ih je nazvala.
In 2007 and 2009 I did stories on the Delhi Fire Service, the DFS, which, during the summer, is probably the world's most active fire department. They answer more than 5,000 calls in just two months. And all this against incredible logistical odds, like heat and traffic jams. Something amazing happened during this shoot. Due to a traffic jam, we were late in getting to a slum, a large slum, which had caught fire. As we neared, angry crowds attacked our trucks and stoned them, by hundreds of people all over the place. These men were terrified, as the mob attacked our vehicle.
2007. i 2009. radio sam na pričama o Vatrogasnoj službi u Delhiju, koji je tijekom ljeta vjerojatno najaktivniji vatrogasni odjel na svijetu. Odgovaraju na više od 5.000 dojava u samo dva mjeseca. I sve to u nevjerojatno teškim logističkim uvjetima kao što su vrućine i prometni metež. Tijekom ovog snimanja dogodilo se nešto čudesno. Zbog prometnih gužvi, kasnili smo u jednu veliku siromašnu četvrt koja se bila zapalila. Dok smo se približavali, bijesna svjetina napala je naša vozila i gađala ih kamenjem, na stotine ljudi svuda uokolo. Vatrogasci su bili u strahu dok je rulja napadala naše vozilo.
But nonetheless, despite the hostility, firefighters left the vehicle and successfully fought the fire. Running the gauntlet through hostile crowds, and some wearing motorbike helmets to prevent injury. Some of the local people forcibly took away the hoses from the firemen to put out the fire in their homes. Now, hundreds of homes were destroyed. But the question that lingered in my mind was, what causes people to destroy fire trucks headed to their own homes? Where does such rage come from? And how are we responsible for this? 45 percent of the 14 million people who live in Delhi live in unauthorized slums, which are chronically overcrowded. They lack even the most basic amenities. And this is something that is common to all our big cities.
Ali, svejedno, usprkos neprijateljstvu, izašli su iz vozila i uspješno gasili vatru, trčeći kroz neprijateljsku hordu, neki s motociklističkim kacigama kako bi izbjegli ozljedama. Nekoliko ljudi im je na silu oduzelo cijevi kako bi gasili vatru u svojim domovima. Na stotine je kuća bilo uništeno. Ali, pitanje koje mi se motalo po glavi je što ljude tjera da uništavaju vatrogasna vozila koja im dolaze u pomoć? Odakle stiže taj bijes? I na koji smo način mi za njega odgovorni? 45% od 14 milijuna ljudi koliko živi u Delhiju, živi u bespravno sagrađenim četvrtima koje su kronično pretrpane. Nedostaju im čak i najosnovniji priključci. A to je nešto što je zajedničko svim našim velikim gradovima.
Back to the DFS. A huge chemical depot caught fire, thousands of drums filled with petrochemicals were blazing away and exploding all around us. The heat was so intense, that hoses were used to cool down firefighters fighting extremely close to the fire, and with no protective clothing. In India we often love to complain about our government bodies. But over here, the heads of the DFS, Mr. R.C. Sharman, Mr. A.K. Sharman, led the firefight with their men. Something wonderful in a country where manual labor is often looked down upon. (Applause)
Vraćam se na vatrogasce. Zapalilo se veliko kemijsko skladište, na tisuće bačava s petrokemijskim sirovinama plamtjelo je i eksplodiralo svud oko nas. Vrućina je bila tolika da su šmrkove koristili za rashlađivanje vatrogasaca koji su gasili vatru iz neposredne blizine, bez ikakve zaštitne odjeće. U Indiji se volimo žaliti na naše državne organe. Ali ovdje su načelnici Vatrogasne službe, g. R. C. Sharman, g. A. K. Sharman, gasili vatru u prvim redovima sa svojim ljudima. Nešto prekrasno za zemlju u kojoj se na fizički rad često gleda prezrivo. (Pljesak)
Over the years, my faith in the power of storytelling has been tested. And I've had very serious doubt about its efficacy, and my own faith in humanity. However, a film we shot still airs on the National Geographic channel. And when it airs I get calls from all the guys I was with and they tell me that they receive hundreds of calls congratulating them. Some of the firemen told me that they were also inspired to do better because they were so pleased to get thank-yous rather than brick bats.
Tijekom godina moja vjera u pričanje priča bila je na kušnji. Imao sam ozbiljne sumnje u učinkovitost pričanja te vlastitu vjeru u čovječanstvo. Međutim, taj se film još uvijek prikazuje na National Geographic-u. I dok traje, nazivaju me svi momci s kojima sam tamo bio da mi kažu kako dobijaju na stotine poziva s čestitkama. Neki od vatrogasaca su mi rekli da su osjetili poticaj da budu i bolji jer im je daleko draže dobivati zahvale umjesto bačenih cigli.
It seems that this story helped change perceptions about the DFS, at least in the minds of an audience in part on televisions, read magazines and whose huts aren't on fire. Sometimes, focusing on what's heroic, beautiful and dignified, regardless of the context, can help magnify these intangibles three ways, in the protagonist of the story, in the audience, and also in the storyteller. And that's the power of storytelling. Focus on what's dignified, courageous and beautiful, and it grows. Thank you. (Applause)
Izgleda da je ova priča pomogla promijeniti predodžbe o vatrogascima barem u umovima gledatelja pred TV ekranima, onih koji čitaju časopise i kojima kuće nisu u plamenu. Katkad, fokusiranje na herojstvo, ljepotu i plemenitost, bez obzira na kontekst, može uvećati ove neopipljive vrijednosti na tri načina, kod protagonista priče, kod publike, kao i kod onog koji priča priču. I u tome je moć pričanja priča. Usredotočite se na ono što je plemenito, hrabro i lijepo, i to raste. Hvala. (Pljesak)