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.
我的名字是瑞安羅伯, 我在過去的10年之中,在世界各地 參與製作了不少的紀錄片。 在這些紀錄片的拍攝過程中, 我發現我自己會在一旁拍攝照片, 而這往往惹惱了紀錄片的攝影師,
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.
因為我的這種攝影習慣幾乎已經變成了一種強迫行為。 每次拍完紀錄片,我都會覺得 我自己拍的照片,比精彩的紀錄片 來得更具故事性。 我覺得,我所拍攝的照片, 代表著某種真相, 不管原本要拍的議題或政策是什麼。 在2007年,我到過三個戰區。 我去了伊拉克,阿富汗和賴比瑞亞。 在那裡,我很真實的接觸到 其他人所經歷的苦難, 讓我沉浸在一些相當濃烈的情感故事當中, 而有時候,我也會為自己的生命安危感到害怕。
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.
一如既往,我回到班加羅爾(Bangalore), 並且像以往一樣在朋友的家裡, 參與討論各種話題。 而當他們都在苦苦抱怨新酒吧的營業時間時, 我發現這些酒吧的飲料售價往往比 他們14歲的女傭工資來得更高。 在這些討論當中,我覺得非常孤立, 但同時我也問我自己, 究竟為什麼要分享這些故事,背後的精神是否夠正直。 因此,我做出讓步, 就像我這些朋友在討論的事情一樣, 我們講出來的故事, 是要為某些事情找藉口, 而不是要去承擔甚麼責任。
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.
我不會詳細說明是什麼讓我做出這個決定, 就把原因想成是因為有酒精、香煙、 其他東西和一個女人涉入吧。 (笑聲) 基本上我認為是我們自己, 而不是攝影機、網路, 或是任何外在的東西, 我們自己才是去述說故事的 最佳媒介。 在我的生命之中,當我試著去追求 成功和名利時,我無法得到它們, 相反地,當我放下這些目標, 抱持同情和堅定的做事態度, 尋求的是卓越而非成果時, 一切都水到渠成,包含自我實現。
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.
攝影是超越於文化之上的,包含我自己的文化; 對我而言,攝影是表達看不到的東西的一種語言, 也是賦予無聲的人或故事的一種聲音。 我要講三個最近發生在我身上的故事, 讓我們用這樣的方式來看,假如您可以的話, 我相信我的故事 可以證明同情心的存在。
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.
在2007年,我去了賴比瑞亞, 一群朋友和我 正在那裡製作一部獨立製片的影片, 故事是關於一位非常傳奇、也很殘酷的軍閥--- 光屁股(Butt Naked)將軍。 他的真實姓名是賈許(Joshua),這張照片拍攝於一個囚室, 他在這裡曾用酷刑虐待和謀殺很多人, 包含小孩。 賈許坦承在賴比瑞亞內戰裡, 親自謀殺了超過一萬人。 他的名字得自於他戰鬥時的一絲不掛, 他可能是至今還活在世界上 屠殺最多人的殺人犯。
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.
這位女性親眼目睹將軍殺害了她的弟弟, 賈許命令他的兒童士兵犯下滔天罪行, 並以十分殘酷的方式執行他的命令。 今天,許多這些童兵還沉迷於毒品海洛因, 就像照片中的這些年輕人,他們是非常貧困的。 如果你知道你犯下了可怕的罪行, 你要如何面對你自己呢? 現在,這位將軍已是受洗過的基督教傳道者, 他有他的使命。
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.
我們陪同著賈許, 前往他曾殺害和強姦人民的鄉村, 祈求人們的原諒, 並聲稱他會努力改善 童兵的生活。 在這次旅途中,我以為 他會被當場打死,我們也逃不了。 但是,我卻大開眼界, 看到人們對他的寬恕, 這是我從沒想過會發生的事。 在難以置信的貧困和損失當中, 一無所有的人們 寬恕了眼前這位曾經奪走一切的人。 他祈求這位女士寬恕 他殺害她弟弟的罪行, 這位女士寬恕了他。 席尼格里,這位坐在輪椅上的年輕人, 曾經是將軍手下的兒童士兵。 由於他不服從命令, 而被將軍槍擊,失去了雙腿。 在這張照片中,年輕人寬恕了將軍。 他冒著生命危險,走向人群, 他曾謀殺過那些人的家人。
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.
這張照片裡,貧民窟裡充滿敵意的人們包圍著他。 賈許在面對他們的憤怒時, 始終保持沉默。 對我來說,這張照片幾乎就像是莎士比亞的戲劇: 一個人在多重壓力之下, 極力想抓住自己信奉的真理, 而他自己竟是造成這些苦難的元凶。
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.
這一切讓我很感動。 但問題是, 寬恕和救贖是否可以取代正義? 賈許用自己的話說, 他並不介意接受審判, 也不介意將他的罪行公諸於世,他願意走遍蒙羅維亞, 讓所有他的受害者聽聽他的罪行。 將軍成了最不可思議的 政教分離宣達使。
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.
我要告訴您們的第二個故事, 是有關一群特別的女鬥士, 她們有特殊的維持和平的能力。 賴比瑞亞曾飽受非洲 最血腥的內戰之一摧殘, 造成20萬以上的人罹難, 成千上萬名婦女受到強暴,並大規模地 受到其他罪行的傷害。 現在聯合國已派遣一支 來自印度、且全由女性組成的維和部隊, 進駐賴比瑞亞。
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)
這些女性,許多是來自印度的小鎮。 她們遠離家園,前來協助維護和平。 她們使用協商及包容的方式, 多過於使用武力回應。 她們的領導人告訴我,女性評估 潛在暴力狀況的能力, 遠比男性來得強。 而她們絕對有能力使用非侵略性的方式化解這些局面。 這一位爛醉的男性, 對我的照相機非常感興趣, 直到他注意到了這群女性: 她們配備著AK-47步槍,對他微笑。 (笑聲)
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.
這支維和部隊似乎非常幸運, 到目前為止都沒有任何傷亡記錄, 雖然在賴比瑞亞,已經有許多和平維護者遭到殺害。 是的,所有被殺害的和平維護者都是男性。 許多成員都已婚,並有孩子。 她們說,最困難的部分, 就是必須遠離她們的孩子。
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.
我陪著她們一起巡邏, 並看到許多男人在她們經過的時候, 不斷地拋出猥褻的話語。 當我詢問她們其中一位成員她們對這些反應的看法時, 她回答:「不用擔心,在我們家鄉也是這樣。 我們早就知道該如何對付這些傢伙了,」 她根本不理他們。
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."
在這樣一個對女性加諸暴力的國家, 來自於印度的和平維護者,鼓勵了許多當地女性 加入警察的行列。 有時候,當戰爭已經結束,所有的電影攝製隊已經離開之後, 那些最激動人心的故事, 往往都是最不為人知的。 我回到印度兜售這個故事,但沒有人有興趣。 有一個編輯告訴我說,她對這些 「勞動者的故事」並不感興趣。
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.
在2007年和2009年間,我為德里消防局(DFS)製作了影片。 在夏季,DFS可能是世界上最忙碌的消防隊, 他們在兩個月內就接到超過5,000個救災電話。 有些事情完全違背了我們一般的思考邏輯, 像是猛烈的火勢和交通阻塞等。 在拍攝過程中,我們也會遇到一些令人吃驚的事。 有一次因為交通阻塞,我們無法及時趕到一個貧民窟, 那是一個很大的貧民窟,它著火了。 當我們接近貧民窟時,數百人從各個方向 投擲石塊,憤怒地攻擊我們的消防車。 當暴徒襲擊我們車輛的時候, 這些消防員嚇壞了。
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.
儘管暴徒的敵意如此強烈, 消防隊員還是跳下消防車,並且成功地滅了火。 他們試圖通過充滿敵意的人群, 有些消防員還為了防止受傷而戴著摩托車安全帽, 當地一些居民甚至強行帶走了 消防員撲滅大火用的水管。 現在,數百個住家被燒毀了。 但縈繞在我心頭的問題是, 到底是什麼原因,讓人們破壞這些 原本要去幫忙滅火的消防車? 他們的憤怒究竟從何而來? 而我們又該負起什麼責任呢? 在德里的一千四百萬人口裡,有百分之四十五的人, 居住在擁擠的非法貧民窟內, 裡面長期人滿為患, 也缺乏最基本的設施, 在印度的所有大城市裡,這算司空見慣的事。
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)
再回到DFS,有一個巨大的化學品倉庫起火, 在我們的周圍有數千桶石化液體 爆炸燃燒。 火勢非常的猛烈,消防水管被用來 噴水在最靠近火場、 且沒有任何防護衣物的消防員身上,以便降溫。 在印度,我們常常喜歡抱怨我們的政府機構, 但是在這裡, DFS的首長, 二位沙曼先生, 帶領他們消防隊員直衝現場滅火。 這對看不起勞動工作者的國家來說, 是一件很了不起的事。 (掌聲)
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.
我原本認為故事本身有一種力量,但這些年來,我一直對這個信念存疑, 我曾經非常嚴肅地懷疑它的功效, 也懷疑自己對於人性還有幾分信任。 然而,我們拍攝的影片卻一直在國家地理頻道播出。 當影片播出時,我接到當時和我一同在現場的那些人的電話, 他們說他們接到數百通的祝賀電話。 有些消防隊員告訴我這些電話 讓他們想做的更好,因為每個人都很高興 能得到別人的感謝,而不是挨打。
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)
這故事似乎改變了人們對DFS的看法, 至少有一部分看過電視、 讀過雜誌、或自己的小屋沒有起火的人心裡已有改觀。 有時候,不管實質的內容為何, 當我們只看所謂的英雄、美麗與尊嚴時, 這些無形的特質就會被放大, 讓他們展現在故事的主角、聽眾、 及說故事的人身上, 這就是故事的力量。 只看尊嚴、勇氣和美麗, 故事的力量就會變大,謝謝! (掌聲)