"Bettencourt SchueJJer Foundation presents" "A GoodPJanet Foundation project" "With the participation of France TéJévisions" "A fiJm by Yann Arthus-Bertrand" "J remember... my stepfather wouJd beat me with extension cords and hangers, pieces of wood and aJJ kinds of stuff." "He wouJd teJJ me:" ""Jt hurt me more than you." ""J onJy did it, because J Jove you."" "Jt communicated the wrong message to me about what Jove was." "So, for many years," "J thought that Jove was supposed to hurt." "J hurt everyone that J Joved." "And J measured Jove by how much pain someone wouJd take from me." "And it wasn t untiJ J came to ison, [ pr an environment that is devoid of Jove," "that J began to have some understanding about what it actuaJJy was and was not." "J met someone." "She gave me my first reaJ insight into what Jove was." "She saw past my condition and the fact that J was in prison with a Jife sentence for doing the worst kind of murder that a man can do:" "murdering a woman and a chiJd." "Jt was Agnes, the mother and grandmother of..." "Patricia and Chris, that J murdered, who gave me my best Jesson about Jove." "By aJJ rights, she shouJd hate me." "[ But she didn t." "Over the course of time, through the journey that we took," "it has been pretty amazing, she gave me Jove." "She taught me what it was." "J m ve happ when it ains, [ ry y r when J drink miJk and J have a good Jife." "When J put on weight." "[ J m thin now." "When it rains," "J am very happy." "When J drink miJk and J eat everything J Jike." "And when J sJeep with the man J Jove who says sweet things to me." "And when J am in a nice hut that protects me from the coJd and rain." "Those are the things that make me happy." "Happiness, for us, wouJd be... having food, a smaJJ piece of Jand" "and a reaJ pJace to Jive, with eJectricity day and night." "We wouJdn t have to sJee [ p in the dark." "That wouJd be happiness." "But we sJeep on the fJoor, without even a mat, on straw." "With eJectricity, there wouJd be Jight in m chiJd en s Jives." "y r [" "So, as J had a difficuJt chiJdhood without any money, when J went to university," "J got a grant and J bought myseJf a motorbike." "Brand-new!" "J was the first person to start it up." "J was the first person to get on it to go home." "When J feeJ the wind whipping me as J ride aJong," "[ knowing that J m not [ r on someone eJses moto bike." "Jts m ve own moto bike." "[ y ry r" "J arrived home, and to get to sJeep," "J put the bike in my bedroom and J Jocked myseJf in with it." "That way, J couJd smeJJ the hot engine." "The smeJJ of the engine, the new bike smeJJ." "And when J turned the Jight on," "J couJd see it was my very own bike." "J couJdn t ut the bike [ p on the bed, under the covers," "[ but its what J wanted to do." "Yes..." "J feJt it." "Yes." "That was a moment of great happiness for me." "Happiness is the chiJdren coming home." "Thats a mothe s ha iness." "[ r[ pp" "Jts when m husband [ y comes home, smiJes, and kisses me, after 33 years of married Jife." "Thats a woman s ha iness." "[ [ pp" "Happiness is hearing my grandchiJdren saying: "Grandma!"" "When they say that, you feeJ oJder, but thats ha iness, too." "[ pp" "[ Jts aJso meeting coJJeagues who are happy to see you." "They think:" "" [ r [ " Shes he e, Jets taJk." "Thats ha iness, too." "[ pp [ r Jts getting up in the mo ning and not hurting anywhere." "Thats ha iness, too." "[ pp" "Jts the ain which is the omise [ r pr of a good harvest." "There are many kinds of happiness, but at the same time, the es onJ one:" "r [ y ou e aJive, so ou e happ." "y [r y [r y" "Just my experiences from being in a wheeJchair and traveJing the worJd in a wheeJchair [ r r Jve seen Jife f om a diffe ent angJe" "[ and thats taught me on a spirituaJ JeveJ to just accept and to be happy, r[ whateve s coming next." "J m so mentaJJ st ong." "[ y r" "The onJy reason is because of Josing my Jegs physicaJJy." "M e esights sha pe, m ea s a e..." "y y [ r r y r r" "J can hear much better." "So, thats on a h sicaJ sense, but [ p y" "J feeJ Jm Juck, as in [ y" "J don t anaJ e [ yz or question Jife too much." "J can cruise through Jife and aJways be in the right pJace at the right time." "J aJways have amazing things happen to me." "J m eaJJ Juck in that situation." "[ r y y" "But that comes from beJieving in Juck or beJieving in the power of attraction or beJieving in attracting the goodness [ into ones Jife." "And J think that can be seen as Juck." "So, if God HimseJf jumped down in front of me right now and said to me:" "B uno, J JJ give ou back ou Jegs, " r [ y y r but J JJ take awa aJJ that " [ y ou ve Jea ned in the Jast 13 ea s." "y [ r y r "" "J JJ teJJ God:" "Kee ou Jegs." "[ " p y r "" "We didn t use to die Jike toda." "[ y" "We Jived in peace." "r [ Ou fighting didn t kiJJ us." "There was onJy one gun per viJJage." "What decimates us is the KaJashnikov." "Before, we onJy died from sickness and disease." "A few peopJe died:" "a sick person, an oJd man, a baby." "OnJy the weak." "The victims of the KaJashnikov are countJess." "Our fighting is degenerating." "3 men die from one shot." "Yesterday, peopJe died." "We didn t bu them." "[ ry" "Maybe animaJs ate them." "That weapon is bad." "Jt deprives the young generation and the country of peace." "As soon as J took up arms," "J feJt fear." "Fear is a human feeJing." "J was afraid of bJood." "When J took up arms," "J went from being a teacher to a man of arms." "J had no choice." "J saw and experienced things which forced me to do it." "Sometimes my son asks me, because it worries him:" ""Dad, why this war?" "Js there no end to it?" ""Why do you kiJJ the soJdier?" "Doesn t the soJdie have a famiJ " [ r y" ""waiting for him, just Jike us?"" "J say to him:" ""H [ r [r r " es w ong and we e ight." ""Why, Dad?"" "J say:" ""He kiJJs famiJies and chiJdren." ""He destroys mosques." ""We defend aJJ that."" "We aJways try to be cJear to the chiJdren." "We teJJ them that we took up arms, because we had to, not because we wanted to." "[ J don t Jike having bJood on my hands... or the idea that J kiJJed someone." "Nobody Jikes that." "J m not af aid of death." "[ r" "J m not af aid if its fo S ia." "[ r [ r yr" "J m not af aid if its fo m fathe." "[ r [ r y r" "[ Jf he wasn t dead, J wouJd be afraid of death." "[ r r But J m no Jonge af aid." "Even if my throat is cut or J get bJown up." "What matters is joining my father or going back to Syria." "During the genocide..." "J was separated from my parents and J Jived aJone in the sorghum fieJds." "J spent at Jeast two weeks there." "Then, someone took me." "She asked me who J was." "But as J was very JittJe," "[ J couJdn t distinguish between Hutus and Tutsis." "J didn t eaJJ know." "[ r y" "She Jooked at me and started touching my fingers, my skin." "She toJd me J was a Tutsi or mixed race." "She toJd peopJe to shoot me, to eJiminate me." "J asked why, [ r what Jd done w ong." "After that, there was a Jot of shooting." "J ran away." "AJJ aJong the way, there were corpses and bJood." "Then J sat down and asked God that His wiJJ be done." "J was Jucky to survive." "J went home." "The door was smashed in." "Jn front, there was a hoJe where a sheJJ had faJJen." "J went in and found my father Jying there." "J saw my brothers too, behind him." "My father had opened the door to them." "He toJd them there were no combatants." "They toJd him to step forward." "My mother and brothers were Jined up." ""Join them."" "As soon as he moved, they started shooting." "He got a buJJet in the back." "He feJJ." "They started shooting at my brothers." "At the time of the massacre, in 1982, J was a young student." "J didn t hate an one, [ y J feJt no hatred." "But that massacre made me question many things." "J asked myseJf:" ""Who Joves me?" "Who hates me?" ""Why did this happen?"" "J thought more about it and aJJ that brought about in me a Jove of hatred, a Jove of vengeance." "[ r Man isn t bo n with those feeJings." "They grow over the course of your experiences." "Both Jove and hatred." "WouJd you forgive me if J kiJJ your father or brother?" "Jf no Jaw stands in my way?" "Jf your rights are scorned?" "WouJd you forgive me if Jd kiJJed ou b othe, [ y r r r father or mother?" "No, certainJy not." "No way." "J wiJJ never forgive." "Even if my head is cut off." "One evening, whiJe in the reserves, my unit had to stop a suicide attack by capturing a terrorist in a viJJage near NabJus." "J depJoyed our forces." "To fJush him out, we shot at the waJJs as a demonstration of strength." "A woman came out of the house, carrying a girJ and hoJding another by the hand." "Jt was 3 AM." "The girJ panicked and ran toward us." "J was af aid she d bJow he seJf u." "r [ r p" "J yeJJed at her in Arabic to stop." "She kept coming." "J fired above her head." "She stopped." "At that moment, time stood stiJJ." "Jt was the shortest and the Jongest moment of my Jife." "The girJ remained aJive." "And so did J." "But at the same time, something died in us both." "When a chiJd is shot at, it kiJJs something inside." "[ J don t know what." "When an aduJt shoots at a chiJd, it kiJJs something inside." "Something dies and something eJse has to come to Jife." "J was ashamed of shooting at her." "A painfuJ shame." "And above aJJ, this sensation of my finger pressing the trigger and shooting at the girJ." "From this finger pressing the trigger something had to come to Jife." "One of the most impactfuJ things that wiJJ occur, after being in combat, is the feeJing of kiJJing another human being." "Once ou ve ex e ienced it, y [ p r ou JJ see y [ that its not Jike an thing eJse [ y that ou ve ex e ienced befo e." "y [ p r r" "And unfortunateJy, that feeJing, your body wiJJ want to experience again." "Jts eaJJ difficuJt [ r y to try to expJain to somebody" "[ what that feeJing s Jike." "Right now, J stiJJ feeJ Jike experiencing that again, and its obabJ wh J kee [ pr y y p a Joaded weapon in my house." "J yearn or desire for someone to try to hurt me or to break in or to give me an excuse to use that vioJence against somebody eJse again." "On the 16th of January 2007, an JsraeJi border poJiceman shot and kiJJed my 10-year-oJd daughter, Abir, in front of her schooJ in Anath where J Jive." "She was with her sister and two friends." "9.30 in the morning." "Jn her head in the back from a distance of 15 to 20 meters by a rubber buJJet." "r [ r Abi wasn t a fighte." "She was just a chiJd." "She didn t know an thing [ y about the confJict and she was not part of this confJict." "UnfortunateJy, she Jost her Jife because she was a PaJestinian." "[ r r J m an Js aeJi who Jost his daughte to a suicide bombing on the 4th of September 1997." "And J am a product of... of an education system." "These are two societies at war." "They sociaJize the young generation to make them abJe to sacrifice themseJves when the time comes." "This is true to PaJestinian society and this is aJso true to JsraeJi society." "Because we are human beings." "Sometimes you think:" ""Jf J kiJJ the kiJJer" ""or anyone from the other side, from the JsraeJis," ""or maybe ten," ""this wiJJ give me back my daughter."" "No." "J JJ cause anothe ain [ r p and another victim to the others." "J decided to break this circJe of vioJence and bJood and revenge by stopping kiJJing and supporting revenge, by myseJf." "My definition of "sides"" "has changed dramaticaJJy." "Today, on my side are aJJ those who want peace and are wiJJing to pay the price of peace." "On the other side are those who do not want peace and are not wiJJing to pay the price of peace." "Many peopJe toJd me:" "Jts not ou ight " [ y r r to forgive in her name."" "And the answer:" "its aJso not m ight [ y r to seek revenge in her name." "J ho e shes satisfied." "p [" "J hope she rests in peace." "e es what ha ened:" "H r [ pp a German officer in an SS uniform entered the ghetto one rainy night." "My mother toJd him:" ""Take my daughter."" "She Jifted the wire fence and handed him her baby, me, a Jewish girJ 2 and a haJf years oJd." "And with a heavy heart, she put me in the hands of a wonderfuJ man in an SS uniform." "J now know that this man," "AJoïs PJeva, served in the German army and Jived near the German border." "This man put me in his coat." "He hid me inside his coat and took me to the border between Germany and PoJand to his parents." "They passed me off as his daughter." "They raised me in the purest CathoJic tradition untiJ the end of the war." "What a gesture!" "What magic, this outstretched hand!" "Like sparks of Jight in what we caJJ human foJJy." "Sometimes a question comes to mind." "Jf J had been in a situation Jike that, wouJd J have acted in the same way as that German officer?" "How can J answer such a question?" "[ J don t think J wouJd have had the moraJ strength to do it, in aJJ honesty." "Maybe." "Did he know he had the strength?" "How can you know?" "How can you recognize the moment of truth when you can sacrifice yourseJf, sacrifice the onJy Jife you have for someone eJse?" "r [ r The es no answe to that question." "Or a question others can answer." "But this question must be asked." "Love is the beginning and the end." "Love is where we come from, r [r whe e we e going and what we Jive between the two." "Love is everything." "Love." "The word Jove is fuJJ of meaning for me." "When you taJk about Jove, it encompasses everything." "Love encompasses everything, [ doesn t it?" "Whe e the es no Jove, ou feeJ em t r r [ y p y or rather, J feeJ empty." "Love..." "Love is what fiJJs the souJ." "You have to take Jove one day at a time." "You Jive it every day." "Love is this feeJing that you can give and that the other person gives you." "My wife has a strong character." "Shes the one who guides the famiJ." "[ y" "J Jove her a Jot." "[ Shes magnificent." "Jf ou don t make Jove, y [ your Jove wiJJ be a faiJure." "Do you hear?" "Why?" "Through Jove comes sex." "Without sex, ou JJ go w ong." "y [ r" "Your wife wiJJ ask herseJf:" ""He gives me Jove, but not sex." ""Love, food, cJothing, everything," ""but not sex." ""What can J do with this man?"" "What wiJJ happen to our home?" "The home wiJJ coJJapse, because after Jove must come sex." "And thats uJtimateJ [ y why Jove exists." "r r [ Othe wise, the es nothing." "Oh, wow!" "What a question to ask me..." "Jf Jve had Jove s?" "[ r" "To be honest, Jve neve had an." "[ r y" "[ J haven t..." "J went to parties," "[ but J didn t go to dances, because, to teJJ you the truth, J never Jearned to dance." "r [ r J t ied, but it didn t wo k." "So, J gave up." "When you marry someone, you marry them as they are." "At a given moment, you Jove them the way they are." "J had an accident." "J Jost my arms and Jegs." "She didn t ma a gu [ rry y with no arms or Jegs." "But she stood it for a number of years." "We ended up separating, we got a divorce." "J had to start a new Jife." "Jt took me 3 years to get over the break-up." "After 3 years, J said to myseJf:" "ou can t sta on ou own!" ""Y [ y y r "" "So, J signed up on the internet to a dating site." "At first, J just put a head shot." "The rest was a surprise." "[ r r J didn t show J had no a ms o Jegs." "J had fun on the net, but when J toJd peopJe about my handicap, nobody answered me." "So, J announced my handicap and one day, J met Suzanna." "There we are, Jove is possibJe." "Weve been togethe fo 8 ea s." "[ r r y r" "Suzanna has 3 girJs, J have 2 boys." "We have a one-eyed dog, 4 cats, a guinea-pig." "Jts one big econstituted famiJ." "[ r y" "An thing s ossibJe." "y [ p" "J found Jove again." "And we reaJJy Jove each other." "Jve been ma led to m husband [ rr y for 18 years now." "He has never said, "J Jove you,"" "but J feeJ he does." "Sometimes, eyes speak more than mouths." "When J was younger, J wondered how peopJe couJd Jive together for so Jong, without faJJing out of Jove." "J aJso couJdn t imagine how eo Je [ p p couJd sJeep in the same bed for 20 years." "J thought it wouJd be boring." "[ But its not!" "Every day," "J think," ""Yesterday, my Jove was weaker." "Toda, its t ue Jove." "" y [ r "" "And then, a year goes by." "This Jove becomes even stronger." "When J go to bed at night," "J Jook at him and think, if he died," "J couJd never repJace him." "After being married for... 50 years, 49... 51 years." "My wife took seriousJy iJJ just before we ceJebrated our 50th wedding anniversary." "And she suffered terribJy for about 2 years as an invaJid." "For the Jast 2 years of her Jife," "J was her nurse," "J was her doctor, J was her friend," "J was her Jover, J was her husband." "Everybody wanted me to get a fuJJ-time nurse, day and night, and she begged me not to." "She onJy wanted me to Jook after her." "And J Joved doing it for her." "And J did it by myseJf." "J carried her to the car," "J carried her oxygen tank, her wheeJchair." "J packed it in the car, J pushed her round," "J put it back, J took her home," "J bathed her, J put her to bed." "And J Joved it that J was abJe to do it for her without anyone eJse." "And she appreciated it." "[ Thats Jove." "The magic moment that J had with my grandfather was right after my grandmother died." "J went to go see him." "J knew that he was hurting, [ r but J wasn t su e what kind of state he wouJd be in." "And she was his partner 65 years as weJJ as his driver." "J said: "Grandpa..." ""How are you doing?"" "And he said:" ""Did you know that for 4 doJJars," ""J can get a shuttJe anywhere in the city?"" "J said:" "Wow, thats g eat, G and a." "" [ r r p "" "He said:" ""WeJJ, J went to the grocery store," ""J went to the woman behind the counter and said:" ""J have this Jist of things." "CouJd you heJp me find them?" ""My wife has recentJy changed her residence to heaven."" "And J said:" ""Grandpa, man, you aJways heJp me see the gJass as haJf fuJJ."" "And he Jeaned back," "Jooked me in the eyes, and he said:" "" [ " Jts a beautifuJ gJass." "When J was 12, J Jeft m g andpa ents house y r r [ because of abuse." "J went to Jive in the street." "Jt was better for me to keep going and try to become independent." "What J can never forgive concerns my mother." "[ SeJJing me wasn t a good idea." "[r r r Because we e he chiJd en and she suffered, giving birth to us." "[ [ r r So, thats what J JJ neve fo give." "The hardest moment in my whoJe Jife" "was m fathe s death." "y r[" "Because..." "J don t want to c." "[ ry" "He supported me." "He wouJd..." "He wouJd encourage me and my brothers." "J m not af aid of an thing an mo e, [ r y y r [ r because Jve been th ough many horribJe things, [ r and Jve g own used to it." "And Jm ha dj sca ed of an thing." "[ r y r y" "When they say to me:" "We e going to hit ou." "" [r y We JJ kiJJ ou." "[ y "" "J sa to them:" "No, J m not sca ed, y " [ r" ""and if you do, [ r " J won t be sca ed." "My father used to teJJ me that it didn t matte if ou feJJ." "[ r y" "You just had to get up again." "Jf J feJJ, J had to get up again." "AJways get up again." "That heJps me a Jot." "Jf J Jived in the past," "Jd s end m time c ing, [ p y ry [ r Jd be bitte," "J wouJdn t be f iendJ." "[ r y" "You have to know how to pJay and smiJe, because Jiving in the past is no use." "You have to Jive in the present." "FamiJy, to me, is a communion." "[ Jts coming home and being greeted:" "Jts good to have ou home!" "" [ y "" "HeJping my brothers to do what J can aJready do, because Jm one of the eJde s." "[ r" "Teaching them." "Seeing my father come home from work, satisfied, sitting in his armchair, and me making him a coffee." "That makes me feeJ good." "Jt fiJJs you up inside." "[ Jf someones missing, it feeJs Jike a hoJe in your heart." ""What the heJJ has happened?" ""Where is he?"" "FamiJy is something happy, remarkabJe." "[ Jts something eJse." "Jt fiJJs you up." "When J was young," "J didn t think J was going to sta [ y in the reJigious community that J had joined." "And J su ose J didn t unde stand pp [ r what J was actuaJJy doing and that J was maybe making a decision which meant [ r that J wouJdn t have chiJd en and J wouJdn t have a famiJ [ y" "as other peopJe had." "J don t eaJJ think [ r y J understood that, but Jater in Jife," "J had a sister who died of cancer." "And when J saw her famiJy," "J reaJized that when J died, the e wouJdn t be an bod..." "r [ y y to mourn me the same way." "As time goes on, then you recognize that you are a parent to other peopJe who you work with or who are friends or who are reJated to you in some way." "So, even though ou haven t ou own famiJ, y [ y r y you have famiJy." "So, J think thats im o tant to me." "[ p r" "My whoJe Jife, J wanted to have a son." "J aJready had daughters." "J wanted a son to support me, be my right-hand man." "My son brings me a Jot, just in the way he Jooks at me." "When we[re doing odd jobs ..." "J try to expJain things to him." "J often say to him:" "it is said... that when God... gave this chiJd to that famiJy, the angeJs asked: "Lord," ""why do You give a handicapped chiJd to that famiJy?" "The Jive weJJ." "The e ha." "" y y[r ppy" ""Why do You impose such a burden on them?"" "God repJied:" ""J chose them" ""so that they may teach the chiJd that J exist," ""that J am omnipresent," ""in the Jeaves and in the wind."" "Thats what J teJJ m son." "[ y" "J say to him..." "J teJJ him aJJ the time..." "J say to him: "Look, AJyosha." "" [ Thats a Jeaf." ""And those are fJowers." ""AJJ that makes up" ""the happiness of Jife."" "When J m with AJ ocha in the evening, [ y" "J say to him:" ""Look, son, those are stars!"" "And he sees them" "and he Jooks at me with aduJt eyes." "J get the impression that he has a spirit" "[ r r thats much st onge than mine." "Jts m son who guides me." "[ y" "He guides the whoJe famiJy." "Thats wh..." "[ y now J understand what Jove is" "and the meaning of Jove." "Because to Jive together, you must Jove yourseJf," "Jove your wife, your chiJdren, big and smaJJ." "You must Jove your famiJy, your parents." "My parents are stiJJ aJive." "You must Jove aJJ human beings for what they are deep down" "for onJy the Jove of peopJe can save the worJd." "No, J never thought about it." "[ J wouJdn t have Jiked to be a man." "Because men have an easy Jife." "Too easy." "And easy Jives are boring." "Jts eas ofessionaJJ, [ y pr y maybe even easier to attain their sentimentaJ prey." "For women, everything is more difficuJt." "But there is aJso the appeaJ of attaining your goaJs despite the difficuJties." "Without question, J prefer being a woman." "J feeJ powerJess when, say, a very smaJJ woman enters the store, sees something high up and says to me:" ""Jf onJy a man couJd get that..."" "Y [ ou don t have to be a man." "Jump up and grab it." "You have two hands." "Why a man?" "Whatever next?" "Jt makes me so angry." "J eaJJ don t Jike it when women..." "r y [" "J hate it when women are discriminated against." "Today, J feeJ free." "Because..." "J can do Jots of things without rushing." "[ r Whats mo e, [ r J m divo ced." "Sorry." "Excuse me." "J shouJdn t sa that, shouJd J?" "[ y" "Sorry." "Do you want to do it again?" "Js that OK?" "[ J know J shouJdn t Jaugh about it, but J feeJ good, J feeJ free." "My husband has 2 wives." "H [ p y es oJ gamous, he has 2 wives." "Here, in SenegaJ, with poJygamy, some peopJe have 4 wives." "Others have 3, or 2." "But some peopJe onJy have 1 wife." "[ r Jts thei choice." "Some even have 6, 7, 8, 9..." "as many as 10!" "But my husband has 2 wives." "2 wives." "[ r J m the 1st, the othe is the 2nd." "We Jive in peace." "Shes m f lend." "[ y r" "She reaJJy Joves me." "And J Jove her." "LuckiJy, for us, oJ gam isn t ossibJe fo women." "p y y [ p r" "J say "JuckiJy," because if my wife" "Joved another man besides me," "[ itd make things difficuJt." "Jt d be ve com Jicated [ ry p because J am extremeJy jeaJous." "ExtremeJy jeaJous." "[ J couJdn t stand my wife spending the night r [ r in anothe man s a ms and then spend the next night with me." "J couJd never stand that." "So, JuckiJy, poJygamy for women isn t ossibJe in Bu kina Faso." "[ p r" "Because J just couJdn[t imagine it ." "When J went and stayed with my... wife at her house in San Francisco..." "Shes not m wife, [ y" "[ but the woman Jm with." "This was about a week after we started dating." "J woke up in the morning and J said:" ""J ask this of you and this of you and this of you and ou e hesitating." "" y [r "" "[ The woman Jm with [ can t have a Jist of nos." "Jts got to be ett much aJJ eses [ pr y y o we don t have a eJationshi." "r [ r p" "And it took her about a month after J pointed that out to her to reaJize that these nos couJd not exist." "And so, thats how ve JittJe shitt [ ry y my woman is." "Shes f eakin ve uni ue, [ r [ ry q very amazing." "She gives me..." "Like, she was raised to adore her man." "Like oJd-schooJ Mexican." "Know when to speak up." "[ That doesn t mean ou can t teJJ me something, y [" "[ that doesn t mean [ J don t want guidance." "But in my househoJd, the man is the man of the house." "At home, on weekends, J do the cooking." "One day, a friend came to my house." "He said: "You do the cooking?"" "J said: "Yes."" ""Js your wife sick?"" "" [ r " J said:" "No, shes esting." ""What?" "You do the cooking" ""whiJe your wife has a rest?"" ""Yes, she needs rest."" "He said:" ""My wife wiJJ never come visit you." "ou d ut ideas in he head." ""Y [ p r" ""When she comes home," "" [ " she JJ ask me to cook too." "J said to him: "You must understand" ""that they need to rest."" "Anyway, J enjoy cooking for my famiJy." "J m in ison, [ pr because J had an abortion." "J couJdn t have continued m studies [ y because J was in a boarding schooJ and J didn t want to sto m studies." "[ p y" "Jd have sto ed fo too Jong, [ pp r with the pregnancy, the birth, breastfeeding, [ r and J couJdn t conside that." "So, J decided to have an abortion." "What pJeases me today is that Jm getting out of ison [ pr tomorrow." "J JJ continue m studies [ y and work." "And ma be one da, J JJ have a chiJd." "y y [" "J[JJ be just Jike everyone eJse ." "There is a way out of being abused." "For me, it was tough because" "J used to have the worst abuse." "J wouJd have a gun put to my head and get toJd to go on my knees and beg for my Jife." "And J wouJd do it." "My kids used to be watching." "Or get put out of the house and have to sJeep outside on the steps." "Jf J moved from there, [ Jd get a hiding." "Jt was tough, because J thought it was me." "J was the one that was doing something wrong in our marriage." "J taJked about my kids, the most important thing of my Jife." "J thought, [ r if J don t move on out of he e, [ r J m eithe going to be dead or my kids are going to be dead." "So, J need to move on." "J need to do something." "J went home that day " [ " and J said to him:" "J m Jeaving." "Mark got a bit of a shock, [ r z because he didn t eaJi e that J was Jeaving." "H "Y [ r e said: ou JJ neve Jeave me, you Jove me too much."" "And J said: "WeJJ, you know what?" "" [ " Thats what Jove is about." "Leaving." "J gave him two choices." "J said to him:" ""You either go for counseJing, or J Jeave."" "You know what?" "Toda, hes a bette man." "y [ r es neve Jifted a hand u fo me H [ r p r since the day." "Thats about 9 ea s ago." "[ y r" "So, 9 years ago, J was stiJJ an abused woman." "J am gay." "[ [ r Jve known Jve Jiked gi Js ever since J was a JittJe girJ." "And J kept it a secret from my famiJy." "J remember when EJJen DeGeneres, the TV host, came out, it was the first time J ever heard of the word "gay" before." "My parents were taJking about it." "J asked my dad: "Dad, what is gay?"" "" [ r r r Jts a gi J who Jikes anothe gi J and the e going to heJJ." "y[r "" "And so, J said: "OK."" "J waJked straight up to my room, cJosed the door very quietJy, and then, J bawJed my eyes out into my piJJow." "And J prayed to God every day:" ""PJease Jet me Jike boys, pJease make me straight."" "Because J knew J Jiked girJs." "And so, J tried pretending J Jiked boys, but J never did." "And then, J met to me the Jove of my Jife." "And her name is Jen." "Gosh, she was just..." "my worJd changed." "And J didn t eaJJ ca e [ r y r about anything eJse." "J just knew J wanted to be near her." "And that was Jove to me." "Being a Jesbian is not a choice for me." "Jts something that is inside ou..." "[ y that noone can heJp." "[ r Jts not cu abJe." "Jts not a disease actuaJJ." "[ y" "Cause the aJwa s sa we e sick." "[ y y y [r" "Our famiJies r[ even take us to the docto s, r [ to the ma abouts." "But it just stays there." "J even had to force myseJf with guys" "to get m g ann s app ovaJ." "y r y[ r r [ Jt hu ts, cause" "J had to do stuff" "J eaJJ, eaJJ didn t want to do." "r y r y [" "Even though J did that..." "J even asked a friend of mine to etend as if hes m bo f lend." "pr [ y y r" "But that guy, what he did..." "He forced himseJf to me and then, he Jeft me with HJV." "And that was in 2003." "J did aJJ that just to get my granny[s approvaJ ." "But now" "J know that J don t have to do an thing [ y to pJease someone eJse." "My parents were so afraid [ r Jd emain a homosexuaJ that when J said J was changing, they reaJJy beJieved it." "They asked me every day:" ""OK, have you changed?"" "As its not ossibJe to change, [ p" "J pretended to ignore the question." "After a whiJe, m fathe couJdn t take an mo e." "y r [ y r" "He started yeJJing at me, hitting me and saying:" "J know ou haven t changed!" "" y [" ""Jf you buJJshit me," "J JJ make ou Jife heJJ." ""[ y r" ""Leave now if ou e eaJJ Jike that." "y [r r y "" "[ So, J Jeft." "J didn t hesitate." "J Jeft." "J have a son who s now 31 ea s oJd [ y r who J Jove very much." "H [ y y es ga, a ga man." "The day that he came out was quite significant." "J knew that he was struggJing with something." "H [ e d been suicidaJ and he was 18 years oJd." "He said to me one day:" "Dad, Jve got to teJJ ou something." "" [ y "" "And J said:" ""OK, son, teJJ me, what is it?"" "He went paJe, he reaJJy went white, and he said: "J feeJ sick."" "And my heart reaJJy went out to him." "At that moment, J kind of knew that he was going to teJJ me he was gay" "[ aJthough J hadn t made that connection, because he s uite mascuJine [ q in his traits." "At that moment, J had a sense [ thats what he was going to teJJ me." "So, J said to him:" ""Son, Jet me guess." ""Let me make it easier for you."" "He said OK." ""Y [r J said: ou e going to teJJ me ou e ga, a en t ou?" "y [r y r [ y "" "He went: "Yes, J am."" "J just reaJJy, reaJJy feJt for him." "Jt was such a struggJe for him to teJJ me that." "Everything sort of made sense, because he didn t want to be ga." "[ y" "And thats wh he d been suicidaJ." "[ y [" "J just gave him a big hug and said: "J Jove you anyway, son." "Jt doesn t make an diffe ence " [ y r to how much J Jove you."" "And J think that our reJationship has reaJJy been a Jot stronger since then." "[ So, thats been a journey in itseJf." "Jt was in 2009." "A friend, homosexuaJ Jike me." "When this friend died, he was buried in his viJJage cemetery." "But the JocaJ imam gathered together the peopJe, the young peopJe." "They went to the cemetery to dig up the body." "They took it, tied it up, and dragged it through the streets." "The media were there." "They fiJmed it." "The poJice came." "Afterwards, the famiJy got the body back and buried it again." "Jt was dug up again. 3 times in aJJ." "Jn the end, the body was buried in his fathe s a d." "r[ y r" "Because the MusJim reJigion says that when ou e homosexuaJ, y [r if you die, peopJe can t p a fo ou, [ r y r y the can t bu ou y [ ry y in a MusJim cemetery." "Thats what the sa." "[ y y" "J m a ga man f om Lebanon." "[ y r" "We have no rights over there." "We have no rights in the Arab worJd in generaJ." "J think what J can do more [ r is what Jve sta ted to do," "J think J shouJd come out even more." "J am out to my parents." "J am out to my friends, J am out to my work, but J think J want to encourage other peopJe Jike me who have nothing to Jose." "Because J have a saJary, because my mum has proven with time, it took time, that she JJ Jove me an wa." "[ y y" "Now she knows, she knows my boyfriend." "She Joves me for the way J am, my dad as weJJ." "My friends as weJJ." "J think if ou don t teJJ an one, y [ y r [ the othe moms won t know that its OK to be ga." "[ y" "PeopJe shouJd be Jess shy, more daring when you have nothing to Jose." "Some peopJe have a Jot to Jose." "Those are not the peopJe that shouJd do the change, but the ones that have nothing to Jose." "Jn Jraq, one of my friends was hit with a car bomb in front of me." "J chased after the triggerman with my squad, with one of my teams." "And we were just..." "we wanted to kiJJ that guy." "[ r Cause J couJd hea my buddy screaming, he was hurt." "[r r And so, we e unning as fast as we can." "We[re just fuJJ of hate and fury ." "We just want to do whatever we can to..." "He hurt our friend, [r we e going to get him back." "We[re just running as fast as we can , with aJJ that weight." "Just sweat pouring off of us." "Through orange fieJds, then we get to a cJearing." "Jt hit me." "J mean, this bJue sky." "There was an oJd man in a white robe and a chiJd." "Just tiJJing a fieJd, you know, and that just... brought me back to reaJity." ""What am J doing?" ""[ [ J m a human being, J m not..." ""[ r r " J m not some inst ument of evenge." "[ [ J don t know." "Jts Jike, ou sto and ou e Jike..." "y p y [r" "Just peopJe doing peopJe things here, whe e Jm su osed to..." "r [ pp where aJJ this vioJence is happening." "And ou sto and ou e Jike..." "y p y [r" "J don t know, makes ou human again." "[ y" "J get up in the morning, go to the fieJds to get my beans and my corn." "J see ripe beans and corn." "Oh, what joy!" "When we get to the fieJd, we are so happy that we aJmost want to just stand there" "[ as its so beautifuJ." "A fieJd of corn or beans is beautifuJ." "And every time, it gives us fresh heart." "At the moment, J have nothing at aJJ." "J farm a smaJJ piece of Jand." "J pJant some vegetabJes to eat." "My husband has just gone to get his pay, but its a tin amount." "[ y" "Apart from that, J have nothing at aJJ." "There[s just a hen at home ." "Jf she Jays eggs," "J seJJ them at the market, then J buy saJt and things, enough to survive each day." "J have no cattJe." "J have nothing." "Yes, weJJ," "J, Estima Joseph, say that my Jife is finished in this country." "The ain doesn t faJJ." "r [" "J can t pJant an thing to ha vest [ y r to feed my wife and chiJdren." "So, at the moment, the es no mo e wood to cho r [ r p in the countryside to earn money, not even smaJJ branches to make a bag of charcoaJ." "You can spend a day or two without any food for your chiJdren who are crying at your feet." "The es no one to teJJ ou:" "r [ - y" ""My dear feJJow, take this." "Jts fo ou, " [ r y to heJp you in the country!"" "We e J ing down, waiting fo death, [r y r because what we caJJ Jife is over." "You Jie there, ou ve nothing fo ou chiJd en." "y [ r y r r" "Nothing to give them, nobody to heJp you." "You Jie there and wait for death." "J caJJ that "Jife finished"." "Life is aJready finished." "Y [ ou don t have an animaJ to seJJ." "Yes." "Yes, Jife is compJeteJy finished." "Yes." "We had no harvest." "Jt was so dry that my husband had 2 weJJs dug for 70,000 rupees each." "But as the didn t find an wate, y [ y r the vines dried up and we didn t have an g a es." "[ y r p" "J think that my husband aJready had debts Jast year which he couJdn t e a." "[ r p y" "Now who shouJd be paid back first?" "J have no idea what to do." "The es no wate an whe e." "r [ r y r" "The e was a weJJ, but its d." "r [ ry r [ r r The es no mo e wate." "So, how can the debts be repaid?" "Thats wh he committed suicide." "[ y" "This year," "J was covering a very severe drought in western Maharastra, in this country." "And on the one hand," "J was Jooking at peopJe facing destitution due to a water crisis." "On the other hand," "J was Jooking at muJti-story buiJdings coming up with a swimming pooJ on every fJoor." "[r We e not taJking about buiJdings with 3 or 4 fJoors." "There is a pJan for 2 twin towers in Mumbai even now under construction," "37 fJoors each, which means there are 74 swimming pooJs." "[ r Jts a twin towe." "And then, J went and Jooked at who are the peopJe doing the construction, these Jaborers." "AJJ the Jaborers were JandJess Jaborers and marginaJ farmers who had Jeft their viJJages as refugees of the water crisis and the e in the cities y[r buiJding our swimming pooJs." "The sheer humiJiation of it, the sheer injustice of it!" "J think the fastest growing sector in Jndia is not software or JT." "Jt is inequaJity." "So, yeah, it makes me furious." "Jt is compJeteJy unacceptabJe to me to see how cJoseJy the affJuence of the few is tied to the misery of the many." "Thats unacce tabJe." "[ p" "WorJd Jeaders, heJp us have a decent Jife." "r [ r Othe wise we JJ sta ve to death." "[ r Jts the fauJt of the gove nment and poJiticians if we have nothing to wear, nowhere to sJeep, and nothing to cook." "We e d ing." "[r y" "Who knows if we JJ stiJJ be aJive tomo ow?" "[ rr" "Who can say if we JJ have an thing to eat?" "[ y" "My chiJdren are dying." "We have nowhere to Jive, not even a roof or a pJot of Jand." "J go from viJJage to viJJage to Jow othe eo Jes fieJds." "p r p p [" "And aJJ this for what?" "One day, we eat, the next, we have to starve." "But nobody Jistens to us." "r [ r The gove nment doesn t ca e about our probJems." "The don t think y [ about us poor foJk." "OnJy about themseJves." "J Jeft Pakistan because of our Jiving conditions." "Jt was especiaJJy cJear to my wife that my income couJd not provide for heaJth care and schooJing." "She sacrificed herseJf for me, for my famiJy." "J sacrificed myseJf and my famiJy too by aJJowing myseJf to emigrate so J couJd at Jeast give my chiJdren an education and heaJth care and meet aJJ their basic needs." "J JJ neve fo get the da J Jeft." "[ r r y" "J was with a few friends." "My mother came out on the doorstep." "She was hoJding my son in her arms." "J was sitting in the car." "She put my son on my Jap:" ""Take a good Jook at him." ""Who knows when ou JJ see him again?" "y [ "" "[ r r J JJ neve fo get that scene." "J can stiJJ see my chiJd as if he were right in front of me." "J Jeft Sudan because the regime" "[ wouJdn t Jeave us aJone." "Entire famiJies were kiJJed." "Everyone figured we were doomed." "The main thing was that J was saved." "God spared me." "J arrived in France." "Thanks to God, at home, we were farmers." "And it was enough for us!" "We had cattJe." "We never Jacked either money or food." "Thanks to God, we Jived weJJ." "But the regime wouJd not Jeave us aJone." "They raped my sisters in front of me." "When my wife arrived, they fJogged her." "They raped her in front of me." "How couJd J Jive in that country?" "When J was in the boat," "J was very scared, because J saw absoJuteJy nothing, onJy the water." "And the boat aJso, its not a uaJit boat." "[ q y" "We are 110 peopJe inside the boat, nobody comfortabJe." "There was no food to eat, no water to drink." "You are sitting in that fueJ." "Jt destroyed aJJ my body." "Things were hard for me." "So, when J see the JtaJians, they come and rescue us," "J thank God." "[ J know that now J m safe." "Europeans have their reasons for Jimiting immigration." "We sta he e, but the es no wo k." "y r r [ r" "There are entire famiJies in which noone works." "Jf ou can t fish, y [ you have nothing to do." "Thousands of Africans die at sea, going to Europe." "[ r [ But its wo th it." "J m Jeaving again." "For Spain or JtaJy." "Jve made u m mind." "[ p y" "Jts in m bJood to go." "[ y" "J JJ go b canoe." "[ y" "J JJ go, c ing." "J JJ go, shouting." "[ ry [" "[ Now Jm Jiving in the jungJe of CaJais." "The poJice come and disturb us:" ""You have to Jeave the jungJe."" "J said: "Where J have to go?" ""Show me the pJace." "We want to go to that."" "He said: "You have to go back to your country."" ""Where is my country?" "J don t have a count, man!" "" [ ry" "" [ r Jts a kiJJing g ound, its a g ound of kiJJing the eo Je, " [ r p p" "" [ r its a g ound of fighting." ""Jt is not a country!" ""Afghanistan is not a country now!" "" [ r " Jts a kiJJing g ound, man." "37 countries came to controJ that country, but they cannot controJ these peopJe." "The UN cannot controJ these peopJe!" "How can you send me back to that country?" "J Jost my famiJy in that country." "How can J go back to that country?" "J was a refugee in Pakistan, a refugee in Jran, a refugee in Dubai." "J was a refugee in Turkey, a refugee in BuJgaria, a refugee in a European country, in Greece." "[ r r And now Jm a efugee in F ance." "But Jet me Jive, man." "J don t want an thing f om ou." "[ y r y" "J don t want eating f om ou." "[ r y" "J don t want an thing f om ou." "[ y r y" "J don t need heJ!" "[ p" "But Jet me Jive." "Dad, here J am in JtaJy." "J don t know how ou a e." "[ y r" "J don t know if ou can see me, [ y but J m in JtaJ." "[ y" "J JJ aJwa s wo about ou, [ y rry y you and the others, ajj my brothers and sisters, and aJJ my friends over there." "Jf J make it here, it JJ be mainJ fo ou." "[ y r y" "J JJ think about ou [ y tiJJ my Jast breath." "J don t have the means et, [ y so pray for me." "J greet you aJJ!" "[ r r J m a BangJadeshi wo ke in the garment industry." "[ r J m out aged when a buyer comes to meet the company owner or the marketing team to negotiate the price of his order." "And when other countries sJash prices, our buyer wiJJ Jook for the best deaJ." "He couJd just think:" ""Jf BangJadesh suppJies me" ""with good quaJity garments," ""why not pay a fair price?"" "But weve aJwa s been sco ned." "[ y r" "By everyone." "Not just one person in particuJar." "Jts the finaJ consume [ r who steaJs from me." "What can J do about it?" "What can..." "How wiJJ we be happy?" "How?" "Many things are forbidden in the factory:" "no taJking, no answering the phone." "To go to the bathroom, we have to ask the supervisor for permission, and onJy one person at a time." "As for productivity, hes ve demanding." "[ ry" "The es an hou J quota to meet, r [ r y" "[ its checked." "Jf the uota isn t met, q [ they bJame you and often insuJt you." "[ r Jts unbea abJe." "[r r r r We e unde constant p essu e." "J feeJ exhausted." "J can t take an mo e, [ y r but J have no other choice." "r r [ r An honest wo ke isn t ich." "[ J m taJking about someone who works in a company, not the heir to the famiJy business." "They just juggJe miJJions in a company." "Those foJk don t wo k." "[ r" "They sit at a desk and sign bits of paper." "They[re thieves just Jike me ." "J m su e of it." "[ r" "Jf ou e taJking about wo ke s, y [r r r the e eo Je y[r p p who get up every morning and who do reaJ work." "J don t know an ich foJk." "[ y r" "But take my mother, she got up every morning, and shes ove 40 aJ ead." "[ r r y [ r Shes not ich." "Shes wo ked he whoJe Jife." "[ r r" "Losing my job was a huge shock." "Not finding another was an even bigger shock." "You know, J worked for 27 years." "When J had to go back to Jive with my mother," "J mainJy feJt humiJiation." "A feeJing... of devastation." "J sank into a deep depression." "More and more." "J said to myseJf:" "J m 47 and m Jife is ove?" ""[ y r" ""Have J nothing eJse to offer?" ""Nothing more?"" "And these thoughts stop you going out and taJking." "You Jook at yourseJf in the mirror and say: "Who are you, moron?" ""What are you pJaying at?" ""What are you doing in this Jife?" ""Why are you breathing?" ""Why do you see the sun?" ""What makes you..." ""any use in this mess you Jive in?" ""Why, at 47," ""did you go back to Jive at ou mothe s?" "y r r[" ""Were you afraid of being on the street?"" "Y [ r es, Jm sca ed of being on the street." "And this humiJiation turns into rage." "Rage, because you want to Jet off steam, and ou don t know how." "y [" "J am poor." "J wiJJ define poverty now." "What poverty means to me." "[ Jts when J have to go to schooJ," "[ but J can t go." "[ When J have to eat, but J can t." "When J have to sJee, but J can t." "p [" "When my wife and chiJdren suffer." "[ J don t have a sufficient inteJJectuaJ JeveJ to get us out of this situation, me or my famiJy." "J reaJJy feeJ poor." "PhysicaJJy poor, mentaJJy poor." "And you rich peopJe who Jisten to me, what do you have to say about your weaJth?" "J know that Jm Jess ha with mo e mone." "[ ppy r y" "And J know that J stiJJ want more." "J Jike things and J pursue the things, but the things onJy make me happy for a short period of time." "Then, J go back and J have the chaJJenges of my famiJy" "[ and J don t know how to make a depressed person happy." "Y [ ou can t give them a thing and make them happy, because their brain is not happy." "So, J feeJ frustrated that r [ the cu es don t exist." "And J can[t just wave a magic wand and make my... son... better." "J Jived in a pJace surrounded by viJJas." "And J Jived in a hoveJ." "J knew that peopJe sometimes threw food away." "And we, especiaJJy me, we were hungry." "We just wanted some food." "For me, poverty makes me sad because of the injustice." "Because if everyone had food, at Jeast had fuJJ beJJies, at home, we couJd think." "Reasoning is inteJJigence." "So, we couJd be poor," "Jive in a hoveJ, but have the inteJJigence to be abJe to get ahead." "Thank God," "J managed to rise above aJJ that." "But how man othe s can t?" "y r [" "Many die because of it." "And that is reaJJy sad." "To me that[s sheer injustice ,." "The street is a very tough schooJ." "Poverty is a state" "[ which Jm in at the moment." "When ou e poo, y [r r day in and day out, it[s not that you enjoy it ," "but you do get used to it, quite simpJy." "Poverty is a state." "[ Jts a state which Jasts." "And for many." "Far too many." "What wouJd J Jike to ask?" "[ r What the heJJ J m doing he e." "Wh can t J be whe e ou a e y [ r y r to see what the heJJ is going on?" "Lets switch fo a minute." "[ r" "[ Lets switch!" "You come here and be me and J JJ go the e and be ou." "[ r y" "We JJ meet u [ p in the middJe Jine on the Equator and we JJ Ja goJf." "[ p y" "[ r Jt doesn t matte if J[m the president (of Uruguay) ." "[ Jve thought about aJJ this a Jot." "J spent over 10 years in a soJitary confinement ceJJ." "J had the time..." "J spent 7 years without opening a book." "Jt Jeft me time to think." "This is what J discovered." "Eithe ou e happ with ve JittJe, r y [r y ry without overburdening yourseJf, because you have happiness inside," "o ou JJ get nowhe e." "r y [ r" "J am not advocating poverty." "J m advocating sob let." "[ r y" "But we invented a consumer society... which is continuaJJy seeking growth." "r [ r [ r When the es no g owth, its t agic." "We invented a mountain of superfJuous needs." "You have to keep buying, throwing away..." "Jts ou Jives we a e s uande ing." "[ r r q r" "When J buy something, or when you buy it, we e not pa ing with mone." "[r y y" "We e pa ing [r y with the time from our Jives we had to spend to earn that money." "The difference is that ou can t bu Jife." "y [ y" "Life just goes by." "[ rr And its te ibJe to waste your Jife" "Josing your freedom." "J m not af aid of d ing." "[ r y" "My chiJdren want to make me happy so that J Jeave this Jife sereneJy." "Jf Jm ha befo e J die, [ ppy r" "J wiJJ be after, too." "J can t wo k an mo e." "[ r y r [ r J m so oJd that J no Jonge know if J shouJd sJeep" "on this side or that side." "J sJeep badJy." "So, J wait in my bed." "Sometimes, J teJJ myseJf" "Jd be bette off dead." "[ r" "At Jeast Jd be at eace." "[ p" "After death, r r [ fo me, the es nothing eJse." "[ Then, we JJ Jaugh:" "[r we e going to heaven, [r r but we e not taking the ight path." "When you go in the ground, ou don t go to heaven." "y [" "We e not taking the ight ath." "[r r p" "[ J don t think the es Jife afte death." "r [ r" "[ J don t beJieve in aJJ that." "When J think of my grandmother whom J Joved a Jot and who died a Jong time ago," "J teJJ myseJf memories soon fade." "The picture becomes bJurred." "Sometimes, the sound of the voice disappears." "What do we Jeave behind?" "What remains?" "That scares me." "Jts a totaJJ i ationaJ fea..." "[ y rr r" "which is based on something compJeteJy archaic and tribaJ." "Jt stirs up so many things inside of me." "[ Jts not something which has to do with pride or anything Jike that." "[ Jts something eJse." "[ Jts to do with the meaning of Jife." "What have we done with our Jives?" "Why am J here?" "[ J don t know." "[ Jd Jike to Jeave something behind." "Jd Jike to Jeave m ma k." "[ y r" "The meaning of Jife..." "[ J don t know if it comes from the fact that J don t feeJ im o tant." "[ p r" "We are not important." "[ J don t see..." "J don t see Jife that wa." "[ y" "You just have to Jive Jife." "We aJJ have been, we aJJ are, and we aJJ wiJJ cease to be." "J think J was born to give birth to one or two chiJdren." "To feed them from infancy" "[ so that, when J m oJd, they take care of me, in return." "My biggest fear is... is being nobody, is being nothing..." "Not knowing wh Jm he e, what the oint is, y [ r p if it has meaning." "To reaJJy not be any use whatsoever, me, just a man among men." "J have the impression that the es a unive saJ d namic r [ r y and if J m not a t of it, [ p r" "it wiJJ destroy me." "J want to be part of the history of mankind." "Me being 15 with a Jife sentence, what can be the meaning of my Jife?" "That is a hard question." "J think the meaning of my Jife couJd be happiness, making everything right." "HeJping out young and oJder peopJe." "Just heJp one another." "Stand for someone." "Just stay out of troubJe, [ r don t come to p ison." "[ That ain t no meaning in Jife." "This ain t no Jace fo nobod." "[ p r y" "[ J don t know..." "Everybody has their own purpose." "J don t know what m pu pose is." "[ y r" "J don t know about that uestion." "[ q" "Sometimes, J think of a phrase J heard as a boy, a friend who said:" ""Life is Jike carrying a message" ""from the chiJd you were" ""to the oJd man you wiJJ be." ""You have to make sure that this message isn t Jost aJong the wa." "" [ y "" "J often think of that, because when J was JittJe," "J used to imagine fine things, to dream of a worJd without beggars in which everyone was happy." "SimpJe, subtJe things." "But you Jose those things over the course of Jife." "You just work to be abJe to buy things." "And you stop seeing the beggar, you stop caring." "r [ Whe es the message of the chiJd J once was?" "Maybe the meaning of Jife is making sure that this message doesn t disa ea." "[ pp r" "Jve aJ ead asked m seJf..." "[ r y y" "Jve aJ ead asked m seJf [ r y y why J was on Earth." "[ r J m he e... to do what God has pJanned for me." "Because on Earth, everyone has a mission." "J have one, too, but J don t know it et." "[ y" "This movie is dedicated to the thousands of peopJe who answered our questions with honesty, courage and kindness." "A huge thank you." "A speciaJ thank you aJso to the Bettencourt SchueJJer Foundation and to its team who made this project possibJe." "Mom and Dad, you must Jisten to me:" "if you can, stop the drugs." "Jve toJd ou so man times [ y y and J teJJ you again." "Sto the d ugs." "The e bad fo ou." "p r y[r r y" "The e dest o ing ou h sicaJJ." "y[r r y y p y y" "Jf you remember that Jm ou daughte, stop." "[ y r r" "Do it for me." "J have a younger brother..." "J have a JittJe brother who died." "He Jeft behind a 4-year-oJd girJ." "UnfortunateJy, the mother of the girJ is dead, too." "[ r r So, Jd Jike to teJJ that b othe that he shouJdn t wo." "[ rry r r[ J knew this b othe s Jove for his daughter." "He shouJd know that she is in good hands, that J take very good care of her." "J m a Jad of the night [ y and J have a message for my parents." "Don t wo an mo e." "[ rry y r" "[ Jts OK now." "J can fuJfiJJ my mission." "J can Jook after my brothers and sisters." "The e at home and wiJJ stud." "y[r y" "The JJ com Jete thei studies, y[ p r" "J promise." "[ J don t want them to have a hard Jife." "They must study for years." "Jt wiJJ make me happy, because J wasn t so Juck." "[ y" "The JJ com Jete thei studies." "y[ p r" "J want them to study as Jong as possibJe." "[ J don t have the inteJJigence to do anything eJse, but J want my brothers and sisters to finish their studies." "There are two things" "Jd Jike to teJJ ou." "[ y" "Don t fo get who ou a e [ r y r and aJways smiJe." "SmiJing is the onJy Janguage everyone understands." "Y [ r ou ve b ought up a Jot of things for me today." "ou ve made me feeJ im o tant." "Y [ p r ou ve made me feeJ Y [ that J have something to offer, that J had a pJace to go." "You made me feeJ" "Jike my stories were weJcome." "And you made me feeJ happy." "J think peopJe need to feeJ that they have done something whiJe the ve Jived." "y[" "They need to feeJ that the ve cont ibuted." "y[ r" "And today, you made me feeJ Jike J contributed." "And Jm ve g atefuJ to ou [ ry r y for that." "Thank you." "My message is that you are weJcome to my home." "Come to my home." "J invite you aJJ!" "Every tribe:" "Ovatua, Ovahimba," "Ovambo, Ovangandjiera." "Y [r ou e aJJ weJcome." "Today, in this worJd, we hear about peopJe who make fiJms." "We hear this kind of story, but now... that UJJa and EmmanueJ are here, that the e making a fiJm, y[r everyone wiJJ see where we Jive, in my viJJage." "J am so happy." "Seeing more fiJm-peopJe coming here wouJd make me very happy." "The worJd wiJJ get to know us." "J don t know if the JJ see me, [ y[ but J am very happy to taJk now and to those who wiJJ come." "TeJJ them." "r [ The es nothing to add." "We taJked about peace." "We taJked about everything." "[ [ r Weve finished, its ove."