Picture a Maasai village,

我的名字是喬瑟夫，我是肯亞的國會議員。

and one evening,

你們試著想像一下，在肯亞的馬塞村，

government soldiers come, surround the village

有天晚上，政府的軍隊來了，包圍整個村莊，

and ask each elder to bring one boy to school.

然後要每一個長者帶一個小男孩去上學，

That's how I went to school --

那就是我去上學的原因--

pretty much a government guy pointing a gun

就像有個在政府上班的傢伙，拿著一把槍，

and told my father, "You have to make a choice."

對我父親說：「你得做出決定。」

I walked very comfortably to this missionary school,

就這樣，我很愉快地去上傳教士開的學校，

that was run by an American missionary.

那是由美國的傳教士所開設的學校，

The first thing the American missionary gave me was a candy.

而美國傳教士給我的第一樣東西就是一顆糖果。

I had never in my life ever tasted candy.

在那之前，我從未吃過糖果。

So I said to myself, with all these hundred other boys,

所以我對我自己說，儘管這裡有其他一百多個男孩子，

this is where I belong.

這就是我要待的地方，待下來--

(Laughter) I stayed.

(笑聲)

When everybody else was dropping out.

--直到別人都退出為止。

My family moved; we're nomads.

我父母不停地搬家，因為我們是遊牧民族，

It was a boarding school, I was seven --

而每當學期結束--那是一所寄宿學校，我那時七歲--

Every time it closed you had to travel to find them.

我就得一直找，直到找到我的家人為止。

40-50 miles, it doesn't matter.

50哩路、40哩路，我不管，

You slept in the bush, but you kept going.

就算睡在樹叢裡，還是得繼續走。

And I stayed. I don't know why, but I did.

我不知道我為什麼要待在那所學校，但我還是待下來了。

All of a sudden I passed the national examination,

一轉眼間，我通過了國家考試，

found myself in a very beautiful high school in Kenya.

我置身於肯亞一所非常美麗的高中，

And I finished high school.

接著我完成了高中學業，然後有一個人

And just walking, I found a man

提供給我全額的獎學金，讓我去美國唸書。

who gave me a full scholarship to the United States.

我母親現在還住在一個用牛糞糊的小棚屋裡，

My mother still lived in a cow-dung hut,

我的兄弟沒有人上過學校，

none of my brothers were going to school,

但這個人告訴我：「去吧。」

and this man told me, "Here, go."

所以我拿了獎學金到紐約州北部的聖羅倫斯大學，

I got a scholarship

完成學業之後，我又去哈佛唸了研究所；

to St. Lawrence University, Upstate New York;

研究所畢業之後，我到華盛頓特區工作了一陣子。

finished that.

我為國家地理雜誌撰寫了一本書，並教授歷史，美國歷史。

And after that I went to Harvard Graduate School;

每當我回到家鄉來，

finished that.

聆聽家鄉人民訴苦，

Then I worked in DC a little bit:

有的人生病，有的人缺水，這一類的問題不斷。

I wrote a book for National Geographic and taught U.S. history.

每當我再回到美國時，我仍忍不住想起家鄉的人。

And every time, I kept going back home,

然後有一天，一個老者告訴了我一個故事，故事是這樣的：

listening to their problems --

很久以前，在二個部落裡發生了戰爭，

sick people, people with no water, all this stuff --

其中一個部落很怕另一個路西亞部落，

every time I go back to America,

所以每一次他們都派偵察員去看對方是否來襲。

I kept thinking about them.

有一天，偵察員跑回來告訴村民：

Then one day, an elder gave me a story that went like this:

「敵人來了，只有半個小時的距離--他們就要來了！」

long time ago, there was a big war between tribes.

大家亂成一團，趕忙收拾東西，準備逃走。

This specific tribe was really afraid of this other Luhya tribe.

但有二個人，

Every time, they sent scouts to make sure no one attacked them.

一個是瞎子，一個天生就沒了兩條腿，

So one day, the scouts came running and told the villagers,

族長對他們說：「對不起，我們不能帶你們走，你們會拖累我們，

"The enemies are coming. Only half an hour away, they'll be here."

我們得疏散女人和小孩，我們要走了。」

So people scrambled, took their things and ready to go, move out.

所以他們就被留下來等死。

But there were two men:

但這二個人想出了一個辦法。

one man was blind, one man had no legs

瞎子說：「你看，雖然我看不到，但我很強壯。」

-- he was born like that.

沒腿的人說：「我的視力好到可以看到世界的盡頭，

The leader of the chiefs said, "No, sorry. We can't take you. You'll slow us down.

但我卻沒辦法從一隻貓身邊逃開，更別說其他動物了。」

We have to flee our women and children, we have to run."

這時瞎子蹲下身來，像這樣，

And they were left behind, waiting to die.

要沒腿的人爬到他的背上，然後站起身來。

But these two people worked something out.

在上面的人看得很清楚，瞎子則可以走路，

The blind man said, "Look, I'm a very strong man but I can't see."

所以這二個人循著其他村民的腳印出發了，

The man with no legs says, "I can see as far as the end of the world,

他們追上了其他村民，還超越了他們。

but I can't save myself from a cat, or whatever animals."

這是我在老人之家聽來的故事，

The blind man went down on his knees like this,

那個地區很貧窮，我代表的是北肯亞--

and told the man with no legs to go over his back, and stood up.

大部分是遊牧民放，在最遙遠的地方。

The man on top can see, the blind man can walk.

那個人告訴我：「你現在在這裡，

These guys took off, followed the footsteps of the villagers

你受過美國良好的教育，

until they found and passed them.

你在美國有好的生活，你究竟要為我們做什麼？

So, this was told to me in a setup of elders.

我們希望你能當我們的眼睛，我們會當你的腳，

And it's a really poor area.

我們會幫你跑腿，你只要帶領我們就行了。」

I represent Northern Kenya:

機會來了，那是我一直在思考的事情，

the most nomadic, remote areas you can even find.

我可以為家鄉的人做些什麼？

And that man told me, "So, here you are.

每次我到這個已經獨立43年的地區來時，

You've got a good education from America, you have a good life in America;

都發現我們還是沒有基本的醫療設施。

what are you going to do for us?

我們必須用獨輪車把病人運送到

We want you to be our eyes, we'll give you the legs.

20或30公里以外的醫院去，我們也沒有乾淨的飲用水。

We'll walk you, you lead us."

所以我說：「我要奉獻我自己，

The opportunity came. I was always thinking about that:

我會離開美國，我要參加競選。」

"What can I do to help my people?

所以去年七月--我在六月離開美國，七月投入選舉並獲選為國會議員。

Every time you go to an area where for 43 years of independence,

我是為家鄉的人民回來的，那是我的目標。

we still don't have basic health facilities.

現在，我已經籌劃了九個月了，

A man has to be transported in a wheelbarrow 30 km for a hospital.

我希望在未來五年內，每一個牧人都可以享有乾淨的飲用水。

No clean drinking water.

我們在選區裡設置了幾個診療所，

So I said, "I'm going to dedicate myself.

我還請在美國的朋友幫忙，

I'm leaving America.

希望他們能帶護士或醫生來幫我們。

I'm going to run for office."

我正在著手改善基礎建設，

Last June, I moved from America,

我運用了我在美國所學得的知識，

ran in July election and won.

以及我從社區裡學來的知識，推動這些基礎建設。

And I came for them,

我希望能以肯亞自己的方式來解決自己的問題，

and that's my goal.

因為我們知道，外界的人或許可以幫助我們，

Right now I have in place, for the last nine months,

但若我們自己都不幫自己，那我們就做不成任何事。

a plan that in five years,

我現在的計畫是，我會繼續讓學生在各種學科裡學習，

every nomad will have clean drinking water.

讓他們變成醫生，變成律師，

We're building dispensaries across that constituency.

我希望我們的學生能學會多種技能，

I'm asking my friends from America to help

最後回來家鄉幫助這個社區成長。

with bringing nurses or doctors to help us out.

雖然我們正經歷巨大的經濟衰退，

I'm trying to improve infrastructure.

只要我還擔任國會議員一天，

I'm using the knowledge I received from the United States

只要我還繼續聆聽你們的聲音一天，不管你們談的是植物、

and from my community

健康、民主或新的發明，

to move them forward.

我希望總有一天，我們這個小小的社區--

I'm trying to develop homegrown solutions to our issues

縱然只有二萬六千平方公里，

because people from outside can come and help us,

或許只有羅德島的五倍大，也沒有道路--

but if we don't help ourselves, there's nothing to do.

能夠成為其他社區發展的楷模。

My plan right now

謝謝你們。

as I continue with introducing students to different fields --

some become doctors, some lawyers --

we want to produce a comprehensive group of people,

students who can come back and help us see a community grow

that is in the middle of a huge economic recession.

As I continue to be a Member of Parliament

and as I continue listening to all of you talking about botany,

health, democracy, new inventions,

I'm hoping that one day in my own little community --

which is 26,000 square km,

maybe five times Rhode Island --

with no roads,

we'll be able to become a model to help others develop.

Thank you very much.

(Applause)