It is often said that the stories of history are written by its victors,
常有人说，历史故事是由胜利者书写的，
but if this is true, what becomes of the downtrodden,
但如果真是如此，那些受压迫的人成了什么？
and how can they ever hope to aspire for something greater if they are never told the stories of their own glorious pasts?
若从没有人告诉他们关于他们自己光荣过往的故事，他们又要如何期望能向往更伟大的事物？
Ostensibly, I stand before you as a mere maker of clothing,
表面上，我站在大家面前的身份只是个服饰制作者，
but within the folds of ancient fabrics and modern textiles, I have found a higher calling.
但在古老织物和现代纺织的褶皱中，我找到了更崇高的呼唤。
Through my work as a designer,
透过设计师的工作，
I've discovered the importance of providing representation for the marginalized members of our society,
我发现很重要的一点是要能够代表我们社会中被边缘化的成员，
and the importance of telling the most vulnerable among us that they no longer have to compromise themselves
并且要告诉我们当中最脆弱的人，他们不再需要妥协让步，
just so they can fit in with an uncompromising majority.
只为了要融入不愿妥协让步的多数。
It turns out that fashion, a discipline many of us consider to be trivial,
知道吗，时尚，许多人认为不重要的学科，
can actually be a powerful tool for dismantling bias and bolstering the self-images of underrepresented populations.
实际上是种强大的工具，可以去除偏见，并改善那些边缘人群的自我形象。
My interest in using design as a vehicle for social change happens to be a personal one.
我对把设计当作社会改变的工具很感兴趣，这跟我本身的经历有关。
As a Nigerian American, I know how easily the term "African"
身为尼日利亚裔美国人，我知道非洲这个词很容易
can slip from being an ordinary geographic descriptor to becoming a pejorative.
就会从一般的地理描述词，不知不觉中变成一个贬义词语。
For those of us from this beautiful continent,
对我们来自这一美丽大陆的人而言，
to be African is to be inspired by culture and to be filled with undying hope for the future.
身为非洲人的意义就是被文化所鼓舞，对未来充满永恒的希望。
So in an attempt to shift the misguided perceptions that many have about the place of my birth,
所以，为了试图改变很多人对我的出生地的不正确的看法，
I use design as a means to tell stories, stories about joy, stories about triumph,
我透过设计来讲故事，关于喜悦的故事，关于胜利的故事，
stories about perseverance all throughout the African diaspora.
关于非裔历史上的所有坚持不懈的故事。
I tell these stories as a concerted effort to correct the historical record, because, no matter where any of us is from,
我说这些故事，是为了努力改正历史记录，因为不论我们来自何方，
each of us has been touched by the complicated histories that brought our families to a foreign land.
我们每个人都曾经被那些有关我们家族的复杂的迁移历史所打动。
These histories shape the way we view the world, and they mold the biases we carry around with us.
这些历史形塑了我们看世界的方式，它们也造就了我们带在身上的偏见。
To combat these biases, my work draws aesthetics from different parts of the globe
为了对抗这些偏见，我的作品汲取全球各地的美学，
and crafts a narrative about the importance of fighting for inclusivity.
向人们传递为包容性而战的重要性。
By refashioning images from classic European art and marrying them with African aesthetics,
我把经典欧洲艺术重制成新的画面，将它们和非洲美学结合，
I am able to recast people of color in roles of prominence,
我能够把有色人群放到显赫的角色中，
providing them with a degree of dignity they didn't have in earlier times.
给予他们一定程度的尊严，这是在早期他们所没有的。
This approach subverts the historically accepted narrative of African inferiority,
这种方法推翻了历史上常见的非洲弱势故事，
and it serves as inspiration for people of color who have grown wary of seeing themselves depicted without sophistication and without grace.
它可以鼓舞有色人群，一直以来那些对他们的不成熟、不优雅的形象描绘让他们越来越担心。

Each of these culture-bending tapestries becomes a tailored garment or a silk scarf,
每一幅篡改文化的绣帷，都变成订做的服饰或是丝巾，
like the one I am very coincidentally wearing right now.
就像我现在碰巧围着的这条丝巾一样。
And even when surrounded in a structure of European classicism,
即使是被欧洲古典主义的结构所包围，
these narratives boldly extoll the merits of African empowerment.
这些故事仍然大胆地赞颂非洲赋权的功绩。
In this way, the tools of the masters become masterworks to celebrate those who were once subservient.
以这种方式，大师的工具成了杰作，来赞扬那些曾经卑屈的人。
This metaphor extends beyond the realm of art and out into the real world.
这种隐喻延伸到了艺术领域之外，进入到了真实的世界。
Whether worn by refugees or world-changing entrepreneurs,
不论是被难民还是被能改变世界的企业家所穿着，
when people are allowed the freedom to present themselves in a manner that celebrates their own unique identities,
当人们能够自由呈现自己独一无二的身份时，
a magical thing happens. We stand taller.
魔法般的事情方式了。我们站得更高了。
We're more proud and self-aware because we're presenting our true, authentic selves.
我们更自豪也更自觉了，因为我们呈现的是真正、真实的自我。
And those of us who are around them in turn become more educated,
而在他们身边的那些人，也会变得更知识化、
more open and more tolerant of their different points of view.
更开放，对于不同于他们的观点也更能宽容。
In this way, the clothes that we wear can be a great illustration of diplomatic soft power.
以这种方式，我们穿着的服饰能成为外交软实力的极佳说明。
The clothes that we wear can serve as bridges between our seemingly disparate cultures.
我们穿着的服饰能够扮演桥梁，连结我们似乎迥然不同的文化。
And so, yeah, ostensibly I stand before you as a mere maker of clothing.
所以，是的，表面上我站在你们面前的身份只是个服饰制作者。
But my work has always been about more than fashion.
但我的作品向来都不只是时尚。
It has become my purpose to rewrite the cultural narratives
我的目标就是要重写文化故事，
so that people of color can be seen in a new and nuanced light,
让人们能从新的、微妙的角度来看待有色人群，
and so that we, the proud children of sub-Saharan Africa, can traverse the globe while carrying ourselves with pride.
这么一来，我们，撒哈拉以南非洲的骄傲子孙，便能带着骄傲横越全球。
It was indeed true that the stories of history were told by its old victors, but I am of a new generation.
的确，历史的故事是由其古老的胜利者所诉说的，但我代表新的一代人。
My work speaks for those who will no longer let their futures be dictated by a troubled past.
我的作品为那些决定不再让不幸的过去主宰他们的未来的人发声。
Today, we stand ready to tell our own stories without compromise, without apologies.
如今，我们已经准备好诉说我们自己的故事，没有妥协让步，没有道歉。
But the question still remains: are you prepared for what you are about to hear?
现在的问题是：你们准备好要听了吗？
I hope you are, because we are coming regardless.
我希望你们准备好了，因为不论如何我们都要来了。