阿卜迪勒·阿里船长：从瓦吉尔的贫瘠平原到肯尼亚的海上命运

阿卜迪勒·阿里船长的一生是一个面对困难和不确定性时坚韧不拔的故事。这是一段1965年在瓦吉尔县贫瘠平原开始的旅程

Captain Abdille Ali's life is a tale of resilience in the face of hardships and uncertainty.

阿卜迪勒·阿里船长的一生是一个面对困难和不确定性时坚韧不拔的故事。

It is a journey that began in 1965 in the barren plains of Wajir County, amidst the arid expanse of Tarbaj village.

这段旅程始于 1965 年，地点是瓦吉尔县贫瘠的平原、塔尔巴吉村 (Tarbaj) 的干旱地区。

Born into modest beginnings, Ali now commands Kenya’s maritime destiny. At his tender age, early mornings when the sun rose like a molten coin, Ali would follow the camels to graze.

阿里出身卑微，如今掌控着肯尼亚的海洋命运。在他很小的时候，清晨，当太阳像融化的硬币一样升起时，阿里就会跟着骆驼去吃草。

The crunch of dry earth beneath his bare feet and wind carrying the scent of thorn bushes sang of distant lands he hadn’t yet imagined.

他赤脚踩在干燥的土地上，发出嘎吱嘎吱的声音，风带着荆棘丛的气味，歌唱着他还没有想象到的遥远国度。

His father, Ali Abdi Abdille, was withdrawn in every way, and Ali didn't know that the mzee was his greatest source of inspiration for navigating the deep oceans of this world.

他的父亲阿里·阿卜迪·阿卜迪勒 (Ali Abdi Abdille) 性格孤僻，阿里并不知道 mzee 是他在这个世界的深海航行的最大灵感来源。

The death of his mother, Habiba Abdille, shortly after his birth, hung over him like the desert’s relentless sun, but it didn’t break him - it hardened him, like the land itself.

他的母亲哈比巴·阿卜迪勒在他出生后不久就去世了，就像沙漠无情的太阳一样笼罩着他，但这并没有击垮他，而是让他变得坚强，就像这片土地本身一样。

"My father always told me; situations are not permanent. No matter how tough life gets, God can do wonders to turn things around. This wisdom has guided me through every challenge that I have faced in life," Ali said.

“我的父亲总是告诉我，情况不是永久的。无论生活变得多么艰难，上帝都能创造奇迹来扭转局面。这种智慧引导我度过了生活中面临的每一个挑战，”阿里说。

School was a distant mirage; a luxury few could afford in Wajir those day. Yet, when Ali finally sat on the rough wooden benches of Tarbaj Primary School, it was clear he wasn’t just another boy from the village.

学校是遥远的海市蜃楼；那时，在瓦吉尔，很少有人能买得起这种奢侈品。然而，当阿里最终坐在塔尔巴吉小学粗糙的木凳上时，很明显他不仅仅是村里的另一个男孩。

He absorbed knowledge as the desert absorbs rain, soaking in every lesson despite the hunger gnawing at his belly. The poverty was spread everywhere. It wasn’t until a feeding program was introduced in class six that things began to stabilise.

他吸收知识就像沙漠吸收雨水一样，尽管饥饿折磨着他的肚子，但他还是沉浸在每一堂课中。贫困遍及各地。直到六年级引入喂养计划后，情况才开始稳定下来。

"Going to school was never certain. Hunger was a constant companion. Our sister’s hands bore the marks of menial jobs, not for coins but for crumbs to keep us alive. Growing up, poverty was a constant shadow. I remember seeing a District Officer vehicle doing medical supplies only once every six months. That scarcity fuelled my determination to rise above it," he narrated.

“上学从来都不是一件确定的事情。饥饿始终伴随着我们。我们姐姐的手上有做卑微工作的痕迹，不是为了硬币，而是为了维持我们生存的面包屑。在成长过程中，贫困一直是一个阴影。我记得见过一位地区官员车辆每六个月才提供一次医疗用品，这种短缺激发了我克服困难的决心，”他叙述道。

Opportunity called when he earned a place at Starehe Boys Centre in 1980 but fear of the unknown from his family clipped his wings. He was forced to attend Wajir High School the year that followed.

1980 年，当他在 Starehe 男孩中心获得一席之地时，机会来了，但对家人未知的恐惧却让他折断了翅膀。第二年，他被迫进入瓦吉尔高中。

He excelled, his brilliance undeniable, catching the attention of a compassionate headmaster who secured a sponsorship for him from the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation.

他表现出色，才华横溢，引起了一位富有同情心的校长的注意，校长为他获得了乔莫·肯雅塔基金会的赞助。

That sponsorship was more than money—it was a lifeboat in a sea of poverty.

这笔赞助不仅仅是金钱——它是贫困海洋中的救生艇。

"Growing up in a rural setting with scarce role models and limited access to literature, I found a guiding light in my headteacher's mentorship. This mentorship not only filled the void but also instilled in me a resilience and belief in the transformative power of knowledge and perseverance, shaping my outlook and aspirations in profound ways,” Ali said.

“我在农村长大，榜样稀缺，接触文学的机会也有限，我在校长的指导下找到了指路明灯。这种指导不仅填补了空白，而且向我灌输了一种韧性，并相信知识和知识的变革力量。坚持不懈，深刻地塑造了我的观点和愿望，”阿里说。

After high school, fate beckoned him skyward, promising a future as an aircraft pilot. But as fate often does, it played a cruel hand—another boy took his place. Ali didn’t lament long.

高中毕业后，命运向他招手，让他成为一名飞行员。但正如命运经常做的那样，它残酷地发挥了作用——另一个男孩取代了他的位置。阿里并没有哀叹太久。

He turned his gaze to the sea, where the Navy offered not just a job but a purpose.

他把目光转向了大海，海军提供的不仅仅是一份工作，更是一个目标。

I didn’t mourn the lost chance. What mattered was earning a living, feeding my family, and lifting them from the clutches of hunger.

我并没有为失去的机会而哀悼。重要的是谋生，养活家人，让他们摆脱饥饿。

The navy was a place where merit mattered. Everything was standardised, and career progression was based purely on what you could do, not who you knew,” Ali remembers.

海军是一个注重功绩的地方。一切都是标准化的，职业发展完全取决于你能做什么，而不是你认识谁，”阿里回忆道。

The sea welcomed him. He joined the Kenya Navy in 1988, training rigorously at the Army Force Training Institute and later at Britannia Royal Navy College in the UK. Life at sea wasn’t forgiving—storms tested his mettle, and the vastness of the ocean mirrored the emptiness he once felt in the desert.

大海欢迎他。他于 1988 年加入肯尼亚海军，先后在陆军训练学院和英国皇家海军学院接受严格训练。海上的生活并不宽容——暴风雨考验着他的勇气，浩瀚的海洋映照着他曾经在沙漠中感受到的空虚。

But just as he had learned to read the shifting sands, he learned to navigate the restless waves.

但正如他学会了解读流沙一样，他也学会了驾驭汹涌的波浪。

By 1993, he had earned the rank of captain. In 1994, his path took him to Rwanda and Liberia, where peacekeeping missions exposed him to humanity’s darkest chapters.

1993年，他获得了上尉军衔。 1994 年，他前往卢旺达和利比里亚，在那里执行维和任务，让他亲眼目睹了人类最黑暗的篇章。

The memories of streets strewn with bodies weighed heavily on him, butthey also forged his resilience. He returned to Kenya, stronger yet more reflective, and continued rising through the naval ranks.

街道上布满尸体的记忆给他带来了沉重的负担，但也锻炼了他的韧性。他回到肯尼亚，变得更坚强，也更善于思考，并在海军队伍中不断晋升。

In 2001, when the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) faced a crisis—a shortage of marine pilots—Ali once again answered the call. Transitioning from the military to the commercial maritime world, he embraced the challenge, completing advanced navigation training in Egypt.

2001年，当肯尼亚港务局（KPA）面临航海引航员短缺危机时，阿里再次响应号召。从军事领域转向商业航海界，他接受了挑战，在埃及完成了高级航海训练。

The boy who once followed camels under a scorching sun was now guiding colossal ships through bustling ports.

曾经在烈日下追赶骆驼的男孩如今正在引导巨轮驶过繁忙的港口。

He joined as a senior Marine Pilot, rising to the rank of chief pilot and manager Pilotage.

他加入时是一名高级海军飞行员，后来晋升为首席飞行员和领航经理。

By 2022,

到 2022 年，