TED2014
Aziz Abu Sarah: For more tolerance, we need more ... tourism?
Aziz Abu Sarah: Vir meer verdraagsaamheid, benodig ons meer ... toerisme?
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Aziz Abu Sarah is ’n Palestynse aktivis met ’n ongewone benadering tot die bewaring van vrede: Wees ’n toeris. Dié TED Fellow wys hoe eenvoudige interaksies tussen mense van verskillende kulture dekades se haat kan laat verweer. Hy begin met Palestyne wat Israeli's besoek en gaan dan verder ...
Aziz Abu Sarah - Entrepreneur + educator
Aziz Abu Sarah helps people break down cultural and historical barriers through tourism. Full bio
Aziz Abu Sarah helps people break down cultural and historical barriers through tourism. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
Ek's ’n toerisme-entrepreneur
en 'n vredebouer,
en 'n vredebouer,
00:12
I'm a tourism entrepreneur
and a peacebuilder,
and a peacebuilder,
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00:15
but this is not how I started.
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maar dis nie hoe ek begin het nie.
Ek onthou hoe,
toe ek sewe was, ek TV gekyk het,
toe ek sewe was, ek TV gekyk het,
00:18
When I was seven years old,
I remember watching television
I remember watching television
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00:21
and seeing people throwing rocks,
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gesien het hoe mense klippe gooi
en gedink het:
en gedink het:
00:24
and thinking, this must be
a fun thing to do.
a fun thing to do.
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"Dís mos pret."
00:27
So I got out to the street
and threw rocks,
and threw rocks,
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Ek gaan toe uit straat toe
en gooi klippe,
en gooi klippe,
sonder om te besef dat ek eintlik
Israeliese karre moes bestook.
Israeliese karre moes bestook.
00:30
not realizing I was supposed
to throw rocks at Israeli cars.
to throw rocks at Israeli cars.
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00:34
Instead, I ended up stoning
my neighbors' cars. (Laughter)
my neighbors' cars. (Laughter)
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Ek stenig toe ons bure se karre. (Gelag)
00:38
They were not enthusiastic
about my patriotism.
about my patriotism.
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Hulle was nie opgewonde
oor my patriotisme nie.
oor my patriotisme nie.
00:42
This is my picture with my brother.
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Dis ’n foto saam met my broer.
00:44
This is me, the little one,
and I know what you're thinking:
and I know what you're thinking:
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Ek is die kleintjie
en ek weet wat julle dink:
en ek weet wat julle dink:
00:47
"You used to look cute,
what the heck happened to you?"
what the heck happened to you?"
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"Jy was so oulik,
wat op aarde het skeefgeloop?"
wat op aarde het skeefgeloop?"
00:50
But my brother, who is older than me,
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Maar my ouer broer
00:52
was arrested when he was 18,
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is op 18 gearresteer
00:55
taken to prison on charges
of throwing stones.
of throwing stones.
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en op aanklag van klipgooi opgesluit.
00:57
He was beaten up when he refused
to confess that he threw stones,
to confess that he threw stones,
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Hy is aangerand toe hy weier om te bieg
dat hy klippe gegooi het
dat hy klippe gegooi het
01:01
and as a result, had internal injuries
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en het gevolglik
interne beserings opgedoen
interne beserings opgedoen
01:04
that caused his death soon after
he was released from prison.
he was released from prison.
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wat sy dood veroorsaak het,
kort na sy vrylating.
kort na sy vrylating.
Ek was kwaad, verbitter;
01:08
I was angry, I was bitter,
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01:12
and all I wanted was revenge.
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ek wou wraak neem.
01:16
But that changed when I was 18.
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Maar dit het verander toe ek 18 was.
01:18
I decided that I needed
Hebrew to get a job,
Hebrew to get a job,
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Ek't besluit dat ek Hebreeus nodig het
om ’n werk te vind,
om ’n werk te vind,
01:22
and going to study Hebrew
in that classroom
in that classroom
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en in my Hebreeuse klas
was dit die eerste keer
was dit die eerste keer
01:24
was the first time I ever met Jews
who were not soldiers.
who were not soldiers.
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wat ek Jode ontmoet het
wat nie soldate was nie.
wat nie soldate was nie.
01:30
And we connected over really small things,
like the fact that I love country music,
like the fact that I love country music,
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Ons kon oor klein dinge
aansluiting by mekaar vind,
aansluiting by mekaar vind,
soos my voorliefde vir countrymusiek,
nogal raar vir Palestyne.
nogal raar vir Palestyne.
01:34
which is really strange
for Palestinians.
for Palestinians.
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01:38
But it was then that I realized also
that we have a wall of anger,
that we have a wall of anger,
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Maar ek het toe ook besef
dat ’n muur van kwaad,
dat ’n muur van kwaad,
01:43
of hatred and of ignorance
that separates us.
that separates us.
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van haat en onkunde, ons skei.
01:48
I decided that it doesn't matter
what happens to me.
what happens to me.
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Ek't besluit dat dit nie saak maak
wát met my gebeur nie;
wát met my gebeur nie;
01:53
What really matters is how I deal with it.
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dis hóé ek dit hanteer.
01:56
And therefore, I decided
to dedicate my life
to dedicate my life
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Dus het ek besluit
om my lewe daaraan te wy
om my lewe daaraan te wy
01:59
to bringing down the walls
that separate people.
that separate people.
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om mure wat mense skei, af te breek.
02:03
I do so through many ways.
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Ek doen dit op baie maniere:
02:05
Tourism is one of them,
but also media and education,
but also media and education,
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toerisme, maar ook media en opvoeding.
02:08
and you might be wondering,
really, can tourism change things?
really, can tourism change things?
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Julle wonder dalk:
kan toerisme rêrig dinge verander?
kan toerisme rêrig dinge verander?
02:12
Can it bring down walls? Yes.
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Kan dit mure laat val? Ja.
02:14
Tourism is the best sustainable way
to bring down those walls
to bring down those walls
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Dis die beste volhoubare manier
om daai mure af te breek,
om daai mure af te breek,
02:19
and to create a sustainable way
of connecting with each other
of connecting with each other
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om ’n volhoubare soort omgang
met mekaar te ontwikkel
met mekaar te ontwikkel
02:23
and creating friendships.
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en om vriendskappe te skep.
In 2009 was ek ’n medestigter
van Mejdi Tours,
van Mejdi Tours,
02:26
In 2009, I cofounded Mejdi Tours,
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02:29
a social enterprise that
aims to connect people,
aims to connect people,
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’n sosiale onderneming
wat mense wil verbind,
wat mense wil verbind,
02:33
with two Jewish friends, by the way,
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saam met twee Joodse vriende, terloops.
02:35
and what we'll do, the model we did,
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Ons model,
02:38
for example, in Jerusalem,
we would have two tour guides,
we would have two tour guides,
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byvoorbeeld in Jerusalem,
is om twee toergidse te hê,
is om twee toergidse te hê,
02:41
one Israeli and one Palestinian,
guiding the trips together,
guiding the trips together,
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een Israeli en een Palestyn,
wat die toere saam lei
wat die toere saam lei
02:44
telling history and narrative
and archaeology and conflict
and archaeology and conflict
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en geskiedenis, verhale,
argeologie en konflik
argeologie en konflik
02:48
from totally different perspectives.
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uit verskillende perspektiewe vertel.
02:51
I remember running a trip together
with a friend named Kobi --
with a friend named Kobi --
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Ek't ’n toer saam met
my vriend Kobi gelei --
my vriend Kobi gelei --
02:54
Jewish congregation from Chicago,
the trip was in Jerusalem --
the trip was in Jerusalem --
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vir ’n Joodse gemeente
uit Chicago, in Jerusalem --
uit Chicago, in Jerusalem --
02:57
and we took them to a refugee camp,
a Palestinian refugee camp,
a Palestinian refugee camp,
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en ons vat hulle toe na
’n Palestynse vlugtelingkamp toe
’n Palestynse vlugtelingkamp toe
03:00
and there we had this amazing food.
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en eet daar hierdie uitsonderlike kos.
03:02
By the way, this is my mother. She's cool.
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Dis my ma, terloops. Sy's cool.
03:05
And that's the Palestinian
food called maqluba.
food called maqluba.
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En dié Palestynse dis is "maqluba."
Dit beteken "onderstebo."
03:08
It means "upside-down."
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03:09
You cook it with rice and chicken,
and you flip it upside-down.
and you flip it upside-down.
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Mens kook dit met rys en hoender
en draai dit onderstebo.
en draai dit onderstebo.
03:12
It's the best meal ever.
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Dis die beste maaltyd ooit.
03:14
And we'll eat together.
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Ons eet toe saam.
03:15
Then we had a joint band,
Israeli and Palestinian musicians,
Israeli and Palestinian musicians,
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Met ’n gesamentlike orkes,
Israeli en Palestynse musikante,
Israeli en Palestynse musikante,
03:18
and we did some belly-dancing.
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was daar bietjie buikdansery.
03:20
If you don't know any,
I'll teach you later.
I'll teach you later.
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Ek wys julle later meer, nè?
03:23
But when we left, both sides,
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Toe ons moes gaan
was beide kante aan't huil,
want hulle wou nie gaan nie.
want hulle wou nie gaan nie.
03:26
they were crying because
they did not want to leave.
they did not want to leave.
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03:29
Three years later, those
relationships still exist.
relationships still exist.
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Drie jaar later bly die
verhoudings voortbestaan.
verhoudings voortbestaan.
03:33
Imagine with me
if the one billion people
if the one billion people
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Stel julle voor, die een miljard mense
03:35
who travel internationally
every year travel like this,
every year travel like this,
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wat jaarliks internasionaal reis, reis só,
nié aangery in ’n bus,
van een kant na die ander,
van een kant na die ander,
03:39
not being taken in the bus
from one side to another,
from one side to another,
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03:42
from one hotel to another,
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van een hotel na die volgende,
03:45
taking pictures from the windows
of their buses of people and cultures,
of their buses of people and cultures,
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terwyl hulle deur busvensters foto's neem
van mense en kulture nie;
van mense en kulture nie;
03:48
but actually connecting with people.
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nee, hulle het
daadwerklike kontak met mense.
daadwerklike kontak met mense.
03:52
You know, I remember having
a Muslim group from the U.K.
a Muslim group from the U.K.
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Ek het ’n Moslemgroep uit die VK gehad
03:56
going to the house
of an Orthodox Jewish family,
of an Orthodox Jewish family,
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wat ’n Ortodokse Joodse familie
se huis besoek het
se huis besoek het
03:58
and having their first Friday night
dinners, that Sabbath dinner,
dinners, that Sabbath dinner,
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en by die Vrydag se Sabatsaandete
04:03
and eating together hamin,
which is a Jewish food, a stew,
which is a Jewish food, a stew,
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eet hulle toe saam hamin,
’n Joodse bredie,
’n Joodse bredie,
04:06
just having the connection
of realizing, after a while,
of realizing, after a while,
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en ná 'n ruk ontdek hulle
die verbinding:
die verbinding:
04:09
that a hundred years ago,
their families came out
their families came out
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’n honderd jaar gelede het hulle families
04:12
of the same place in Northern Africa.
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uit dieselfde plek uit Noord-Afrika gekom.
04:15
This is not a photo profile
for your Facebook.
for your Facebook.
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Dis nie ’n profielfoto
vir jou Facebook nie.
vir jou Facebook nie.
04:18
This is not disaster tourism.
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Dis nie ramptoerisme nie.
04:20
This is the future of travel,
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Dis die toekoms van reis
en ek nooi julle uit om saam met my
julle reiswyse te verander.
julle reiswyse te verander.
04:23
and I invite you to join me to do that,
to change your travel.
to change your travel.
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04:26
We're doing it all over the world now,
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Ons doen dit al oraloor,
04:28
from Ireland to Iran to Turkey,
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van Ierland tot Iran en Turkye,
en ons vooruitsig is om oral te gaan
om die wêreld te verander.
om die wêreld te verander.
04:30
and we see ourselves going
everywhere to change the world.
everywhere to change the world.
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04:33
Thank you.
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Dankie.
(Applous)
04:34
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Aziz Abu Sarah - Entrepreneur + educatorAziz Abu Sarah helps people break down cultural and historical barriers through tourism.
Why you should listen
When Aziz Abu Sarah was a boy, his older brother was arrested on charges of throwing stones. He was taken to prison and beaten — and died of his injuries. Sarah grew up angry, bitter and wanting revenge. But when later in life he met, for the first time, Jews who were not soldiers, Sarah had an epiphany: Not only did they share his love of small things, namely country music, but coming face to face with the “enemy” compelled him to find ways to overcome hatred, anger and fear.
Sarah founded MEJDI Tours to send tourists to Jerusalem with two guides, one Jewish and one Palestinian, each offering a different history and narrative of the city. Sarah tells success stories of tourists from the US visiting a Palestinian refugee camp and listening to joint Arab and Jewish bands play music, and of a Muslim family from the UK sharing Sabbath dinner with a Jewish family and realizing that 100 years ago, their people came from the same town in Northern Africa. MEJDI is expanding its service to Iran, Turkey, Ireland and other regions suffering from cultural conflict. If more of the world’s 1 billion tourists were to engage with real people living real lives, argues Sarah, it would be a powerful force for shattering sterotypes and promoting understanding, friendship and peace.
Aziz Abu Sarah | Speaker | TED.com