TEDGlobal 2017
Nabila Alibhai: Why people of different faiths are painting their houses of worship yellow
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Divisions along religious lines are deepening, and we're doubting more and more how much we have in common. How can we stand boldly and visibly together? Inspired by an idea from her collaborator Yazmany Arboleda, place-maker Nabila Alibhai and her colleagues created "Colour in Faith," a social practice art project that unites people of different religions by getting them to paint each other's houses of worship yellow, in a show of solidarity. "We've proven that the human family can come together and send a message far brighter and more powerful than the voices of those that wish to do us harm," Alibhai says.
Nabila Alibhai - Place-maker
Nabila Alibhai leads inCOMMONS, a new cultural production lab focused on invigorating public spaces and inspiring collective responsibility for our cultural and environmental heritage. Full bio
Nabila Alibhai leads inCOMMONS, a new cultural production lab focused on invigorating public spaces and inspiring collective responsibility for our cultural and environmental heritage. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
We live in a time of fear,
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and our response to fear
can either be to contract
can either be to contract
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and attempt to guard ourselves
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or to extend ourselves,
hold on to each other,
hold on to each other,
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and face our fears together.
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What is your instinct?
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What do you see more of in the world?
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The problem with the first approach
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is that in our mounting isolation,
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we divide ourselves from others.
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Our sense of isolation grows,
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because our imagination
goes into overdrive
goes into overdrive
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about the people and the spaces
that we no longer engage with.
that we no longer engage with.
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Our sense of otherness grows,
and we lose empathy.
and we lose empathy.
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Today I'm going to tell you
about a group of people
about a group of people
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that took the global
challenge of terrorism
challenge of terrorism
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and began creating spaces
where strangers connect in solidarity.
where strangers connect in solidarity.
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My own obsession with what I see
as irrational divisions began as a child.
as irrational divisions began as a child.
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As a fourth-generation
Kenyan Muslim of Indian origin,
Kenyan Muslim of Indian origin,
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it bothered me that in four generations,
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there wasn't a single
marriage in my family
marriage in my family
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outside of my small religious community.
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And I wondered what that was about.
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Was it fear?
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Was it racism?
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Was it cultural preservation?
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Did it have something
to do with colonialism?
to do with colonialism?
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Certainly, we didn't share a lot
of the same public spaces with others.
of the same public spaces with others.
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These divisions bothered me deeply,
and they drove my career choices.
and they drove my career choices.
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When I was 20, the US embassies
in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed.
in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed.
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A year later, I was on my way
to the Middle East
to the Middle East
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to study conflict resolution.
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And then from that point on,
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it wasn't very hard for me
to find insecure environments to work in,
to find insecure environments to work in,
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because the world was quickly shifting
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in what we now know
as the time of terrorism.
as the time of terrorism.
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I was in Washington, DC
when 9/11 happened,
when 9/11 happened,
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and then I moved back home
to Kenya to work with refugees
to Kenya to work with refugees
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and then later worked in Pakistan
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and in Afghanistan.
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In all of these places, what I noticed
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was how important physical spaces are
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to making us feel safe
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and well
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and like we belong.
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In 2013, I came back home
to Nairobi from Afghanistan.
to Nairobi from Afghanistan.
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Al-Shabaab operatives
had besieged Westgate shopping center,
had besieged Westgate shopping center,
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killing 67 people
in a day of utter horror.
in a day of utter horror.
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Soon after that,
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I could see how Nairobi
was beginning to change,
was beginning to change,
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and it was beginning to feel
more like the fear and terror-weary
more like the fear and terror-weary
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and war-torn cities that I had worked in.
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And Nairobi continues to grow
in fear-driven ways.
in fear-driven ways.
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We see more walls, more barriers,
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more security.
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And like other parts of the world,
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we are experiencing
an erosion of human connection.
an erosion of human connection.
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Divisions along
religious lines are deepening,
religious lines are deepening,
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and we're doubting more and more
how much we have in common.
how much we have in common.
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We are at a pivotal time
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when we need to restore
our confidence in humanity
our confidence in humanity
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and stand boldly and visibly together.
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So in 2014, I brought together
a group of people in Nairobi
a group of people in Nairobi
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to figure out what to do:
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public intellectuals, diplomats,
artists, development workers.
artists, development workers.
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And the group articulated
our challenge as threefold:
our challenge as threefold:
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one, to reclaim the city
from the narrative of terrorism
from the narrative of terrorism
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and back into the hands
of the people that live there;
of the people that live there;
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two, introduce a language
beyond race, tribe or religion
beyond race, tribe or religion
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that would help us
transcend our differences;
transcend our differences;
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and three, provide a gesture
that would help restore empathy
that would help restore empathy
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and conversation and trust.
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One of the people in this group
was an artist and architect,
was an artist and architect,
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Yazmany Arboleda.
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He and I have collaborated
in other parts of the world
in other parts of the world
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over many years.
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He has a history
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of disrupting urban environments
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and making strangers connect
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in incredible, beautiful
and spectacular ways.
and spectacular ways.
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He had an idea.
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The idea was to unite people
of different faiths
of different faiths
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by getting them to paint
each other's houses of worship,
each other's houses of worship,
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mosques, temples, synagogues, churches,
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paint them yellow
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in the name of love.
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By focusing on icons of faith,
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we would get people to reexamine
the true essence of their faith,
the true essence of their faith,
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the common belief that we share
in kindness, generosity and friendship.
in kindness, generosity and friendship.
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By creating pathways
between houses of worship
between houses of worship
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within one neighborhood,
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we would create islands of stability
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and networks of people
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that could withstand threats.
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And neighbors, by picking up
a paintbrush with other neighbors,
a paintbrush with other neighbors,
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would engage not just with their heads
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but with their hands
and with their hearts.
and with their hearts.
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And the painted buildings would become
sculptures in the landscape
sculptures in the landscape
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that speak of people
from very different backgrounds
from very different backgrounds
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that stand together.
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We'd call the project "Colour in Faith."
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We loved the idea and we immediately
began approaching houses of worship:
began approaching houses of worship:
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churches, temples, mosques, synagogues.
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Door to door, we went
to more than 60 rabbis,
to more than 60 rabbis,
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imams, pastors and priests.
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As you can imagine,
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bringing these communities together
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when prejudices are reinforced
by a global pandemic of fear
by a global pandemic of fear
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is not easy.
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It was complicated.
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We were confronted
with the hierarchy of decision-making
with the hierarchy of decision-making
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within religious establishments.
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For example, with Catholic churches,
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we were told that the archbishop
would have to make the decision.
would have to make the decision.
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And so we wrote a letter
to the archbishop.
to the archbishop.
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We wrote a letter to the Vatican.
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We're still waiting to hear back.
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(Laughter)
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And with other houses of worship,
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we were told that the patrons,
the people that pay for the building
the people that pay for the building
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and the construction
and the painting of the buildings
and the painting of the buildings
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would have to make a decision.
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And then we came head-to-head
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with the long legacy
of missionary and donor dependence
of missionary and donor dependence
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that so impedes
unconditional civic action,
unconditional civic action,
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and we learned this the hard way.
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There was one community
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that in our repeated conversations
would keep asking us
would keep asking us
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to appreciate them.
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And so we would keep going back
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and telling them that we appreciate them,
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and of course,
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if we didn't appreciate them,
we wouldn't be here.
we wouldn't be here.
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And then we learned
painfully late in the game
painfully late in the game
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that the word "appreciation"
is code for getting paid to participate.
is code for getting paid to participate.
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And so we challenged them
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and we asked the question,
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"So what will it cost?
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How much could we pay you?
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And if we pay for your faith,
is it really faith?"
is it really faith?"
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We started the project
asking the question,
asking the question,
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"Where does your faith live?"
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And here we found ourselves
asking the question,
asking the question,
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"How much does your faith cost?"
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But the most difficult issue
was the perceived risk of standing apart.
was the perceived risk of standing apart.
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We had one synagogue
that flat-out refused to participate
that flat-out refused to participate
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because it feared
drawing attention to itself
drawing attention to itself
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and becoming a target.
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Similarly, we had a mosque
that also feared becoming a target.
that also feared becoming a target.
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And these fears are justified.
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And yet, there were 25 houses of worship
that pledged to participate.
that pledged to participate.
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(Applause)
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These bold leaders took the gesture
and reinforced it with their own meaning.
and reinforced it with their own meaning.
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For some, it was to tell the world
that they're not terrorists.
that they're not terrorists.
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For others, it was to welcome people
through their doors to ask questions.
through their doors to ask questions.
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And for some, it was to bridge the gap
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between the older
and the younger generation,
and the younger generation,
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which by the way is something that
many faiths are grappling with right now.
many faiths are grappling with right now.
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And for some it was simply
to build neighborhood solidarity
to build neighborhood solidarity
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in advance of feared election violence.
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When asked why yellow,
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one imam beautifully said,
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"Yellow is the color of the sun.
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The sun shines on us all equally.
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It does not discriminate."
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He and others spread the word
through their congregations
through their congregations
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and over the radio.
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Municipal government officials
stepped forward and helped
stepped forward and helped
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with permits and with convening
civil society organizations.
civil society organizations.
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A paint company donated
a thousand liters of yellow paint
a thousand liters of yellow paint
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mixed especially for us
in what they now call "optimistic yellow."
in what they now call "optimistic yellow."
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(Laughter)
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(Applause)
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And a poetry collective
joined forces with a university
joined forces with a university
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and hosted a series of tweet chats
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that challenged the nation
on issues of faith,
on issues of faith,
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our faith not just
in the context of religion,
in the context of religion,
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but our faith in politicians
and tribe and nation,
and tribe and nation,
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our faith in the older generation
and in the younger generation.
and in the younger generation.
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And then Colour in Faith
was launched at a gallery event
was launched at a gallery event
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that invited an incredible mix
of gallerygoers
of gallerygoers
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and religious leaders
and artists and businesspeople.
and artists and businesspeople.
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Already, even before
picking up a paintbrush,
picking up a paintbrush,
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we had accomplished so much
of the conversation and connection
of the conversation and connection
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that we had hoped for.
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And then we began to paint.
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Muslims stood by Christians
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and atheists and agnostics and Hindus
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and painted a mosque yellow.
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And then they all came together again
and painted a church yellow,
and painted a church yellow,
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and then another mosque,
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and then another church.
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Poets and musicians
performed while we painted.
performed while we painted.
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We painted in Nairobi,
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and then we painted in Mombasa.
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The local and international press
did features on Colour in Faith
did features on Colour in Faith
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in English and French and Swahili
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and Spanish and Somali.
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CNN highlighted Colour in Faith
as a way of bringing communities together.
as a way of bringing communities together.
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And our social media platforms lit up,
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connecting more and more people.
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And these neighbors
continued to stay in touch.
continued to stay in touch.
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There are some that are pursuing
politics with a platform of peace,
politics with a platform of peace,
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and we have communities
as far as Argentina and the US
as far as Argentina and the US
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and as close as Mali and Rwanda
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that are asking for our help.
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And we would love to help.
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It's our dream that this project,
this idea, spreads across the world,
this idea, spreads across the world,
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with or without our support.
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Colour in Faith is literally highlighting
those who mean well in yellow.
those who mean well in yellow.
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Colour in Faith is binding
neighborhoods together,
neighborhoods together,
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and it's our hope
that when threats come knocking,
that when threats come knocking,
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they will collectively
sift fact from rumor
sift fact from rumor
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and stand in solidarity.
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We've proven that the human family
can come together and send a message
can come together and send a message
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far brighter and more powerful
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than the voices of those
that wish to do us harm.
that wish to do us harm.
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Though fear is infectious,
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we are showing that so is hope.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nabila Alibhai - Place-makerNabila Alibhai leads inCOMMONS, a new cultural production lab focused on invigorating public spaces and inspiring collective responsibility for our cultural and environmental heritage.
Why you should listen
Nabila Alibhai is the founder of inCOMMONS, an organization that develops and invigorates public spaces and builds collective leadership. inCOMMONS's New York-based sister company, limeSHIFT, uses the same principles and embeds artists into workplaces to make them more happy, purposeful and creative. She recently authored "How Colour Replaces Fear," a chapter in the book Art & The City, about art that heals divisions and unites communities.
Currently, inCOMMONS's main projects are Colour in Faith, a neighborhood solidarity project through art; building an inclusive sculptural space with Nairobi City County; experimenting with art and healing; and looking for partners to create urban sweet spaces for our greatest gardeners: (pollinators) bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. limeSHIFT is working with New York City's Carnegie Hall on a traveling installation called Espejismo.
Alibhai had a 13-year career working on different aspects of conflict transformation from communications to health and resilience. She has worked on projects in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania, the United States and Switzerland. She has held positions in the Aga Khan Development Network, the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration. As a Research Fellow in MIT's Special Program for Urban and Regional Studies, she advanced her efforts to influence health, security and community solidarity through public spaces. She is now based in her home country of Kenya.
Nabila Alibhai | Speaker | TED.com