ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Patrick Awuah - University founder
After working at Microsoft for almost a decade, Patrick Awuah returned home to Ghana and cofounded Ashesi University, a small liberal arts college that aims to educate Africa's next generation of leaders. Its first class of students graduated in 2006.

Why you should listen

Patrick Awuah left Ghana as a teenager to attend Swarthmore College in the United States, then stayed on to build a career at Microsoft in Seattle. In returning to his home country, he has made a commitment to educating young people in critical thinking and ethical service, values he believes are crucial for the nation-building that lies ahead.

Founded in 2002, his Ashesi University is already charting a new course in African education, with its high-tech facilities, innovative academic program and emphasis on leadership. It seems more than fitting that ashesi means "beginning" in Akan, one of Ghana's native languages.

Patrikc Awuah is an alumnus of the TED Fellows program, having attended TEDGlobal 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania, and TED2009 in Long Beach, California. Find out more about the TED Fellows program. He is also a 2015 MacArthur Fellow.

More profile about the speaker
Patrick Awuah | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2007

Patrick Awuah: How to educate leaders? Liberal arts

Patrick Awuah despre educarea liderilor

Filmed:
1,752,363 views

Patrick Awuah afirma ca educatia bazata pe artele liberale este critica in formarea adevaratilor lideri.
- University founder
After working at Microsoft for almost a decade, Patrick Awuah returned home to Ghana and cofounded Ashesi University, a small liberal arts college that aims to educate Africa's next generation of leaders. Its first class of students graduated in 2006. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:26
Like manymulți of you here, I am tryingîncercat to contributea contribui
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Ca multi dintre dumneavoastra, incerc sa contribui si eu
00:31
towardscătre a renaissancerenaştere in AfricaAfrica.
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la o renastere a Africii.
00:34
The questionîntrebare of transformationtransformare in AfricaAfrica
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Problema transformarii in Africa
00:36
really is a questionîntrebare of leadershipconducere.
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este in realitate o problema de conducere.
00:38
AfricaAfrica can only be transformedtransformat by enlightenedluminat leadersliderii.
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Africa poate fi transformata doar cu ajutorul unor lideri luminati.
00:43
And it is my contentionafirmație that the mannermanieră in whichcare
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Si imi permit sa afirm ca maniera in care
00:45
we educateeduca our leadersliderii is fundamentalfundamental
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ne educam liderii este fundamentala
00:49
to progressprogres on this continentcontinent.
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pentru progresul de pe acest continent.
00:53
I want to tell you some storiespovestiri that explainexplica my viewvedere.
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As vrea sa va spun niste povesti care va vor lamuri viziunea mea.
00:58
We all heardauzit about the importanceimportanţă of storiespovestiri yesterdayieri.
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Am auzit ieri cu totii despre importanta povestilor.
01:02
An AmericanAmerican friendprieten of mineA mea this yearan volunteeredvoluntar as a nurseasistent medical in GhanaGhana,
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O prietena americana a voluntariat anul acesta ca asistenta medicala in Ghana.
01:07
and in a periodperioadă of threeTrei monthsluni she camea venit to a conclusionconcluzie
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Iar ea in trei luni de zile a ajuns la o concluzie
01:10
about the statestat of leadershipconducere in AfricaAfrica
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despre starea conducerii in Africa,
01:13
that had takenluate me over a decadedeceniu to reacha ajunge.
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concluzie la care eu am ajuns in peste zece ani.
01:16
TwiceDouă ori she was involvedimplicat in surgeriesinterventii chirurgicale
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A fost implicata de doua ori in operatii
01:19
where they lostpierdut powerputere at the hospitalspital.
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in care s-a luat curentul in spital.
01:24
The emergencycaz de urgență generatorsgeneratoare did not startstart.
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Generatoarele de urgenta nu au pornit --
01:27
There was not a flashlightlanterna, not a lanternfelinar, not a candlelumânare --
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si nu era acolo nici o lanterna, nici o lumanare.
01:32
pitchpas blacknegru.
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Inturneric bezna.
01:33
The patient'spacientului cuta taia opendeschis, twicede două ori.
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Pacientul era deschis -- de doua ori.
01:38
The first time it was a C-sectionCezariana.
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Prima data a fost o cezariana.
01:42
ThankfullyDin fericire, babybebelus was out -- mothermamă and childcopil survivedsupraviețuit.
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Din fericire bebelusul a iesit -- mama si copilul au supravietuit.
01:47
The secondal doilea time was a procedureprocedură that involvedimplicat locallocal anesthesiaanestezie.
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A doua oara a fost o interventie care necesita anestezie locala.
01:52
AnestheticAnestezic wearspoarta off. The patientrabdator feelsse simte paindurere.
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Efectul anestezicului s-a dus. Pacientul incepe sa simta durere.
01:55
He's cryingplâns. He's screamingțipând. He's prayingrugăciune.
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Plange. Tipa. Se roaga.
02:00
PitchTeren blacknegru. Not a candlelumânare, not a flashlightlanterna.
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Intuneric bezna. Nici o lumanare, nici o lanterna.
02:06
And that hospitalspital could have affordeda produs flashlightslanterne.
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Si spitalul acela si-ar fi permis lanterne.
02:10
They could have affordeda produs to purchasecumpărare these things, but they didn't.
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Si-ar fi permis sa cumpere lucrurile acestea, dar nu au facut-o.
02:14
And it happeneds-a întâmplat twicede două ori.
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Si acest lucru s-a intamplat de doua ori.
02:16
AnotherUn alt time, she watchedvizionat in horrorgroază as nursesasistente medicale watchedvizionat a patientrabdator diea muri
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Alta data a privit ingrozita cum asistentele au stat si s-au uitat la un pacient care murea,
02:22
because they refuseda refuzat to give her oxygenoxigen that they had.
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pentru ca ele refuzasera sa ii dea din oxigenul pe care il aveau.
02:28
And so threeTrei monthsluni latermai tarziu,
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Astfel, peste trei luni,
02:30
just before she returnedîntors to the UnitedMarea StatesStatele,
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chiar inainte ca ea sa se intoarca in SUA,
02:33
nursesasistente medicale in AccraAccra go on strikegrevă.
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asistentele din Accra intra in greva.
02:35
And her recommendationrecomandare is
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Ea a recomandat
02:38
take this opportunityoportunitate to firefoc everyonetoata lumea, startstart all over again.
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sa se folosesca ocazia aceasta pentru a concedia tot personalul. Pentru a lua totul de la inceput.
02:42
StartÎncepe all over again.
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Pentru a incepe de la zero.
02:44
Now what does this have to do with leadershipconducere?
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Ce treaba are asta cu conducerea?
02:49
You see, the folksoameni buni at the ministryMinisterul of healthsănătate,
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Vedeti, vina apartine ministerului sanatatii,
02:54
the hospitalspital administratorsadministratori, the doctorsmedici, the nursesasistente medicale --
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administratorilor spitalelor, doctorilor, asistentelor --
03:00
they are amongprintre just fivecinci percentla sută of theiral lor peerscolegii
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acestia reprezinta aproximativ 5% dintre colegii lor
03:04
who get an educationeducaţie after secondarysecundar schoolşcoală.
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care primesc educatie si dupa ciclul secundar de invatamant.
03:08
They are the eliteelită. They are our leadersliderii.
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Ei sunt elita. Ei sunt liderii nostri.
03:12
TheirLor decisionsdeciziile, theiral lor actionsacţiuni mattermaterie.
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Deciziile lor, actiunilor lor conteaza.
03:15
And when they faileșua, a nationnaţiune literallyliteralmente sufferssuferă.
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Si cand ei gresesc, literalmente, o natiune sufera.
03:20
So when I speakvorbi of leadershipconducere,
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Deci, cand vorbesc despre conducere
03:22
I'm not talkingvorbind about just politicalpolitic leadersliderii.
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nu vorbesc doar de lideri politici.
03:26
We'veNe-am heardauzit a lot about that.
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Am auzit destule despre ei.
03:28
I'm talkingvorbind about the eliteelită.
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Vorbesc despre elita.
03:32
Those who'vecare au been traineddresat,
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Despre aceia care au fost pregatiti.
03:34
whosea caror jobloc de munca it is to be the guardiansgardieni of theiral lor societysocietate.
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Aceia a caror meserie este sa fie protectorii societatii lor.
03:39
The lawyersavocați, the judgesjudecători, the policemenpoliţişti, the doctorsmedici,
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Avocatii, judecatorii, politistii, doctorii,
03:43
the engineersingineri, the civilcivil servantspublici --
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inginerii, functionarii publici --
03:47
those are the leadersliderii.
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acestia sunt liderii.
03:49
And we need to traintren them right.
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Iar noi trebuie sa ii pregatim corespunzator.
03:52
Now, my first pointedascuţit and memorablememorabile experienceexperienţă with leadershipconducere in GhanaGhana
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Experienta mea initiala si totodata memorabila legata de conducerea din Ghana
03:58
occurreda avut loc when I was 16 yearsani oldvechi.
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s-a intamplat cand aveam 16 ani.
04:00
We had just had a militarymilitar couplovitura de stat,
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Tocmai ce avusese loc lovitura de stat
04:02
and soldierssoldati were pervasiveuniversal in our societysocietate.
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iar soldatii erau omiprezenti in societatea noastra.
04:05
They were a pervasiveuniversal presenceprezenţă.
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Erau omniprezenti.
04:07
And one day I go to the airportaeroport to meetîntâlni my fatherTată,
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Intr-o zi ma duceam la aeroport sa ma intalnesc cu tatal meu,
04:10
and as I walkmers pe jos up this grassyierboase slopepantă from the carmașină parkparc
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iar in timp ce mergeam pe o panta inverzita care se intindea de la parcare
04:13
to the terminalTerminal buildingclădire,
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pana la cladirea terminalului,
04:16
I'm stoppedoprit by two soldierssoldati wieldingcauza opoziţiei AK-AK-47 assaultasalt weaponsarme.
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am fost oprit de doi soldati cu automate AK-47.
04:21
And they askedîntrebă me to joina adera a crowdmulţimea of people
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Acestia mi-au cerut sa ma alatur unei multimi de oameni
04:25
that were runningalergare up and down this embankmentterasament.
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care alergau in sus si in jos pe un terasament.
04:29
Why? Because the pathcale I had takenluate was consideredluate în considerare out of boundshotar.
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De ce? Pentru ca drumul pe care am mers era considerat interzis accesului.
04:35
No signsemn to this effectefect.
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Nu scria nicaieri asta.
04:38
Now, I was 16. I was very worriedîngrijorat about
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Aveam 16 ani. Eram foarte ingrijorat
04:42
what my peerscolegii at schoolşcoală mightar putea think
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cu privire la ce vor crede colegii mei de la scoala,
04:44
if they saw me runningalergare up and down this hilldeal.
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daca ma vor vedea alergand in sus si in jos pe acel deal.
04:46
I was especiallyin mod deosebit concernedîngrijorat of what the girlsfete mightar putea think.
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Eram in special preocupat de ce vor crede fetele.
04:51
And so I starteda început to argueargumenta with these menbărbați.
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Si am inceput sa ma cert cu acesti oameni.
04:53
It was a little recklessneglijent, but you know, I was 16.
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Am fost un pic nesabuit, dar, stiti cum e, aveam 16 ani.
04:55
I got luckynorocos.
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Am fost norocos.
04:57
A GhanaGhana AirwaysCăile respiratorii pilotpilot fallsFalls into the samela fel predicamentneplăcută.
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Un pilot al Ghana Airways cade in aceeasi situatie penibila.
05:01
Because of his uniformuniformă they speakvorbi to him differentlydiferit,
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Datorita uniformei, ii vorbesc diferit acestuia,
05:03
and they explainexplica to him that they're just followingca urmare a ordersordinele.
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si ii explica faptul ca ei doar respecta ordinele.
05:06
So he takes theiral lor radioradio, talkstratative to theiral lor bossșef,
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Asa ca acesta le ia statia, vorbeste cu seful lor
05:09
and getsdevine us all releasedeliberată.
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si ne elibereaza pe toti.
05:11
What lessonslecții would you take from an experienceexperienţă like this?
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Ce concluzii ati trage dintr-o experienta precum aceasta?
05:14
SeveralMai multe, for me.
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Eu personal am tras mai multe.
05:16
LeadershipConducerea matterschestiuni. Those menbărbați are followingca urmare a
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Conducerea conteaza. Acei oameni respectau
05:19
the ordersordinele of a superiorsuperior officerofiţer.
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ordinele unui ofiter superior.
05:23
I learnedînvățat something about couragecuraj.
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Am invatat ceva despre curaj.
05:25
It was importantimportant not to look at those gunsarme.
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Era important sa nu te uiti la acele arme.
05:29
And I alsode asemenea learnedînvățat that it can be helpfulutil to think about girlsfete.
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Am invatat de asemenea ca poate fi folositor sa te gandesti la fete.
05:33
(LaughterRâs)
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(Rasete)
05:35
So a fewpuțini yearsani after this eventeveniment, I leavepărăsi GhanaGhana on a scholarshipBursa
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La cativa ani de la acest eveniment am parasit Ghana cu o bursa
05:41
to go to SwarthmoreSwarthmore CollegeColegiul for my educationeducaţie.
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si mi-am continuat educatia la Swarthmore College.
05:44
It was a breathsuflare of freshproaspăt airaer.
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A fost ca o gura de aer proaspat.
05:47
You know, the facultyfacultate there didn't want us to memorizememora informationinformație
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Stiti, facultatea acolo nu iti cere sa memorezi informatii
05:52
and repeatrepeta back to them as I was used to back in GhanaGhana.
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si sa le reproduci pentru ei, asa cum am fost invatat in Ghana.
05:56
They wanted us to think criticallycritic.
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Ei vroiau sa gandim critic.
05:58
They wanted us to be analyticalanalitic.
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Vroiau sa fim analitici.
06:00
They wanted us to be concernedîngrijorat about socialsocial issuesprobleme.
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Vroiau sa fim preocupati de problemele sociale.
06:04
In my economicseconomie classesclase I got highînalt marksmărci
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La cursurile de economie primeam note mari
06:07
for my understandingînţelegere of basicde bază economicseconomie.
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pentru ca intelegeam bazele economiei.
06:10
But I learnedînvățat something more profoundprofund than that,
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Dar am invatat ceva mai profund decat atat,
06:13
whichcare is that the leadersliderii -- the managersmanageri of Ghana'sGhana economyeconomie --
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respectiv ca liderii -- managerii economiei din Ghana --
06:20
were makingluare breathtakinglyincredibil badrău decisionsdeciziile
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luau decizii incredibil de proaste
06:23
that had broughtadus our economyeconomie to the brinkțărm of collapsecolaps.
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care au adus economia noastra in pragul colapsului.
06:27
And so here was this lessonlecţie again -- leadershipconducere matterschestiuni.
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Si iar am ajuns la aceiasi invatatura -- conducerea conteaza.
06:30
It matterschestiuni a great dealafacere.
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Conteaza foarte mult.
06:33
But I didn't really fullycomplet understanda intelege what had happeneds-a întâmplat to me at SwarthmoreSwarthmore.
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Dar nu am inteles in totalitate ce s-a intamplat cu mine la Swarthmore.
06:37
I had an inklingbanuiala,
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Aveam o banuiala.
06:40
but I didn't fullycomplet realizerealiza it untilpana cand I wenta mers out into the workplacela locul de muncă
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Dar nu am realizat complet pana nu am inceput sa muncesc,
06:44
and I wenta mers to work at MicrosoftMicrosoft CorporationCorporation.
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si am inceput sa muncesc la Microsoft Corporation.
06:48
And I was partparte of this teamechipă -- this thinkinggândire, learningînvăţare teamechipă
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Am facut parte din aceasta echipa -- din aceasta echipa care gandea si invata --
06:53
whosea caror jobloc de munca it was to designproiecta and implementaplica newnou softwaresoftware-ul
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a carei sarcina era sa conceapa si sa implementeze noi software-uri
06:58
that createdcreată valuevaloare in the worldlume.
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care au creat lucruri de valoare in lume.
07:01
And it was brilliantSclipitor to be partparte of this teamechipă.
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Si a fost extraordinar sa fac parte din aceasta echipa.
07:04
It was brilliantSclipitor.
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Extraordinar.
07:06
And I realizedrealizat just what had happeneds-a întâmplat to me at SwarthmoreSwarthmore,
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Si atunci am realizat ce se intamplase cu mine la Swarthmore,
07:10
this transformationtransformare --
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transformarea --
07:12
the abilityabilitate to confrontconfrunta problemsProbleme, complexcomplex problemsProbleme,
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capacitatea de a confrunta probleme, probleme complexe,
07:17
and to designproiecta solutionssoluţii to those problemsProbleme.
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si de a dezvolta solutii la acele probleme.
07:20
The abilityabilitate to createcrea is the mostcel mai empoweringresponsabilizarea thing
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Capacitatea de a crea este cel mai motivant lucru
07:24
that can happenîntâmpla to an individualindividual.
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care i se poate intampla unui individ.
07:26
And I was partparte of that.
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Si eu am fost parte din asta.
07:29
Now, while I was at MicrosoftMicrosoft, the annualanual revenuesveniturile of that companycompanie
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In timpul in care am fost la Microsoft, veniturile anuale ale companiei
07:34
grewcrescut largermai mare than the GDPPIB of the RepublicRepublica of GhanaGhana.
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au depasit produsul intern brut al Republicii Ghana.
07:39
And by the way, it's continueda continuat to.
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Si, apropo, cu trecerea timpului au continuat sa creasca.
07:42
The gapdecalaj has widenedlărgit sincede cand I left.
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Diferenta s-a marit de cand am plecat.
07:46
Now, I've alreadydeja spokenvorbit about one of the reasonsmotive why this has occurreda avut loc.
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Deja am vorbit despre unul dintre motivele pentru care acest lucru s-a intimplat.
07:50
I mean, it's the people there who are so hardworkingharnici,
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Ma refer la faptul ca oamenii de acolo sunt atat de muncitori,
07:53
persistentpersistente, creativecreator, empoweredîmputernicit.
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de perseverenti, de creativi si atat de motivati.
07:59
But there were alsode asemenea some externalextern factorsfactori:
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Dar sunt si niste factori externi:
08:02
freegratuit marketspiețe, the ruleregulă of lawlege, infrastructureinfrastructură.
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pietele libere, puterea legii, infrastructura.
08:07
These things were providedprevăzut by institutionsinstituții
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Aceste lucruri sunt oferite de institutii
08:11
runalerga by the people that I call leadersliderii.
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conduse de oameni pe care eu ii numesc lideri.
08:15
And those leadersliderii did not emergeapărea spontaneouslyspontan.
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Si acei lideri nu au aparut in mod spontan.
08:18
SomebodyCineva traineddresat them to do the work that they do.
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Cineva i-a pregatit pentru a desfasura activitatile respective.
08:23
Now, while I was at MicrosoftMicrosoft, this funnyamuzant thing happeneds-a întâmplat.
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Cat timp eram la Microsoft, s-a intamplat un lucru amuzant,
08:25
I becamea devenit a parentmamă.
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Am devenit parinte.
08:27
And for the first time, AfricaAfrica mattereda contat more to me than ever before.
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Si pentru prima data, Africa insemna pentru mine mai mult decat oricand inainte.
08:32
Because I realizedrealizat that the statestat of the AfricanAfricane continentcontinent
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Pentru ca am realizat ca starea continentului african
08:36
would mattermaterie to my childrencopii and theiral lor childrencopii.
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va conta pentru copii mei si pentru copii lor.
08:40
That the statestat of the worldlume -- the statestat of the worldlume
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Ca starea lumii -- starea lumii
08:46
dependsdepinde on what's happeninglucru to AfricaAfrica,
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depinde de ce se intampla cu Africa,
08:51
as fardeparte as my kidscopii would be concernedîngrijorat.
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din punctul de vedere al copiilor mei.
08:53
And at this time, when I was going throughprin
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Si in acest timp in care treceam prin
08:57
what I call my "pre-mid-lifepre-mijlocul-viata crisiscriză,"
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ceea ce am numit "criza mea de dinaintea varstei a doua",
09:01
AfricaAfrica was a messdezordine.
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Africa era in dezordine.
09:03
SomaliaSomalia had disintegrateds-a dezintegrat into anarchyanarhie.
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Somalia se dezintegrase in anarhie.
09:05
RwandaRwanda was in the throeschinurile of this genocidalgenocid warrăzboi.
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Rwanda era in agonia cauzata de razboiul genocid.
09:09
And it seemedpărea to me that that was the wronggresit directiondirecţie,
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Si mi se parea ca acea directie era una gresita
09:11
and I neededNecesar to be back helpingajutor.
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si ca eu trebuie sa ma intorc sa acord o mana de ajutor.
09:14
I couldn'tnu a putut just staystau in SeattleSeattle and raisea ridica my kidscopii
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Nu puteam sa stau pur si simplu in Seattle si sa imi cresc copii
09:18
in an upper-middlesuperior de mijloc classclasă neighborhoodCartier and feel good about it.
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intr-un cartier din patura medie-superioara si sa fiu mandru de asta.
09:22
This was not the worldlume that I'd want my childrencopii to growcrește up in.
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Nu era lumea in care vroiam sa creasca copii mei.
09:28
So I decideda decis to get engagedangajat, and the first thing that I did
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Asa ca am decis sa ma implic si primul lucru pe care l-am facut
09:32
was to come back to GhanaGhana and talk with a lot of people
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a fost sa ma intorc in Ghana si sa vorbesc cu o multime de oameni
09:36
and really try to understanda intelege what the realreal issuesprobleme were.
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si sa incerc cu adevarat sa inteleg care erau adevaratele probleme.
09:40
And threeTrei things keptținut comingvenire up for everyfiecare problemproblemă:
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Si trei lucruri se regaseau in fiecare probelema:
09:45
corruptioncorupţie, weakslab institutionsinstituții
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coruptia, institutiile slabe
09:48
and the people who runalerga them -- the leadersliderii.
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si oamenii care le conduc -- liderii.
09:52
Now, I was a little scaredînspăimântat
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La drept vorbind, eram un pic speriat,
09:54
because when you see those threeTrei problemsProbleme,
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pentru ca atunci cand intalnesti aceste trei probleme
09:56
they seempărea really hardgreu to dealafacere with.
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ele par destul de greu de confruntat.
09:59
And they mightar putea say, "Look, don't even try."
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Si unii ar spune sa stai linistit, nici sa nu incerci.
10:01
But, for me, I askedîntrebă the questionîntrebare,
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Dar eu am ridicat intrebarea,
10:04
"Well, where are these leadersliderii comingvenire from?
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"De unde vin acesti lideri?"
10:08
What is it about GhanaGhana that producesproduce leadersliderii
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Care este acel lucru la Ghana care produce lideri
10:12
that are unethicallipsite de etică or unableincapabil to solverezolva problemsProbleme?"
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care sunt lipsiti de etica sau de capacitatea de a rezolva problemele?"
10:16
So I wenta mers to look at what was happeninglucru in our educationaleducational systemsistem.
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Asa ca mi-am indreptat atentia catre ce se intampla in sistemul nostru educational.
10:19
And it was the samela fel -- learningînvăţare by roteRote --
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Si era la fel -- invatatul pe de rost --
10:21
from primaryprimar schoolşcoală throughprin graduateabsolvent schoolşcoală.
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de la scoala primara pana in facultate.
10:25
Very little emphasisaccent on ethicsetica,
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Foarte putin accent pus pe etica.
10:30
and the typicaltipic graduateabsolvent
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Si absolventul mediu, tipic
10:34
from a universityuniversitate in GhanaGhana has a strongermai puternic sensesens
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al unei univeritati din Ghana are mai dezvoltat
10:38
of entitlementdreptul than a sensesens of responsibilityresponsabilitate.
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un simt al meritului decat simtul responsabilitatii.
10:42
This is wronggresit.
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Asta nu este bine.
10:44
So I decideda decis to engageangaja this particularspecial problemproblemă.
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Asa ca am decis sa abordez strict aceasta problema.
10:49
Because it seemspare to me that everyfiecare societysocietate, everyfiecare societysocietate,
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Pentru ca mi se pare ca orice societate, orice societate
10:55
musttrebuie sa be very intentionalintenționat about how it trainstrenuri its leadersliderii.
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trebuie sa fie foarte preocupata de cum isi dezvolta liderii.
10:59
And GhanaGhana was not payingde plată enoughdestul attentionAtenţie.
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Si Ghana nu era foarte preocupata.
11:02
And this is trueAdevărat acrosspeste sub-Saharansub-sahariană AfricaAfrica, actuallyde fapt.
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Acest lucru este de fapt adevarat pentru toate tarile africane sub-sahariene.
11:09
So this is what I'm doing now.
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Asa ca asta fac acum.
11:11
I'm tryingîncercat to bringaduce the experienceexperienţă that I had at SwarthmoreSwarthmore to AfricaAfrica.
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Incerc sa aduc experienta pe care am avut-o la Swarthmore in Africa.
11:18
I wishdori there was a liberalliberale artsarte collegecolegiu in everyfiecare AfricanAfricane countryțară.
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Imi doresc sa fie un colegiu de stiinte umaniste in orice tara africana.
11:22
I think it would make a hugeimens differencediferență.
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Cred ca ar fi foarte important.
11:25
And what AshesiAshesi UniversityUniversitatea is tryingîncercat to do
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Si ceea ce Universitatea Ashesi incearca sa faca
11:30
is to traintren a newnou generationgeneraţie of ethicaletic, entrepreneurialantreprenoriale leadersliderii.
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este sa dezvolte o generatie de lideri etici, intreprinzatori.
11:37
We're tryingîncercat to traintren leadersliderii of exceptionalexcepţional integrityintegritate,
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Incercam sa cream lideri de o integritate exceptionala,
11:41
who have the abilityabilitate to confrontconfrunta the complexcomplex problemsProbleme,
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care sa aiba abilitatea de a se confrunta cu probleme complexe,
11:44
askcere the right questionsîntrebări, and come up with workablerealizabil solutionssoluţii.
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de a pune intrebarile corecte si de a veni cu solutii viabile.
11:49
I'll admitadmite that there are timesori when it seemspare like "MissionMisiunea: ImpossibleImposibil de,"
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O sa admit ca sunt momente care seamana cu "Misiune Imposibila".
11:56
but we musttrebuie sa believe that these kidscopii are smartinteligent.
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Dar trebuie sa credem ca acesti copii sunt destepti.
12:00
That if we involveimplica them in theiral lor educationeducaţie,
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Ca daca ii implicam in propria lor educatie,
12:03
if we have them discussdiscuta the realreal issuesprobleme that they confrontconfrunta --
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daca le punem in discutie adevaratele probleme cu care se confrunta --
12:07
that our wholeîntreg societysocietate confrontsse confruntă --
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cu care intreaga noastra societate se confrunta --
12:10
and if we give them skillsaptitudini that enablepermite them to engageangaja the realreal worldlume,
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si daca le oferim cunostintele care sa le permita sa abordeze lumea reala,
12:16
that magicmagie will happenîntâmpla.
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acea magie se va produce.
12:21
Now, a monthlună into this projectproiect, we'dne-am just starteda început classesclase.
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Intr-o luna de cand incepusem proiectul, abia incepusem cursurile.
12:29
And a monthlună into it, I come to the officebirou,
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Deci, dupa o luna, am ajuns la birou,
12:32
and I have this emaile-mail from one of our studentselevi.
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si aveam un email de la unul din studenti.
12:35
And it said, very simplypur şi simplu, "I am thinkinggândire now."
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Spunea, foarte simplu, "Acum gandesc".
12:40
And he signssemne off, "Thank you."
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Si incheie prin a spune "Va multumesc."
12:45
It's suchastfel de a simplesimplu statementafirmație.
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Este un enunt foarte simplu.
12:48
But I was movedmutat almostaproape to tearslacrimi
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Dar am fost miscat pana la lacrimi
12:50
because I understoodînțeles what was happeninglucru to this youngtineri man.
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pentru ca am inteles ce se intampla cu acest tanar.
12:55
And it is an awesomeminunat thing to be a partparte
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Si este cel mai minunat lucru sa fii parte
12:59
of empoweringresponsabilizarea someonecineva in this way.
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din motivarea cuiva in acest fel.
13:04
I am thinkinggândire now.
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Acum gandesc.
13:08
This yearan we challengedcontestate our studentselevi
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In acest an i-am provocat pe studentii nostri
13:12
to craftambarcațiune an honoronora codecod themselvesînșiși.
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sa conceapa singuri un cod al onoarei.
13:15
There's a very vibrantvibrant debatedezbate going on on campuscampus now
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Este o dezbatere foarte vibranta care are loc acum in campus,
13:18
over whetherdacă they should have an honoronora codecod,
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daca ar trebui sa aiba un cod al onoarei,
13:21
and if so, what it should look like.
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si daca da, cum ar trebui sa sune acesta.
13:24
One of the studentselevi askedîntrebă a questionîntrebare that just warmedîncălzit my heartinimă.
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Unul dintre studenti a pus o intrebare care mi-a mers la inima.
13:28
Can we createcrea a perfectperfect societysocietate?
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Putem crea o societate perfecta?
13:34
Her understandingînţelegere that a student-craftedstudent-artizanale honoronora codecod
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Faptul ca a inteles ca un cod al onoarei facut de studenti
13:40
constitutesconstituie a reacha ajunge towardscătre perfectionperfecţiune is incredibleincredibil.
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constituie un pas catre perfectiune este incredibil.
13:46
Now, we cannotnu poti achieveobține perfectionperfecţiune,
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Adevarul este ca nu putem atinge perfectiunea.
13:48
but if we reacha ajunge for it, then we can achieveobține excellenceexcelenta.
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Dar daca facem pasi catre ea putem atinge excelenta.
13:54
I don't know ultimatelyîn cele din urmă what they will do.
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Nu stiu ce vor face in final.
13:56
I don't know whetherdacă they will decidea decide to have this honoronora codecod.
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Nu stiu daca se vor decide sa aiba acest cod al onoarei.
14:00
But the conversationconversaţie they're havingavând now --
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Dar discutiile pe care le poarta acum --
14:02
about what theiral lor good societysocietate should look like,
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despre cum ar trebui sa arate buna lor societatea,
14:06
what theiral lor excellentexcelent societysocietate should look like,
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despre cum ar trebui sa arate societatea lor excelenta --
14:09
is a really good thing.
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este un lucru cu adevarat bun.
14:15
Am I out of time? OK.
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Am ramas fara timp? OK.
14:21
Now, I just wanted to leavepărăsi that slidealuneca up
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Acum vreau sa las ecranul acela acolo
14:27
because it's importantimportant that we think about it.
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pentru ca este important sa ne gandim la acel lucru.
14:30
I'm very excitedexcitat about the factfapt
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Sunt foarte incantat de faptul
14:33
that everyfiecare studentstudent at AshesiAshesi UniversityUniversitatea does communitycomunitate serviceserviciu before they graduateabsolvent.
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ca orice student al Universitatii Ashesi face munca in folosul comunitatii inainte de absolvire.
14:39
That for manymulți of them, it has been a life-alteringi va schimba viaţa experienceexperienţă.
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Ca pentru multi dintre ei a fost o experienta care le-a schimbat viata.
14:44
These youngtineri futureviitor leadersliderii are beginningînceput to understanda intelege
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Acesti tineri, viitori lideri incep sa inteleaga
14:52
the realreal businessAfaceri of leadershipconducere,
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adevarata menire a conducerii.
14:54
the realreal privilegeprivilegiu of leadershipconducere,
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Adevaratul privilegiu al conducerii,
14:56
whichcare is after all to serveservi humanityumanitate.
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care este, pana la urma, sa serveasca omenirea.
15:01
I am even more thrilledîncântat by the factfapt that leastcel mai puţin yearan
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Sunt si mai incantat de faptul ca anul trecut
15:06
our studentstudent bodycorp electedales a womanfemeie
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corpul nostru de studenti a ales o femeie
15:08
to be the headcap of StudentStudent GovernmentGuvernul.
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pentru functia de presedinte al Guvernului Studentilor.
15:12
It's the first time in the historyistorie of GhanaGhana
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Este prima oara in istoria Ghanei
15:15
that a womanfemeie has been electedales headcap of StudentStudent GovernmentGuvernul
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cand o femeie a fost aleasa presedinte a Guvernului Studentilor
15:19
at any universityuniversitate.
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la o universitate.
15:22
It saysspune a lot about her.
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Asta spune multe despre ea.
15:24
It saysspune a lot about the culturecultură that's formingformare on campuscampus.
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Spune multe despre cultura care se dezvolta in campus.
15:29
It saysspune a lot about her peerscolegii who electedales her.
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Spune multe despre colegii care au ales-o.
15:32
She woncastigat with 75 percentla sută of the votevot.
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A castigat prin 75% din voturi.
15:38
And it gives me a lot of hopesperanţă.
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Si asta imi da multe sperante.
15:41
It turnstransformă out that corporatecorporativ WestWest AfricaAfrica
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Se pare ca si corporatiile din vestul Africii
15:44
alsode asemenea appreciatesapreciază what's happeninglucru with our studentselevi.
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apreciaza de asemenea ce se intampla cu studentii nostri.
15:48
We'veNe-am graduateda absolvit two classesclase of studentselevi to dateData.
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Pana azi avem doua generatii care au absolvit.
15:52
And everyfiecare singlesingur one of them has been placedplasat.
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Si fiecare dintre ei a fost repartizat undeva.
15:55
And we're gettingobtinerea great reportsrapoarte back
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Si primim inapoi vesti foarte bune
15:57
from corporatecorporativ GhanaGhana, corporatecorporativ WestWest AfricaAfrica,
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de la corporatiile din Ghana, din Vestul Africii.
16:01
and the things that they're mostcel mai impressedimpresionat about is work ethicetica.
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Si lucrul care ii impresioneaza cel mai mult este etica muncii.
16:06
You know, that passionpasiune for what they're doing.
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Stiti, pasiunea pentru ceea ce fac.
16:10
The persistencepersistenţă, theiral lor abilityabilitate to dealafacere with ambiguityambiguitate,
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Perseverenta, abilitatea de a face fata ambiguitatii,
16:14
theiral lor abilityabilitate to tackleaborda problemsProbleme that they haven'tnu au seenvăzut before.
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abilitatea de a infrunta probleme pe care nu le-au mai intalnit pana atunci.
16:20
This is good because
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Acesta este un lucru bun, stiti,
16:24
over the pasttrecut fivecinci yearsani, there have been timesori
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in ultimii cinci ani au fost momente
16:27
when I've feltsimțit this is "MissionMisiunea: ImpossibleImposibil de."
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cand asta parea a fi "Misiune Imposibila".
16:30
And it's just wonderfulminunat to see these glimmersglimmers
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Si este minunat sa intrezarim, intr-un fel, aceste licariri
16:33
of the promisepromisiune of what can happenîntâmpla if we traintren our kidscopii right.
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ale sperantei de ce se poate intimpla daca ne educam copiii asa cum trebuie.
16:40
I think that the currentactual and futureviitor leadersliderii of AfricaAfrica
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Cred ca liderii actuali si viitori ai Africii
16:44
have an incredibleincredibil opportunityoportunitate
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au o sansa incredibila
16:47
to driveconduce a majormajor renaissancerenaştere on the continentcontinent.
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de a conduce o renastere pe continent.
16:50
It's an incredibleincredibil opportunityoportunitate.
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Este o sansa incredibila.
16:52
There aren'tnu sunt very manymulți more opportunitiesoportunități like this in the worldlume.
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Nu exista multe oportunitati precum aceasta in lume.
16:56
I believe that AfricaAfrica has reachedatins an inflectioninflexiune pointpunct
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Cred ca Africa a atins un punct de inflexiune
17:04
with a marchMartie of democracydemocraţie and freegratuit marketspiețe acrosspeste the continentcontinent.
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cu marsuri ale democratiei si piete libere de-a lungul continentului.
17:08
We have reachedatins a momentmoment from whichcare can emergeapărea
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Am ajuns la un moment din care poate rasari
17:11
a great societysocietate withinîn one generationgeneraţie.
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o societate extraordinara in decurs de doar o generatie.
17:15
It will dependdepinde on inspiredinspirat leadershipconducere.
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Asta va depinde de o conducere inspirata.
17:20
And it is my contentionafirmație that the mannermanieră in whichcare we traintren our leadersliderii
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Si eu afirm ca maniera in care ne educam liderii
17:26
will make all the differencediferență.
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va schimba cu totul situatia.
17:27
Thank you, and God blessbinecuvânta.
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Va multumesc si Dumnezeu sa va binecuvanteze.
17:29
(ApplauseAplauze)
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(Aplauze)
Translated by Stan Bogdan
Reviewed by Laszlo Kereszturi

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Patrick Awuah - University founder
After working at Microsoft for almost a decade, Patrick Awuah returned home to Ghana and cofounded Ashesi University, a small liberal arts college that aims to educate Africa's next generation of leaders. Its first class of students graduated in 2006.

Why you should listen

Patrick Awuah left Ghana as a teenager to attend Swarthmore College in the United States, then stayed on to build a career at Microsoft in Seattle. In returning to his home country, he has made a commitment to educating young people in critical thinking and ethical service, values he believes are crucial for the nation-building that lies ahead.

Founded in 2002, his Ashesi University is already charting a new course in African education, with its high-tech facilities, innovative academic program and emphasis on leadership. It seems more than fitting that ashesi means "beginning" in Akan, one of Ghana's native languages.

Patrikc Awuah is an alumnus of the TED Fellows program, having attended TEDGlobal 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania, and TED2009 in Long Beach, California. Find out more about the TED Fellows program. He is also a 2015 MacArthur Fellow.

More profile about the speaker
Patrick Awuah | Speaker | TED.com