Robert Neuwirth: The age-old sharing economies of Africa -- and why we should scale them
Robert Neuwirth: اقتصادات التشارك القديمة في أفريقيا - ولماذا يجب أن نتوسع فيها
Robert Neuwirth’s writings on the street-level reality of the developing world have opened a new dialogue on development and economics. Full bio
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and maybe the only bestseller
about what it says.
all over the world will prosper
of individual profit.
for the prosperity of the world.
further from Edinburgh
if Adam Smith had visited Africa.
actually an easy answer,
and traveler Ibn Battuta
of Africa in the 14th century,
لأفريقيا في القرن 14،
to Mogadishu was a market,
came to the harbor,
عندما بلغت سفن التجار الميناء،
"You are my guest, I am now your broker."
"أنت ضيفي، وأنا سمسارك الآن."
through the local broker,
من خلال السمسار المحلي،
and didn't do business through the broker,
من خلال السمسار،
and the deal would be canceled,
everyone prospered.
he might look like this guy
لبدا مثل هذا الرجل
to Christian [Benimana],
at the beginning of this session,
had come to Africa,
long before Airbnb and Uber.
(إير بي ان بي) و (أوبر) بوقت طويل.
flowing into the countries.
of exports in these countries.
من صادرات هذه الدول.
this mutual aid economy still exists,
هذا الاقتصاد التعاوني ما زال موجودًا،
in the strangest places.
في أكثر الأماكن غرابة.
electronics market in West Africa.
of turnover every year.
ardent apostles of Adam Smith:
we're all in it individually,
that when I asked further,
this is an interesting juxtaposition
and "How To Sell Yourself."
is governed by a sharing principle.
محمي بمبدأ التشارك.
"How did you get started in global trade?"
"كيف بدأت العمل بالتجارة الدولية؟"
my master settled me."
to ask, "What is this 'settling?'"
done your apprenticeship
to set you up in business.
for two or three years
and start trading.
venture capital. Right?
that governs Alaba International Market
الذي يرعى سوق (ألابا) الدولي
platform in the world.
economies that we look for --
in almost every shantytown.
other cultures; this is the Kenyan name.
ولكن ذلك اسمها الشائع بكينيا.
into a pot once a week,
فيه المال مرة بالأسبوع،
of the group gets the money,
whatever they need to.
called "acequias,"
comes from the North African Arabic;
is a sharing system for scarce water.
لمشاركة المياه المحدودة.
of the United States,
to what Llew [Claasen] said
and cryptocurrencies yesterday,
عن سلاسل الكتل والعملات الرقمية،
commonly managing scarce water resources
كانوا يتشاركون مصادر المياه المحدودة
and hundreds of years.
I wanted to go a little bit further
أود الذهاب إلى أبعد من ذلك
are managed communally,
scarce capital, scarce cash
actually two kinds of capitalism.
interesting statistics,
of one percent of the Nigerian population
of the GDP of the country.
ربع الناتج المحلي الإجمالي للبلاد.
of the Kenyan population
of the GDP of the country.
من الناتج المحلي الإجمالي بالبلاد.
and bodybuilding equipment
على الطريق السريع في (لاغوس).
and bodybuilding equipment in a go-slow,
ومعدات كمال الأجسام على الطريق،
really, really bad, right?
يكون سيئًا للغاية، أليس كذلك؟
"the capitalism of decay,"
to rise up and get out of it,
that we talked about
in order not to be poisonous,
كي لا تكون سامة،
in order to be fair to everyone.
كي يكون عادلًا للجميع.
the "bottom down economy."
إلى ما أدعوه "اقتصاد القاع."
that exist out there
and used and scaled.
infrastructure to everyone,
we need in the world,
what we need in Africa.
important to quote Steve Biko,
أن أقتبس من (ستيف بيكو)،
September 12 to be exact,
على وجه التحديد،
by the South African state.
من قبل دولة جنوب أفريقيا.
we're not here to compete.
a community of brothers and sisters
"... لكي نصبح مجتمعًا من الإخوة والأخوات
for a composite answer
"the great powers of the world
an industrial and military look, ..."
لمنحنا نظرة صناعية عسكرية..."
that military-industrialist complex,
الصناعية العسكرية،
in the mutual landscape
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Robert Neuwirth - AuthorRobert Neuwirth’s writings on the street-level reality of the developing world have opened a new dialogue on development and economics.
Why you should listen
For too many people in the world, Robert Neuwirth suggests, the world's globalized economic system has turned out to be a capitalism of decay. Only by embracing true sharing strategies, he argues, can people develop an equitable vision of the future.
Neuwirth is the author of two previous books: Stealth of Nations (2011), on the global growth of the street markets and cross-border smuggling, and Shadow Cities (2005), on the power of squatter communities and shantytowns. His work has appeared in documentary films, on radio and television, and in many publications. In addition to writing, he has taught at Rikers Island, New York City’s jail, and at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Robert Neuwirth | Speaker | TED.com