Hajer Sharief: How to use family dinner to teach politics
هاجر شريف: كيف نجعل من وقت العشاء العائلي منصة لتعّلم السياسة
As an activist promoting human rights in Libya and beyond, Hajer Sharief works against society's flow -- and across generations -- to find solutions. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
called "Friday Democracy Meetings."
"لقاء يوم الجمعة الديموقراطي."
came together for an official meeting
تتجمع العائلة للقائنا الرسمي
by one of my parents,
to speak open and freely.
to criticize our parents
disrespectful or rude.
stays in the meeting.
in these meetings
what food we wanted to eat,
pretty much events that happened at school
disputes between siblings,
we'd reach decisions and agreements
until the next meeting.
I was raised as a politician.
I mastered politics.
كنت قد أتقنت السياسة.
with other political actors.
the political process.
حاولت تعريض تلك العملية للخطر.
civil and democratic, right?
ومدنية وديموقراطية، أليس كذلك؟
to talk, discuss and criticize,
من حرية التعبير والمناقشة والنقد،
really horrible at school,
to bring it up in the meeting.
and boycott the whole system.
وأن أعارض النظام برمته،
and handed it to my dad,
attending these meetings anymore,
made decisions that I disliked.
about 13 years old,
one of these meetings again,
that was affecting me only,
was bringing it up.
who was asked to wash the dishes,
anything about it.
unfair and discriminatory,
وغير ديموقراطي وتمييزي،
or a girl's role to do household work
هي المسؤولة عن واجبات المنزل.
by many societies for so long,
تم تداوله بين المجتمعات،
to challenge it, I needed a platform.
أردت منصة ما للاعتراض.
were washing the dishes,
يغسل الصحون،
that my brothers should assist me.
وقررا أنه يجب على إخوتي مساعدتي.
so the problem continued.
لذا لم يتغير شيء.
I decided to attend another meeting
that would be fair to everyone.
used by all the family members,
should wash their own dishes.
could no longer argue
and clean after the family,
والتنظيف بعد العشاء.
was about every member of the family
يشمل قيام كل أفراد العائلة
and taking care of themselves.
our washing-the-dishes system.
نظام تنظيف الأطباق لدينا.
is a family story,
includes decision-making,
of decision-making
from different backgrounds,
an equal opportunity to contribute
and influence the decisions
والتأثير في القرار المتخذ
directly or indirectly.
بطريقة مباشرة أو غير مباشرة.
when I hear young people saying,
or to even hold a political opinion."
في السياسة أو أملك آرائي الخاصة.
I don't want to engage with,"
and political engagement
والارتباط السياسي
in many parts of the world
for them to participate in politics,
وإذا ما أرادوا أن يشاركوا في السياسة،
مع العالم الخارجي،
women and ordinary people in general:
والنساء وعامة البشر بالعموم:
or not to participate in politics?
في السياسة أو الاهتمام بها؟
it's caring for the facts.
تتطلب الإدلاء بأصواتنا.
through which we structure ourselves
to decide on what you can eat, where,
بتحديد ما يجب عليك تناوله، أو ارتداؤه،
on whether your race and ethnicity
وجماعتك ويقررون بناء عليها
is enough to put you on a terrorist list.
لوضعك ضمن قائمة الإرهاب.
independent human being
as a young woman from Libya,
in the middle of a civil war.
of authoritarian rule,
where political engagement
is possible, nor encouraged.
ولا يُشجع على ذلك.
that took place in the past few years,
التي حدثت بالأعوام السابقة،
middle-aged men in the room.
political system like Libya,
including international organizations,
for political decision-making
بشأن اتخاذ القرارات السياسية
by the few for the few.
almost exclusively men,
من الرجال عبر مختلف الأزمنة،
that are based on the opinions,
some version of this sentence:
let alone a young person, who is brown,
أيضاً، وبنية البشرة،
حين تكونين امرأة أيضاً،
say, "But you lack political experience."
"لكنك تفتقد للخبرة السياسية."
are they referring to?
political systems?
of economic profits
have no political experience at all.
لا نملك أي خبرة على الإطلاق.
the only ones to blame,
and many young people as well,
don't know how to participate.
لا يعرفون كيفية المشاركة بها،
and how to be part of it.
وكيفية المشاركة في الرأي.
mini political system
that affect all members of the family,
التي تؤثر على جميع الأفراد،
that affect the whole nation,
يتخذون القرارات التي تؤثر على الشعب كله،
very little say in them.
this change systematically,
and global affairs
as personal and family affairs.
my proposal and advice is,
Meeting system.
to exercise their agency
you need to participate,
يجب أن تشارك برأيك،
and have to go back again.
ومن ثم تعود مرة أخرى،
in family conversations,
in political conversations.
في المحادثات السياسية.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Hajer Sharief - ActivistAs an activist promoting human rights in Libya and beyond, Hajer Sharief works against society's flow -- and across generations -- to find solutions.
Why you should listen
When Hajer Sharief was young, she had no risk assessment skills. If she felt like jumping from a cliff, she did so without thinking of the consequences. As an older and wiser activist, she tends to balance risks -- but she still actively keeps an element of risk-free thinking when it comes to doing the right thing.
As cofounder of the Together We Build It Foundation, an intergenerational organization working to builds peace in Libya, Sharief promotes human rights, gender equality and political participation. Doing the right thing regardless of risk remains her life principle, and activism remains her lifestyle -- one that helps individuals become aware of their responsibility towards humanity and the environment.
Hajer Sharief | Speaker | TED.com