TED2014
Aziz Abu Sarah: For more tolerance, we need more ... tourism?
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Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian activist with an unusual approach to peace-keeping: Be a tourist. The TED Fellow shows how simple interactions with people in different cultures can erode decades of hate. He starts with Palestinians visiting Israelis and moves beyond ...
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.
00:12
I'm a tourism entrepreneur
and a peacebuilder,
and a peacebuilder,
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Sóc un empresari turístic i
constructor de pau,
constructor de pau,
00:15
but this is not how I started.
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però així no és com vaig començar.
00:18
When I was seven years old,
I remember watching television
I remember watching television
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Quan tenia 7 anys, recordo
haver vist a la televisió
haver vist a la televisió
00:21
and seeing people throwing rocks,
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gent llençant pedres,
00:24
and thinking, this must be
a fun thing to do.
a fun thing to do.
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i vaig pensar, això ha de ser divertit.
00:27
So I got out to the street
and threw rocks,
and threw rocks,
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Així que vaig sortir al carrer
a tirar pedres
a tirar pedres
00:30
not realizing I was supposed
to throw rocks at Israeli cars.
to throw rocks at Israeli cars.
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sense adonar-me'n que se suposava
que les havia de llençar als cotxes israelites.
que les havia de llençar als cotxes israelites.
00:34
Instead, I ended up stoning
my neighbors' cars. (Laughter)
my neighbors' cars. (Laughter)
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Però jo vaig acabar llençant pedres
als cotxes dels meus veïns. (Riures)
als cotxes dels meus veïns. (Riures)
00:38
They were not enthusiastic
about my patriotism.
about my patriotism.
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No van rebre el meu patriotisme
amb gaire entusiasme.
amb gaire entusiasme.
00:42
This is my picture with my brother.
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Aquesta és una fotografia amb el meu germà.
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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Aquest sóc jo, el petit. Sé que
esteu pensant
esteu pensant
00:47
"You used to look cute,
what the heck happened to you?"
what the heck happened to you?"
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"Eres mono, què dimonis t'ha passat?"
00:50
But my brother, who is older than me,
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Però el meu germà, que és
més gran que jo,
més gran que jo,
00:52
was arrested when he was 18,
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El van detenir quan tenia 18 anys,
00:55
taken to prison on charges
of throwing stones.
of throwing stones.
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va anar a presó
per haver tirat pedres.
per haver tirat pedres.
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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Li van pegar quan es va negar a
confessar que tirava pedres
confessar que tirava pedres
01:01
and as a result, had internal injuries
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i com a resultat d'això va patir
ferides internes
ferides internes
01:04
that caused his death soon after
he was released from prison.
he was released from prison.
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que li van causar la mort poc després
de sortir de la presó.
de sortir de la presó.
01:08
I was angry, I was bitter,
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Estava enfadat, estava amargat,
01:12
and all I wanted was revenge.
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i l'únic que volia era venjança.
01:16
But that changed when I was 18.
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Però tot va canviar quan tenia 18 anys.
01:18
I decided that I needed
Hebrew to get a job,
Hebrew to get a job,
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Vaig decidir que per aconseguir feina
necessitava aprendre hebreu.
necessitava aprendre hebreu.
01:22
and going to study Hebrew
in that classroom
in that classroom
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Quan vaig anar a estudiar hebreu,
en aquella classe
en aquella classe
01:24
was the first time I ever met Jews
who were not soldiers.
who were not soldiers.
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vaig conèixer per primera vegada,
jueus que no eren soldats.
jueus que no eren soldats.
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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Vam connectar amb petites coses, com
en el fet que m'encanta la musica country,
en el fet que m'encanta la musica country,
01:34
which is really strange
for Palestinians.
for Palestinians.
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cosa estranya per un palestí.
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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Però, va ser aleshores, quan em vaig adonar
que teniem un mur de ràbia,
que teniem un mur de ràbia,
01:43
of hatred and of ignorance
that separates us.
that separates us.
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d'odi i d'ignorància que ens separava.
01:48
I decided that it doesn't matter
what happens to me.
what happens to me.
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Vaig decidir, que el que em passi a mi
no importa.
no importa.
01:53
What really matters is how I deal with it.
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El que realment importa, és
com ho afronto.
com ho afronto.
01:56
And therefore, I decided
to dedicate my life
to dedicate my life
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Per tant, vaig decidir dedicar
la meva vida
la meva vida
01:59
to bringing down the walls
that separate people.
that separate people.
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a derrocar els murs que separen
les persones.
les persones.
02:03
I do so through many ways.
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Ho faig de diverses maneres.
02:05
Tourism is one of them,
but also media and education,
but also media and education,
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El turisme és una d'elles, però també
els mitjans de comunicació i l'educació,
els mitjans de comunicació i l'educació,
02:08
and you might be wondering,
really, can tourism change things?
really, can tourism change things?
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potser us esteu preguntant, "realment pot
el turisme canviar les coses?
el turisme canviar les coses?
02:12
Can it bring down walls? Yes.
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pot derrocar murs?" Sí.
02:14
Tourism is the best sustainable way
to bring down those walls
to bring down those walls
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El turisme és el millor mitjà sostenible
per derrocar aquests murs
per derrocar aquests murs
02:19
and to create a sustainable way
of connecting with each other
of connecting with each other
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i per crear una manera sostenible de
connectar-nos els uns amb els altres,
connectar-nos els uns amb els altres,
02:23
and creating friendships.
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i de crear noves amistats.
02:26
In 2009, I cofounded Mejdi Tours,
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Al 2009, vaig cofundar Mejdi Tours,
02:29
a social enterprise that
aims to connect people,
aims to connect people,
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una empresa social que té com a objectiu
connectar la gent,
connectar la gent,
02:33
with two Jewish friends, by the way,
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amb dos amics jueus, per cert,
02:35
and what we'll do, the model we did,
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i el que farem, el model que
vam crear sería
vam crear sería
02:38
for example, in Jerusalem,
we would have two tour guides,
we would have two tour guides,
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per exemple a Jerusalem,
hi hauríen 2 guies turístics,
hi hauríen 2 guies turístics,
02:41
one Israeli and one Palestinian,
guiding the trips together,
guiding the trips together,
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un israelià i un palestí que
guiarien junts les visites,
guiarien junts les visites,
02:44
telling history and narrative
and archaeology and conflict
and archaeology and conflict
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explicant la història, la narrativa,
l'aqueologia i el conflicte
l'aqueologia i el conflicte
02:48
from totally different perspectives.
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des de punts de vista
totalment diferents.
totalment diferents.
02:51
I remember running a trip together
with a friend named Kobi --
with a friend named Kobi --
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Recordo quan vaig fer un viatge
juntament amb el meu amic Kobi--
juntament amb el meu amic Kobi--
02:54
Jewish congregation from Chicago,
the trip was in Jerusalem --
the trip was in Jerusalem --
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d'una congregació jueva de Chicago, el
viatge era a Jerusalem--
viatge era a Jerusalem--
02:57
and we took them to a refugee camp,
a Palestinian refugee camp,
a Palestinian refugee camp,
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els vam portar a un camp de refugiats,
un camp de refugiats palestins
un camp de refugiats palestins
03:00
and there we had this amazing food.
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i allà ens van donar un menjar boníssim.
03:02
By the way, this is my mother. She's cool.
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Per cert, aquesta és la meva mare.
És fantàstica.
És fantàstica.
03:05
And that's the Palestinian
food called maqluba.
food called maqluba.
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Això és un plat típic palestí
que es diu Maqluba.
que es diu Maqluba.
03:08
It means "upside-down."
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Significa "al revés".
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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Es cuina amb arrós i pollastre, i
després se li dóna la volta.
després se li dóna la volta.
03:12
It's the best meal ever.
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És el millor plat que mai ha existit.
03:14
And we'll eat together.
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El vam menjar tots junts.
03:15
Then we had a joint band,
Israeli and Palestinian musicians,
Israeli and Palestinian musicians,
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Després, vam escoltar un grup
de músics israelians i palestins,
de músics israelians i palestins,
03:18
and we did some belly-dancing.
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i vam ballar la dansa del ventre.
03:20
If you don't know any,
I'll teach you later.
I'll teach you later.
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Si no en sabeu, després us
en puc ensenyar.
en puc ensenyar.
03:23
But when we left, both sides,
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Però quan vam marxar, ambdós cantons,
03:26
they were crying because
they did not want to leave.
they did not want to leave.
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ploraven perquè no volien marxar.
03:29
Three years later, those
relationships still exist.
relationships still exist.
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Tres anys més tard, aquestes amistats
encara existeixen.
encara existeixen.
03:33
Imagine with me
if the one billion people
if the one billion people
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Imaginem junts si el bilió de persones
03:35
who travel internationally
every year travel like this,
every year travel like this,
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que viatgen internacionalment
cada any ho fessin d'aquesta manera,
cada any ho fessin d'aquesta manera,
03:39
not being taken in the bus
from one side to another,
from one side to another,
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sense que se la portés en autobús
d'un lloc a un altre,
d'un lloc a un altre,
03:42
from one hotel to another,
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d'un hotel a un altre,
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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fent fotografies
des de la finestra de l'autobús,
des de la finestra de l'autobús,
03:48
but actually connecting with people.
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sinó connectant amb la gent.
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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Recordo un grup de musulmans
del Regne Unit,
del Regne Unit,
03:56
going to the house
of an Orthodox Jewish family,
of an Orthodox Jewish family,
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que va anar a la casa de una família
de jueus ortodoxos,
de jueus ortodoxos,
03:58
and having their first Friday night
dinners, that Sabbath dinner,
dinners, that Sabbath dinner,
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i en el primer sopar de la nit
de divendres, el sopar de sàbat,
de divendres, el sopar de sàbat,
04:03
and eating together hamin,
which is a Jewish food, a stew,
which is a Jewish food, a stew,
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van menjar junts hamin,
un plat jueu, un estofat,
un plat jueu, un estofat,
04:06
just having the connection
of realizing, after a while,
of realizing, after a while,
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i van connectar quan es van adonar,
al cap d'una estona,
al cap d'una estona,
04:09
that a hundred years ago,
their families came out
their families came out
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que feia 100 anys, les seves
families van venir
families van venir
04:12
of the same place in Northern Africa.
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del mateix lloc del nord d'Àfrica.
04:15
This is not a photo profile
for your Facebook.
for your Facebook.
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Això no és una foto de perfil
pel vostre Facebook.
pel vostre Facebook.
04:18
This is not disaster tourism.
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Això no és el turisme del desastre.
04:20
This is the future of travel,
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Aquest és el futur de viatjar,
04:23
and I invite you to join me to do that,
to change your travel.
to change your travel.
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i us convido a unir-vos, a que canvieu
la vostra manera de viatjar.
la vostra manera de viatjar.
04:26
We're doing it all over the world now,
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Ara fem això per tot el món,
04:28
from Ireland to Iran to Turkey,
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des d'Irlanda fins
a l'Iran i Turquia.
a l'Iran i Turquia.
04:30
and we see ourselves going
everywhere to change the world.
everywhere to change the world.
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i volem arribar a tot arreu
per canviar el món.
per canviar el món.
04:33
Thank you.
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Gràcies.
04:34
(Applause)
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(Aplaudiments)
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