Nabila Alibhai: Why people of different faiths are painting their houses of worship yellow
Nabila Alibhai: De ce oamenii de diferite credințe îşi vopsesc lăcaşele de cult în galben
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.
can either be to contract
e fie să ne închidem
pe noi înşine,
hold on to each other,
să ne ţinem unii de alţii,
este suprasolicitată
goes into overdrive
that we no longer engage with.
cu care nu mai interacţionăm.
and we lose empathy.
şi ne pierdem empatia.
despre un grup de oameni
about a group of people
a terorismului
challenge of terrorism
where strangers connect in solidarity.
unde străinii se unesc în solidaritate.
as irrational divisions began as a child.
fără sens a început în copilărie.
Kenyan Muslim of Indian origin,
musulmane kenyene de origine indiană,
timp de patru generaţii
în familia mea
marriage in my family
to do with colonialism?
of the same public spaces with others.
din acelaşi spaţii publice cu alţii.
şi mi-au influențat alegerile în carieră.
and they drove my career choices.
in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed.
în Kenya şi Tanzania au fost bombardate.
eram în drum spre Orientul Mijlociu
to the Middle East
to find insecure environments to work in,
medii nesigure în care să lucrez
as the time of terrorism.
drept vremea terorismului.
when 9/11 happened,
când a avut loc atacul din 11.09,
to Kenya to work with refugees
ca să lucrez cu refugiaţii
to Nairobi from Afghanistan.
din Afganistan.
had besieged Westgate shopping center,
centrul comercial Westgate,
in a day of utter horror.
într-o zi de teroare absolută.
was beginning to change,
începuse să se schimbe,
more like the fear and terror-weary
sătule de frică şi teroare
in fear-driven ways.
condus de teamă.
an erosion of human connection.
relaţiilor umane.
religious lines are deepening,
se adâncesc,
how much we have in common.
de câte avem în comun.
our confidence in humanity
încrederea în umanitate
curajoşi şi vizibili.
a group of people in Nairobi
un grup de oameni în Nairobi
artists, development workers.
artişti, dezvoltatori.
our challenge as threefold:
provocarea noastră ca fiind una triplă:
from the narrative of terrorism
de sub influenţa terorismului
of the people that live there;
care locuiesc acolo;
beyond race, tribe or religion
ce nu ţine cont de rasă, trib sau religie
transcend our differences;
dincolo de diferenţele noastre;
that would help restore empathy
să restabilim empatia,
was an artist and architect,
era artist şi arhitect,
in other parts of the world
and spectacular ways.
frumoase şi spectaculoase.
of different faiths
oameni de diferite culte
each other's houses of worship,
lăcaşele de cult,
the true essence of their faith,
adevărata esenţă a cultului lor,
in kindness, generosity and friendship.
în bunătate, generozitate şi prietenie.
between houses of worship
a paintbrush with other neighbors,
cu alţi vecini,
and with their hearts.
sculptures in the landscape
ar deveni sculpturi în peisaj
from very different backgrounds
din medii foarte diferite,
began approaching houses of worship:
să abordăm lăcaşe de cult:
to more than 60 rabbis,
am mers la peste 60 de rabini,
by a global pandemic of fear
de o epidemie de frică globală
with the hierarchy of decision-making
would have to make the decision.
ar trebui să decidă.
to the archbishop.
arhiepiscopului.
the people that pay for the building
persoanele care plătesc pentru clădire
şi pentru vopsirea clădirilor
and the painting of the buildings
of missionary and donor dependence
şi dependenţa de donatori
unconditional civic action,
acţiunea civică necondiţionată
would keep asking us
ne tot ruga
we wouldn't be here.
painfully late in the game
is code for getting paid to participate.
pentru a fi plătit să participi.
is it really faith?"
mai este asta credinţă?”
asking the question,
asking the question,
was the perceived risk of standing apart.
riscul perceput de a rămâne pe dinafară.
that flat-out refused to participate
categoric să participe
drawing attention to itself
that also feared becoming a target.
se temea să nu devină o ţintă.
that pledged to participate.
au promis că vor participa.
and reinforced it with their own meaning.
i-au adăugat propriile lor semnificaţii.
that they're not terrorists.
că ei nu sunt terorişti.
through their doors to ask questions.
care să le pună întrebări.
să construiască o punte
şi cea tânără,
and the younger generation,
many faiths are grappling with right now.
multe religii acum.
to build neighborhood solidarity
să clădeze solidaritate în cartier
through their congregations
prin congregaţiile lor
stepped forward and helped
au intervenit şi au ajutat
civil society organizations.
organizaţiilor societăţii civile.
a thousand liters of yellow paint
o mie de litri de vopsea galbenă,
in what they now call "optimistic yellow."
în ceea ce ei numesc „galben optimist”.
joined forces with a university
cu o universitate
pe Tweeter
on issues of faith,
pe problema credinţei,
in the context of religion,
nu doar în contextul religiei,
and tribe and nation,
trib şi naţiune,
and in the younger generation.
dar şi în cea mai tânără.
was launched at a gallery event
a fost lansat la o expoziţie
of gallerygoers
de iubitori de artă
and artists and businesspeople.
şi oameni de afaceri.
picking up a paintbrush,
de a lua în mână pensula,
of the conversation and connection
din dialogul şi conexiunea
and painted a church yellow,
şi au vopsit o biserică în galben,
performed while we painted.
în timp ce noi vopseam.
did features on Colour in Faith
despre Culoare în Credinţă
as a way of bringing communities together.
ca fiind un mod de a uni comunităţile.
au luminat,
continued to stay in touch.
politics with a platform of peace,
cu o platformă de pace,
as far as Argentina and the US
ca Argentina și SUA,
this idea, spreads across the world,
această idee să se răspândească în lume,
those who mean well in yellow.
pe cei care văd binele în galben.
neighborhoods together,
that when threats come knocking,
vor bate la ușă,
sift fact from rumor
can come together and send a message
se poate uni și poate trimite un mesaj
that wish to do us harm.
celor care vor să ne facă rău.
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