Marc Bamuthi Joseph: What soccer can teach us about freedom
Marc Bamuthi Joseph: Vad fotboll kan lära oss om frihet
TED Fellow Marc Bamuthi Joseph is a curator of words, ideas and protagonists. His bold, poetically-driven work investigates social issues and cultural identity. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
rising up against gravity
on the soccer pitch.
på fotbollsplanen.
to revive the dead,
som kan återuppväcka döda,
at a contemporary arts center,
på ett centrum för samtida konst,
that doesn't bleed or sweat or cry.
som inte blöder, svettas eller gråter.
are going to live in a time
kommer att leva i en tid
are fresh water and empathy.
är färskvatten och empati.
and majestic sculpture
och majestätiska skulpturer
to turn that inspiration
som förvandlar den inspirationen
who loves sports.
en teaterskapare som älskar sport.
my latest piece /peh-LO-tah/
mitt senaste verk /peh-LO-tah/
was a means for my own immigrant family
var ett sätt för min invandrade familj
and normality and community
och normalitet och gemenskap
and assault on immigrant identity,
och angrepp mot invandraridentiteten
as an affirmational tool
som ett verktyg för bekräftelse
and immigrant kids,
och invandrarbarn,
movement patterns on the field
att rörelsemönster på planen
across social and political borders.
över sociala och politiska gränser.
play on endangered ground.
that they use to plan the next goal
för att planera nästa mål
to navigate the next block.
för att lotsa sig igenom nästa kvarter.
and even divisively,
och till och med avskiljande,
"build this wall,"
"bygg den här muren",
that are beautifully designed
som är förträffligt designade
back to something that exists inside
till något som existerar inombords
part soccer tournament,
dels fotbollsturnering,
field of inquiry
political action for young people.
politisk handling för ungdomar.
"Moving and Passing."
site-specific performance
platsbundna prestationer
for the urgent question
för den angelägna frågan
a 15-year-old kid from Honduras
en femtonårig grabb från Honduras
to two Nigerian immigrants.
vars föräldrar invandrat från Nigeria.
dribbling through cones
att dribbla mellan koner
a marching band comes down the field.
en musikkår över planen.
with the exuberance of culture,
med vitaliteten i kulturen,
politiskt upplyst genom konst,
would explain Black Lives Matter,
skulle förklara Black Lives Matter,
would explain gun control,
skulle förklara vapenlagar,
is the perfect metaphor
är en perfekt metafor
i amerikansk exceptionalism.
också vår egen frihet.
that we can all agree to do together.
är överens om att göra tillsammans.
of this spinning ball.
på vår snurrande boll.
to connect the joy of the game
glädjen i spelet
in sight of a better position.
för att hitta en bättre position.
to connect their families' histories
koppla samman deras familjers historier
efter att man har gjort mål,
after the ball beats the goalie,
efter att bollen har överlistat målvakten,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Marc Bamuthi Joseph - Arts activist, spoken word artistTED Fellow Marc Bamuthi Joseph is a curator of words, ideas and protagonists. His bold, poetically-driven work investigates social issues and cultural identity.
Why you should listen
Marc Bamuthi Joseph is a steadfast believer in empathy as the most valuable currency in building community, and he seeks to spark curiosity and dialogue about freedom, compassion and fearlessness through pioneering arts stewardship and education. A 2017 TEDGlobal Fellow, Bamuthi graced the cover of Smithsonian Magazine as one of America's Top Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences; artistically directed HBO's "Russell Simmons presents Brave New Voices"; and is an inaugural recipient of the United States Artists Rockefeller Fellowship, which annually recognizes 50 of the country’s greatest living artists. Dance Magazine named him a Top Influencer in 2017.
Bamuthi's evening-length work, red black and GREEN: a blues, was nominated for a 2013 Bessie Award for "Outstanding Production (of a work stretching the boundaries of a traditional form)" and he has won numerous grants including from the National Endowment for the Arts and Creative Capital Foundation. His noted work /peh-LO-tah/ is inspired by soccer and Bamuthi's first generation American experience, intersecting global economics, cross-border fan culture and the politics of joy.
Bamuthi is the founding Program Director of the non-profit Youth Speaks, and he is a co-founder of Life is Living, a national series of one-day festivals which activate under-resourced parks and affirm peaceful urban life. His essays have been published in Harvard Education Press; he has lectured at more than 200 colleges, has carried adjunct professorships at Stanford and Lehigh, among others, and currently serves as Chief of Program and Pedagogy at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
Marc Bamuthi Joseph | Speaker | TED.com