ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Aziz Abu Sarah - Entrepreneur + educator
Aziz 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.

More profile about the speaker
Aziz Abu Sarah | Speaker | TED.com
TED2014

Aziz Abu Sarah: For more tolerance, we need more ... tourism?

Азiз Абу Сара: Для большай талерантнасці нам трэба больш.. турызму?

Filmed:
1,494,756 views

Азіз Абу Сара -- палестынскі актывіст з незвычайным падыходам да міратворчасці: Будзьце турыстамі. Гэты TED Fellow паказвае, як простыя зносіны з людзьмі розных культур могуць перакрэсліць дзесяцігоддзі нянавісці. Ён пачынае з гісторыі пра палестныцаў, што наведваюць ізраільцян і рухаецца далей ...
- Entrepreneur + educator
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,
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Я прадпрымальнік у сферы турызму
і міратворац,
00:15
but this is not how I started.
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але гэта не тое, з чаго я пачынаў.
00:18
When I was seven years old,
I remember watching television
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Калі мне было сем гадоў, я памятаю,
як глядзеў тэлевізар
00:21
and seeing people throwing rocks,
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і бачыў людзей, якія кідаюць камяні.
00:24
and thinking, this must be
a fun thing to do.
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Я думаў, што гэта павінна быць весела.
00:27
So I got out to the street
and threw rocks,
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Таму я выйшаў на вуліцу і кідаў камяні,
00:30
not realizing I was supposed
to throw rocks at Israeli cars.
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не ўсведамляючы, што павінен быў кідаць
камяні ў ізраільскія машыны.
00:34
Instead, I ended up stoning
my neighbors' cars. (Laughter)
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Замест гэтага, я кідаў камяні
ў машыны суседзяў. (Смех)
00:38
They were not enthusiastic
about my patriotism.
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Яны не былі ў захапленні
ад майго патрыятызму.
00:42
This is my picture with my brother.
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Гэта фотаздымак з маім братам.
00:44
This is me, the little one,
and I know what you're thinking:
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Гэта я, паменш, і я ведаю,
што вы падумалі:
00:47
"You used to look cute,
what the heck happened to you?"
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"Ты быў такім мілым,
што, каб іх чорт узяў,
з табой адбылося?"
00:50
But my brother, who is older than me,
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Але мой старэйшы брат
00:52
was arrested when he was 18,
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быў арыштаваны, калі яму было 18,
00:55
taken to prison on charges
of throwing stones.
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ён сеў у турму з-за кідання камянёў.
00:57
He was beaten up when he refused
to confess that he threw stones,
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Яго збілі, калі ён адмовіўся
прызнацца ў гэтым
01:01
and as a result, had internal injuries
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але ў выніку,
маючы ўнутраныя пашкоджанні,
01:04
that caused his death soon after
he was released from prison.
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ён памёр неўзабаве пасля таго
як выйшаў з турмы.
01:08
I was angry, I was bitter,
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Я быў злы, мне было балюча,
01:12
and all I wanted was revenge.
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і я жадаў помсты.
01:16
But that changed when I was 18.
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Але ўсё змянілася, калі мне было 18 гадоў.
01:18
I decided that I needed
Hebrew to get a job,
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я зразумеў, што мне патрэбен іўрыт,
каб атрымаць працу,
01:22
and going to study Hebrew
in that classroom
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і я пачаў вывучаць іўрыт у класе,
01:24
was the first time I ever met Jews
who were not soldiers.
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у якім упершыню сустрэў габрэяў,
якія не былі салдатамі.
01:30
And we connected over really small things,
like the fact that I love country music,
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І нас згуртавалі такія рэчы, як, напрыклад,
мая любоў да музыкі кантры,
01:34
which is really strange
for Palestinians.
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што вельмі дзіўна для палестынцаў.
01:38
But it was then that I realized also
that we have a wall of anger,
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Але я таксама зразумеў,
што паміж намі сцяна зла,
01:43
of hatred and of ignorance
that separates us.
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нянавісці і невуцтва,
якая падзяляе нас.
01:48
I decided that it doesn't matter
what happens to me.
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Я вырашыў, што ўсё роўна,
што адбываецца са мной.
01:53
What really matters is how I deal with it.
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Важна тое, як я зладжуся з гэтым чыннікам.
01:56
And therefore, I decided
to dedicate my life
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Таму, я вырашыў прысвяціць сваё жыццё
01:59
to bringing down the walls
that separate people.
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разбурэнню сцен, якія падзяляюць людзей.
02:03
I do so through many ways.
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Я раблю гэта рознымі шляхамі.
02:05
Tourism is one of them,
but also media and education,
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Турызм - адзін з іх, а таксама
СМІ і адукацыя.
02:08
and you might be wondering,
really, can tourism change things?
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Вы, магчыма, здзівіцеся:
як турызм можа змяніць нешта?
02:12
Can it bring down walls? Yes.
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Ці можа ён разбурыць сцены?
Так.
02:14
Tourism is the best sustainable way
to bring down those walls
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Турызм -- гэта найлепшы ўстойлівы шлях
для таго, каб разбурыць гэтыя сцены
02:19
and to create a sustainable way
of connecting with each other
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і стварыць устойлівыя сувязі
людзей для зносін адзін з адным
02:23
and creating friendships.
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і наладзіць сяброўства.
02:26
In 2009, I cofounded Mejdi Tours,
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У 2009 годзе я заснаваў Mejdi Tours,
02:29
a social enterprise that
aims to connect people,
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сацыяльны бізнэс, мэтай якога
з'яўляецца згуртаванне людзей.
02:33
with two Jewish friends, by the way,
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Заснаваў з двума сябрамі габрэямі,
між іншым.
02:35
and what we'll do, the model we did,
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І вось што мы робім.
02:38
for example, in Jerusalem,
we would have two tour guides,
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Напрыклад, у Іерусаліме мы арганізавалі
экскурсію з двума гідамі,
02:41
one Israeli and one Palestinian,
guiding the trips together,
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адзін з іх ізраільцянін,
другі -- палестынец,
яны разам праводзілі экскурсію,
02:44
telling history and narrative
and archaeology and conflict
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распавядаючы пра гісторыю,
археалогію і канфлікты
02:48
from totally different perspectives.
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з дзвюх абсалютна розных пазіцый.
02:51
I remember running a trip together
with a friend named Kobi --
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Я памятаю неяк я праводзіў экскурсію
са сваім сябрам Кобі
02:54
Jewish congregation from Chicago,
the trip was in Jerusalem --
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для габрэйскай абшчыны з Чыкага.
Экскурсія была ў Іерусаліме,
02:57
and we took them to a refugee camp,
a Palestinian refugee camp,
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і мы адвезлі іх у Палестынскі лагер
для ўцекачоў
03:00
and there we had this amazing food.
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і там была неверагодна смачная ежа.
03:02
By the way, this is my mother. She's cool.
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Дарэчы гэта мая мама. Яна класная.
03:05
And that's the Palestinian
food called maqluba.
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А гэта палестынская ежа, якая
завецца "малікба",
03:08
It means "upside-down."
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што азначае "пярэкрут".
03:09
You cook it with rice and chicken,
and you flip it upside-down.
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Яна робіцца з рысу і курыцы,
а потым пераварочваецца дагары нагамі.
03:12
It's the best meal ever.
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Гэта самая смачная страва.
03:14
And we'll eat together.
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І гэта ядуць разам.
03:15
Then we had a joint band,
Israeli and Palestinian musicians,
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А потым мы ўладкавалі зборны аркестр
з ізраільскімі і палестынскімі музыкамі.
03:18
and we did some belly-dancing.
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і ў нас былі ўсходнія танцы.
03:20
If you don't know any,
I'll teach you later.
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Калі вы ніколі не спрабавалі,
я навучу вас пазней.
03:23
But when we left, both sides,
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А калі мы сыходзілі,
03:26
they were crying because
they did not want to leave.
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усе плакалі, бо не жадалі сыходзіць.
03:29
Three years later, those
relationships still exist.
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Прайшло тры гады, а нашы адносіны
дагэтуль існуюць.
03:33
Imagine with me
if the one billion people
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Уявіце, калі адзін мільярд людзей
03:35
who travel internationally
every year travel like this,
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будзе падарожнічаць, як мы штогод,
не седзячы ў аўтобусе,
03:39
not being taken in the bus
from one side to another,
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03:42
from one hotel to another,
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не пераязджаючы з аднаго гатэля ў іншы,
03:45
taking pictures from the windows
of their buses of people and cultures,
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не фатаграфуючы з вокнаў сваіх аўтобусаў
людзей і помнікі,
03:48
but actually connecting with people.
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а проста маючы зносіны з людзьмі.
03:52
You know, I remember having
a Muslim group from the U.K.
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Я памятаю, у нас была група мусульман
з Вялікабрытаніі,
03:56
going to the house
of an Orthodox Jewish family,
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якія пайшлі ў артадаксальную
габрэйскую сям'ю,
03:58
and having their first Friday night
dinners, that Sabbath dinner,
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дзе ўпершыню паспрабавалі
пятніцкую вячэру, гэта значыць Шабат,
04:03
and eating together hamin,
which is a Jewish food, a stew,
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елі разам хамін, традыцыйную страву,
кшатлту рагу,
04:06
just having the connection
of realizing, after a while,
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а пасля кароткага часу даведаліся,
04:09
that a hundred years ago,
their families came out
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што іх сем'і больш за 100 гадоў таму
04:12
of the same place in Northern Africa.
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жылі ў адной мясцовасці ў Паўночнай Афрыцы.
04:15
This is not a photo profile
for your Facebook.
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Гэта не профіль да вашай
старонкі на Фэйсбуку.
04:18
This is not disaster tourism.
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Гэта не турызм па месцах катастроф.
04:20
This is the future of travel,
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Гэта будучыня вандраванняў.
04:23
and I invite you to join me to do that,
to change your travel.
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І я запрашаю далучыцца да мяне,
каб змяніць звыклыя для вас вандраванні.
04:26
We're doing it all over the world now,
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І мы робім гэта цяпер па ўсім свеце,
04:28
from Ireland to Iran to Turkey,
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ад Ірландыі да Ірана да Турцыі,
04:30
and we see ourselves going
everywhere to change the world.
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і мы будзем працаваць усюды, для таго,
каб змяніць свет да лепшага.
04:33
Thank you.
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Дзякуй.
04:34
(Applause)
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(Воплескі)
Translated by Darya Lelikova
Reviewed by Hanna Baradzina

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Aziz Abu Sarah - Entrepreneur + educator
Aziz 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.

More profile about the speaker
Aziz Abu Sarah | Speaker | TED.com

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