ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sisonke Msimang - Writer, activist
Sisonke Msimang untangles the threads of race, class and gender that run through the fabric of African and global culture.

Why you should listen

Sisonke Msimang tells stories about justice and human rights. In the early part of her career, Msimang set up a fund fight for people whose health had been compromised by their race, class and gender identities. In 2008 she became the executive director of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, responsible for making grants on human rights projects. Msimang is now the head of programs at the Centre for Stories, a new initiative that collects, preserves and shares stories about migrants, refugees and diverse people and places linked to the Indian Ocean Rim.

Msimang has been awarded a number of fellowships including from Yale University, the University of the Witwatersrand and the Aspen Institute. She also contributes regularly to the New York Times, Newsweek, the Guardian and a range of other outlets. You can watch her Moth talk on the power of listening here.

More profile about the speaker
Sisonke Msimang | Speaker | TED.com
TEDWomen 2016

Sisonke Msimang: If a story moves you, act on it

Filmed:
1,365,356 views

Stories are necessary, but they're not as magical as they seem, says writer Sisonke Msimang. In this funny and thoughtful talk, Msimang questions our emphasis on storytelling and spotlights the decline of facts. During a critical time when listening has been confused for action, Msimang asks us to switch off our phones, step away from our screens and step out into the real world to create a plan for justice.
- Writer, activist
Sisonke Msimang untangles the threads of race, class and gender that run through the fabric of African and global culture. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
So earlier this year,
0
760
1616
00:14
I was informed that I would be
doing a TED Talk.
1
2400
3816
00:18
So I was excited, then I panicked,
2
6240
1976
00:20
then I was excited, then I panicked,
3
8240
2016
00:22
and in between the excitement
and the panicking,
4
10280
2536
00:24
I started to do my research,
5
12840
2296
00:27
and my research primarily consisted
of Googling how to give a great TED Talk.
6
15160
4456
00:31
(Laughter)
7
19640
1216
00:32
And interspersed with that,
8
20880
1656
00:34
I was Googling Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
9
22560
2696
00:37
How many of you know who that is?
10
25280
1616
00:38
(Cheers)
11
26920
2776
00:41
So I was Googling her
because I always Google her
12
29720
2335
00:44
because I'm just a fan,
13
32080
1256
00:45
but also because she always has
important and interesting things to say.
14
33360
3616
00:49
And the combination of those searches
15
37000
3456
00:52
kept leading me to her talk
16
40480
2616
00:55
on the dangers of a single story,
17
43120
3176
00:58
on what happens
when we have a solitary lens
18
46320
3376
01:01
through which to understand
certain groups of people,
19
49720
2496
01:04
and it is the perfect talk.
20
52240
1960
01:07
It's the talk that I would have given
if I had been famous first.
21
55720
4336
01:12
(Laughter)
22
60080
2176
01:14
You know, and you know,
like, she's African and I'm African,
23
62280
3376
01:17
and she's a feminist and I'm a feminist,
24
65680
1936
01:19
and she's a storyteller
and I'm a storyteller,
25
67640
2176
01:21
so I really felt like it's my talk.
26
69840
1816
01:23
(Laughter)
27
71680
2736
01:26
So I decided that I was going
to learn how to code,
28
74440
3296
01:29
and then I was going to hack the internet
29
77760
2016
01:31
and I would take down all the copies
of that talk that existed,
30
79800
3736
01:35
and then I would memorize it,
31
83560
1416
01:37
and then I would come here
and deliver it as if it was my own speech.
32
85000
3256
01:40
So that plan was going really well,
except the coding part,
33
88280
3176
01:43
and then one morning a few months ago,
34
91480
3896
01:47
I woke up
35
95400
1576
01:49
to the news that the wife
of a certain presidential candidate
36
97000
5456
01:54
had given a speech that --
37
102480
2976
01:57
(Laughter)
38
105480
1936
01:59
(Applause)
39
107440
2560
02:04
that sounded eerily like a speech
given by one of my other faves,
40
112960
4616
02:09
Michelle Obama.
41
117600
1216
02:10
(Cheers)
42
118840
2096
02:12
And so I decided that I should
probably write my own TED Talk,
43
120960
4016
02:17
and so that is what I am here to do.
44
125000
2496
02:19
I'm here to talk about
my own observations about storytelling.
45
127520
4320
02:24
I want to talk to you
about the power of stories, of course,
46
132640
3976
02:28
but I also want to talk
about their limitations,
47
136640
2936
02:31
particularly for those of us
who are interested in social justice.
48
139600
4040
02:36
So since Adichie gave that talk
seven years ago,
49
144280
2896
02:39
there has been a boom in storytelling.
50
147200
2256
02:41
Stories are everywhere,
51
149480
2736
02:44
and if there was a danger
in the telling of one tired old tale,
52
152240
3936
02:48
then I think there has got to be
lots to celebrate about the flourishing
53
156200
4336
02:52
of so many stories and so many voices.
54
160560
2776
02:55
Stories are the antidote to bias.
55
163360
2800
02:58
In fact, today, if you are middle class
and connected via the internet,
56
166960
5056
03:04
you can download stories
at the touch of a button
57
172040
3136
03:07
or the swipe of a screen.
58
175200
1376
03:08
You can listen to a podcast
59
176600
1816
03:10
about what it's like
to grow up Dalit in Kolkata.
60
178440
3896
03:14
You can hear an indigenous
man in Australia
61
182360
2496
03:16
talk about the trials and triumphs
of raising his children in dignity
62
184880
4096
03:21
and in pride.
63
189000
1336
03:22
Stories make us fall in love.
64
190360
1976
03:24
They heal rifts and they bridge divides.
65
192360
3176
03:27
Stories can even make it easier for us
66
195560
1856
03:29
to talk about the deaths
of people in our societies
67
197440
2656
03:32
who don't matter,
because they make us care.
68
200120
2456
03:34
Right?
69
202600
1200
03:36
I'm not so sure,
70
204800
1256
03:38
and I actually work for a place
called the Centre for Stories.
71
206080
3080
03:41
And my job is to help to tell stories
72
209840
4416
03:46
that challenge mainstream narratives
about what it means to be black
73
214280
3536
03:49
or a Muslim or a refugee
or any of those other categories
74
217840
3056
03:52
that we talk about all the time.
75
220920
3016
03:55
But I come to this work
76
223960
1216
03:57
after a long history
as a social justice activist,
77
225200
3496
04:00
and so I'm really interested in the ways
78
228720
2136
04:02
that people talk
about nonfiction storytelling
79
230880
2696
04:05
as though it's about
more than entertainment,
80
233600
2336
04:07
as though it's about being
a catalyst for social action.
81
235960
2960
04:11
It's not uncommon to hear people say
82
239560
2656
04:14
that stories make
the world a better place.
83
242240
3000
04:18
Increasingly, though, I worry
that even the most poignant stories,
84
246960
3216
04:22
particularly the stories about people
who no one seems to care about,
85
250200
3936
04:26
can often get in the way
of action towards social justice.
86
254160
3416
04:29
Now, this is not because
storytellers mean any harm.
87
257600
3816
04:33
Quite the contrary.
88
261440
1256
04:34
Storytellers are often do-gooders
like me and, I suspect, yourselves.
89
262720
4240
04:39
And the audiences of storytellers
90
267600
3056
04:42
are often deeply compassionate
and empathetic people.
91
270680
3240
04:46
Still, good intentions
can have unintended consequences,
92
274360
4816
04:51
and so I want to propose that stories
are not as magical as they seem.
93
279200
4040
04:55
So three -- because
it's always got to be three --
94
283680
2896
04:58
three reasons why I think
95
286600
2216
05:00
that stories don't necessarily
make the world a better place.
96
288840
4680
05:06
Firstly, stories can create
an illusion of solidarity.
97
294320
4056
05:10
There is nothing
like that feel-good factor you get
98
298400
2536
05:12
from listening to a fantastic story
99
300960
2136
05:15
where you feel like you
climbed that mountain, right,
100
303120
3376
05:18
or that you befriended
that death row inmate.
101
306520
2840
05:21
But you didn't.
102
309840
1416
05:23
You haven't done anything.
103
311280
1816
05:25
Listening is an important
104
313120
1776
05:26
but insufficient step
towards social action.
105
314920
2960
05:31
Secondly, I think often we are drawn
106
319120
2856
05:34
towards characters and protagonists
107
322000
2936
05:36
who are likable and human.
108
324960
3456
05:40
And this makes sense, of course, right?
109
328440
1896
05:42
Because if you like someone,
then you care about them.
110
330360
3056
05:45
But the inverse is also true.
111
333440
1400
05:47
If you don't like someone,
112
335400
1776
05:49
then you don't care about them.
113
337200
1936
05:51
And if you don't care about them,
114
339160
1856
05:53
you don't have to see yourself
as having a moral obligation
115
341040
3896
05:56
to think about the circumstances
that shaped their lives.
116
344960
3240
06:01
I learned this lesson
when I was 14 years old.
117
349000
3296
06:04
I learned that actually,
you don't have to like someone
118
352320
2776
06:07
to recognize their wisdom,
119
355120
1376
06:08
and you certainly
don't have to like someone
120
356520
2096
06:10
to take a stand by their side.
121
358640
1440
06:12
So my bike was stolen
122
360800
1800
06:15
while I was riding it --
123
363520
1456
06:17
(Laughter)
124
365000
1136
06:18
which is possible if you're
riding slowly enough, which I was.
125
366160
3576
06:21
(Laughter)
126
369760
1496
06:23
So one minute
I'm cutting across this field
127
371280
2976
06:26
in the Nairobi neighborhood
where I grew up,
128
374280
2296
06:28
and it's like a very bumpy path,
129
376600
2456
06:31
and so when you're riding a bike,
130
379080
1816
06:32
you don't want to be like, you know --
131
380920
2256
06:35
(Laughter)
132
383200
1400
06:38
And so I'm going like this,
slowly pedaling,
133
386160
4616
06:42
and all of a sudden, I'm on the floor.
134
390800
2576
06:45
I'm on the ground, and I look up,
135
393400
2176
06:47
and there's this kid peddling away
in the getaway vehicle,
136
395600
2776
06:50
which is my bike,
137
398400
1496
06:51
and he's about 11 or 12 years old,
and I'm on the floor,
138
399920
3256
06:55
and I'm crying because I saved
a lot of money for that bike,
139
403200
2856
06:58
and I'm crying and I stand up
and I start screaming.
140
406080
2576
07:00
Instinct steps in,
and I start screaming, "Mwizi, mwizi!"
141
408680
4256
07:04
which means "thief" in Swahili.
142
412960
1640
07:07
And out of the woodworks,
all of these people come out
143
415560
5016
07:12
and they start to give chase.
144
420600
1416
07:14
This is Africa, so mob justice in action.
145
422040
2256
07:16
Right?
146
424320
1456
07:17
And I round the corner,
and they've captured him,
147
425800
2776
07:20
they've caught him.
148
428600
1456
07:22
The suspect has been apprehended,
149
430080
2056
07:24
and they make him give me my bike back,
150
432160
3576
07:27
and they also make him apologize.
151
435760
1616
07:29
Again, you know,
typical African justice, right?
152
437400
3576
07:33
And so they make him say sorry.
153
441000
1496
07:34
And so we stand there facing each other,
154
442520
2336
07:36
and he looks at me, and he says sorry,
155
444880
2936
07:39
but he looks at me
with this unbridled fury.
156
447840
3496
07:43
He is very, very angry.
157
451360
3040
07:47
And it is the first time that I have been
confronted with someone
158
455440
3056
07:50
who doesn't like me
simply because of what I represent.
159
458520
2616
07:53
He looks at me
with this look as if to say,
160
461160
2056
07:55
"You, with your shiny skin
and your bike, you're angry at me?"
161
463240
3880
08:01
So it was a hard lesson
that he didn't like me,
162
469240
3256
08:04
but you know what, he was right.
163
472520
2056
08:06
I was a middle-class kid
living in a poor country.
164
474600
3496
08:10
I had a bike, and he barely had food.
165
478120
3240
08:13
Sometimes, it's the messages
that we don't want to hear,
166
481760
2936
08:16
the ones that make us
want to crawl out of ourselves,
167
484720
2496
08:19
that we need to hear the most.
168
487240
2576
08:21
For every lovable storyteller
who steals your heart,
169
489840
3176
08:25
there are hundreds more
whose voices are slurred and ragged,
170
493040
4376
08:29
who don't get to stand up on a stage
dressed in fine clothes like this.
171
497440
4680
08:34
There are a million
angry-boy-on-a-bike stories
172
502640
4296
08:38
and we can't afford to ignore them
173
506960
1656
08:40
simply because we don't like
their protagonists
174
508640
3136
08:43
or because that's not the kid
that we would bring home with us
175
511800
2936
08:46
from the orphanage.
176
514760
1200
08:48
The third reason that I think
177
516600
1856
08:50
that stories don't necessarily
make the world a better place
178
518480
3616
08:54
is that too often we are so invested
in the personal narrative
179
522120
3456
08:57
that we forget
to look at the bigger picture.
180
525600
2840
09:00
And so we applaud someone
181
528880
1896
09:02
when they tell us
about their feelings of shame,
182
530800
2656
09:05
but we don't necessarily
link that to oppression.
183
533480
3160
09:09
We nod understandingly
when someone says they felt small,
184
537080
3656
09:12
but we don't link that to discrimination.
185
540760
2040
09:15
The most important stories,
especially for social justice,
186
543600
2816
09:18
are those that do both,
187
546440
1816
09:20
that are both personal and allow us
to explore and understand the political.
188
548280
4760
09:25
But it's not just
about the stories we like
189
553920
2016
09:27
versus the stories we choose to ignore.
190
555960
1896
09:29
Increasingly, we are living in a society
where there are larger forces at play,
191
557880
3936
09:33
where stories are actually for many people
beginning to replace the news.
192
561840
4360
09:38
Yeah?
193
566640
1216
09:39
We live in a time where we are witnessing
the decline of facts,
194
567880
3376
09:43
when emotions rule
195
571280
2216
09:45
and analysis, it's kind of boring, right?
196
573520
3096
09:48
Where we value what we feel
more than what we actually know.
197
576640
4200
09:54
A recent report by the Pew Center
on trends in America
198
582040
4296
09:58
indicates that only 10 percent
of young adults under the age of 30
199
586360
5776
10:04
"place a lot of trust in the media."
200
592160
3376
10:07
Now, this is significant.
201
595560
1800
10:09
It means that storytellers
are gaining trust
202
597840
2616
10:12
at precisely the same moment
203
600480
1376
10:13
that many in the media
are losing the confidence in the public.
204
601880
3320
10:18
This is not a good thing,
205
606040
2576
10:20
because while stories are important
206
608640
1776
10:22
and they help us
to have insights in many ways,
207
610440
2216
10:24
we need the media.
208
612680
1856
10:26
From my years
as a social justice activist,
209
614560
2496
10:29
I know very well that we need
credible facts from media institutions
210
617080
6096
10:35
combined with the powerful voices
of storytellers.
211
623200
4016
10:39
That's what pushes the needle forward
in terms of social justice.
212
627240
3520
10:43
In the final analysis, of course,
213
631840
2720
10:48
it is justice
214
636480
1816
10:50
that makes the world a better place,
215
638320
1736
10:52
not stories. Right?
216
640080
1960
10:55
And so if it is justice that we are after,
217
643080
3056
10:58
then I think we mustn't focus
on the media or on storytellers.
218
646160
3416
11:01
We must focus on audiences,
219
649600
2696
11:04
on anyone who has ever turned on a radio
220
652320
3096
11:07
or listened to a podcast,
221
655440
1816
11:09
and that means all of us.
222
657280
2096
11:11
So a few concluding thoughts
223
659400
2136
11:13
on what audiences can do
to make the world a better place.
224
661560
3880
11:18
So firstly, the world
would be a better place, I think,
225
666000
3936
11:21
if audiences were more curious
and more skeptical
226
669960
3576
11:25
and asked more questions
about the social context
227
673560
2616
11:28
that created those stories
that they love so much.
228
676200
3080
11:32
Secondly, the world
would be a better place
229
680200
2256
11:34
if audiences recognized
that storytelling is intellectual work.
230
682480
3680
11:39
And I think it would
be important for audiences
231
687640
2936
11:42
to demand more buttons
on their favorite websites,
232
690600
5336
11:47
buttons for example that say,
233
695960
2696
11:50
"If you liked this story,
234
698680
1616
11:52
click here to support a cause
your storyteller believes in."
235
700320
4056
11:56
Or "click here to contribute
to your storyteller's next big idea."
236
704400
5160
12:02
Often, we are committed to the platforms,
237
710480
2576
12:05
but not necessarily
to the storytellers themselves.
238
713080
2456
12:07
And then lastly, I think that audiences
can make the world a better place
239
715560
5096
12:12
by switching off their phones,
240
720680
2080
12:15
by stepping away from their screens
241
723560
2016
12:17
and stepping out into the real world
beyond what feels safe.
242
725600
4480
12:22
Alice Walker has said,
243
730840
2016
12:24
"Look closely at the present
you are constructing.
244
732880
3776
12:28
It should look like the future
you are dreaming."
245
736680
3160
12:32
Storytellers can help us to dream,
246
740640
2216
12:34
but it's up to all of us
to have a plan for justice.
247
742880
3800
12:39
Thank you.
248
747480
1216
12:40
(Applause)
249
748720
4350

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sisonke Msimang - Writer, activist
Sisonke Msimang untangles the threads of race, class and gender that run through the fabric of African and global culture.

Why you should listen

Sisonke Msimang tells stories about justice and human rights. In the early part of her career, Msimang set up a fund fight for people whose health had been compromised by their race, class and gender identities. In 2008 she became the executive director of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, responsible for making grants on human rights projects. Msimang is now the head of programs at the Centre for Stories, a new initiative that collects, preserves and shares stories about migrants, refugees and diverse people and places linked to the Indian Ocean Rim.

Msimang has been awarded a number of fellowships including from Yale University, the University of the Witwatersrand and the Aspen Institute. She also contributes regularly to the New York Times, Newsweek, the Guardian and a range of other outlets. You can watch her Moth talk on the power of listening here.

More profile about the speaker
Sisonke Msimang | Speaker | TED.com