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?

Aziz Abu Sarah: Za više tolerancije, trebamo više ... turizma?

Filmed:
1,494,756 views

Aziz Abu Sarah palestinski je aktivist sa neobičnim pristupom održavanju mira: Budite turist. TED Fellow pokazuje kako jednostavne interakcije s ljudima iz drugih kultura mogu erodirati desetljeća mržnje. Počinje sa Palestincima koji posjećuju Izraelce i ide dalje ...
- 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 tourismturizam entrepreneurpoduzetnik
and a peacebuilderpeacebuilder,
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Ja sam turistički poduzetnik
i graditelj mira,
00:15
but this is not how I startedpočeo.
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ali nisam tako počeo.
00:18
When I was sevensedam yearsgodina oldstar,
I rememberzapamtiti watchinggledanje televisiontelevizija
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Kada sam imao sedam godina,
sjećam se da sam gledao televiziju
00:21
and seeingvidim people throwingbacanje rocksstijene,
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i vidio ljude kako bacaju kamenje,
00:24
and thinkingmišljenje, this mustmora be
a funzabava thing to do.
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i pomislio sam kako
to mora biti zabavno raditi.
00:27
So I got out to the streetulica
and threwbacio rocksstijene,
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Tako da sam izašao na ulicu
i bacao kamenje,
00:30
not realizingrealizirati I was supposedtrebala
to throwbacanje rocksstijene at IsraeliIzraelski carsautomobili.
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ne shvaćajući da sam ih trebao
bacati na izraelske aute.
00:34
InsteadUmjesto toga, I endedzavršeno up stoningkamenovanje
my neighbors'susjedima' carsautomobili. (LaughterSmijeh)
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Umjesto toga, završio sam kamenujući
automobile susjeda. (Smijeh)
00:38
They were not enthusiasticoduševljeni
about my patriotismpatriotizam.
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Nisu bili oduševljeni mojim patriotizmom.
00:42
This is my pictureslika with my brotherbrat.
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Ovo je moja slika s bratom.
00:44
This is me, the little one,
and I know what you're thinkingmišljenje:
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Ovo sam ja, ovaj mali,
i znam što mislite:
00:47
"You used to look cuteslatka,
what the heckpakao happeneddogodilo to you?"
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"Bio si tako sladak,
što se dogodilo s tobom?"
00:50
But my brotherbrat, who is olderstariji than me,
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Ali moj brat, koji je stariji od mene,
00:52
was arresteduhićen when he was 18,
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uhićen je kada je imao 18,
00:55
takenpoduzete to prisonzatvor on chargesnaknade
of throwingbacanje stoneskamenje.
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i odveli su ga u zatvor
pod optužbom da je bacao kamenje.
00:57
He was beatentučen up when he refusedodbio
to confesspriznati that he threwbacio stoneskamenje,
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Pretučen je kada je odbio priznati
da je bacao kamenje,
01:01
and as a resultproizlaziti, had internalinterni injuriesozljede
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i kao posljedicu imao je
unutarnje ozlijede
01:04
that causedizazvan his deathsmrt soonuskoro after
he was releasedoslobođen from prisonzatvor.
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koje su uzrokovale njegovu smrt ubrzo
nakon što je izašao iz pritvora.
01:08
I was angryljut, I was bittergorak,
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Bio sam ljut, ogorčen,
01:12
and all I wanted was revengeosveta.
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i sve što sam htio bila je osveta.
01:16
But that changedpromijenjen when I was 18.
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Ali to se promijenilo kada sam imao 18.
01:18
I decidedodlučio that I neededpotreban
Hebrewhebrejski to get a jobposao,
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Odlučio sam da trebam hebrejski
da dobijem posao
01:22
and going to studystudija Hebrewhebrejski
in that classroomučionica
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i kada sam krenuo učiti hebrejski
u toj učionici
01:24
was the first time I ever metsastali JewsŽidovi
who were not soldiersvojnici.
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je bio prvi put da sam upoznao
Židove koji nisu bili vojnici.
01:30
And we connectedpovezan over really smallmali things,
like the factčinjenica that I love countryzemlja musicglazba,
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I povezali smo se preko malih stvari,
kao činjenice da volim country glazbu,
01:34
whichkoji is really strangečudan
for PalestiniansPalestinci.
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što je stvarno čudno za Palestinca.
01:38
But it was then that I realizedshvatio alsotakođer
that we have a wallzid of angerbijes,
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Ali tada sam također shvatio
da imamo zid srdžbe,
01:43
of hatredmržnja and of ignoranceneznanje
that separatesodvaja us.
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mržnje i neznanja koji nas razdvaja.
01:48
I decidedodlučio that it doesn't matterstvar
what happensdogađa se to me.
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Odlučio sam da nije važno
što će se dogoditi meni.
01:53
What really matterspitanja is how I dealdogovor with it.
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Da je važno kako ću se s time nositi.
01:56
And thereforestoga, I decidedodlučio
to dedicateposvetiti my life
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I zbog toga, odlučio sam
posvetiti svoj život
01:59
to bringingdonošenje down the wallszidovi
that separateodvojen people.
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rušenju zidova koji
razdvajaju ljude.
02:03
I do so throughkroz manymnogi waysnačine.
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To činim na puno načina.
02:05
TourismTurizam is one of them,
but alsotakođer mediamedia and educationobrazovanje,
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Turizam je jedan od njih,
ali također mediji i edukacija,
02:08
and you mightmoć be wonderingpitate,
really, can tourismturizam changepromijeniti things?
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i možda se pitate, kako turizam
zapravo može promijenit stvari?
02:12
Can it bringdonijeti down wallszidovi? Yes.
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Može li srušiti zidove? Da.
02:14
TourismTurizam is the bestnajbolje sustainableodrživ way
to bringdonijeti down those wallszidovi
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Turizam je najbolji održivi način
za rušenje tih zidova
02:19
and to createstvoriti a sustainableodrživ way
of connectingspojni with eachsvaki other
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i stvaranja održivog načina
povezivanja jednih s drugima
02:23
and creatingstvaranje friendshipsprijateljstva.
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i stvaranja prijateljstava.
02:26
In 2009, I cofoundedosniva zajedno MejdiMejdi ToursTure,
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2009. suosnovao sam Mejdi Tours,
02:29
a socialsocijalni enterprisepoduzeće that
aimsima za cilj to connectSpojiti people,
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društveni poduhvat
koji želi povezati ljude,
02:33
with two JewishŽidovski friendsprijatelji, by the way,
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s dva židovska prijatelja, uzgred rečeno,
02:35
and what we'lldobro do, the modelmodel we did,
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i ono što ćemo napraviti,
model koji smo koristili,
02:38
for exampleprimjer, in JerusalemJeruzalem,
we would have two tourobilazak guidesVodiči,
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na primjer, u Jeruzalemu,
imali bismo dva turistička vodiča,
02:41
one IsraeliIzraelski and one PalestinianPalestinski,
guidingvodeći the tripsputovanja togetherzajedno,
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jednog Izraelca i jednog Palestinca
koji su vodili zajedno,
02:44
tellingreći historypovijest and narrativepripovijest
and archaeologyArheologija and conflictsukob
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pričali povijest i pripovjetke
i arheologiju i sukobe
02:48
from totallypotpuno differentdrugačiji perspectivesperspektive.
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s potpuno različitih gledišta.
02:51
I rememberzapamtiti runningtrčanje a tripputovanje togetherzajedno
with a friendprijatelj namedpod nazivom KobiKobi --
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Sjećam se vođenja putovanja zajedno s
prijateljem kojeg zovu Kobi --
02:54
JewishŽidovski congregationKongregacija from ChicagoChicago,
the tripputovanje was in JerusalemJeruzalem --
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Židovska zajednica iz Chicaga,
put je bio u Jeruzalem --
02:57
and we tookuzeo them to a refugeeizbjeglica campkamp,
a PalestinianPalestinski refugeeizbjeglica campkamp,
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i odveli smo ih u izbjeglički kamp,
palestinski izbjeglički kamp,
03:00
and there we had this amazingnevjerojatan foodhrana.
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gdje smo jeli ovu fantastičnu hranu.
03:02
By the way, this is my mothermajka. She's coolsvjež.
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Usput, ovo je moja majka.
Ona je cool.
03:05
And that's the PalestinianPalestinski
foodhrana calledzvao maqlubamaqluba.
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A ovo je palestinska hrana imena maqluba.
03:08
It meanssredstva "upside-downnaopako."
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To znači "naopako."
03:09
You cookkuhati it with riceriža and chickenpiletina,
and you flipdrzak it upside-downnaopako.
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Kuhate ju s rižom i piletinom
i okrenete ju naopako.
03:12
It's the bestnajbolje mealobrok ever.
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To je najbolje jelo ikad.
03:14
And we'lldobro eatjesti togetherzajedno.
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I svi smo jeli zajedno.
03:15
Then we had a jointzajednički bandbend,
IsraeliIzraelski and PalestinianPalestinski musiciansglazbenici,
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Onda smo imali zajednički bend,
izraelskih i palestinskih glazbenika,
03:18
and we did some belly-dancingtrbušni ples.
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a bilo je i trbušnog plesa.
03:20
If you don't know any,
I'll teachučiti you laterkasnije.
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Ako ga ne znate, naučit ću vas kasnije.
03:23
But when we left, bothoba sidesstrane,
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Ali kada smo otišli, obje strane
03:26
they were cryingplakati because
they did not want to leavenapustiti.
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su plakale jer nisu htjele otići.
03:29
ThreeTri yearsgodina laterkasnije, those
relationshipsodnosa still existpostojati.
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Tri godine kasnije, te veze još postoje.
03:33
ImagineZamislite with me
if the one billionmilijardi people
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Zamislite sa mnom da milijarda ljudi
03:35
who travelputovati internationallymeđunarodno
everysvaki yeargodina travelputovati like this,
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koja putuje svijetom svake godine
putuje ovako.
03:39
not beingbiće takenpoduzete in the busautobus
from one sidestrana to anotherjoš,
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ne vozeći se u autobusu
s jedne strane na drugu,
03:42
from one hotelhotel to anotherjoš,
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od jednog do drugog hotela,
03:45
takinguzimanje picturesSlike from the windowsprozori
of theirnjihov busesautobusi of people and cultureskulture,
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slikajući slike kulture i ljudi
s prozora autobusa,
03:48
but actuallyzapravo connectingspojni with people.
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već povezujući se s ljudima.
03:52
You know, I rememberzapamtiti havingima
a MuslimMuslimanske groupskupina from the U.K.
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Znate, sjećam se muslimanske grupe
iz Velike Britaniije
koja je išla u kuću židovske obitelji,
03:56
going to the housekuća
of an OrthodoxPravoslavna JewishŽidovski familyobitelj,
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03:58
and havingima theirnjihov first FridayPetak night
dinnersvečere, that SabbathŠabat dinnervečera,
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i jela svoju prvu večeru u petak,
večeru šabata,
04:03
and eatingjelo togetherzajedno haminHamin,
whichkoji is a JewishŽidovski foodhrana, a stewgulaš,
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i jedući zajedno hamin,
to je židovsko jelo, gulaš,
04:06
just havingima the connectionveza
of realizingrealizirati, after a while,
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povezujući se i shvaćajući,
nakon nekog vremena
04:09
that a hundredstotina yearsgodina agoprije,
theirnjihov familiesobitelji camedošao out
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da su prije stotinu godina
njihove obitelji potekle
04:12
of the sameisti placemjesto in NorthernSjeverni AfricaAfrika.
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iz istog mjesta u Sjevernoj Africi.
04:15
This is not a photofoto profileProfil
for your FacebookFacebook.
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Ovo nije foto profil za vaš Facebook.
04:18
This is not disasterkatastrofa tourismturizam.
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Ovo nije turizam katastrofe.
04:20
This is the futurebudućnost of travelputovati,
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Ovo je budućnost putovanja,
04:23
and I invitepozvati you to joinpridružiti me to do that,
to changepromijeniti your travelputovati.
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i pozivam vas da mi se pridružite u tome,
da promijenite vaša putovanja.
04:26
We're doing it all over the worldsvijet now,
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To sada činimo širom svijeta,
04:28
from IrelandIrska to IranIran to TurkeyTurska,
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od Irske do Irana i Turske,
04:30
and we see ourselvessebe going
everywheresvugdje, posvuda to changepromijeniti the worldsvijet.
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i vidimo se kako idemo svuda
da bi promijenili svijet.
Hvala vam.
04:33
Thank you.
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(Pljesak)
04:34
(ApplausePljesak)
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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