0:00:00.822,0:00:04.062
We live in a time of fear,

0:00:04.062,0:00:07.440
and our response to fear[br]can either be to contract

0:00:07.440,0:00:09.847
and attempt to guard ourselves

0:00:09.847,0:00:13.382
or to extend ourselves,[br]hold on to each other,

0:00:13.382,0:00:16.433
and face our fears together.

0:00:16.433,0:00:18.675
What is your instinct?

0:00:18.675,0:00:22.443
What do you see more of in the world?

0:00:22.443,0:00:24.327
The problem with the first approach

0:00:24.327,0:00:26.218
is that in our mounting isolation,

0:00:26.218,0:00:29.480
we divide ourselves from others.

0:00:29.480,0:00:31.892
Our sense of isolation grows,

0:00:31.892,0:00:34.651
because our imagination[br]goes into overdrive

0:00:34.651,0:00:37.672
about the people and the spaces[br]that we no longer engage with.

0:00:37.672,0:00:42.749
Our sense of otherness grows,[br]and we lose empathy.

0:00:42.749,0:00:45.627
Today I'm going to tell you[br]about a group of people

0:00:45.627,0:00:47.427
that took the global[br]challenge of terrorism

0:00:47.427,0:00:51.639
and began creating spaces[br]where strangers connect in solidarity.

0:00:53.228,0:00:58.110
My own obsession with what I see[br]as irrational divisions began as a child.

0:00:58.110,0:01:02.271
As a fourth-generation[br]Kenyan Muslim of Indian origin,

0:01:02.271,0:01:05.440
it bothered me that in four generations,[br]there wasn't a single marriage

0:01:05.440,0:01:09.000
in my family outside of my small[br]religious community.

0:01:09.000,0:01:11.614
And I wondered what that was about.

0:01:11.614,0:01:13.651
Was it fear?

0:01:13.651,0:01:15.582
Was it racism?

0:01:15.582,0:01:19.012
Was it cultural preservation?

0:01:19.012,0:01:21.978
Did it have something[br]to do with colonialism?

0:01:21.978,0:01:25.723
Certainly, we didn't share a lot[br]of the same public spaces with others.

0:01:25.723,0:01:32.503
These divisions bothered me deeply,[br]and they drove my career choices.

0:01:32.503,0:01:37.226
When I was 20, the US embassies[br]in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed.

0:01:38.744,0:01:41.410
A year later, I was on my way[br]to the Middle East

0:01:41.410,0:01:43.617
to study conflict resolution.

0:01:44.141,0:01:46.382
And then from that point on,[br]it wasn't very hard for me

0:01:46.382,0:01:48.969
to find insecure environments to work in,

0:01:48.969,0:01:50.798
because the world was quickly shifting

0:01:50.798,0:01:54.173
in what we now know[br]as the time of terrorism.

0:01:54.173,0:01:57.346
I was in Washington, DC[br]when 9/11 happened,

0:01:57.346,0:02:00.927
and then I moved back home[br]to Kenya to work with refugees,

0:02:00.927,0:02:03.253
and then later worked in Pakistan

0:02:03.253,0:02:05.929
and in Afghanistan.

0:02:05.929,0:02:09.087
In all of these places, what I noticed

0:02:09.087,0:02:11.577
was how important physical spaces are

0:02:11.577,0:02:14.027
to making us feel safe,

0:02:14.027,0:02:15.318
and well,

0:02:15.318,0:02:17.819
and like we belong.

0:02:17.819,0:02:22.434
In 2013, I came back home[br]to Nairobi from Afghanistan.

0:02:22.434,0:02:26.137
Al Shabaab operatives had besieged[br]Westgate shopping center,

0:02:26.137,0:02:31.353
killing 67 people in a day[br]of utter horror.

0:02:31.353,0:02:34.043
Soon after that,

0:02:34.043,0:02:36.696
I could see how Nairobi[br]was beginning to change,

0:02:36.696,0:02:41.660
and it was beginning to feel more[br]like the fear and terror-weary

0:02:41.660,0:02:45.554
and war-torn cities that I had worked in.

0:02:45.554,0:02:49.203
And Nairobi continues to grow[br]in fear-driven ways.

0:02:49.203,0:02:52.015
We see more walls, more barriers,

0:02:52.015,0:02:54.299
more security.

0:02:54.299,0:02:56.081
And like other parts of the world,

0:02:56.081,0:03:00.536
we are experiencing an erosion[br]of human connection.

0:03:00.536,0:03:03.337
Divisions along religious lines[br]are deepening,

0:03:03.337,0:03:08.730
and we're doubting more and more[br]how much we have in common.

0:03:08.730,0:03:11.255
We are at a pivotal time[br]when we need to restore

0:03:11.255,0:03:14.026
our confidence in humanity

0:03:14.026,0:03:17.957
and stand boldly and visibly together.

0:03:17.957,0:03:21.267
So in 2014, I brought together[br]a group of people in Nairobi

0:03:21.267,0:03:22.972
to figure out what to do:

0:03:22.972,0:03:28.430
public intellectuals, diplomats,[br]artists, development workers.

0:03:28.430,0:03:33.251
And the group articulated[br]our challenge as threefold:

0:03:33.251,0:03:37.196
one, to reclaim the city[br]from the narrative of terrorism

0:03:37.196,0:03:40.277
and back into the hands[br]of the people that lived there;

0:03:40.277,0:03:44.553
two, introduce a language[br]beyond race, tribe, or religion

0:03:47.977,0:03:48.227
that would help us[br]transcend our differences;

0:03:48.602,0:03:52.372
and three, provide a gesture[br]that would help restore empathy

0:03:52.372,0:03:56.495
and conversation and trust.

0:03:56.495,0:03:59.749
One of the people in this group[br]was an artist and architect,

0:03:59.749,0:04:02.402
Yazmany Arboleda.

0:04:02.402,0:04:05.217
He and I have collaborated[br]in other parts of the world

0:04:05.217,0:04:07.076
over many years.

0:04:07.076,0:04:08.689
He has a history

0:04:08.689,0:04:10.684
of disrupting urban environments

0:04:10.684,0:04:14.478
and making strangers connect[br]in incredible, beautiful

0:04:14.478,0:04:17.149
and spectacular ways.

0:04:17.149,0:04:18.773
He had an idea.

0:04:18.773,0:04:22.082
The idea was to unite people[br]of different faiths

0:04:22.082,0:04:25.290
by getting them to paint[br]each other's houses of worship,

0:04:25.290,0:04:28.836
mosques, temples, synagogues, churches,

0:04:28.836,0:04:30.987
paint them yellow

0:04:30.987,0:04:33.613
in the name of love.

0:04:33.613,0:04:39.382
By focusing on icons of faith,[br]we would get people to reexamine

0:04:39.382,0:04:41.841
the true essence of their faith,

0:04:41.841,0:04:46.705
the common belief that we share[br]in kindness, generosity and friendship.

0:04:46.705,0:04:50.108
By creating pathways[br]between houses of worship

0:04:50.108,0:04:51.780
within one neighborhood,

0:04:51.780,0:04:53.664
we would create islands of stability

0:04:53.664,0:04:55.037
and networks of people

0:04:55.037,0:04:58.326
that could withstand threats.

0:04:58.326,0:05:02.661
And neighbors, by picking up[br]a paintbrush with other neighbors,

0:05:02.661,0:05:04.947
would engage not just with their heads

0:05:04.947,0:05:08.661
but with their hands[br]and with their hearts.

0:05:08.661,0:05:11.698
And the painted buildings would become[br]sculptures in the landscape

0:05:11.698,0:05:14.362
that speak of people[br]from very different backgrounds

0:05:14.362,0:05:17.214
that stand together.

0:05:17.214,0:05:20.713
We called the project Color in Faith.

0:05:20.713,0:05:24.805
We loved the idea, and we immediately[br]began approaching houses of worship:

0:05:24.805,0:05:27.342
churches, temples, mosques, synagogues.

0:05:27.342,0:05:30.187
Door to door, we went[br]to more than 60 rabbis,

0:05:30.187,0:05:33.288
imams, pastors and priests.

0:05:33.288,0:05:34.772
As you can imagine,

0:05:34.772,0:05:36.495
bringing these communities together

0:05:36.495,0:05:39.845
when prejudices are reinforced[br]by a global pandemic of fear

0:05:39.845,0:05:41.245
is not easy.

0:05:41.245,0:05:43.601
It was complicated.

0:05:43.601,0:05:46.393
We were confronted with[br]the hierarchy of decisionmaking

0:05:46.393,0:05:48.693
within religious establishments.

0:05:48.693,0:05:51.330
For example, with Catholic churches,[br]we were told that the archbishop

0:05:51.330,0:05:54.643
would have to make the decision.

0:05:54.643,0:05:56.680
And so we wrote a letter[br]to the archbishop.

0:05:56.680,0:05:59.087
We wrote a letter to the Vatican.

0:05:59.087,0:06:00.944
We're still waiting to hear back.

0:06:02.404,0:06:04.893
And with other houses of worship,

0:06:04.893,0:06:07.799
we were told that the patrons,[br]the people that pay for the building

0:06:07.799,0:06:10.036
and the construction[br]and the painting of the buildings

0:06:10.036,0:06:13.111
would have to make a decision.

0:06:13.111,0:06:16.333
And then we came head-to-head[br]with the long legacy of missionary

0:06:16.333,0:06:20.614
and donor dependence that so impedes[br]unconditional civic action,

0:06:20.614,0:06:22.603
and we learned this the hard way.

0:06:22.603,0:06:24.172
There was one community

0:06:24.172,0:06:27.625
that in our repeated conversations[br]would keep asking us

0:06:27.625,0:06:29.970
to appreciate them.

0:06:29.970,0:06:32.980
And so we would keep going back

0:06:32.980,0:06:34.818
and telling them that we appreciate them,

0:06:34.818,0:06:35.941
and of course,

0:06:35.941,0:06:41.296
if we didn't appreciate them,[br]we wouldn't be here.

0:06:41.296,0:06:43.912
And then we learned[br]painfully late in the game

0:06:43.912,0:06:49.010
that the word appreciation[br]is code for getting paid to participate.

0:06:49.010,0:06:52.524
And so we challenged them,

0:06:52.524,0:06:54.810
and we asked the question,

0:06:54.810,0:06:56.971
"So what will it cost?

0:06:56.971,0:06:59.908
How much could we pay you?

0:06:59.908,0:07:04.082
And if we pay for your faith,[br]is it really faith?"

0:07:04.082,0:07:06.775
We started the project[br]asking the question,

0:07:06.775,0:07:08.958
"Where does your faith live?"

0:07:08.958,0:07:10.986
And here we found ourselves[br]asking the question,

0:07:10.986,0:07:14.312
"How much does your faith cost?"

0:07:14.312,0:07:18.944
But the most difficult issue[br]was the perceived risk of standing apart.

0:07:18.944,0:07:22.730
We had one synagogue[br]that flat-out refused to participate

0:07:22.730,0:07:24.986
because it feared[br]drawing attention to itself

0:07:24.986,0:07:27.192
and becoming a target.

0:07:27.192,0:07:31.608
Similarly, we had a mosque[br]that also feared becoming a target.

0:07:31.608,0:07:34.630
And these fears are justified.

0:07:34.630,0:07:42.041
And yet, there were 25 houses of worship[br]that pledged to participate.

0:07:42.041,0:07:45.925
(Applause)

0:07:47.029,0:07:51.598
These bold leaders took the gesture[br]and reinforced it with their own meaning.

0:07:51.598,0:07:54.826
For some, it was to tell the world[br]that they're not terrorists.

0:07:54.826,0:07:59.879
For others it was to welcome people[br]through their doors to ask questions.

0:07:59.879,0:08:01.645
And for some, it was to bridge the gap

0:08:01.645,0:08:03.899
between the older[br]and the younger generation,

0:08:03.899,0:08:08.521
which by the way is something that[br]many faiths are grappling with right now.

0:08:08.521,0:08:12.347
And for some it was simply[br]to build neighborhood solidarity

0:08:12.347,0:08:16.007
in advance of feared election violence.

0:08:16.007,0:08:17.937
When asked why yellow,

0:08:17.937,0:08:19.822
one imam beautifully said,

0:08:19.822,0:08:22.325
"Yellow is the color of the sun.

0:08:22.325,0:08:25.223
The sun shines on us all equally.

0:08:25.223,0:08:27.608
It does not discriminate."

0:08:27.608,0:08:30.130
He and others spread the word[br]through their congregations

0:08:30.130,0:08:32.075
and over the radio.

0:08:32.075,0:08:35.399
Municipal government officials[br]stepped forward and helped

0:08:35.399,0:08:38.674
with permits and with convening[br]civil society organizations.

0:08:38.674,0:08:42.323
The paint company donating[br]a thousand liters of yellow paint

0:08:42.323,0:08:45.910
mixed especially for us[br]in what they now call "optimistic yellow."

0:08:47.164,0:08:50.716
(Applause)

0:08:52.278,0:08:56.129
And a poetry collective joined forces[br]with a university and hosted

0:08:56.129,0:08:58.163
a series of tweet chats

0:08:58.163,0:09:00.642
that challenged the nation[br]on issues of faith,

0:09:00.642,0:09:03.258
our faith not just[br]in the context of religion,

0:09:03.258,0:09:05.147
but our faith in politicians[br]and tribe and nation,

0:09:05.147,0:09:11.562
our faith in the older generation[br]and in the younger generation.

0:09:11.562,0:09:15.427
And then Color in Faith[br]was launched at a gallery event

0:09:15.427,0:09:18.955
that invited an incredible mix[br]of gallery goers

0:09:18.955,0:09:23.625
and religious leaders and artists[br]and businesspeople.

0:09:23.625,0:09:26.535
Already, even before[br]picking up a paintbrush,

0:09:26.535,0:09:29.905
we had accomplished so much[br]of the conversation and connection

0:09:29.905,0:09:33.182
that we had hoped for.

0:09:33.182,0:09:37.413
And then we began to paint.

0:09:37.413,0:09:40.293
Muslims stood by Christians

0:09:40.293,0:09:43.372
and atheists and agnostics and Hindus

0:09:43.372,0:09:46.861
and painted a mosque yellow.

0:09:50.348,0:09:54.468
And then they all came together again[br]and painted a church yellow,

0:09:55.388,0:09:57.450
and then another mosque,

0:09:57.450,0:09:59.987
and then another church.

0:09:59.987,0:10:03.372
Poets and musicians[br]performed while we painted.

0:10:03.372,0:10:05.642
We painted in Nairobi

0:10:05.642,0:10:09.023
and then we painted in Mombasa.

0:10:09.023,0:10:12.806
The local and international press[br]did features on Color in Faith

0:10:12.806,0:10:16.070
in English and French and Swahili

0:10:16.070,0:10:18.765
and Spanish and Somali.

0:10:18.765,0:10:23.441
CNN highlighted Color in Faith[br]as a way of bringing communities together.

0:10:25.738,0:10:28.551
And our social media platforms lit up,

0:10:28.551,0:10:31.156
connecting more and more people.

0:10:31.156,0:10:35.056
And these neighbors[br]continued to stay in touch.

0:10:35.056,0:10:38.660
There are some that are pursuing[br]politics with a platform of peace,

0:10:38.660,0:10:41.798
and we have communities[br]as far as Argentina and the US

0:10:41.798,0:10:44.105
and as close as Mali and Rwanda

0:10:44.105,0:10:46.205
that are asking for our help.

0:10:46.205,0:10:48.280
And we would love to help.

0:10:48.280,0:10:52.470
It's our dream that this project,[br]this idea, spreads across the world,

0:10:52.470,0:10:55.600
with or without our support.

0:10:55.600,0:11:01.149
Color in Faith is literally highlighting[br]those who mean well in yellow.

0:11:01.149,0:11:04.595
Color in Faith is binding[br]neighborhoods together,

0:11:04.595,0:11:06.418
and it's our hope that[br]when threats come knocking,

0:11:06.418,0:11:08.719
they will collectively[br]sift fact from rumor

0:11:08.719,0:11:10.656
and stand in solidarity.

0:11:11.428,0:11:15.228
We've proven that the human family[br]can come together and send a message

0:11:15.228,0:11:17.529
far brighter and more powerful

0:11:17.529,0:11:21.206
than the voices of those[br]that wish to do us harm.

0:11:21.206,0:11:23.312
Though fear is infectious,

0:11:23.312,0:11:26.124
we are showing that so is hope.

0:11:26.124,0:11:28.983
Thank you.

0:11:28.983,0:11:34.887
(Applause)