0:00:00.760,0:00:02.760
We live in a time of fear,

0:00:03.800,0:00:07.176
and our response to fear[br]can either be to contract

0:00:07.200,0:00:09.000
and attempt to guard ourselves

0:00:10.000,0:00:13.136
or to extend ourselves,[br]hold on to each other,

0:00:13.160,0:00:14.920
and face our fears together.

0:00:16.160,0:00:17.600
What is your instinct?

0:00:18.680,0:00:20.600
What do you see more of in the world?

0:00:22.240,0:00:24.216
The problem with the first approach

0:00:24.240,0:00:26.576
is that in our mounting isolation,

0:00:26.600,0:00:29.216
we divide ourselves from others.

0:00:29.240,0:00:31.656
Our sense of isolation grows,

0:00:31.680,0:00:33.816
because our imagination[br]goes into overdrive

0:00:33.840,0:00:37.376
about the people and the spaces[br]that we no longer engage with.

0:00:37.400,0:00:40.840
Our sense of otherness grows,[br]and we lose empathy.

0:00:42.560,0:00:44.976
Today I'm going to tell you[br]about a group of people

0:00:45.000,0:00:47.136
that took the global[br]challenge of terrorism

0:00:47.160,0:00:51.840
and began creating spaces[br]where strangers connect in solidarity.

0:00:52.920,0:00:56.760
My own obsession with what I see[br]as irrational divisions began as a child.

0:00:57.840,0:01:02.016
As a fourth-generation[br]Kenyan Muslim of Indian origin,

0:01:02.040,0:01:03.976
it bothered me that in four generations,

0:01:04.000,0:01:06.056
there wasn't a single[br]marriage in my family

0:01:06.080,0:01:08.200
outside of my small religious community.

0:01:08.880,0:01:10.560
And I wondered what that was about.

0:01:11.600,0:01:13.376
Was it fear?

0:01:13.400,0:01:14.720
Was it racism?

0:01:16.240,0:01:17.800
Was it cultural preservation?

0:01:18.760,0:01:20.856
Did it have something[br]to do with colonialism?

0:01:22.240,0:01:26.120
Certainly, we didn't share a lot[br]of the same public spaces with others.

0:01:27.680,0:01:31.240
These divisions bothered me deeply,[br]and they drove my career choices.

0:01:32.400,0:01:37.440
When I was 20, the US embassies[br]in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed.

0:01:39.080,0:01:41.336
A year later, I was on my way[br]to the Middle East

0:01:41.360,0:01:42.840
to study conflict resolution.

0:01:43.880,0:01:45.256
And then from that point on,

0:01:45.280,0:01:48.816
it wasn't very hard for me[br]to find insecure environments to work in,

0:01:48.840,0:01:50.696
because the world was quickly shifting

0:01:50.720,0:01:53.040
in what we now know[br]as the time of terrorism.

0:01:53.920,0:01:57.176
I was in Washington, DC[br]when 9/11 happened,

0:01:57.200,0:02:00.656
and then I moved back home[br]to Kenya to work with refugees

0:02:00.680,0:02:02.816
and then later worked in Pakistan

0:02:02.840,0:02:04.320
and in Afghanistan.

0:02:06.120,0:02:08.776
In all of these places, what I noticed

0:02:08.800,0:02:11.336
was how important physical spaces are

0:02:11.360,0:02:13.736
to making us feel safe

0:02:13.760,0:02:15.056
and well

0:02:15.080,0:02:16.280
and like we belong.

0:02:17.760,0:02:21.280
In 2013, I came back home[br]to Nairobi from Afghanistan.

0:02:22.640,0:02:25.776
Al-Shabaab operatives[br]had besieged Westgate shopping center,

0:02:25.800,0:02:29.800
killing 67 people[br]in a day of utter horror.

0:02:32.040,0:02:33.936
Soon after that,

0:02:33.960,0:02:36.416
I could see how Nairobi[br]was beginning to change,

0:02:36.440,0:02:41.376
and it was beginning to feel[br]more like the fear and terror-weary

0:02:41.400,0:02:43.920
and war-torn cities that I had worked in.

0:02:45.240,0:02:48.560
And Nairobi continues to grow[br]in fear-driven ways.

0:02:49.320,0:02:51.856
We see more walls, more barriers,

0:02:51.880,0:02:53.120
more security.

0:02:54.000,0:02:55.656
And like other parts of the world,

0:02:55.680,0:02:59.840
we are experiencing[br]an erosion of human connection.

0:03:00.320,0:03:03.416
Divisions along[br]religious lines are deepening,

0:03:03.440,0:03:06.960
and we're doubting more and more[br]how much we have in common.

0:03:08.600,0:03:09.896
We are at a pivotal time

0:03:09.920,0:03:13.456
when we need to restore[br]our confidence in humanity

0:03:13.480,0:03:16.360
and stand boldly and visibly together.

0:03:17.880,0:03:20.656
So in 2014, I brought together[br]a group of people in Nairobi

0:03:20.680,0:03:21.920
to figure out what to do:

0:03:22.680,0:03:27.640
public intellectuals, diplomats,[br]artists, development workers.

0:03:28.520,0:03:31.800
And the group articulated[br]our challenge as threefold:

0:03:33.000,0:03:36.936
one, to reclaim the city[br]from the narrative of terrorism

0:03:36.960,0:03:40.176
and back into the hands[br]of the people that live there;

0:03:40.200,0:03:44.256
two, introduce a language[br]beyond race, tribe or religion

0:03:44.280,0:03:47.656
that would help us[br]transcend our differences;

0:03:47.680,0:03:52.216
and three, provide a gesture[br]that would help restore empathy

0:03:52.240,0:03:54.600
and conversation and trust.

0:03:56.520,0:03:59.496
One of the people in this group[br]was an artist and architect,

0:03:59.520,0:04:01.200
Yazmany Arboleda.

0:04:02.040,0:04:04.816
He and I have collaborated[br]in other parts of the world

0:04:04.840,0:04:06.416
over many years.

0:04:06.440,0:04:07.976
He has a history

0:04:08.000,0:04:10.536
of disrupting urban environments

0:04:10.560,0:04:12.216
and making strangers connect

0:04:12.240,0:04:15.400
in incredible, beautiful[br]and spectacular ways.

0:04:16.880,0:04:18.616
He had an idea.

0:04:18.640,0:04:21.776
The idea was to unite people[br]of different faiths

0:04:21.800,0:04:24.976
by getting them to paint[br]each other's houses of worship,

0:04:25.000,0:04:28.696
mosques, temples, synagogues, churches,

0:04:28.720,0:04:30.656
paint them yellow

0:04:30.680,0:04:32.040
in the name of love.

0:04:34.160,0:04:37.496
By focusing on icons of faith,

0:04:37.520,0:04:41.576
we would get people to reexamine[br]the true essence of their faith,

0:04:41.600,0:04:45.480
the common belief that we share[br]in kindness, generosity and friendship.

0:04:46.800,0:04:49.816
By creating pathways[br]between houses of worship

0:04:49.840,0:04:51.456
within one neighborhood,

0:04:51.480,0:04:53.376
we would create islands of stability

0:04:53.400,0:04:54.816
and networks of people

0:04:54.840,0:04:57.360
that could withstand threats.

0:04:58.160,0:05:01.680
And neighbors, by picking up[br]a paintbrush with other neighbors,

0:05:02.720,0:05:04.736
would engage not just with their heads

0:05:04.760,0:05:07.080
but with their hands[br]and with their hearts.

0:05:08.320,0:05:11.456
And the painted buildings would become[br]sculptures in the landscape

0:05:11.480,0:05:14.136
that speak of people[br]from very different backgrounds

0:05:14.160,0:05:15.360
that stand together.

0:05:17.520,0:05:19.520
We'd call the project "Colour in Faith."

0:05:20.400,0:05:24.456
We loved the idea and we immediately[br]began approaching houses of worship:

0:05:24.480,0:05:27.256
churches, temples, mosques, synagogues.

0:05:27.280,0:05:29.936
Door to door, we went[br]to more than 60 rabbis,

0:05:29.960,0:05:32.480
imams, pastors and priests.

0:05:33.160,0:05:34.616
As you can imagine,

0:05:34.640,0:05:36.336
bringing these communities together

0:05:36.360,0:05:39.576
when prejudices are reinforced[br]by a global pandemic of fear

0:05:39.600,0:05:40.856
is not easy.

0:05:40.880,0:05:42.080
It was complicated.

0:05:43.560,0:05:46.216
We were confronted[br]with the hierarchy of decision-making

0:05:46.240,0:05:47.920
within religious establishments.

0:05:48.520,0:05:51.016
For example, with Catholic churches,

0:05:51.040,0:05:54.336
we were told that the archbishop[br]would have to make the decision.

0:05:54.360,0:05:56.456
And so we wrote a letter[br]to the archbishop.

0:05:56.480,0:05:58.280
We wrote a letter to the Vatican.

0:05:58.840,0:06:00.416
We're still waiting to hear back.

0:06:00.440,0:06:02.296
(Laughter)

0:06:02.320,0:06:04.376
And with other houses of worship,

0:06:04.400,0:06:07.576
we were told that the patrons,[br]the people that pay for the building

0:06:07.600,0:06:10.136
and the construction[br]and the painting of the buildings

0:06:10.160,0:06:11.600
would have to make a decision.

0:06:13.000,0:06:14.456
And then we came head-to-head

0:06:14.480,0:06:17.176
with the long legacy[br]of missionary and donor dependence

0:06:17.200,0:06:20.496
that so impedes[br]unconditional civic action,

0:06:20.520,0:06:22.416
and we learned this the hard way.

0:06:22.440,0:06:24.016
There was one community

0:06:24.040,0:06:27.376
that in our repeated conversations[br]would keep asking us

0:06:27.400,0:06:29.000
to appreciate them.

0:06:29.760,0:06:31.776
And so we would keep going back

0:06:31.800,0:06:33.976
and telling them that we appreciate them,

0:06:34.000,0:06:35.816
and of course,

0:06:35.840,0:06:38.880
if we didn't appreciate them,[br]we wouldn't be here.

0:06:41.080,0:06:43.576
And then we learned[br]painfully late in the game

0:06:43.600,0:06:48.160
that the word "appreciation"[br]is code for getting paid to participate.

0:06:49.480,0:06:51.440
And so we challenged them

0:06:52.600,0:06:54.416
and we asked the question,

0:06:54.440,0:06:55.680
"So what will it cost?

0:06:56.640,0:06:58.240
How much could we pay you?

0:06:59.760,0:07:02.480
And if we pay for your faith,[br]is it really faith?"

0:07:03.840,0:07:06.456
We started the project[br]asking the question,

0:07:06.480,0:07:08.656
"Where does your faith live?"

0:07:08.680,0:07:10.936
And here we found ourselves[br]asking the question,

0:07:10.960,0:07:12.680
"How much does your faith cost?"

0:07:14.280,0:07:18.160
But the most difficult issue[br]was the perceived risk of standing apart.

0:07:18.680,0:07:22.576
We had one synagogue[br]that flat-out refused to participate

0:07:22.600,0:07:24.816
because it feared[br]drawing attention to itself

0:07:24.840,0:07:26.040
and becoming a target.

0:07:27.000,0:07:30.240
Similarly, we had a mosque[br]that also feared becoming a target.

0:07:31.600,0:07:33.480
And these fears are justified.

0:07:35.480,0:07:40.640
And yet, there were 25 houses of worship[br]that pledged to participate.

0:07:41.360,0:07:46.736
(Applause)

0:07:46.760,0:07:51.256
These bold leaders took the gesture[br]and reinforced it with their own meaning.

0:07:51.280,0:07:54.240
For some, it was to tell the world[br]that they're not terrorists.

0:07:54.920,0:07:59.000
For others, it was to welcome people[br]through their doors to ask questions.

0:07:59.640,0:08:01.496
And for some, it was to bridge the gap

0:08:01.520,0:08:03.656
between the older[br]and the younger generation,

0:08:03.680,0:08:08.176
which by the way is something that[br]many faiths are grappling with right now.

0:08:08.200,0:08:12.016
And for some it was simply[br]to build neighborhood solidarity

0:08:12.040,0:08:14.240
in advance of feared election violence.

0:08:15.880,0:08:17.416
When asked why yellow,

0:08:17.440,0:08:19.696
one imam beautifully said,

0:08:19.720,0:08:21.640
"Yellow is the color of the sun.

0:08:22.400,0:08:24.936
The sun shines on us all equally.

0:08:24.960,0:08:26.480
It does not discriminate."

0:08:27.480,0:08:30.176
He and others spread the word[br]through their congregations

0:08:30.200,0:08:31.416
and over the radio.

0:08:31.440,0:08:34.135
Municipal government officials[br]stepped forward and helped

0:08:34.159,0:08:38.336
with permits and with convening[br]civil society organizations.

0:08:38.360,0:08:41.976
A paint company donated[br]a thousand liters of yellow paint

0:08:42.000,0:08:45.616
mixed especially for us[br]in what they now call "optimistic yellow."

0:08:45.640,0:08:46.936
(Laughter)

0:08:46.960,0:08:52.016
(Applause)

0:08:52.040,0:08:55.296
And a poetry collective[br]joined forces with a university

0:08:55.320,0:08:57.576
and hosted a series of tweet chats

0:08:57.600,0:08:59.776
that challenged the nation[br]on issues of faith,

0:08:59.800,0:09:02.456
our faith not just[br]in the context of religion,

0:09:02.480,0:09:06.176
but our faith in politicians[br]and tribe and nation,

0:09:06.200,0:09:09.880
our faith in the older generation[br]and in the younger generation.

0:09:11.360,0:09:15.216
And then Colour in Faith[br]was launched at a gallery event

0:09:15.240,0:09:18.736
that invited an incredible mix[br]of gallerygoers

0:09:18.760,0:09:22.560
and religious leaders[br]and artists and businesspeople.

0:09:23.560,0:09:26.216
Already, even before[br]picking up a paintbrush,

0:09:26.240,0:09:30.456
we had accomplished so much[br]of the conversation and connection

0:09:30.480,0:09:31.720
that we had hoped for.

0:09:33.000,0:09:35.280
And then we began to paint.

0:09:37.920,0:09:40.056
Muslims stood by Christians

0:09:40.080,0:09:43.296
and atheists and agnostics and Hindus

0:09:43.320,0:09:46.360
and painted a mosque yellow.

0:09:50.040,0:09:53.800
And then they all came together again[br]and painted a church yellow,

0:09:55.120,0:09:57.216
and then another mosque,

0:09:57.240,0:09:58.480
and then another church.

0:09:59.840,0:10:02.440
Poets and musicians[br]performed while we painted.

0:10:03.160,0:10:05.296
We painted in Nairobi,

0:10:05.320,0:10:07.120
and then we painted in Mombasa.

0:10:08.840,0:10:12.696
The local and international press[br]did features on Colour in Faith

0:10:12.720,0:10:15.736
in English and French and Swahili

0:10:15.760,0:10:17.720
and Spanish and Somali.

0:10:18.400,0:10:23.440
CNN highlighted Colour in Faith[br]as a way of bringing communities together.

0:10:25.520,0:10:28.376
And our social media platforms lit up,

0:10:28.400,0:10:30.936
connecting more and more people.

0:10:30.960,0:10:34.040
And these neighbors[br]continued to stay in touch.

0:10:34.840,0:10:38.456
There are some that are pursuing[br]politics with a platform of peace,

0:10:38.480,0:10:41.536
and we have communities[br]as far as Argentina and the US

0:10:41.560,0:10:43.816
and as close as Mali and Rwanda

0:10:43.840,0:10:45.656
that are asking for our help.

0:10:45.680,0:10:47.240
And we would love to help.

0:10:47.960,0:10:52.136
It's our dream that this project,[br]this idea, spreads across the world,

0:10:52.160,0:10:53.800
with or without our support.

0:10:55.480,0:11:00.040
Colour in Faith is literally highlighting[br]those who mean well in yellow.

0:11:01.000,0:11:03.536
Colour in Faith is binding[br]neighborhoods together,

0:11:03.560,0:11:06.056
and it's our hope[br]that when threats come knocking,

0:11:06.080,0:11:08.456
they will collectively[br]sift fact from rumor

0:11:08.480,0:11:10.160
and stand in solidarity.

0:11:11.320,0:11:14.976
We've proven that the human family[br]can come together and send a message

0:11:15.000,0:11:17.376
far brighter and more powerful

0:11:17.400,0:11:20.240
than the voices of those[br]that wish to do us harm.

0:11:21.320,0:11:23.016
Though fear is infectious,

0:11:23.040,0:11:25.240
we are showing that so is hope.

0:11:26.840,0:11:28.096
Thank you.

0:11:28.120,0:11:34.240
(Applause)