Fostering Dialogue For Social Change | Aisha Salaudeen | TEDxLagosStateUniversity | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Conversations and dialogue, as demonstrated by Mustafa Salah in Gambia, can lead to social change by sharing knowledge, building empathy, resolving conflicts, challenging the status quo, and overcoming power dynamics and misinformation.

Key Insights

• 💀 Mustafa Salah's firsthand experience of the dangers of irregular migration inspired him to create social change by sharing his story and warning others.
• 🖐️ Conversations and dialogue play a crucial role in creating social change by sharing knowledge and building empathy.
• 🤗 Conflict resolution can be facilitated through open dialogue, as seen in instances like the Rwandan genocide and the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria.
• 👻 Challenging the status quo through conversations allows individuals to question existing norms and practices.
• 🔉 Dialogue can be carried out through various channels, including protests, traditional media, social media, articles, or simply talking to friends and neighbors.
• 💱 Social change takes time and requires sustained effort, with small pockets of dialogue contributing to larger change.
• ❓ Respectful communication is essential in dialogue, as it fosters understanding and openness between different perspectives.

Transcript

a story teller so I'm going to start with a story a very very quick and short story just bear with me there's method to the madness so in August 2020 I wrote a story about somebody called Mustafa Salah Mustafa Salah is a gambian man a young ambitious gambian man I think he was 25 years old at the time I don't recall and the story is simple right um... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Mustafa Salah's personal experience of surviving a dangerous migration journey inspire him to take action?

Mustafa realized that others were promoting migration without providing the complete picture of the dangers and hardships involved. He decided to warn others and create the "Youth Against Irregular Migration" group to share his experiences and discourage others from making the same mistakes.

Q: How can conversations and dialogue contribute to social change?

Conversations and dialogue allow for the sharing of knowledge and personal experiences, enabling individuals to make more informed decisions. They also help build empathy by allowing others to put themselves in someone else's shoes. Additionally, dialogue facilitates conflict resolution, challenges the status quo, and helps overcome power dynamics and misinformation.

Q: What role do conversations play in challenging the status quo?

Conversations provide an opportunity to question and challenge existing norms and practices. By discussing alternative perspectives and sharing experiences, conversations can lead to a shift in mindset and motivate individuals to work towards change.

Q: What are the potential obstacles in using dialogue to effect social change?

Some obstacles include the time it takes to create change, the presence of echo chambers where everyone agrees within a bubble, power dynamics that can suppress dialogue, misinformation that can hinder understanding, and language barriers that require effective communication strategies.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Mustafa Salah, a Gambian man, almost died migrating to Europe but survived and decided to warn others about the dangers of irregular migration.

• Mustafa and fellow detainees started the "Youth Against Irregular Migration" group to share their experiences and discourage others from attempting the dangerous journey.

• Conversations and dialogue, as exemplified by Mustafa's efforts, can lead to knowledge sharing, empathy building, conflict resolution, challenging the status quo, and ultimately, social change.