If a story moves you, act on it. 5 things we learnt from Sisonke Msimang’s TED talk.

Sisonke Msimang is a South African writer whose work is focussed on race, gender and democracy. She has written for a range of international publications including the New York Times, the Guardian, Newsweek and Al Jazeera. Her first book — Always Another Country: a memoir of exile and home — was published in South Africa in October 2017.

In her 2016 TED talk she explored the importance and dangers of a story. Speaing on how powerful a story can be and how a story can also get in the way of action towards social justice. here are 5 things we learnt from Sisomke Msimang’s TED talk.

sisomke msimang

  • Stories are the antidote to bias. they heal the rifts and the bridge divides.
  • Stories are powerful and can also be dangerous. As much as people say stories make the world a better place, even the most pointing stories about people who no one seems to care about can get in the way of action towards social justice

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  • Good intentions can have unintended consequences.
  • Stories can create an illusion on solidarity and sometimes,insufficient steps towards social action.
  • You don’t have to like someone to recognize their wisdom and you definitely don’t need to like someone to take a stand by their side.

Stories are necessary, but they’re not as magical as they seem.

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