Need Inspiration?
Get inspired by 4,000+ keynote speaker videos & our founder, a top keynote speaker on innovation.
Anjan Sundaram's Talk Explores the Need to Expose Injustice
Riley von Niessen — November 16, 2017 — Keynote Trends
Journalist and author Anjan Sundaram delivered a TED talk that surrounds the importance of speaking up as a witness to injustice.
He continues by describing a personal story, when he traveled to the Central African Republic three years ago to report on its ongoing war. Although he had received warnings about massacres that were taking place there, he never heard who was perpetuating this terror, and why. After arriving, he eventually saw that the country was preparing for an "ethnic cleansing," which was between the minority government and the citizen militias, who were mostly Christian. As the war grew more violent, many people began to work as government spies in hopes of saving themselves, identifying friends and family who were in opposition. When speaking to those who had escaped the violence by leaving their homes and fleeing into the jungle, Sundaram was asked whether or not people knew what was happening, as the government continued to deny the brevity of the situation.
These conversations prompted Sundaram to further research the situation, which allowed him to see the impact that a lack of media following had enabled, with the Christian soldiers believing absurd stories that presented Muslims as subhuman, and in need of being destroyed. By sharing his story, Sundaram speaks to the importance of taking the risks to report on war and government corruption, to ensure that the victims of such terror can have their voices heard.
He continues by describing a personal story, when he traveled to the Central African Republic three years ago to report on its ongoing war. Although he had received warnings about massacres that were taking place there, he never heard who was perpetuating this terror, and why. After arriving, he eventually saw that the country was preparing for an "ethnic cleansing," which was between the minority government and the citizen militias, who were mostly Christian. As the war grew more violent, many people began to work as government spies in hopes of saving themselves, identifying friends and family who were in opposition. When speaking to those who had escaped the violence by leaving their homes and fleeing into the jungle, Sundaram was asked whether or not people knew what was happening, as the government continued to deny the brevity of the situation.
These conversations prompted Sundaram to further research the situation, which allowed him to see the impact that a lack of media following had enabled, with the Christian soldiers believing absurd stories that presented Muslims as subhuman, and in need of being destroyed. By sharing his story, Sundaram speaks to the importance of taking the risks to report on war and government corruption, to ensure that the victims of such terror can have their voices heard.
1.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
