What Could Possibly Go Right? #22 Kumi Naidoo: A Broken Economic System, the Power of Intersectionality, and Why Giving Up Is Not An Option
"Let's not let those that brought humanity to this point of destruction get away with the injustices that it created."
Kumi Naidoo is recognized internationally as a forceful advocate for human rights, gender equity, economic justice, and environmental justice. A seasoned activist in South Africa during its struggle against apartheid, his long career of deep commitment to people and the planet has included serving as Executive Director of Greenpeace International and as Secretary General of Amnesty International.
Kumi’s current roles include Professor of Practice, Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University; Global Ambassador, Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity; Visiting Fellow, Oxford University, and Honorary Fellow, Magdalen College.
Kumi shares his thoughts on What Could Possibly Go Right? including:
- That we need to reassess how we measure wealth as GDP, a broken system for measuring the value of people and work.
- That we suffer from affluenza, “an illness where we have come to believe that a meaningful, prosperous, decent, dignified life comes from more and more material acquisitions.” and that climate change “is fundamentally a problem of consumption and inequality”.
- That activism needs humility and to “listen more to people on the ground”. Instead of appealing to those in power, activists should support the powerless to speak for themselves, whose “voices bring an urgency that only those that suffer an injustice can bring, with the kind of eloquence, power and passion that makes it hard for the media, policymakers and those in power to ignore.”
- That we need more genuinely democratic systems across the world with a fair chance to run for office, instead of displaying only “the form of democracy without the substance of democracy”.
- That the analogy of the spider and the starfish shows the strength of decentralized versus centralized forms of organizing and mobilizing.
- That understanding the biggest contribution we can make to the cause of humanity is “not giving your life, but giving the rest of your life,” with perseverance, stamina, and courage to see those injustices dislodged.
- That it’s not good for mental health for us to see injustice and not express it and to bottle it up inside of us.
- That even “the pessimism of our analysis can be overcome by the optimism of our action”.
Resources
- Book - The Spider and the Starfish: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom
Connect with Kumi Naidoo
Website: kuminaidoo.net
Twitter: twitter.com/kuminaidoo
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