TED Community » Aissatu Sila

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I'm passionate about

Life, details, nature, ideas, intelligence, people, cultures, traditions, dreams, children and childhood, businesses, innovation, technology, society, causes and consequences, ...

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Anything at all.

People don't know that I'm good at

Cross stitching.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +23.70 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Talk: Geoffrey Canada: Our failing schools. Enough is enough!

  3 days ago: I was smilling thoughout the whole talk.
  As someone who has taught (but is not a professional teacher), I can relate to everything Mr. Canada said. There is so much potential in people but schools are mining their/our future!
  
  
  I believe the same challenge applies to all schools in the world and we all have to contribute to change, either as students or parents or teachers.

• A comment on Talk: R.A. Mashelkar: Breakthrough designs for ultra-low-cost products

  May 17 2013: You're right A A, it's wonderful that these innovations are adopted globally.
  Cheers!

• A reply on Conversation: Can donor funding really fix African challenges, or should we empower African communities to address their own challenges?

  Feb 5 2013: Thanks for recommending. It's a great talk indeed :)
• +2

  A reply on Conversation: Can donor funding really fix African challenges, or should we empower African communities to address their own challenges?

  Feb 5 2013: Hello Darren.
  
  I disagree with you.
  The root of the problem is definitely not related to desertification.
  Africa is the most fertile continent, with 60% of the world's uncultivated arable land and more arable land than the continents with the highest populations.
  It is hard to grow food in many regions (cold and hot) of the world, so that is not the problem.
  
  As for the lack of education and infrastructures, yes - governments are inefficient, but we must not forget that the majority of African countries were colonies until 60 or less years ago. After centuries of colonization without relevant investment in education, there is lot of work to be done in order to catch up with the rest of the world.
  
  As for population sizes - you should research more. Families are larger because 1) a high percentage of children die very soon, 2) one's children are one's labor force and 3) there are no contraceptives available at large scale. The land resources are not limited, their exploitation is.
  
  Bottom line, the problem is leadership - once governments start doing their work, things will improve radically.
  
  Cheers!
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: Can donor funding really fix African challenges, or should we empower African communities to address their own challenges?

  Feb 5 2013: The answer is no.
  That's not just my personal opinion, it's the reality - a reality in which I live.
  I'm from Guinea-Bissau and I know for a fact that although donations can have a very big impact and help solve many issues, they are not the solution mainly because they cause dependency.
  
  I recently discovered the work of Dr. Dambisa Moyo though interviews on several Youtube channels and I can't wait to read her book "Dead Aid". I make her words mine and I wonder how come African governments are not listening to her and other smart Africans that have been trying to shed the light on this issue for years. It saddens me that so many African leaders are educated but corrupted. Other who have real solutions are either killed or powerless.
  
  I deeply appreciate individual donations to global causes, but isn't it convenient to the Western governments to keep funding our dependence and underdevelopment, so they can keep exploring our resources?
  
  How do we get communities to transform the future? By educating them and providing a stable economy in which they can prosper. As Deekay Mgbekemdi said and I agree - it's a leadership issue. Once we have the right leaders, we'll follow the right path.
• +2

  A comment on Talk: Cameron Russell: Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model.

  Feb 5 2013: I really enjoyed listening to her.
  The fashion industry should listen to her!

• A comment on Talk: Lisa Kristine: Photos that bear witness to modern slavery

  Feb 5 2013: This is so wrong in so many ways! How can human beings do such atrocities?!?
  I'm feeling sad and helpless, seeing these images and knowing this is happening as I type.
  
  How can we help?
  Thank you so much, Lisa!

• A comment on Talk: Dean Kamen: The emotion behind invention

  May 23 2012: I've never seen a talk more emotional than this one.
  Mr. Kamen is obviously deeply involved with this subject and I think we can all relate.
  It's amazing how he passed his message.
• +1

  A comment on Talk: Questions no one knows the answers to

  Mar 20 2012: Maybe these universes are so far away for a good reason.
  
  I think it is great that we (humans) haven't yet found intelligent life from other planets and galaxies. Why?
  Well, look at what we have been doing to our own kind for milenia!
  
  IMO, unless they're 'smarter' than us, we would probably start a war with them, tryning to dominate or enslave them as we keep doing to our fellow humans.
  
  Why not focus on our own planet a little more than we focus on space exploration? We know so little about our oceans, about ourselves?
  
  We are such complicated animals...
• +1

  A comment on Talk: R.A. Mashelkar: Breakthrough designs for ultra-low-cost products

  Mar 7 2012: What I like the most about Indian innovations is that they are being created by Indians for Indians, solving the problems that Indians face on daily basis. I wish the same will happen for African countries as well, soon.