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Debate at Education City sees QF initiative return to Qatar after overseas debates
Capitalism will come under the Doha Debates spotlight next week, as the Qatar Foundation production brings together a Time magazine journalist, a former president, and an advocate for economic justice for its latest live event.
Doha Debates is returning to its Education City roots after hosting solution-focused debates on globalization at a TEDSummit in Scotland, and on water scarcity at an event in South Africa – and now the topic in its sights surrounds one of the world’s most dominant economic systems.
Taking place on October 23 at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), the live audience program –‘Capitalism: Can we prosper without growth?’ – will see three speakers argue the merits of modern-day capitalism and whether it can and should be improved upon, transformed, or scrapped.
The debaters are Time magazine’s editor-at-large Anand Giridharadas, the author of three books, most recently ‘Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World’; biodiversity scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, the first woman to be elected president of Mauritius and an adviser to the nonprofit Global Network for Africa’s Prosperity; and Jason Hickel, an economic anthropologist, a professor at the London School of Economics, and author of ‘The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions’.
The program’s host and moderator is journalist Ghida Fakhry, bringing her experience as a TV news anchor, correspondent and interviewer to the debate, with Doha Debates’ digital correspondent Nelufar Hedayat and conflict resolution expert Dr. Govinda Clayton also joining the program.
The 300-strong debate audience at the Qatar Foundation partner university will primarily be made up of local university students, who will be joined online by viewers around the world via livestream. Both in-person and remote audiences will be able to participate in the debate with questions and comments, and vote on the merits of the speakers’ proposals.
Doha Debates is teaming up with NowThis, the world’s most-watched video news service on social media, to livestream the debate across NowThis and Doha Debates’ Twitter and Facebook channels.
Capitalism is under greater scrutiny than ever as a model for growth, particularly in countries that have promoted it as an ideology across the world.
Amjad Atallah, managing director of Doha Debates, said, “Capitalism is under greater scrutiny than ever as a model for growth, particularly in countries that have promoted it as an ideology across the world.
“In a world where global warming and rising inequalities are causing fundamental reassessments of the status quo, Doha Debates is excited to have gathered three powerful voices to discuss the range of options we have as individuals and as a global community. Students in our live audience and across the world in our digital community will join the debate during and after our show on this critical issue.”
To register to attend the debate at NU-Q, please visit www.dohadebates.com/tickets.
You can watch the livestream from 6pm Doha time on October 23, and join the conversation online using the hashtag #DearWorld.