A passionate man

The meeting of the University of Dialogue with prof. Yunus

Last November 6 I was on stage, together with many other young people from all over the world who were able to ask a question to prof. Muhammad Yunus, economist, founder of microcredit and Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
It was an open, sincere dialogue that left me with a clear imprint of hope. We met an authoritative witness who gave the impression of being a true and passionate fan of young people. In the hours that preceded the meeting, the fear of confronting a person who wrote the story was very present, and not a little. However, once Prof. Yunus took the floor, his voice and his gestures left no doubts: he wasn't there to teach a lesson, but to reawaken in us young people the courage to dream and build a different world.

It was nice to see the amazement, happiness and passion with which he described Sermig to the public. Just in those moments I thought about how important it is for people who are fighting for a more just and equitable world to meet friends and realities who are spending themselves for the same cause. The simplicity with which he presented himself and the determination with which he expressed his thoughts have once again given us back the awareness that real change is possible.

He was among us to listen and discuss: like a father who, in front of his children, encourages them to "express the unlimited creativity that is in each of us".
There is a sentence that Prof. Yunus repeated more than once, and which for me remains the most effective synthesis of the entire meeting: «If we are capable of imagining something, one day it will happen». It's not just a slogan: he and many others have already shown us how true it is.

Giovanni DeFranceschi
NP December 2022