"The World Talks": Tell me about it!

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Thousands of people signed up for the project "The World Talks" to have a one-on-one conversation last Sunday. The protagonists of this story registered as well.

Her resume in brief: Junaice Mollel, born at dawn on May 11, 1993, in a stable on the outskirts of Arusha, Tanzania. Her parents were so poor that the children, six in total, often had to go to bed with empty stomachs. School until the age of 17, then an apprenticeship program for teenagers from destitute families, specialized in tourism. Employment as a waitress in a safari lodge. Promotion: to receptionist, to hostess, to hotel manager. Still living in Arusha. Single. Profession: tourism manager.

Her resume in brief: Janicke Kernland, born on June 27, 1966 in Park Ridge, Illinois, USA. A child of Norwegian expats, her father a consultant for an American metal company, her mother a journalist. When Janicke Kernland was four years old, the family moved to Switzerland. Village school, high school, travel. Studied visual communication in Luzern and New York. Marriage, children, two sons, one daughter. The family moved to Dresden, Maastricht, finally to the Norwegian town of Mosjøen, population 10,000. Profession: director of the regional museums.

Junaice Mollel and Janicke Kernland don’t know each other yet. And how could they? They are separated by oceans, deserts and the equator, cultural differences, wealth, age. But they both signed up for the project "The World Talks". ZEIT ONLINE, together with international media partners, asked people from all corners of the world if they would like to meet someone from another corner of the world. The participants answered several questions that revolved around major global issues like climate change and the war in Ukraine, as well as their own personal fears, happiness, and future.

Among those taking part, for example, is a retired psychologist from Botswana, a doctor from Chile, an employee at an automotive supplier from Mexico, a supermarket worker from South Africa, a filmmaker from Taiwan, a computer scientist from Uzbekistan. A total of 3,084 people from 116 countries. An algorithm matched together two people who live as far apart as possible and answered some of the questions differently. This Sunday, June 25, the pairs are scheduled to meet via video call.

Junaice Mollel and Janicke Kernland were brought together by us, the authors of this article. We asked them in advance if they would agree for us to visit them at their homes, accompany them through their daily lives, and listen to their conversation. They agreed. The two spoke to each other last week.

A young woman from Tanzania and a middle-aged woman from Norway. Two out of eight billion, completely insignificant in the eyes of the world. What do they have in their past, what lies ahead in their future? What values are important to them? What can they agree on?

From "The World Talks" questionnaire: does hard work always lead to a better life?

Junaice Mollel: No

Janicke Kernland: Yes

A few days before her conversation with the unknown woman from Norway, Junaice Mollel leans over the desk in her office. Beneath her, a map of the Serengeti is spread out – national park and national gem of Tanzania. It’s late, her two colleagues have already left for the day. Junaice Mollel is working late, as usual; she still has emails to answer and reservations to manage. She is wearing a fleece jacket and fashionably ripped jeans, a month ago she cut her hair down to one centimeter.

With her pointer finger she travels the map, over hills, grasslands, in some places she has made marks with a ballpoint pen. "Here are our camps," she says.

Junaice Mollel has just come from the Serengeti. She and a colleague raced through the park in an ATV. The weekend was once again spent inspecting accommodations, calculating travel times, taking photos for their bosses in the USA. Junaice Mollel holds her cell phone in front of her and swipes through her photos. Ah yes, here: one of her company’s safari tents. It’s big, luxurious, with wooden floors, a king-sized bed, and a telephone on the nightstand. Junaice Mollel works for a tourism company based in California, organizing safaris and mountain treks for wealthy Americans visiting Tanzania. Her hometown, Arusha, lies between the Serengeti, Mount Kilimanjaro and other national parks. Hardly any other region in Africa attracts more tourists from all over the world.

She stands up and walks out of the office, which is situated in a large house on a sprawling estate with a garden. She walks across the lawn to an outbuilding. "I live here." She opens the door and goes in quickly to keep out the mosquitos. It is one room and a bathroom, paid for by the company. A big bed, a big window, lots of shoes, many handbags, a nightstand housing a bottle of perfume, nutritional supplements, and body lotion. Sure, she says, she’s grateful to her company that she can live here, but she would like to have something of her own. A nice house in a nice location. Someday, hopefully.

Then she asks if we’re done for today. She has to go back to the office, the emails, the reservations. It’s getting dark, the city is getting ready for bed. But Junaice Mollel stays awake. She’s used to it. Her whole life has been double shifts, after school there was work, after work there was studying. It’s the agreement she made with the universe: make sacrifices, rise a little higher. She knows there are many like her, and not everyone can make it. But she will try. Where she came from is not a life she ever wants to return to.