“Confronting the knowledge deficit which now plagues too many Islamic societies” - Cairo, Egypt, 15 June 2006

In this final episode of Gems of Wisdom, we will hear two very short but impactful speeches in which the Aga Khan spoke passionately about his aspirations for the future. First, he reflected on his work towards building peace in the world in this speech on receiving the Asia Society’s Game Changer Lifetime Achievement Award in New York City, USA on 1 November 2017.

This penultimate episode of Gems of Wisdom will feature a different kind of address from the public speeches heard in previous episodes. As a faith leader, the Aga Khan provided Ismaili communities around the world with spiritual and worldly guidance for almost seven decades. While these religious gatherings were usually private for Ismailis only, occasionally he spoke to large outdoor public gatherings, including this address, known as an Irshad, made on 10 November 2001 in Salamiyya, Syria.

Gems of Wisdom will be drawing to a close with three special episodes. In this third last episode, we will hear the Aga Khan’s final public speech made during his lifetime, which also marked an important milestone event. Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the Aga Khan gave a virtual address in this speech to the first Convocation ceremony of the University of Central Asia in Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic on 19 June 2021.

After Uganda’s President Idi Amin expelled all South Asians from the country in 1972, thousands of Ugandan Ismaili refugees ended up rebuilding their lives and community institutions in Canada and the United Kingdom. The Aga Khan discussed the spirit of resilience that inspired the architecture of the Ismaili Centres and other buildings in this speech to the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada on 27 November 2013 in Ottawa, Canada. Please note that although the majority of this speech is in English, it does begin in French. A translation is available in the podcast’s transcript and on the Aga Khan Development Network website.

In a merit-based world, one important factor in helping children progress in developing societies is the quality of teaching they receive. The Aga Khan spoke about the need to strengthen teaching capacity in this speech at the inauguration of the Professional Development Centre in the Northern Areas of Pakistan on 19 October 2000.