Power
Adjiedj Bakas: "Life is a Muppet Show"
She once competed in the Miss Universe pageants, now she uses her charms to seduce exciting men into an interview for MASTERS. This time Irene van de Laar focuses her attention on trend watcher Adjiedj Bakas.
Adjiedj Bakas is a futurist, writer and speaker. He gives lectures about the changing world. Bakas is always positive, even in times of economic downturn. His motto: “A headwind makes a kite rise.” Bakas welcomes me in his colorful villa on the outskirts of Almere and shares his view on new business models, entrepreneurial trends, technology and society.
What made you want to become a futurist?
“I was born in Suriname and spent my childhood there. I was sitting there in the bush. The nearest city was Rio de Janeiro, about a four to five hour flight away. I wanted to know what the big bad world looked like. Ever since I was a child, my mother would drag me to the library to read and borrow books so I could learn about the world and history. I wanted to know what the archeology of tomorrow is. That's when I started looking into it. Later, when I went to study in the Netherlands, I saw Chriet Titulaer predict on television that we would soon have mobile phones, the Internet and computers. Titulaer was my role model. He told interesting things. I went to his lectures and started following him. I thought: I want to learn this too.”
Which competencies are necessary for your profession?
“You need imagination. But also imagination. That things can be different. For example, it is technically possible for cars to run on electricity rather than petrol. Or that an airplane can fly faster, like in the days of the Concorde. From 2030, hypersonic aircraft will arrive, flying five times as fast as the Concorde. This means that you can reach New York or Shanghai from Amsterdam in two hours. Awesome. I keep track of everything. I have five researchers in India. They provide me with reports on almost everything. IBM also sends me a lot about inventions they have made. I have a very good research apparatus. I also know a lot about money flows and the economy.”
How do you predict trends?
“I talk to thinkers, entrepreneurs, technicians, soldiers or IT people. I translate their findings to the public in a light-hearted way. It's actually a kind of math. At some point lines come together. If you want to predict the future, you have to be down-to-earth, put things into perspective and not be led by the fuss of the day.”
How do you make a difference?
“By not living in a bubble. I organize my own contradiction, because without contradiction you start to believe in your own bubble. Economists who contradict me ensure that my vision remains sharp. And I talk to everyone. From mainstream to crazy and everything in between. There is a large nuanced space between mainstream and crazy.”
Have you ever been wrong?
"Of course. I thought the war in Ukraine would be prevented. Russia is an aging country with few young people. Then you wouldn't send those boys to the front, would you? The young soldiers are used as cannon fodder. Ukraine is also aging rapidly. If all the young people are dead or have fled, who will build the economy?”
What will change in 2023?
“I expect the war in Ukraine to transform into a 'frozen conflict' and that the European sanctions against Russia will then be ended. We then get gas, oil and coal from Russia. The Northstream pipelines, demonstrably blown up by the Americans, are being repaired. Europeans are war-weary and Ukraine-weary. According to top American expert Henry Kissinger, America is now waging economic war against Russia and China at the same time. We must not allow ourselves to be carried away by the warlike Americans. As a BV Netherlands, we have been making good money from trade with all three superpowers for centuries. We must remain neutral in this bickering.”
Do the Dutch want to see big changes in 2023?
“I 'do' in the future, but most people want a life that continues. People long for safety and fun with friends and family. This is largely due to the aging of the population. Old people have more past than future. They think: what on earth should I worry about? Younger people often still are eager for the future."
Have we finally gotten rid of Covid or is there another new virus lurking?
“Viruses are timeless. The problem is that in the past a virus remained close by, because there was less travel and fewer long distances covered. Now viruses such as bird flu, swine fever or corona travel with us. We just have to keep investing in our immune system. So eat healthy. Chinese researchers have already discovered twelve dormant viruses in the melting ancient ice in Tibet, which are now waking up again. And they are worse than corona.”
What will healthcare look like?
“The government no longer has many tasks under control, such as the healthcare sector, as I describe in my book The future of healthcare. Particularly elderly care. We are experiencing de-professionalization of healthcare. We are moving to a shorter working week. People then spend their days off caring for their elderly parents, providing informal care and further training. More care tasks are therefore being pushed back to citizens. Furthermore, robotization is advancing and robots are increasingly taking on a human appearance.”
Will polarization in our country increase further?
“Yes, I think more and more people are withdrawing and distancing themselves from unpleasant discussions. I see that society is being divided into people who form a group. Look, for many people the world has become too big, too hard and too anonymous. There is also too much aggression. Small communities will be created, both physically and virtually. Many people no longer follow the news because it leads to depression. In the past you could argue with each other without conflict, but we now live in that strange situation woke-era where people are canceled if you don't agree with it. That comes over from America. That's not Dutch. I hate it: I ignore all those woke-idiots. Those people are brainwashed and want everyone to think like them. If you don't, you're wrong. Fine, then I'm wrong. Entirely right."
