Republished with permission from Peace News Network

May 18th, 2018

A tech project is being hailed for its unique ability to connect ordinary citizens with other people from around the world – including former US President Barack Obama.

Shared_Studios is an organization that builds ‘portals’ in different countries so that video cameras can join people together, even if they’re from remote or conflict-related regions.

In these unassuming gold-colored shipping containers, international visitors get to meet each other, share meals together, contribute to entrepreneurial collaborations, and even compete in dance-offs – all from the comfort of their own countries.

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Shared_Studios founder Amar Bakshi said the project is about celebrating cultural connections, and “curating the diversity of the world.”

“We have 30 portals around the world,” Bakshi said. “Every portal connects to every other portal in the network. When you enter one you come face-to-face with someone in an identical portal somewhere else on earth and can…