>>> THIS MACHINE CAN CREATE NEARLY THE COLDEST CONDITIONS IN THE UNIVERSE AT ABOUT 460 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.
IN THAT ENVIRONMENT, A RADICALLY NEW KIND OF COMPUTER MAY CHANGE CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT. >> WE'RE LOOKING AT A RACE
BETWEEN CHINA, BETWEEN IBM, GOOGLE, MICROSOFT, HONEYWELL, BECAUSE THE NATION OR COMPANY THAT DOES THIS WILL RULE THE
WORLD ECONOMY. >>> DID PEOPLE TRY TO KILL YOU? >> YES. >> AUTHOR SALMAN RUSHDIE HAS
BEEN A MARKED MAN FOR NEARLY HALF HIS LIFE. AND IN 2022, A KNIFE -WIELDING ATTACKING ALMOST KILLED HIM.
THIS IS HIS FIRST TELEVISION INTERVIEW. >> ONE OF THE SURGEONS WHO SAVED MY LIFE SAID TO ME, HE SAID,
FIRST, YOU WERE REALLY UNLUCKY, AND THEN YOU WERE REALLY LUCKY. I SAID, WHAT'S THE LUCKY PART? HE SAID, THE LUCKY PART IS THE
MAN WHO ATTACKED YOU HAD NO IDEA HOW TO KILL A MAN WITH A KNIFE. >>> YOU CAN'T WAVE A WAND AND MAKE INTOLERANCE, HARDSHIP, AND
VIOLENCE DISAPPEAR. BUT YOU CAN USE MAGIC TO TRY. WE VISITED A REMARKABLE SCHOOL IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA,
THAT'S CALLED THE COLLEGE OF MAGIC. WHILE IT'S NOT AN ACCREDITED INSTITUTION, IT IS A REAL LIFE
HOG WARTS. THE SCHOOL FILLED WITH STUDENTS FROM PRIVILEGE AND FROM POVERTY. >> ONE, TWO, THREE --
>> HOCUS-POCUS! >> I'M LESLEY STAHL. >> I'M BILL WHITAKER. >> I'M ANDERSON COOPER.
>> I'M SHARYN ALFONSI. >> I'M JON WERTHEIM. >> I'M CECILIA VEGA. >> I'M SCOTT PELLEY.
THOSE STORIES TONIGHT ON "60 MINUTES." >>> ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS THE MAGIC OF THE MOMENT, BUT
THIS IS A STORY ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT, SOMETHING INCOMPREHENSIBLE. THIS PAST DECEMBER, IBM
ANNOUNCED AN ADVANCE IN AN ENTIRELY NEW KIND OF COMPUTING, ONE THAT MAY SOLVE PROBLEMS IN MINUTES THAT WOULD TAKE TODAY'S
SUPERCOMPUTERS MILLIONS OF YEARS. THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN QUANTUM COMPUTING, A TECHNOLOGY BEING
DEVELOPED AT IBM, GOOGLE, AND OTHERS. IT'S NAMED FOR QUANTUM PHYSICS, WHICH DESCRIBES THE FORCES OF
THE SUBATOMIC REALM. AND AS WE TOLD YOU LAST WINTER, THE SCIENCE IS DEEP. AND WE CAN'T SCRATCH THE
SURFACE. BUT WE HOPE TO EXPLAIN JUST ENOUGH SO THAT YOU WON'T BE BLINDSIDED BY A BREAK THROUGH
THAT COULD TRANSFORM CIVILIZATION. >> THE QUANTUM COMPUTER PUSHES THE LIMITS OF KNOWLEDGE.
NEW SCIENCE, NEW ENGINEERING, ALL LEADING TO THIS PROCESSER THAT COULD COMPUTING WITH THE ATOMIC FORCES THAT CREATED THAT
UNIVERSE. >> I THINK AT THIS MOMENT, IT FEELS TO US LIKE WE'RE PIONEERS ON THE 1940s AND '50s THAT WERE
BUILDING THE FIRST DIGITAL COMPUTERS. >> DARIO GIL, SPANISH BORN WITH A PHD IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING,
GIL IS HEAD OF RESEARCH AT IBM. >> HOW MUCH FASTER IS THIS THAN, SAY, THE WORLD'S BEST SUPERCOMPUTER TODAY?
>> WE ARE NOW IN A STAGE WHERE WE CAN DO CERTAIN CALCULATIONS WITH THESE SYSTEMS THAT WOULD TAKE THE BIGGEST SUPERCOMPUTERS
IN THE WORLD TO BE ABLE TO DO SOME SIMILAR CALCULATION. BUT THE BEAUTY OF IT IS THAT WE SEE THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE
TO EXPAND THAT CAPABILITY SUCH THAT NOT EVEN A MILLION OR A BILLION OF THOSE SUPERCOMPUTERS CONNECTED TOGETHER COULD DO THE
CAC CALCULATIONS OF THESE FUTURE MACHINES. SO, WE'VE COME A LONG WAY.
ND THE MOST EXCITING PART IS THAT WE HAVE A ROADMAP AND A JOURNEY RIGHT NOW WHERE THAT IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE AT
A RATE THAT IS GOING TO BE SHOCKING. >> I'M NOT SURE THE WORLD IS PREPARED FOR THIS CHANGE.
>> DEFINITELY NOT. >> TO UNDERSTAND THE CHANGE, GO BACK TO 1947 AND THE INVENTION OF A SWITCH CALLED A TRANSISTOR.
>> THE TRANSISTOR, A NEW NAME. >> COMPUTERS HAVE PROCESSED INFORMATION ON TRANSISTORS EVER SINCE, GETTING FASTER, AS MORE
TRANSISTORS WERE SQUEEZED ONTO A CHIP, BILLIONS OF THEM TODAY. BUT IT TAKES THAT MANY BECAUSE EACH TRANSISTOR HOLDS
INFORMATION IN ONLY TWO STATES. IT'S EITHER ON OR ITS OFF, LIKE A COIN, HEADS OR TAILS. QUANTUM ABANDONS TRANSISTORS AND
ENCODES INFORMATION ON ELECTRONS THAT BEHAVE LIKE THIS COIN WE CREATED WITH ANIMATION. ELECTRONS BEHAVE IN A WAY SO
THAT THEY ARE HEADS AND TAILS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. YOU'VE GONE FROM HANDLING ONE BIT OF INFORMATION AT A TIME ON
A TRANSISTOR TO EXPONENTIALLY MORE DATA. >> YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE IS FANTASTIC AMOUNT OF INFORMATION
STORED WHEN YOU CAN LOOK AT ALL POSSIBLE ANGLES, NOT JUST UP OR DOWN. >> PHYSICIST MICHIO KAKU OF THE
CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK ALREADY CALLS TODAY'S COMPUTERS CLASSICAL. HE USES A MAZE TO EXPLAIN
QUANTUM'S DIFFERENCE. >> LET'S LOOK AT A CLASSICAL COMPUTER CALCULATING HOW A MOUSE NAVIGATES A MAZE.
IT IS PAINFUL. ONE BY ONE, IT HAS TO MAP EVERY SINGLE LEFT TURN, RIGHT TURN, LEFT TURN, RIGHT TURN, BEFORE IT
FINDS THE GOAL. NOW, THE QUANTUM COMPUTER SCANS ALL POSSIBLE ROUTES SIMULTANEOUSLY.
THIS IS AMAZING. HOW MANY TURNS ARE THERE? HUNDREDS OF POSSIBLE TURNS, RIGHT?
QUANTUM COMPUTERS DO IT ALL AT ONCE. >> KAKU'S BOOK, TITLED "QUANTUM SUPREMACY," EXPLAINS THE STAKES.
>> WE'RE LOOKING AT A RACE, A RACE BETWEEN CHINA, BETWEEN IBM, GOOGLE, MICROSOFT, HONEYWELL. ALL THE BIG BOYS ARE IN THIS
RACE TO CREATE A WORKABLE, OPERATIONALLY EFFICIENT QUANTUM COMPUTER BECAUSE THE NATION OR COMPANY THAT DOES THIS WILL RULE
THE WORLD ECONOMY. >> BUT A RELIABLE GENERAL PURPOSE QUANTUM COMPUTER IS A TOUGH CLIMB YET.
MAYBE THAT'S WHY THIS WALL IS IN THE LOBBY OF GOOGLE'S QUANTUM LAB IN CALIFORNIA. HERE, WE GOT AN INSIDE LOOK
STARTING WITH A MICROSCOPE'S VIEW OF WHAT REPLACES THE TRANSISTOR. >> THIS RIGHT HERE IS ONE QUBIT,
AND THIS IS ANOTHER QUBIT. THIS IS A FIVE-QUBIT CHAIN. >> THOSE CROSSES AT THE BOTTOM ARE QUBIT, SHORT FOR QUANTUM
BITS. THEY HOLD THE ELECTRONS AND ACT LIKE ARTIFICIAL ATOMS. UNLIKE TRANSISTORS, EACH
ADDITIONAL QUBIT DOUBLES THE COMPUTER'S POWER. IT'S EXPONENTIAL. SO, WHILE 20 TRANSISTORS ARE 20
TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN ONE, 20 QUBITS ARE A MILLION TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN ONE. >> SO, THIS GETS POSITIONED
RIGHT HERE ON THE FRIDGE -- >> CHARINA CHOU, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF GOOGLE'S LAB, SHOWED US THE PROCESSOR THAT HOLDS THE
QUBITS. MUCH OF THAT ABOVE CHILLS THE QUBITS TO WHAT PHYSICISTS CALL NEAR ABSOLUTE ZERO.
>> NEAR ABSOLUTE ZERO, I UNDERSTAND, IS ABOUT 460 DEGREES BELOW ZERO FAHRENHEIT. SO, THAT'S ABOUT AS COLD AS
ANYTHING CAN GET. >> YES. ALMOST AS COLD AS POSSIBLE. >> THAT TEMPERATURE INPSESIDE A
SEALED COMPUTER IS ONE OF THE COLDEST PLACES IN THE UNIVERSE. THE DEEP FREEZE ELIMINATES ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE AND
ISOLATES THE QUBITS FROM OUTSIDE VIBRATIONS SO THEY CAN BE CONTROLLED WITH AN ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD.
THE QUBITS MUST VIBRATE IN UNISON. BUT THAT'S A TOUGH TRICKED CALL COHERNS
COHERENCE. >> ONCE YOU'VE ACHIEVED COHERENCE OF THE QUBITS, HOW EASY IS THAT TO MAINTAIN?
>> IT'S REALLY HARD. COHERENCE IS VERY CHALLENGING. >> COHERENCE IS FLEETING. IN ALL SIMILAR MACHINES,
COHERENCE BREAKS DOWN CONSTANTLY, CREATING ERRORS. >> WE'RE MAKING ABOUT ONE ERROR IN EVERY 100 OR SO STEPS.
ULTIMATELY WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO NEED ONE ERROR IN EVERY MILLION OR SO STEPS. THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE
IDENTIFIED AS ONE OF THE BIGGEST BARRIERS. >> MITIGATING THOSE ERRORS AND EXTENDING COHERENCE TIME, WHILE
SCALING UP TO LARGER MACHINES, ARE THE CHALLENGES FACING GERMAN AMERICAN SCIENTIST HARTMUT NEVEN, WHO FOUNDED GOOGLE'S LAB
AND ITS CASUAL STYLE IN 2012. >> CAN THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE IN THE WAY OF QUANTUM COMPUTING BE SOLVED?
>> I SHOULD CONFESS, MY SUBTITLE HERE IS CHIEF OPTIMIST. SO, AFTER HAVING SAID THIS, I WOULD SAY, AT THIS POINT, WE
DON'T NEED ANY MORE FUNDAMENTAL BREAK THROUGHS. WE NEED LITTLE IMPROVEMENTS HERE AND THERE.
WE HAVE ALL THE PIECES TOGETHER. WE JUST NEED TO INTEGRATE THE WORLD TO BUILD LARGER AND LARGER SYSTEMS.
>> AND YOU THINK ALL OF THIS WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO A SYSTEM IN WHAT PERIOD OF TIME? >> WE OFTEN SAY WE WANT TO DO IT
BY THE END OF THE DECADE SO THAT WE CAN USE THIS -- GET IT DONE BY THE END OF THE DECADE. >> THE END OF THIS DECADE?
>> YES. >> FIVE OR SIX YEARS? >> YES. >> THAT'S ABOUT THE TIMELINE
DARIO GIL PREDICTS. AND THE IBM RESEARCH DIRECTOR TOLD US SOMETHING SURPRISING. >> THERE ARE PROBLEMS THAT
CLASSICAL COMPUTERS CAN NEVER SOLVE? >> CAN NEVER SOLVE. AND I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT
POINT BECAUSE WE'RE ACCUSTOMED TO SAYING, COMPUTERS GET BETTER. ACTUALLY, THERE ARE MANY, MANY PROBLEMS THAT ARE SO COMPLEX
THAT WE CAN MAKE THAT STATEMENT THAT, ACTUALLY, CLASSICAL COMPUTERS WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM, NOT NOW, NOT
100 YEARS FROM NOW, NOT 1,000 YEARS FROM NOW. YOU ACTUALLY REQUIRE A DIFFERENT WAY TO REPRESENT INFORMATION AND
PROCESS INFORMATION. THAT'S WHAT QUANTUM GIVE US. >> QUANTUM COULD GIVE US ANSWERS TO IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEMS IN
PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE, WHICH IS WHY IBM AND CLEVELAND CLINIC HAVE INSTALLED ONE OF THE FIRST
QUANTUM COMPUTERS TO LEAVE THE LAB FOR THE REAL WORLD. >> IT TAKES TIME. IT TAKES WAY TOO MUCH TIME TO
FIND THE SOLUTIONS WE NEED. >> WE SAT DOWN WITH DARIO GIL AND DR. SERPIL ERZURUM, CHIEF RESEARCH OFFICER AT CLEVELAND
CLINIC. SHE TOLD US HEALTH CARE WOULD BE TRANSFORMED IF QUANTUM COMPUTERS CAN MODEL THE BEHAVIOR OF
PROTEINS, THE MOLECULES THAT REGULATE ALL LIFE. PROTEINS CHANGE SHAPE TO CHANGE FUNCTION IN WAYS TOO COMPLEX TO
FOLLOW. AND WHEN THEY GET IT WRONG, THAT CAUSES DISEASE. >> IT TAKES ON MANY SHAPES,
MANY, MANY SHAPES DEPENDING UPON WHAT IT'S DOING AND WHERE IT IS AND WHICH OTHER PROTEIN IT'S WITH.
I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE SHAPE IT'S IN. WHEN IT'S DOING AN INTERACTION OR A FUNCTION THAT I DON'T WANT
IT TO DO FOR THAT PATIENT. CANCER, AUTOIMMUNITY, IT'S A PROBLEM. WE ARE LIMITED COMPLETELY BY THE
COMPUTATIONAL ABILITY TO LOOK AT THE STRUCTURE IN REAL TIME FOR ANY EVEN ONE MOLECULE. >> CLEVELAND CLINIC IS SO PROUD
OF ITS QUANTUM COMPUTER THEY SET IT UP IN A LOBBY BEHIND THE GLASS, THAT SHINY SILVER CYLINDER ENCLOSES THE KIND OF
COOLING SYSTEM AND PROCESSOR YOU SAW EARLIER. QUANTUM IS NOT SOLVING THE PROTEIN PROBLEM YET.
THIS IS MORE OF A TRIAL RUN TO INTRODUCE RESEARCHERS TO QUANTUM'S POTENTIAL. >> THE PEOPLE USING THIS
MACHINE, ARE THEY HAVING TO LEARN AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH A COMPUTER? >> I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S REALLY
NICE, THAT YOU ACTUALLY JUST USE A REGULAR LAPTOP AND YOU WRITE A PROGRAM, VERY MUCH LIKE YOU WOULD WRITE A TRADITIONAL
PROGRAM. BUT WHEN YOU, YOU KNOW, CLICK GO AND RUN, IT JUST HAPPENS TO RUN ON A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF
COMPUTER. >> THERE ARE A HALF DOZEN COMPETING DESIGNS IN THE RACE. CHINA NAMED QUANTUM A TOP
NATIONAL PRIORITY, AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS SPENDING NEARLY A BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR ON RESEARCH.
THE FIRST CHANGE IS EXPECTED TO COME THIS YEAR, WHEN THE U.S. PUBLISHES NEW STANDARDS FOR ENCRYPTION BECAUSE QUANTUM IS
EXPECTED ONE DAY TO BREAK THE CODES THAT LOCK EVERYTHING FROM NATIONAL SECRETS TO CREDIT CARDS.
THIS PAST DECEMBER, IBM UNVEILED ITS QUANTUM SYSTEM 2, WITH THREE TIMES THE QUBITS AS THE MACHINE YOU SAW IN CLEVELAND.
LAST YEAR, WE SAW SYSTEM 2 UNDER CONSTRUCTION. >> IT'S A MACHINE UNLIKE ANYTHING WE'VE EVER BUILT.
>> AND THIS IS IT. >> THIS IS IT. >> IBM'S DARIO GIL TOLD US SYSTEM 2 HAS THE ROOM TO EXPAND
TO THOUSANDS OF QUBITS. >> WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT'S GOING TO BE READY IN FIVE
YEARS AND ALWAYS WILL BE? >> WE DON'T SEE AN OBSTACLE RIGHT NOW THAT WOULD PREVENT US FROM BUILDING SYSTEMS THAT WILL
HAVE TENS OF THOUSANDS, AND EVEN 100,000 QUBITS WORKING WITH EACH OTHER. SO, WE ARE HIGHLY CONFIDENT WE
WILL GET THERE. >> OF ALL THE AMAZING THINGS WE HEARD, IT WAS PHYSICIST MICHIO KAKU WHO LED US DOWN THE PATH TO
THE BIGGEST IDEA OF ALL. HE SAID WE WERE WALKING YOU THERE A QUANTUM COMPUTER, PROCESSING INFORMATION WITH
SUBATOMIC PARTICLES IS NOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS. >> WHEN I LOOK AT THE NIGHT SKY, I SEE STARS.
I LOOK AT THE FLOWERS, THE TREES, I REALIZE THAT IT'S ALL QUANTUM. THE SPLENDOR OF THE UNIVERSE
ITSELF. THE LANGUAGE OF THE UNIVERSE IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE QUANTUM. >> LEARNING THAT LANGUAGE MAY
BRING MORE THAN INCONCEIVABLE SPEED. REVERSE ENGINEERING NATURE'S COMPUTER COULD BE A WINDOW ON
CREATION ITSELF. >>> SALMAN RUSHDIE HAS BEEN A MARKED MAN FOR NEARLY HALF HIS LIFE.
IN 1989, IRAN'S LEADER, AYATOLLAH CHOEMNY, DECLARED HIS NOVEL BLASPHEMOUS, AN INSULT TO ISLAM.
RUSHDIE WENT INTO HIDING WITH AROUND THE CLOCK POLICE PROTECTION FOR TEN YEARS. HE EVENTUALLY MOVED TO THE U.S.
AND THOUGHT HE WAS SAFE. BUT IN AUGUST 2022, AS HE WAS ABOUT TO SPEAK AT A LITERARY FESTIVAL, SALMAN RUSHDIE WAS
ATTACKED BY A MUSLIM MAN WITH A KNIFE. RUSHDIE, WHO IS NOW 77, LOST HIS RIGHT EYE AND CAME CLOSE TO
DYING. HE'S COME TO TERMS WITH THE ATTEMPT ON HIS LIFE BY WRITING A BOOK ABOUT IT, CALLED SIMPLY,
"KNIFE," WHICH CAME OUT IN APRIL. WE SPOKE TO RUSHDIE EARLIER THIS YEAR IN HIS FIRST TELEVISION
INTERVIEW SINCE THE ATTACK. >> YOU HAD HAD A DREAM TWO DAYS, I THINK IT WAS, BEFORE THE ATTACK.
WHAT WAS THE DREAM? >> I KIND OF HAD A PREMONITION. I HAD A DREAM OF BEING ATTACKED IN A NAZI THEATER.
IT WAS A KIND OF ROMAN EMPIRE DREAM. IT'S AS IF I WAS IN THE COLOSSEUM AND WAS JUST SOMEBODY
WITH A SPEAR STABBING DOWNWARDS AND I WAS ROLLING AROUND ON THE FLOOR TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM HIM.
AND I WOKE UP AND WAS QUITE SHAKEN BY IT. AND I HAD TO GO TO CHAUTAUQUA. I SAID TO MY WIFE, ELIZA, I
SAID, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO GO. >> BECAUSE OF THE DREAM? >> BECAUSE OF THE DREAM.
BUT THEN I THOUGHT, DON'T BE SILLY. IT'S A DREAM. >> SALMAN RUSHDIE HAD BEEN
INVITED TO THE TRANQUIL TOWN OF CHAUTAUQUA, CLOSE TO LAKE ERIE, TO SPEAK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF A SUBJECT HE KNOWS TOO WELL,
PROTECTING THE WRITERS WHOSE LIVES ARE UNDER THREAT. >> DID YOU HAVE ANY ANXIETY BEING IN SUCH A PUBLIC SPACE?
>> NOT REALLY. IN THE MORE THAN 20 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN LIVING IN AMERICA, I'VE DONE A LOT OF THESE THINGS.
>> YOU HAVEN'T HAD SECURITY AROUND YOU, CLOSE PROTECTION DETAIL, FOR A LONG TIME? >> LONG TIME, LONG TIME.
WHAT HAPPENS IN MANY PLACES THAT YOU GO AND LECTURE IS THAT THEY'RE USED TO HAVING A CERTAIN DEGREE OF SECURITY, VENUE
SECURITY. IN THIS CASE, THERE WASN'T ANY. >> THE IRONY, OF COURSE, IS YOU WERE THERE TO TALK ABOUT WRITERS
IN DANGER. >> YEAH, EXACTLY, AND THE NEED FOR WRITERS IN OTHER COUNTRIES TO HAVE SAFE SPACES IN AMERICA,
AMONGST OTHER PLACES. AND THEN, YEAH, IT JUST TURNED OUT NOT TO BE A SAFE SPACE FOR ME.
>> FOR YEARS, NO PLACE WAS SAFE FOR SALMAN RUSHDIE, WHOSE SPRAWLING 600 P-PAGE NOVEL, "SATANIC VERSES," OFFENDED SOME
MUSLIMS FOR ITS DEPICTION OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD. A FATWA, A DECREE CALLING FOR RUSHDIE'S DEATH IN 1989.
THERE WERE WORLDWIDE PROTESTS FROM LONDON TOÂ -- THE BOOK'S JAPANESE TRANSLATOR WAS MURDERED, AND OTHERS ASSOCIATED
WITH IT WERE ATTACKED. >> DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THAT IT WOULD CAUSE VIOLENCE? >> NO.
I HAD NO IDEA. I THOUGHT PROBABLY SOME CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE WOULDN'T LIKE IT.
BUT THEY DIDN'T LIKE ANYTHING I WROTE ANYWAY. SO, I THOUGHT, WELL, THEY DON'T HAVE TO READ IT.
>> WERE YOU NAIVE? >> PROBABLY. YOU KNOW, IT'S EASY LOOKING BACK.
NOTHING LIKE THIS HAD EVER HAPPENED TO ANYBODY. AND OF COURSE ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO ATTACKED THE BOOK DID SO
WITHOUT READING IT. I'M OFTEN TOLD THAT I'M INTENDED TO INSULT, OFFEND PEOPLE. MY VIEW IS, IF I NEED TO INSULT
YOU, I CAN DO IT REALLY QUICKLY. I DON'T NEED TO SPEND FIVE YEARS OF MY LIFE TRYING TO WRITE A 600-PAGE BOOK TO INSULT YOU.
>> RUSHDIE WAS LIVING IN LONDON WHEN HE WENT INTO HIDING. AND FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT PROVIDED HIM
WITH 24-HOUR POLICE PROTECTION. >> DID PEOPLE TRY TO KILL YOU? >> YES. THERE WERE MAYBE AS MANY AS HALF
A DOZEN SERIOUS ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS, WHICH WERE NOT RANDOM PEOPLE. THEY WERE STATE SPONSORED
TERRORISM PROFESSIONALS. >> AFTER DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS, THE IRANIAN STATE CALLED OFF ITS ASSASSINS IN
1988. RUSHDIE FINALLY CAME OUT OF THE SHADOWS. HE MOVED TO NEW YORK AND FOR THE
NEXT TWO DECADES LIVED OPENLY. HE WAS A MAN ABOUT TOWN. HE CONTINUED WRITING AND BECAME A CELEBRATED ADVOCATE FOR
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. SO, WHEN HE RECEIVED THE INVITATION TO SPEAK AT CHAUTAUQUA IN AUGUST OF 2022, HE
GLADLY ACCEPTED. >> I WAS AT STAGE RIGHT. >> IN HIS NEW BOOK, "KNIFE," HE DESCRIBED WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.
>> THEN IN THE CORNER OF MY RIGHT EYE, THE LAST THING MY RIGHT EYE WOULD EVER SEE, I SAW THE MAN IN BLACK RUNNING TOWARD
ME DOWN THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE SEATING AREA. BLACK CLOTHES, BLACK FACE MASK. HE WAS COMING IN HARD AND LOW, A
SQUAT MISSILE. I CONFESS, I HAD SOMETIMES IMAGINED MY ASSASSIN RISING UP IN SOME PUBLIC FORUM OR OTHER
AND COMING FOR ME IN JUST THIS WAY. SO, MY FIRST THOUGHT WHEN I SAW THIS MURDEROUS SHAPE RUSHING
TOWARDS ME WAS, SO IT'S YOU. HERE YOU ARE. >> SO, IT'S YOU. HERE YOU ARE.
>> YEAH. >> IT'S LIKE YOU'D BEEN WAITING FOR IT. >> YEAH.
THAT'S WHAT IT FELT LIKE. IT FELT LIKE SOMETHING COMING OUT OF THE DISTANT PAST AND TRYING TO DRAG ME BACK IN TIME,
IF YOU LIKE, BACK INTO THAT DISTANT PAST, IN ORDER TO KILL ME. AND WHEN HE GOT TO ME, HE
BASICALLY HIT ME VERY HARD HERE. AND INITIALLY I THOUGHT I'D BEEN PUNCHED. >> YOU DIDN'T ACTUALLY SEE A
KNIFE. >> I DIDN'T SEE THE KNIFE. AND I DIDN'T REALIZE UNTIL I SAW BLOOD COMING OUT THAT THERE HAD
BEEN A KNIFE IN HIS FIST. >> SO, WHERE WAS THAT STAB? >> HERE. >> IN YOUR NECK?
>> IN MY NECK, YEAH. THEN THERE WERE A LOT MORE. THE WORST WOUND WAS THERE WAS A BIG SLASH WOUND, LIKE THIS
ACROSS MY NECK. AND THERE'S A PUNCTURE, STAB WOUND HERE. AND THEN OF COURSE THERE'S THE
ATTACK ON MY EYE. >> DO YOU REMEMBER BEING STABBED IN THE EYE? >> NO.
I REMEMBER FALLING. THEN I REMEMBER NOT KNOWING WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO MY EYE. >> HE WAS ALSO STABBED IN HIS
HAND, CHEST, ABDOMEN, AND THIGH, 15 WOUNDS IN ALL. >> HE WAS, BOTH, STABBING AND ALSO SLASHING.
>> I THINK HE WAS JUST WILDLY -- >> THE ATTACK LASTED 27 SECONDS. TO FEEL JUST HOW LONG THAT
IS -- >> THIS IS WHAT 27 SECONDS IS.
[ SILENCE ]
>> THAT'S QUITE A LONG TIME. THAT'S THE EXTRAORDINARY HALF-MINUTE OF INTIMACY IN WHICH
LIFE MEETS DEATH. >> WHAT STOPPED IT FROM BEING LONGER? >> THE AUDIENCE PULLING HIM OFF
ME. >> STRANGERS TO YOU. >> TOTAL -- TO THIS DAY I DON'T KNOW THEIR NAMES.
>> SOME OF THE STRANGERS RESTRAINED THE ATTACKER, WHILE OTHERS TRIED TO STEM THE FLOW OF RUSHDIE'S BLOOD.
>> THERE WAS REALLY A LOT OF BLOOD. >> YOU WERE ACTUALLY WATCHING YOUR BLOOD?
>> I WAS WATCHING IT SPREAD. AND THEN I REMEMBER THINKING THAT I WAS PROBABLY DYING. AND IT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE
IT WAS QUITE MATTER OF FACT. IT WASN'T LIKE I WAS TERRIFIED OF IT OR WHATEVER. AND YEAH, THERE WAS NOTHING.
NO HEAVENLY CHOIRS. NO PEARLY GATES. I MEAN, I'M NOT A SUPERNATURAL PERSON, YOU KNOW.
I BELIEVE THAT DEATH COMES AS THE END. THERE'S NOTHING THAT HAPPENED THAT MADE ME CHANGE MY MIND
ABOUT THAT. >> YOU HAVE NOT HAD A REVELATION? >> I HAVE NOT HAD ANY REVELATION
EXCEPT THAT THERE'S NO REVELATION TO BE HAD. >> HIS ATTACKER, THE MAN IN BLACK, WAS HUSTLED OFF THE
STAGE. >> IN THE BOOK, YOU DO NOT USE THE ATTACKER'S NAME. >> YEAH.
I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT HIS NAME IN MY BOOK. AND I DON'T USE IT IN CONVERSATION EITHER.
>> THAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU TO NOT GIVE HIM SPACE IN YOUR BRAIN. >> YEAH.
HE AND I HAD 27 SECONDS TOGETHER. YOU KNOW, THAT'S IT. I DON'T NEED TO GIVE HIM ANY
MORE OF MY TIME. >> PARAMEDICS FLEW RUSHDIE TO A HOSPITAL IN ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, 40 MILES AWAY, WHERE A TEAM OF
DOCTORS BATTLED FOR EIGHT HOURS TO SAVE HIS LIFE. WHEN HE FINALLY CAME OUT OF SURGERY, HIS WIFE, ELIZA, A POET
AND NOVELIST, WAS WAITING. >> I MEAN, HE WASN'T MOVING, AND HE WAS JUST LAID OUT. >> HE LOOKED HALF DEAD TO YOU.
>> YES, HE DID. HE WAS A DIFFERENT COLOR. HE WAS COLD. I MEAN, HIS FACE WAS STAPLED --
JUST STAPLES HOLDING HIS FACE TOGETHER. >> RUSHDIE WAS ON A VENTILATOR, UNABLE TO SPEAK.
ELIZA AND THE DOCTORS HAD NO IDEA WHETHER THE KNIFE THAT HAD PENETRATED HIS EYE HAD DAMAGED HIS BRAIN.
>> SOMEONE FROM THE STAFF SAID THAT WE WOULD USE THIS SYSTEM OF WIGGLING THE TOES. >> TO COMMUNICATE?
>> TO COMMUNICATE. >> DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST QUESTION YOU ASKED TO GET A WIGGLE?
>> I THINK I SAID, SALMAN, IT'S ELIZA, CAN YOU HEAR ME. AND THERE WAS -- THERE WAS A WIGGLE.
AND ASKED HIM, I THINK, CAN YOU -- DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE? WIGGLED.
AND IT WAS VERY BASIC, SIMPLE QUESTIONS. >> YOU CAN'T EXPRESS YOURSELF WITH ANY SUBTLETY WITH YOUR
TOES. >> WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE THING. >> AFTER 18 DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL AND THREE WEEKS IN REHAB,
RUSHDIE WAS DISCHARGED. >> ONE OF THE SURGEONS WHO HAD SAVED MY LIFE SAID TO ME, FIRST YOU WERE REALLY UNLUCKY.
THEN YOU WERE REALLY LUCKY. I SAID, WHAT'S THE LUCKY PART? HE SAID, THE LUCKY PART IS THAT THE MAN WHO ATTACKED YOU HAD NO
IDEA HOW TO KILL A MAN WITH A KNIFE. >> YOU'RE NOT ABELIEVER IN MIRACLES, BUT YOU WRITE IN THE
BOOK BELIEVE THIS IS A MIRACLE. >> THIS IS A CONTRADICTION. HOW DOES SOMEBODY WHO DOESN'T BELIEVE IN THE SUPERNATURAL
ACCOUNT FOR THE FACT THAT SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED THAT FEELS LIKE A MIRACLE? AND I CERTAINLY DON'T FEEL THAT
SOME HAND REACHED DOWN FROM THE SKIES AND GUIDED ME. BUT I DO THINK SOMETHING HAPPENED WHICH WASN'T SUPPOSED
TO HAPPEN. AND I HAVE NO EXPLANATION FOR IT. >> HIS ATTACKER WAS A
24-YEAR-OLD FROM NEW JERSEY, WHO LIVED IN HIS MOTHER'S BASEMENT. HE'S BELIEVED TO BE A LONE WOLF. HE'S PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO
ATTEMPTED MURDER AND IS AWAITING TRIAL. IN AN INTERVIEW, HE TOLD "THE NEW YORK POST," HE'D ONLY READ A
COUPLE OF PAGES OF "THE SATANIC VERSES," AND SEEN SOME CLIPS OF RUSHDIE ON YOUTUBE. HE SAID HE DIDN'T LIKE HIM VERY
MUCH BECAUSE RUSHDIE HAD ATTACKED ISLAM. >> DOES IT MATTER TO YOU WHAT HIS MOTIVE WAS?
>> I MEAN, IT'S INTERESTING TO ME BECAUSE IT'S A MYSTERY. IF I HAD WRITTEN A CHARACTER WHO KNEW SO LITTLE ABOUT HIS
PROPOSED VICTIM AND YET WAS WILLING TO COMMIT THE CRIME OF MURDER, MY PUBLISHERS MIGHT WELL SAY TO ME THAT THAT'S
UNDERMOTIVATED. >> YOU NEED TO DEVELOP THAT CHARACTER BETTER. >> NOT ENOUGH OF A REASON, NOT
CONVINCING. BUT YET THAT'S WHAT HE DID. >> RUSHDIE'S "KNIFE," HIS 22nd BOOK, IS ONE HE INITIALLY DID
NOT WANT TO WRITE. >> IT WAS THE LAST THING I WANTED TO DO. >> BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WANT THIS
TO, YET AGAIN, DEFINE YOU. >> YEAH. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME AFTER "THE SATANIC VERSES" WAS
PUBLISHED THAT THE ONLY THING ANYBODY KNEW ABOUT ME WAS THIS DEATH THREAT. BUT IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME THAT I
COULDN'T WRITE ANYTHING ELSE. >> YOU HAD TO WRITE THIS FIRST. >> I HAD TO WRITE THIS FIRST. I HAD TO -- I NEED TO FOCUS
ON -- TO USE THE CLICHÉ -- THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. THE MOMENT I THOUGHT THAT, KIND OF SOMETHING CHANGED IN MY HEAD
AND IT BECAME A BOOK I REALLY WANTED TO WRITE. >> YOU SAID, THE LANGUAGE WAS MY KNIFE.
IF I HAD UNEXPECTEDLY BEEN CAUGHT IN AN UNWANTED KNIFE FIGHT, MAYBE THIS WAS THE KNIFE I COULD USE TO FIGHT BACK, TO
TAKE CHARGE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, TO OWN IT, MAKE IT MINE. >> YEAH. I MEAN, LANGUAGE IS A WAY OF
BREAKING OPEN THE WORLD. I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER WEAPONS, BUT I'D BEEN USING THIS PARTICULAR TOOL FOR QUITE A LONG
TIME. SO, I FELT THIS WAS MY WAY OF DEALING WITH IT. >> IT'S BEEN ALMOST TWO YEARS
SINCE THE ATTACK, AND RUSHDIE IS BACK HOME NOW IN NEW YORK, SLOWLY GETTING USED TO NAVIGATING THE WORLD WITH ONE
EYE. >> HOW MUCH TIME DID IT TAKE TO, KIND OF, READJUST? >> I'M STILL DOING IT.
>> YOU STILL ARE? >> YEAH. >> DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE A DIFFERENT PERSON AFTER THE
ATTACK? >> I DON'T FEEL I'M VERY DIFFERENT. BUT I DO FEEL THAT IT HAS LEFT A
SHADOW. I THINK THAT SHADOW IS JUST THERE. SOME DAYS IT'S DARK AND SOME
DAYS IT'S NOT. >> YOU FEEL LESS THAN YOU WERE BEFORE? >> NO.
I JUST FEEL MORE THE PRESENCE OF DEATH. >> IN AN INTERVIEW ALMOST 25 YEARS AGO, YOU SAID OF THE
FATWA, I WANT TO FIND AN END TO THIS STORY. IT IS THE ONE STORY I MUST FIND AN END TO.
HAVE YOU FOUND THAT ENDING? AND AN ENDING TO THIS STORY AS WELL? >> WELL, I THOUGHT I HAD, AND
THEN TURNED OUT I HADN'T. I'M HOPING THIS IS JUST A LAST TWITCH OF THAT STORY. I DON'T KNOW.
I'LL LET YOU KNOW.
>>> SALMAN RUSHDIE ON CENSORSHIP IN AMERICA >>> YOU CAN'T WAVE A WAND AND MAKE INTOLERANCE, HARDSHIP, AND
VIOLENCE DISAPPEAR. BUT YOU CAN USE MAGIC TO TRY. WE LEARNED THAT AFTER VISITING A REMARKABLE SCHOOL IN CAPE TOWN,
SOUTH AFRICA. IT'S CALLED THE COLLEGE OF MAGIC. WHILE IT'S NOT AN ACCREDITED
INSTITUTION, IT IS A REAL LIFE HOGWARTS, A SCHOOL FILLED WITH STUDENTS RANGING IN AGE FROM 10 TO 18, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY
REFLECTING SOUTH AFRICA. THEY COME FROM PRIVILEGE AND POVERTY. SLIGHT OF HAND, JUGGLING,
VENTRILOQUISM, CARD TRICKS, YOU CAN LEARN IT ALL. BUT WHAT THE SCHOOL REALLY TEACHES IS THE GREAT SUPERPOWER
OF MAGIC ITSELF, RETHINKING THE LIMITS OF POSSIBILITY. >> IT LOOKS LIKE ANY OTHER CAMPUS.
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE, A DIVERSE STUDENT BODY, A CORE CURRICULUM. [ SPEAKING IN A GLOBAL LANGUAGE ]
>> ALL BALANCED WITH ELECTIVES. TO BECOME MASTERS OF MAGIC, THESE KIDS MUST BE BOTH TACTICIANS AND TECHNICIANS.
>> UP, DOWN, LIKE THIS. >> AND PULL DOWN ONE AT A TIME. >> LIKE ANY ART FORM, THIS ONE REQUIRES PRACTICE, APPLICATION,
DISCIPLINE. >> 6, SPADES. >> THERE IS NO MAGIC BULLET. WHILE STUDENTS ATTEND ACADEMIC
SCHOOL DURING THE WEEK, THEY COME HERE AFTER SCHOOL ON WEEKENDS AND ON HOLIDAYS. IT TAKES SIX YEARS TO EARN A
DIPLOMA. >> ONE, TWO, THREE -- >> SINATHEMBA BAWUTI IS A TEACHER, A GRADUATE, AND HIMSELF
NOW A PRACTICING MAGICIAN. HE SHOWS STUDENTS THE TRICKS OF THE TRADE. >> WHAT IS IT ABOUT MAGIC?
WHAT APPEALS TO YOU SO MUCH ABOUT THIS? >> I DIDN'T THINK THAT I WOULD BE DOING THIS AS A CAREER OR
PERFORMING IT -- DOING IT TO SUPPLEMENT MYSELF. I WANT TO PUT A SMILE ON PEOPLE'S FACES, MAKE THEM HAPPY,
ENTERTAIN THEM. BUT IT BECAME MY THING. I USE IT TO FEED MY FAMILY AND MYSELF.
>> AND HE SAYS HE AND THE SCHOOL AIM TO TEACH THE KIDS HONESTY, HUMILITY, AND RESPECT. >> IT SOUNDS LIKE THE TRICKS AND
THE JUGGLING IS ONLY THE SMALL PART OF IT. >> IT'S NOT ONLY A COLLEGE OF MAGIC, IT'S A COLLEGE OF LIFE.
>> FOR THE REVERED DEAN AND FOUNDER, DAVID GORE, IT'S BEEN 40 YEARS SINCE HE STOPPED PRACTICING LAW AND PULLED THE
ULTIMATE BIT OF MISDIRECTION. IN HIS HOMETOWN OF CAPE TOWN, HE OPENED A COLLEGE, THE ONLY SCHOOL OF ITS KIND DEVOTED TO
WONDER. >> I'M SURELY NOT THE FIRST PERSON THAT MADE THE JOKE, YOU GAVE UP LAW TO PURSUE A CAREER
OF DECEPTION. >> WE LIKE TO THINK OF IT AS ALLUSION AND WONDERMENT. >> LOVE OF MAGIC FILLS THE
HALLS, QUITE LITERALLY. CONTRAPTIONS AND MEMORABILIA TRACE THE MEMORY OF ILLUSION. >> EVEN WITH ALL THIS
SOPHISTICATION AROUND US, THERE'S NOTHING MORE EXCITING ABOUT SEEING SOMETHING APPEAR OR DISAPPEAR UNDER YOUR NOSE.
>> WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THAT TO? >> I THINK PEOPLE ARE VERY INTERESTED IN AND CURIOUS ABOUT
HOW THE LAWS OF NATURE CAN BE SUSPENDED. AND I THINK THE MAGICIAN OFFERS THAT OPPORTUNITY, THAT GATEWAY
TO A WORLD WHICH WE ALL WOULD LOVE TO BE PART OF, WHERE GRAVITY IS ALWAYS PULLING US TO PLANET EARTH, WHERE WE CAN FLOAT
UPWARDS. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL FEELING. >> NOTHING HERE IS QUITE AS IT SEEMS.
ON OUR VISIT HERE IN JULY 2022, STUDENTS WERE PREPARING FOR THE ANNUAL CHILDREN'S MAGIC FESTIVAL.
>> WE HAVE A DRESS REHEARSAL. WHAT DO YOU THINK? TURBAN OR NO TURBAN? >> I LIKE THE TURBAN, A GOOD
LOOK. WOAH. TURN IT UP? VERY GOOD.
THAT WAS A WINNER. >> COME INTO OUR CLOSE UP THEATER. COME INSIDE.
>> MICHAEL BARTA HAS BEEN TEACHING HERE FOR DECADES. >> I TEACH CHILDREN HOW TO USE THEIR HANDS.
OKAY. I WAS JUGGLING -- SOMEBODY'S TAKEN MY BALL. >> THE SCHOOL WAS ALWAYS
CONCEIVED TO GO BEYOND HOCUS-POCUS. HIS MAGIC ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE OR WHAT YOU MISS.
BARTA THINKS IT'S BOTH. >> SO, HOW MANY BALLS DO I HAVE? >> MAGIC DEVELOPS SKEPTICISM AND CURIOSITY.
THOSE TWO THINGS ARE NEEDED IN EDUCATION. >> THAT'S GREAT. YOU COME HERE.
THERE'S A HEALTHY SKEPTICISM. HOW DID HE DO? IT'S MIXED WITH CURIOSITY AND WONDER.
HOW DID HE DO THAT? >> I KNOW. HOW DID HE DO THAT? WOW?
>> FROM THE SCHOOL'S BEGINNING, IT REFLECTED A CROSS SECTION OF SOUTH AFRICA. NOW, AS THEN, STUDENTS COME FROM
THE MOST WEALTHY SUBURBS AND FROM CAPE TOWN'S MOST IMPOVERISHED TOWNSHIPS. DUMA MGQOKI'S MOTHER WAS
MURDERED FOUR YEARS AGO. THE SPRAWLING SHANTY TOWN, LIKE SO MANY OTHERS IN THE COUNTRY, IS POCKED BY VIOLENCE AND DRUGS.
>> SOME ARE CARRYING GUNS AND SOME ARE CARRYING KNIVES. THEY'RE BUSY ROBBING OLD PEOPLE, BEING ON DRUGS AND STUFF.
SO, LIKE, I HAVE TO BE INDULGED BECAUSE I HEAR GUNSHOTS. >> YOU'RE DESCRIBING GUNSHOTS AND KNIVES AND DRUGS AND GANGS,
AND YOU COME HERE. IT MUST BE A BIT OF A RELIEF. >> IT'S HELPED ME A LOT. IT SAVED ME FROM DOING THOSE
STUFF. BECAUSE I BECAME AN ARTIST AND I BECAME TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF. >> YOU SAY ARTIST?
>> YEAH. YOU'RE A MAGICIAN, YOU'RE AN ARTIST BECAUSE IT'S ART. YEAH.
>> IN THE TOWNSHIPS, YOU DON'T COME ACROSS MANY BOW TIES. SO, WHEN DUMA PASSES BY, HE DRAWS ATTENTION.
A QUICK BIT OF WHIZ. AND GEE WHIZ. AND HE'S OFF. THE SCHOOL ARRANGES
TRANSPORTATION WHEN NEEDED, SHUTTLING THE KIDS ON THE LONG JOURNEY INTO THE CITY. THERE IS NO UNIFORM AS SUCH, BUT
STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DRESS AS SMARTLY AS THEY CAN. FOR MANY, GOING TO THE SCHOOL MARKS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO GET
OUT OF THE TOWNSHIP. TUITION IS $350 A YEAR, UNAFFORDABLE FOR MOST OF THE 130 STUDENTS.
THE COLLEGE, A NON-PROFIT, RAISES FUNDS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS. BREAKFAST LUNCH INCLUDED. >> YOU HAVE SOME KIDS COMING
HERE WHO ARE MALNOURISHED YOU HAVE TO FEED. YOU HAVE OTHER KIDS GETTING PICKED UP BY PARENTS IN FANCY
SPORTS CARS. IS THAT HARD FOR YOU TO WORK? >> YES, I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR NATION
BUILDING AND FOR UNDERSTANDING THAT YOUNG PEOPLE GET TO UNDERSTAND HOW EACH OTHER IS LIVING AND HOW WE THINK AND HOW
WE APPROACH LIFE. THESE ARE GOING TO BE THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO DRIVE THIS NATION FORWARD.
>> I CAN SEE SOME PEOPLE WATCHING THIS SAYING, THERE'S THIS COLLEGE OF MAGIC IS ALL WELL AND GOOD, AND YOU'RE
TEACHING KIDS TO MAKE COINS DISAPPEAR, BUT WHY AREN'T YOU TEACHING THEM CODING OR SOMETHING MORE PRACTICAL?
>> I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT KILL IN THE 21st CENTURY IS GOING TO BE IMAGINATIVE THINKING BECAUSE NO MATTER WHICH CAREER
YOU SELECT TO GO INTO, IT'S GOING TO NO LONGER BE YOUR KNOWLEDGE BECAUSE THE KNOWLEDGE IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET.
IT'S HOW YOU USE THE KNOWLEDGE. THERE'S NO BETTER TOPIC OR SUBJECT THAN MAGIC TO EXPLORE THE WHOLE IDEA OF IMAGINATION.
>> THEY TRADE THEIR CAPE FOR A THREE PIECE SUIT OR SPORTS JERSEY OR NURSE'S ATTIRE, YOU'RE OKAY WITH THAT?
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> 15-YEAR-OLD NAKHANE NTAME IS A RISING STAR AT THE COLLEGE. BUT SHE HAD TO BEG HER MOM TO
LET HER ENROLL. >> MOM, I WANT TO JOIN THIS. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I WANT TO BECOME A MAGICIAN.
SHE THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY, BUT HERE I AM TODAY. >> HERE YOU ARE. YOUR MOM SAID YOU WERE CRAZY FOR
WANTING TO BE A MAGICIAN. >> BECAUSE THEY DO NOT BELIEVE IN MAGIC. >> NOT ONLY THAT, FOR MANY IN
THE TOWNSHIPS, MAGIC IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE OCCULT OR WITCHCRAFT. >> THE FIRST TIME I PERFORMED, I
PERFORMED FOR MY GRANDMOTHER. SO, SHE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND MAGIC AT ALL. AND EVERY TIME SHE WOULD SEE
MAGIC, SHE WOULD BE LIKE -- [ SPEAKING IN A GLOBAL LANGUAGE ] WHICH MEANS DARKNESS AND EVIL
POWERS. >> PEOPLE SAY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND, EXPLAIN IT TO ME. WHAT DO YOU TELL THEM?
>> MAGIC IS NOT BLACK MAGIC. WE DO NOT PRACTICE ANY KIND OF SPELLS, DARK SPELLS. THERE ARE ACTUALLY SECRETS
BEHIND THE MAGIC, AND IT TAKES TIME TO PRACTICE AND MASTER EACH. >> YOU MUST FOLLOW VERY, VERY
CARINGFULLY BECAUSE A LOT OF THINGS HAPPEN. >> MYLO DREYERSMITH SAYS HIS MOM HAD TO CONVINCE HIM TO ENROLL.
>> BEFORE I CAME TO THE COLLEGE OF MAGIC, I WAS VERY SHY. I COULDN'T DANCE EVEN IN FRONT OF MY BROTHER AND SISTER.
I WOULD HIDE BEHIND MY MOM. AND MY MOM SAID I NEED TO LEARN SI SKILLS. AND WHEN WE LEARNED ABOUT THE
COLLEGE OF MAGIC, SHE WAS LIKE, THAT'S THE PERFECT SPOT. FIRST, YOU'LL GET INTO A GOOD COLLEGE, AND SECONDLY, IT'S SI
SKILLS. >> YOU CAME HERE FOR MORE SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE, TO COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL A BIT.
IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S WORKING. >> YEAH, IT IS WORKING. >> BEING A MAGICIAN, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE A PART OF A SECRET
SOCIETY, A SECRET CLUB? >> YES, LIKE A SECRET AGENT OF A BIG FORCE. >> LET'S DO A ROLE PLAY.
MYLO, MYLO, TELL ME HOW YOU DO THAT TRICK? >> NO. >> WHY?
>> BECAUSE YOU'RE A DUNDER HEAD AND YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND? >> I'M A DUNDER HEAD?
>> YES, YOU ARE. >> NEVER GIVE UP YOUR SECRETS. >> ACTUALLY ALL MY FAMILY HAS LEARNED ALL OF IT BY NOW BECAUSE
WHEN I PRACTICE FOR A PERFORMANCE, THEY PICK UP MY MISTAKES. >> YOUR FAMILY CAN KEEP A
SECRET? >> I'M NOT SURE ABOUT MY SISTER. >> TEN MILES AND AN INCALCULABLE DISTANCE FROM WHERE MYLO LIVES,
MEET LULO STOFILE, LULO THE GREAT, AS HE CALLS HIMSELF. HE LIVES IN A ONE BEDROOM HOME WITH HIS FATHER, SHAWN, MOTHER,
BELINDA, AND LITTLE SISTER. HE, TOO, TRANSFORMED AFTER GOING TO THE COLLEGE OF MAGIC. >> HE WAS HYPERACTIVE.
>> WAS HE ALWAYS THAT WAY? >> NO, HE WAS TOO SHY, LIKE HIS SISTER. >> THIS GUY WAS SHY?
>> VERY, VERY SHY. >> I DON'T BELIEVE IT. >> VERY, VERY SHY. >> BUT FOR BELINDA AND SHAWN,
MAGIC IS MORE THAN A TOOL TO GET LULO OUT OF HIS SHELL. IT MAY ALSO BE HIS PATH OUT OF POVERTY.
>> I SAY TO LULO EACH AND EVERY DAY, CONTINUE WITH YOUR MAGIC. >> CONTINUE WITH YOUR MAGIC. >> YES.
FLY WHEREVER YOU WANT TO GO TO. IT'S YOUR LIFE. IT'S NOT MY LIFE. BUT THE ONLY THING THAT I WANT
FROM YOU IS TO -- LIFE. >> ONE DAY, I'M GOING TO BE A FAMOUS MAGICIAN. >> ONE DAY YOU'RE GOING TO BE A
FAMOUS MAGICIAN? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT? >> YES. >> BUT FIRST THING'S FIRST.
TOMORROW IS THE CHILDREN'S MAGIC FESTIVAL, AND LULO CAN BARELY CONTAIN HIMSELF. >> WHAT'S THE GOAL TOMORROW?
>> THE GOAL TOMORROW IS TO SHOW PEOPLE WHO I AM. I'M LULO THE GREAT, THE JUGGLER, SPINNING RIMS, ALL THAT STUFF.
>> CARDS, JUGGLE, DANCING. WHAT DOESN'T LULO THE GREAT DO? >> LULO THE GREAT DOESN'T DO ONLY ONE THING.
>> MANY OF MANY TALENTS. >> MANY TALENTS. >> THERE WAS AN ABUNDANCE OF TALENT ON DISPLAY, AND THERE WAS
AN ABUNDANCE OF WIDE-EYED WONDER. >> ONE, TWO, THREE, HOCUS-POCUS! >> KIDS AND PARENTS AND THIS
CORRESPONDENT CONVERGED ON THE COLLEGE. DUMA MGQOKI IS AMONG THE SHOW STOPPERS.
>> I BRING HAPPINESS TO THE KIDS. THAT'S WHY I FEEL HAPPY BECAUSE I'M MAKING THEM HAPPY.
>> YOU'RE NOT JUST MAKING THEM HAPPY. YOU'RE MAKING THEM WONDER. YOU'RE EXPANDING THEIR IDEA OF
POSSIBILITY AND IMAGINATION. >> YEAH. IT'S A GREAT FEELING. IT'S A GREAT FEELING.
>> BUT YOU DON'T GIVE IT UP WHEN THEY SAY, HOW DID YOU DO IT? >> IT'S MAGIC. IT'S MAGIC.
>>> I'M LESLEY STAHL.