M E TA M O R PH O SI S African Ideas Worth Spreading
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Introduction
Welcome Welcome family, old and new, to TEDxEuston 2017! It feels great to be back after a short hiatus. Since our inaugural event of 80 people at UCL (hence Euston) in 2009, we have grown immensely. We now welcome 600 TEDxEuston’ers annually to a full day experience that is incomparable to any other event. TEDxEuston serves as a platform that encourages responsible engagement on the continent and within its diaspora. Today at METAMORPHOSIS, we want to explore growth, progress, and transformation. However, to do this, there are many layers we must first deconstruct and understand to experience growth. This clears the way for uniquely African ideas to take centre stage and stand on equal footing with ground-breaking ideas from around the world. Our speakers today are ready to give life to their ideas, stirring questions and most importantly, action from you. On the TEDxEuston stage, they will share their stories - the ways through which they engage, innovate and disrupt on the Continent, and within its diaspora. TEDxEuston METAMORPHOSIS is about grounding ourselves in our roots and using that knowledge as a foundation for transformation that catalyses a new African renaissance. So immerse yourself in today’s experience, and thank you for being a part of this special day! Amina & Ifediba, Curators.
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Contents
M E TA M O R PH O SI S ABOUT TED & TEDxEuston
THE TEAM
SPEAKERS
PERFORMERS
NOTES
3 African Ideas Worth Spreading
About
Ideas Worth Spreading.
TED’s mission: Spreading ideas.
TED is a nonprofit organisation devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. The annual conferences bring together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives. On TED.com, the best talks and performances from TED and partners are made available to the world, for free. Over 450 TEDTalks viewed over 1 billion times, are now available, with more added each week. These videos are released under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely shared and reposted.
TED believes passionately, that the power of ideas can change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So it is building a clearing house that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers as well as a community of curious souls that engage with ideas and each other.
African Ideas Worth Spreading.
continent. We do this because we believe in the power of ideas, the strength of stories and in the bright future of Africa.
In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading,” TED has created TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.
Follow TED on www.ted.com.
TEDxEuston aims to reflect ideas and inspired thinking of a new generation of African leaders, presenting to an audience committed to engaging and re-engaging in an active and meaningful manner with the African Metamorphosis 4
THE TEAM
As a team, we have been through a personal metamorphosis over the last two years. We took a break, strengthened our skills, and have returned committed as ever to giving African ideas a platform. Today is a result of 12 months and over 1000 hours of volunteered time by our core team of 24. Part of our vigour comes from our diverse professional backgrounds, but also our shared values, belief in one another and our community. TEDxEuston is a labour of love, but we believe in the power of sharing positive, inspiring and strong messages about our Continent and its diaspora.
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We return for our eighth year with a renewed zeal to deliver another outstanding day. However, today without our incredible 40 TEDxEustonV’s, today could not be a success. So we thank every single one of our volunteers for giving up their time. We also thank our Friends of TEDxEuston who generously pay a bit more to make it possible for us to reach out to the next generation by providing a selection of free student tickets. We appreciate you! And finally, we thank you, our community, for supporting us and for sharing the talks of the 120 speakers who have now graced our stage. Today the TEDxEuston family continues to get bigger!
The Team
Foundation Board Chikwe Ihekweazu | Chuks Adichie | Felicia Meyerowitz-Singh | Ike Anya | Paddy Anigbo
Curators Amina Abonde-Adigun | Ifediba Nwokedi-Greenstein
Partnerships Meryl Folb | Nancy Adimora | Sylvia Waigwa
Marketing & Communications Ama Akuamoah | Chika Unigwe | Dami Khadijah | Eulette Ewart | Louisa Kiwana
Operations Team Afolabi Adekaiyaoja | Michael Adesina | Zainab Sanusi
Guest Experience Ritah Kambona | Sarah Ann Filson
Design Team Jermaine Johnson | Kieron Lewis | Tola Ojuolape
Volunteers Onome Okorodudu | Chris Ogbu | Joel Ogunsola | Angnes Bangali (Mimi) Kwamina Adabie Junior | Olga Kotovska | Kobby | Daphne Addy | Uche Amby | Kemi Lawal Hauwa Ottun | Ugochi Amajuoyi | Anselm Iyamanbhor | Gabrielle Osei | Ayoola Bandele Tafadzwa Mutizhe | Taiwo Adeeyo | Miriam KisakyaMaria | Natasha Williams Susan Rosenthal | Yeelen Rempanot | Gladys kyotungire | Kamsi Ibe | Busola Emiola Immaculata Abba | Pamela Mezue | Ninette Iheke | Ony Anukem | Mandy Mly | Robin Esale Leila Sekla | Yaa Ofori-Ansah | Nafisa Jones | Neneh Umusu | Natasha Mbwana | Kay Akinwunmi | Jadeja Nidhee | Damilola Kelekun I Ishaq Adigun | Juwon Layiwola
Friends of TEDxEuston Barbara Greene | Abena Poku | Jude Umeh | Catherine Ejiogu | Mo Akindolie | Olumurejiwa Fatunde | Ansi Harford | Leo Hesse Metamorphosis 6
PROGRAMME 9.30AM REGISTRATION
10 . 45AM SESSION ONE: UNDERSTANDING OF SELF LuÃsa Dias Diogo Zeinab Badawi Nneka Nwokolo Washington Wachira (TED video) William Adoasi Million Belay Ali 1.10PM LUNCH
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Programme
2 . 40PM SESSION T WO: STEPS OF TRANSFORMATION Adékúnlé Gold OluTimehin Adegbeye (TED video) Ethel Nakimuli-Mpungu Amadou Gallo Fall Afua Osei Chouaib Brik Mustafa Mahmoud Tom Ilube 5.15PM BREAK
5 . 45PM SESSION THREE: AC TUALISING OUR F UTURE DJ Rachael Kungu Abdullah Verachia Nabila Alibhai (TED video) Ahnansé Bibi Seck 7.45PM AFTERPARTY
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Hosts
EDDIE KADI Comedian | @EddieKadi Born in the DR Congo in 1983, Eddie Kadi moved to the UK at the age of eight. The first black British comedian to headline the O2 Arena, Kadi who started performing in his undergraduate years has appeared on household TV shows such as The Lenny Henry Show, and the QI show alongside Stephen Fry. He has also performed across Africa with some of the continent’s biggest names and at Africa’s biggest Entertainment awards ceremony AMVCA. Eddie graced the TEDxEustonSalon stage last year with a compelling performance ‘What’s in your back pocket?’, and we welcome him back to the family as one of today’s host.
NANCY KACUNGIRA Journalist & Entrepreneur | @kacungira Nancy Kacungira is a multi award-winning journalist and presenter on BBC World News. As a speaker and moderator, Nancy has presented on some of the world’s biggest platforms including TEDxEuston, the World Economic Forum and a Presidential Debate. She holds a Master’s degree in International Communications from the University of Leeds. Also an entrepreneur, Nancy co-founded the Blu Flamingo digital agency, which now operates in four African countries. One of her biggest commitments is towards championing diversity, balance and nuance in narratives about Africa. Metamorphosis 10
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Speakers
ABDULLAH VERACHIA Strategist | @averachia Abdullah is the CEO of The Strategists which is a leading strategy consulting firm that helps governments and corporates to craft competitive future strategies. He also currently serves- among other high profile positions- as the Executive Chairperson of The Collective Genius, a Director of Education Africa, senior faculty and Head of the Centre for Leadership and Dialogue at the Gordon Institute of Business Science. He is on the board of General Electric in South Africa. A visionary leader who has played an active role in a number of areas globally, Abdullah cofounded Frontier Advisory and has been selected to be a part of the Brightest Young Minds in South Africa. He is also an honorary member of the Golden Key International Honour Society.
Amadou is the Vice President and Managing Director of NBA Africa. He oversees the NBA’s grassroots basketball development initiatives and its partnerships with marketing, media and consumer product companies in Africa.
AMADOU GALLO FALL Founder of SEED|@amadougallofall
He is also the Founder of SEED (Sports for Education and Economic Development), a global non-profit organization established in 1998 with the mission of using sport as a vehicle to inspire, empower and support the holistic development of promising African youth.He graduated magna cum laude from the University of the District of Columbia, where he played center on the basketball team. He has also worked within the NBA for the Dallas Mavericks as Director of Player Personnel and Vice President of International Affairs. Metamorphosis 12
Speakers
Afua Osei is a co-founder of She Leads Africa, a media company for millennial African women which currently reaches more than 300,000 members across 35+ countries. Afua’s career include serving as a Fulbright Scholar in Malaysia, working in the Office of former First Lady Michelle Obama, and consulting on communications for more than 6 different political campaigns.
AFUA OSEI Co-founder of SLA | @AfuaSOsei
Afua has been named by Forbes Africa as one of the youngest power women in Africa, by Ventures Africa as one of the top 25 African innovators to watch and is one of the 30 Quartz Africa innovators in 2017. She moved to Nigeria in 2013 to serve as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, advising large corporations and multinationals across Africa.
©Omar Victor Diop
formative years in London, Paris and Dakar. He received his Master’s degree in industrial design in 1990 from ESDI, Paris. Before moving to New York in 2003, Bibi was lead designer at Renault for 12 years and has extensive experience in materials and manufacturing, and guiding large design teams through complex problems.
BIBI SECK Birsel + Seck Design Company | @bibiseck Bibi Seck is the Co-founder of the awardwinning design and innovation studio, Birsel+Seck, as well as the founder of Dakar Next, a design studio-laboratory in Dakar, Senegal. Bibi was born in Paris and spent his 13 African Ideas Worth Spreading
Whilst at Renault he led the interior design teams for several production vehicles, including the Scenic I, Scenic II, Twingo II and Trafic. Scenic I (1996) and Trafic (2002) won Car of the Year awards from the European trade press. During this time, Bibi also designed the F1 Micrograph watch for Tag Heuer, winning the prestigious 2002 Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Bibi has taught at Strate College School of Design and Management in Paris, at Université Technologique de Compiegne, and most recently at Pratt Institute. Due to his Senegalese roots, Bibi is dedicated to bringing good design practices to West Africa, demonstrating the value of design as an economic resource in developing countries.
Speakers
DJ RACHAEL Founder of Femme Electronic | @djrachael256
With her ‘Afrotronics’, mixing of electronic and house styles from across the world with banging homegrown vibes, DJ Rachael has pioneered a revered ‘melting pot’ style in Uganda.
DJ Rachael is a DJ, performer, MC and producer. She is a leading member of the Santuri Safari East Africa crew and founder of Femme Electronic - a movement to support female DJs and electronic music producers in East Africa whilst addressing the severe gender imbalance in the music industry. A trailblazer, she headlined the Bayimba Festival in 2015 and represented Uganda as one of only 2 DJs from Africa at the 2016 World Music Expo (WOMEX2016) in Santiago, Spain. Her 2017 European Summer Tour saw her headlining the Florence Folks Festival in Italy, the Etnosur festival in Alcala, Spain and the Kulturel Der Festival in Augsburg, Germany.
DR ETHEL NAKIMULI-MPUNGU
Research Psychiatrist | @ethelmpungu
Dr. Nakimuli-Mpungu is a clinician and mental health researcher and has worked on several mental health research projects in Uganda and sub-Saharan Africa. She has won many awards including one of the Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World in 2016. She has also received grants to support her efforts in training lay health workers that deliver HIV treatments in rural northern Uganda to also recognize and deliver group-psychotherapy for depression. For this work, she was honoured by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni with the Presidential National Independence Medal of Honour in 2016 . Metamorphosis 14
Speakers
DR NNEKA NWOKOLO HIV Consultant | @DrNnekaNwokolo Dr Nneka Nwokolo is a consultant physician in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine at 56 Dean Street, part of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
©George Vasilopoulos
Her interests include the sexual and reproductive health of women as well as interventions to reduce HIV transmission.
Luísa Dias Diogo was 17 years old when Mozambique became independent in 1975. Twenty nine years later, she was appointed the nation’s first female Prime Minister, a position she held until 2010. Prior to that, she was Mozambique’s Minister of Planning and Finance. As Prime Minister, she led the process of economic reforms and transformation that saw rapid changes in how the international community delivered support to the Mozambican Development Plan, including the plan to combat poverty and hunger. She has been recognized by both Times Magazine and Forbes as one of the world’s 100 most influential people. 15 African Ideas Worth Spreading
She established the first HIV PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) clinic in the UK and was part of a collaboration between community PrEP activists and clinicians that contributed to a 40% reduction in new HIV infections in London.
HE MADAME LUÍSA DIAS DIOGO Former Prime Minister of Mozambique (2004-2010)
Speakers
MILLION BELAY ALI SEGNI Project | @Million_Belay
Million Belay has a PhD in environmental learning, an MSc in Tourism and Conservation and a BSc in Biology. A founder of MELCA – Ethiopia, an indigenous NGO working on issues of agro-ecology, intergenerational learning, advocacy and livelihood improvement of local and indigenous peoples. Million has been working for over two decades as an activist on the issues of intergenerational learning of bio-cultural diversity, sustainable agriculture, the rights of local communities for seed and food sovereignty and forest issues. Currently a researcher in food systems transformation at the Stockholm Resilience Centre and a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food). Million also coordinates the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), a Pan African platform comprising networks and farmer organizations working in Africa.
MUSTAFA MAHMOUD Social Activist | @merchoz4 Mustafa Mahmoud is a committed social activist currently working with Namati’s Citizenship Program. He was most recently the Program Manager at the Nubian Rights Forum, a Kenyan NGO, where he managed a team of paralegals assisting the Nubian ethnic minority in applying for citizenship documents. He has also been involved in a wide range of community work including volunteering for the Kenyan Red Cross and hosting radio programs which highlighted politically motivated violence and enlightened the audience on the re-integration of ex-inmates. Metamorphosis 16
Speakers
WILLIAM ADOASI Social Entrepreneur - CEO Vitae | @WilliamAdoasi
up his first business at 19. The 26-year-old Londoner has four businesses to his name and now has a dream to build Vitae into an empire! The entrepreneur quit his job as a senior recruitment consultant in the city to bring Vitae to where it is today. Vitae’s most stand out venture is Vitae London, a watch brand birthed out of London that directly transforms the lives of children who have either been orphaned or live in poverty. Each purchase from their elegant range of watches supplies a child in South Africa with two sets of school uniform, a bag and footwear for the year.
William Adoasi is the founder of Vitae Group (Vitae London, Vitae Digital, Broken Chain Co and Vitae Photography), who started
Zeinab was born in the Sudan and moved to London when she was two years old. A graduate of Oxford University and a holder of two honorary doctorates, Zeinab has extensive experience in both television and radio. She presents BBC’s Hard Talk, BBC World TV’s Global Questions and World Debates and through her own production company she has produced and presented many programmes, including the definitive TV series of African history in association with UNESCO. She has won many awards and has been on the board of different organisations including the British Council and the Overseas Development Institute. She is the current Council Chair of the Royal African Society. 17 African Ideas Worth Spreading
In 2016, he was selected by Richard Branson and his team as one of the Virgin Start Up Ambassadors for entrepreneurship within the UK. This year William has also been named on the prestigious Future of Ghana Top 30 Pioneers list.
ZEINAB BADAWI Broadcaster | @TheZeinabBadawi
PERFORMERS ADEKUNLE GOLD Urban Highlife Artist | @adekunleGOLD Adekunle Gold is a Nigerian born and bred highlife artist with a wholesome spirit, native roots and music that speaks to the world. He gained recognition from his very first release, “Sade”, a love song which sampled the instrumental from One Direction’s “Story of My Life”. Just two weeks after the release of “Sade” on December 19, 2014, Adekunle was contacted by one of Africa’s biggest acts, Olamide, to join his music imprint, YBNL. Adekunle hit the ground running, releasing three songs (“Orente”, “Pick Up” and “Ready”) in the run up to the release of his debut album, “Gold”. Released on July 25, 2016, “Gold” debuted at number 7 on the Billboard World Albums Chart, with all of its singles enjoying massive radio play. Metamorphosis 18
Performers
Ahnansé is a saxophonist, composer, producer, music educator and founder of the acclaimed Steam Down collective.
AHNANSÉ Afrofuturist Musician | @ahnanse
His musical journey is inextricably connected to the rediscovering of his ancestral identity and how creativity contributes to society. Is music a mere product for entertainment or a vehicle capable of effecting change in our lives? Exploring the role it played in ancient African societies in comparison to its 21st century output. Ahnansé's work casts an eye and examines these ideas and concepts. Carving a niche of alternatives and engaging edifice in this modern music sphere.
CHOUAIB BRIK Founder of Art Solution | @ChouaibBrick Chouaib Brik is a cultural entrepreneur based in Tunisia, co-founder of the Tag Store (an urban art center) as well as the cultural association Art Solution. He played an active role in the development of the local and regional urban culture since 2011 acting as a cultural operator providing young amateurs and professional emerging artists with training, promotion and follow-ups. He is committed to the development of the cultural sector through “festivals, theatre shows, artistic creations, mentoring and training programs” focusing on urban culture; a culture that continues to grow in the region adopted by young 19 African Ideas Worth Spreading
people from disadvantaged backgrounds known for their high urban density. Since 2011, he has been directing Art Solution with the mission of supporting and strengthening innovative creative projects, with a focus on the involvement of female artists, and artists with specific needs in order to achieve a social and economic change.
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPEAKERS & PERFORMERS Metamorphosis 20
PARTNERS Collaboration is at the heart of what we do at TEDxEuston. Each year, we work with a range of organisations to deliver a series of inspiring events for our community. We are incredibly thankful for the generosity and support of our partners.
IN-KIND PARTNERS
SUPPORTERS
MEDIA PARTNERS
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Partners
PRINCIPAL PARTNER
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure
that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
MAJOR PARTNER
Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies that aims to meet the world’s growing demand for energy in ways that are economically, environmentally and socially responsible. Our operations are divided into four businesses: Upstream, Integrated Gas and New Energies, Downstream, and Projects & Technology.
At Shell, we use human ingenuity, innovation and technology to help tackle the challenges of the new energy future. We share TEDxEuston’s commitment to responsible engagement on Africa and to seeking innovative approaches to meet the challenges that the continent faces.
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