TEDxEuston 2012 ...in pictures

They say..."a picture is worth a thousand words", but what do you say about 300 pictures that tell thousands of stories of hope, excitement, inspiration, accomplishment and aspiration. Stories of us and by us...told in pictures.

Enjoy this set of beautiful images of TEDxEuston 2012, delivered with an amazing attention to detail by Femi Sonmonu, Don Omope and supported by Osita Nwegbu!

The entire TEDxEuston Team wishes you a good end to 2012 and all the best in 2013!

First Set of Pictures from TEDxEuston 2012!

TEDxEuston 2012 announces Livestream around the world!

Dear TEDxEuston community, 

The 500 tickets for this year's TEDxEuston at the beautiful MERMAID events center on the bank of the River Thames in London are now nearly sold out. 

However - we are offering you another opportunity to watch from anywhere in the world with an internet connection - via livestream! 

http://www.livestream.com/tedxeuston

Please bookmark now and add to you calendar.  

Start times
London - 10 am
Lagos - 11 am
Johannesburg - 12 noon
New York - 5 am 
For all other time zone conversions - check here

You will be able to join the conversation with twitter and facebook while watching live! 

See you on the 1st!

Students Tickets sell out at TEDxEuston 2012

Our ticket prices at TEDxEuston are the barest minimum we need to charge, combined with what we are able to raise from sponsorship in order to bring you the event. As you know - it is organised on a completely not-for-profit basis. This year, having moved to a beautiful new venue - The Mermaid, and all but one of our speakers coming from outside Europe, we struggled to offer students a further discount - a decision that would hurt - as we know that a lot of our attendees come from the vibrant community of African students in various UK universities.

Last year, a couple from Germany, Sevket and Christiana attended TEDxEuston. It was their first time at our event. However, Sevket had previously attended the main TED conference a few times and was in Tanzania at the seminal TED Global conference that inspired TEDxEuston. After attending our event, he declared that he would not bother attending any other conferences in the next year, as he had found all the inspiration he needed!

When we opened up registration this year, he asked why we did not have any students tickets, and we explained our dilemma. By the time we had concluded our conversation, he had offered to help enable us to offer 50 tickets at a discounted rate to students! This is 10% of all available TEDxEuston tickets. This was only possible thanks to Sevket's intervention.

We have not warned him that we are sharing this story, as we know that his immediate reaction would be to object. We share it not to win him any brownie points, as he sure does not need any, but to show, with one example how the TEDxEuston community makes this event so special.

This sort of experience is what keeps us going. As we move into the last week of preparations, the TEDxEuston team thanks our community for engaging in all sorts of special ways. You are the reason we do this...the only reason!

1 week to go! 

Ayanda De First is back at TEDxEuston 2012

Ayanda De First.....what a guy!  He is back....at TEDxEuston 2012!

The original member of the Master Drummers of Africa and the founder of the Oduduwa Talking Drummers Orchestra Ayan DeFirst was born to a family of drummers and started his career as an apprentice by performing with his dad and uncles at the early stage of five. His dad kept changing the size of his drums as he grows until the age of 18 years old when he could choose his drum by himself. Ayan DeFirst initial ambition was to become a medical doctor or a pharmacist but this was disturbed by the talent he has on drumming. Ayan DeFirst now has his own group called Oduduwa Talking Drummers and has  worked with over 500 community and private schools within the UK delivering educational workshops on African Arts and music. Visit www.ayanthefirst.com for more information.

Silhouettez in the Dark performs at TEDxEuson

Something exciting is happening with music and dance all over the continent and its offspring. Silhouettez in the Dark epitomizes all that! But we are not going to give it away! This one will be special.....as will the rest of TEDxEuston - you will have to see it for yourself.

Silhouettez in the Dark is an Arts Alliance made up of four multi-talented individual female artists. Through the medium of Combined Arts; Theatre, Dance and Poetry, S.I.T.D present “truthful” information free from society’s over-censorship and media inflated ideals, promoting a culture of independent thought and taking a direct stand against the harmful effects of censored thought. Silhouettez aim to Edu-create. DK Fashola founded the company in 2008, since then S.I.T.D have performed across London, and toured all over the U.K. S.I.T.D are currently working on BROKENSQUARE; A London2Lagos Scheme which enables a connection and collaboration of performance artisits of Nigerian descent throught the medium of Theatre. WWW.DKFASH.COM/BROKENSQUARE

Inua Ellams performs at TEDxEuston

At TEDxEuston we will have some amazing artists including Inua Ellams. Inua will challenging convention wisdom on your perception of poetry. Inua is an award winning poet and performer, a writer with a style influenced by classic literature and hip hop, by Keats as it is by MosDef. Rooted in a love for rhythm and language, he crosses 18th century romanticism and traditional story telling with contemporary diction, loose rhythm and rhyme. 

Inua Ellams was born in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria in 1984. He works as a poet, playwright, performer and graphic designer/artist. He has seven books published including ‘Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales’ (Poetry, Flipped Eye, 2005) ‘The 14th Tale’ (Play, Flipped Eye, 2009) - which was commissioned by the Battersea Arts Centre and awarded a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival, before a sold out run at The National Theatre in London. His third theatre piece, ‘Black T-Shirt Collection’ (Play, Oberon, 2012) also ran at the National Theatre this year and will be touring this autumn. His poems were included in anthologies: Generation Txt (Penned in the Margins, 2006), City State (Penned in the Margins, 2009), The Salt Book of Younger Poets (Salt, 2011), The Shuffle Anthology (Shuffle, 2011 Press). His second pamphlet of poetry Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars (Flipped Eye, 2011) came out last November and he is currently working on a Radio play for the BBC about a dysfunctional Nigerian werewolf family, living in South London. None of these things really say much about Inua’s personality, but he he promises he is a nice guy. ‘Trust me…’ he says ‘… I’m Nigerian’.

Get one of the last tickets HERE. 

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Alcinda Honwana

Alcinda Honwana was born in Mozambique, has traveled most parts of the continent and now lives in New York. She does not take on the simple issues. From child soldiers to the Arab Spring, Alcinda examines the increasing agitation by the youth in Africa and beyond for a better future. She has spent the last few years exploring why African youth are restless on the continent and how these energies can be channeled to create a better future for all of us. If change will come to Africa, it will probably be driven by young people, described by George Ayittey in his famous TED talk as the 'Cheetah' generation, as opposed to the 'Hippo' generation that has led the politics in Africa up to now.

Alcinda will bring a great new perspective to the debate and will be our first ever speaker from Mozambique!

Alcinda Honwana is currently a visiting professor in anthropology and international development at the Open University (OU) in the UK. Before joining the Open University, Honwana worked for the Social Science Research Council in New York where she directed the Children and Armed Conflict Program and the Africa Program. She also worked for the United Nations as research coordinator in the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. Honwana was the coordinator of the International Research Network on Children and Armed Conflict from 2001 to 2005. Born in Mozambique, Alcinda Honwana has written extensively on the links between political conflict and culture and the impacts of violent conflict on young people, conducting research in Mozambique, DRC, Angola, Colombia and Sri Lanka. In 2007 she was awarded the prestigious Prince Claus Chair for Development and Equity in Holland by the Institute of Social Studies and University of Utrecht.

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Chimamanda Adichie

"The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” 

When Chimamanda Adichie said this as part of her amazing TED talk in 2010, I wonder if she knew that it will be watched over 3.5 million times,  be the subject of conversations from the dinner table to inter-cultural conferences and re-define how people viewed themselves and others. With her eagerly anticipated new novel; Americanah out soon, anticipation is sky high on how she will explore the immigration story, the way only she can. The context for her new book appears to be around the millions of Nigerian immigrants to the West and the complexity of the lives they create. Chimamanda has stuck to her childhood love for books and made a beautiful life out of bringing to life stories that touch the heart - leaving you somewhere in between smiles and tears. She does it so naturally that you can neither put down her books, nor turn away when she speaks.

There are just a few tickets left for TEDxEuston 2012!

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie a renowned Nigerian novelist was born in Nigeria in 1977. She grew up in the university town of Nsukka, Enugu State where she attended primary and secondary schools, and briefly studied Medicine and Pharmacy. She then moved to the United States to attend college, graduating summa cum laude from Eastern Connecticut State University with a major in Communication and a minor in Political Science. She holds a Masters degree in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins and a Masters degree in African Studies from Yale University. She was a 2005-2006 Hodder Fellow at Princeton, where she taught introductory fiction. Chimamanda is the author of Half of a Yellow Sun, which won the 2007 Orange Prize For Fiction; and Purple Hibiscus, which won the 2005 Best First Book Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the 2004 Debut Fiction Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. In 2009, her collection of short stories, The Thing around Your Neck was published. She was named one of the twenty most important fiction writers today under 40 years old by The New Yorker and was recently the guest speaker at the 2012 annual commonwealth lecture. She featured in the April 2012 edition of Time Magazine, celebrated as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. She currently divides her time between the United States and Nigeria.

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Komla Dumor

The perception of the African continent beyond its boarders is often defined by its political leadership - but it is also defined by the perception created by its professionals; doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers and how they engage with the societies they live in. One group of professionals that are in an extraordinarily strong position to define this perception are journalists. Komla Dumor has an exciting story of migration. This is aptly covered by Ghanaian blogger Francis Doku, in the story "The rise and rise of Komla Dumor", describing his journey from  a career as a traffic reporter on a smoky "shamiogbo" from the streets of Accra to being one of the most recognisable faces on BBC World. His recent role at the BBC has taken him round the continent as he covers important events on the continent with a voice that commands respect and authority. Komla's face and voice will be recognised round the world for many years to come, beyond the daily round-up of African stories seen across the world on BBC - Focus on Africa. You will have the rare opportunity to listen and engage with him, not on TV but life on the TEDxEuston stage!

Komla Dumor is one of the most recognised faces voices at the British Broadcasting Corporation. After a successful career in journalism in this native Ghana where he was named journalist of the year in 2003 for his investigations into public sector corruption, this former medical student joined the BBC in 2006 as the anchor of Network Africa. He is currently one of BBC's leading presenters with a range of responsibilities across all of the BBC's platforms - television radio and online. Komla presents the European morning programme on World News for the BBC's British and global audiences but his strongest contribution to the BBC has been his passionate and unparalleled coverage of Africa. Between 2009 and 2012 Komla was the anchor of the groundbreaking Africa Business Report on BBC World News. This program (a first for the BBC) took Komla to close to 20 African countries covering hundreds of thousands of miles interviewing the continents top entrepreneurs, politicians and policy makers. In addition to the European mornings Komla is the face and main anchor for the first BBC's programme dedicated daily African news and current affairs show; Focus on Africa

There are a few tickets left - register HERE!

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Jepchumba

What is a digital artist?

Well, don't feel too bad if you do not know - at TEDxEuston 2012, we will all be learning some interesting stuff from a lady with just one name - Jepchumba! The world is changing in many ways - some are obvious to us while others are in niche areas that affect our lives in aspects we least expect. Digital art is one such area. Be prepared, be very prepared to be blown away!

Jepchumba is an African digital artist and digital enthusiast who works hard to combine her two passions: Digital media and Africa. Originally from Kenya, she has lived around the world developing her interest in philosophy, art and technology. Jepchumba has a Masters in Digital Media with experience in New Media project management and digital production She specializes in Web Design, Digital Art, Audio/Visual Production and User Interface/User Experience. Jepchumba is also the founder of African Digital Art Network, dedicated to the African Digital Media industry. Jepchumba continues to focus on the intersection between technology, creativity and design.

Jepchumba is also the founder of African Digital Art, a collective and creative space where digital artists, enthusiasts and professionals can seek inspiration, showcase their artistry and connect with emerging artists. Since its inception African Digital Art has grown to be a source of inspiration to Africa’s creative economy. African Digital Art continues to push digital boundaries by fostering, promoting and showcasing the best in African digital media and arts. For the past two years African Digital Art has presented unparalleled ideas, individualistic works and insightful designer solutions by the African creative. African Digital Art has become a platform for innovation and inspiration with a sophisticated blend of fresh talent and successful designers and artists.


Follow Jepchumba @digitalafrican

TEDxEuston on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Google+

As we get into the home stretch for TEDxEuston, we will be regularly communicating with you our community using different platforms. We will share stories about our 13 amazing speakers, about the event itself and most everything about the event - and that is where YOU come in. If you enjoy TEDxEuston and share our ideals and you want to help us challenge conventional wisdom, then we have a simple request - don't keep it to yourelf! 

Watch this preview video and Share, Like, and Retweet! 

Follow us on

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

GOOGLE+

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Jacqueline Novogratz

At that seminal TEDGlobal in Arusha in 2007 – most of the speakers were Africans. But there were a few others – including Jacqueline Novogratz. She shared a powerful story of learning lessons of listening and patience from a group of entrepreneurial market women in pre-genocide Rwanda. This skill of listening and patience led Jacqueline to found the Acumen Fund; a ten-year-old social venture fund renowned for its patience; entrepreneurs have up to ten years to achieve financial sustainability. 
In a recent article, Forbes writes about Acumen; 

Instead of shoveling aid dollars to causes or governments that give away life-­sustaining goods and services, Acumen espouses investing money wisely in entrepreneurs in the developing world who strive to solve problems, from mosquito netting to bottled water to affordable housing. It’s a new twist on the old adage about teaching a man to fish, except that Novogratz wants to build an entire fish market.

Talk about challenging conventional wisdom! This is why we have invited her to TEDxEuston! there are a handful of tickets still available - details on the website.  

 

Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of poverty. Acumen Fund aims to create a world beyond poverty by investing in social enterprises, emerging leaders, and breakthrough ideas. Under Jacqueline’s leadership, Acumen Fund has invested more than $75 million in 65 companies in South Asia and Africa, all focused on delivering affordable healthcare, water, housing and energy to the poor. These companies have created and supported more than 55,000 jobs, leveraged an additional $200 million, and brought basic services to tens of millions. In December 2011, Acumen Fund and Jacqueline were on the cover of Forbes magazine as part of their feature on social innovation. Prior to Acumen Fund, Jacqueline founded and directed The Philanthropy Workshop and The Next Generation Leadership programs at the Rockefeller Foundation. Jacqueline currently sits on the advisory board of the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative, the Aspen Institute Board of Trustees, and the board of IDEO.org, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council for Social Innovation. She was also appointed by Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton to the Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. Her best-selling memoir The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World chronicles her quest to understand poverty and challenges readers to grant dignity to the poor and to rethink their engagement with the world. She has an MBA from Stanford and a BA in Economics/International Relations from the University of Virginia. She has received honorary doctorates from the University of Notre Dame and Wofford College, and the Freedom From Want Award from the Roosevelt Institute in 2011. Follow Jacqueline on Twitter @jnovogratz

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Jason Njoku

Sometimes a business idea emerges that is so simple - you wonder why no one thought about it all this time. We can say this for many  internet businesses of our time; we cannot imagine live without Facebook, Twitter, etc. On most of the African continent - life would not be imaginable without Nollywood. Indeed, a lot has been written about the Nigerian movie industry affectionately called Nollywood. A lot has also been written about the large and ever growing African Disapora. Jason Njoku (Founder and CEO of Iroko Partners) brought these two together creating the largest digital distributorship of Nigerian music and movies while creating a reported monthly $1 million revenue ~ not bad eh. So at TEDxEuston we will hear from the man himself.....and maybe the next BIG idea will come from one of the 500 in the room on the day! Be one of the 500...half the tickets are gone! 

Register here..

Jason Njoku , is a Nigerian internet entrepreneur, and is CEO and founder of Iroko partners, the largest distributor of Nigerian music and movies online. Jason studied at the University of Manchester and grew up in the UK. Most Nigerians enjoy watching Nollywood movies; however accessing these movies is not easy. Recognising the increased demand and the limited access to quality, legal movies online, Jason moved to Lagos to start Iroko Partners with the aim of bringing Nigerian entertainment online. The website was launched in December 2011, and by the end of the year had received 152 million views with 90% of them outside Africa. Within 18 months the company has grown with offices in Lagos, London and recently New York. While Jason plans for iROKOtv to be the Netflix of Africa, the new service, Iroking launched earlier this year, and aims to be the African “Spotify”. Jason’s vision was shared by US Based Hedge Fund Tiger Global as he has recently secured $ 8 million in funding from the firm. It is exciting times for Nollywood and Afrobeat music, with the Nollywood veteran Genevieve Nnaji cast in the film adaptation of the acclaimed novel Half of a Yellow Sun, and Dbanj joining Kanye West’s label GOOD Music. Jason’s product has arrived at the right time, and will unite African’s worldwide to enjoy African entertainment.

Challenging Conventional Wisdom - the video!

On December 1 2012 we will bring together 13 exciting and thought provoking speakers with 500 curious souls at the beautiful Mermaid Center in London to think and talk about
amazing ideas from Africa.  

....then we will sit back and watch what happens! 

You will want to be part of this amazing journey of challenging conventional wisdom on the African continent. Watch this video to catch some of the excitement building and go to
www.tedxeuston.com to register!

TEDxEuston2012 from TEDxEuston on Vimeo.

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Trevor Ncube

We are really excited to bring Trevor Ncube to TEDxEuston 2012! 

On 10 December 2005, Trevor Ncube had his passport taken away by the government of Robert Mugabe, in the first application of restrictive press freedom laws. The passport was later returned after the seizure was exposed to be illegal. The attempt was seen by many as an attempt to close his newspapers which are highly critical of the government of Zimbabwe's president.Trevor will be our first speaker from Zimbabwe and we will begin disentangle the complicated influences of his beautiful country on his life. Trevor has a huge following on twitter, so to find out why so many folk are so interested in what Trevor has to say – watch him at TEDxEuston 2012!

Trevor Ncube is Chairman of Alpha Media Holdings (AMH ) based in Zimbabwe, a company he co-founded 14 years ago. AMH owns three newspaper titles in Zimbabwe namely NewsDay (daily), The Zimbabwe Independent (business weekly) and The Standard (Sunday). Ncube has a BA Honours (First Class) from the University of Zimbabwe. He started in journalism in 1989 when he was appointed assistant editor of the Financial Gazette in Zimbabwe. In 1991 he was promoted to Executive Editor and in 1994 received the Zimbabwe Editor of the Year award. Ncube is also controlling shareholder and Executive Deputy Chairman of the Mail & Guardian Media Group (South Africa). He completed the Said Business School, University of Oxford, Advanced Management and Leadership Programme in June/July 2009. Trevor was awarded a Print Media S.A. Fellowship in 2006. He was awarded the International Publishers Association Freedom Prize Award in 2007, and has also won the German Africa Award in 2008. In 2010 Trevor was bestowed the Nation Media Group Life Achievement Award for his work in media on the continent. He is co-chair of the African Media Initiative (AMI) a continent wide organization focusing on strengthening the sectors viability and enhancing its professionalism and is a Fellow of The Aspen Institute and Africa Leadership Initiative. Ncube is married with children, loves reading and travelling, is a keen golfer and is a devout Christian. Follow Trevor on Twitter @TrevorNcube

30 tickets for Students at TEDxEuston

We know that we have a large pool of African students who attend TEDxEuston from Universities across the UK. In recognition of this, we are making available 30 tickets for available at a 30% discount at £50 to attend TEDxEuston 2012!

If you are a student, take advantage of this offer, but do so soon! When they are gone, they are gone...

Get your tickets HERE. 

You will be requested to provide your student's  ID at the gate 

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Sada Mire

A Somali Archeologist? C'mmon! Well yes - she is Somali, female and an archaeologist. 

But, why would we be surprised to find a Somalian archaeologist? The simple reason is that many of us have also bought into the "Single story" about our own countries, as Chimamanda Adichie so aptly put it in her excellent TED Talk. So we fall prey to the same stereotypes we claim to fight, when we think about Somalia only in terms of pirates and Black Hawk Down. But, maybe we can start changing that at TEDxEuston 2012...where we will be challenging conventional wisdom on several aspects of our continent.

Sada Mire is an archaeologist from Somalia. She lived the first fifteen years of her life in Mogadishu, until 1991, when she settled in Sweden, as a result of the conflict in north-east Africa. In order to learn about the history of her new society, she studied archaeology and zoo-archaeology at Lund University. She continued at the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London, for her B.A., and then attended University College London (UCL) for her M.A. and Ph.D., conducting field research in Somaliland. Sada is currently advisor to former Director of the Republic of Somaliland’s Department of Tourism & Archaeology, which she founded in 2007. She is founder and executive director of the Horn Heritage Organization. Sada is a research associate at SOAS, UEA and UCL. Sada has conducted fieldwork in several European and African countries – from the U.K. and Denmark to Kenya and Egypt, as well as lecturing at universities. In the last five years, she and her team have made many archaeological discoveries which feature in her numerous articles and chapters in international scientific publications, such as the African Archaeological Review and Antiquity, as well as in the popular media, e.g. Discover Magazine and New Scientist. She serves as an editorial board member of the peer-reviewed journals, Heritage & Society and Southern African Archaeological Bulletin. Sada believes that cultural heritage is a basic human need. Follow Sada on Twitter @SomaliHeritage

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Ndidi Nwuneli

Is it nature or nurture? 

Where do some people get the inspiration and drive to build successful organisations and companies? Ndidi Nwuneli was the first CEO of FATE Foundation, at the time, a unique organisation founded by a new crop of organisations in corporate Nigeria to foster wealth creation by training Nigerian Youth on promoting business and entrepreneurial development. Then came LEAP and NIA. NIA which stands for (Ndu - Life, Ike- Strength, Akunuba - Wealth), a nonprofit organization committed to empowering female university students to achieve their highest potential in life, while LEAP Africa provides leadership, ethics and management training and coaching for youth, business owners, social entrepreneurs and the public sector. In the last few years - Ndidi has been focusing on agribusiness and is currently a director of Sahel Capital Partners, a leading advisory firm focused on the agribusiness and manufacturing sectors, and the co-founder of AACE Foods, an agro-processing company. Countless young Africans have found direction and redefined their aspirations from Ndidi's several initiatives. She lives in Lagos and tells me she cannot imagine living anywhere else.....She is younger than you'll ever guess and a proud mother of two lovely children ...talk about challenging conventional wisdom. 


She speaks at TEDxEuston 2012  - get your ticket here! 

Ndidi Nwuneli is a director of Sahel Capital Partners, a leading advisory firm focused on the agribusiness and manufacturing sectors, and the co-founder of AACE Foods, an agro-processing company. Through her work with Sahel and AACE, she has also shaped agriculture strategy and policy and supported a range of clients in Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia. Ndidi started her career as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, working in their Chicago, New York and Johannesburg offices. She returned to Nigeria in 2000to fulfil her passion for promoting entrepreneurship and leadership development in Africa. She served as the pioneer executive director of the FATE Foundation from 2000, and then established LEAP Africa and NIA in 2002 and 2003 respectively. NIA empowers female university students to achieve their highest potential in life, while LEAP Africa provides leadership, ethics and management training and coaching for youth, business owners, social entrepreneurs and the public sector. LEAP also conducts leadership research and has published numerous books including: Defying the Odds: Case Studies of Nigerian Companies that have Survived Generations, Rage for Change and Building a Culture of Ethics. Ndidi holds a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She was recognized as a Global Leader of Tomorrow and Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and received a National Honour, Member of the Federal Republic in 2004. Ndidi is married with two children.

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Frank Njenga

On the continent, we generally struggle with how to deal with mental illness. In the health sectors of most countries, it is the most neglected of all medical specialities. So in our search for exceptional people to share their ideas on the TEDxEuston stage we found one of Kenya's leading psychiatrists; Dr Frank Njenga. Dr Njenga has been championing the cause of better mental health care in Kenya and the continent for more than three decades. In an interview with CNN's African Voices he said;

"The truth and reality is that very little has been done systematically and deliberately by government or by ourselves to bring up the level of mental health in this part of the world,"

In Kenya, the ratio of psychiatrists to the population is one psychiatrist to half a million people....and that is probably one of the better served countries in the continent. At TEDxEuston, we will not run away from the difficult issues in our society - but we will bring to you the exceptional people that are tackling them head on - one of these is Dr Frank Njenga. He is our second ever speaker from Kenya!

Frank Njenga is a Consultant Psychiatrist in private practice in Nairobi, Kenya, where he has practiced for thirty years. He was the founder President of the African Association of Psychiatrists and Allied Professions (AAPAP). Dr Njenga was appointed by the President of Kenya to chair the (NACADA) - National Campaign Against Drug Abuse Authority Board which is the body that advices the Kenya Government on Drug and Alcohol policies. In addition to his medical practice, he is Founder Chair of the Institute of Education in Democracy (IED), an Africa wide election monitoring body, as well as active campaigner for Democracy in Africa. He is an author of many scientific papers, books and book chapters, including children’s’ books.

Get your ticket TODAY!

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Cobhams Asuquo

In an interview with CNN in 2011, Cobhams Asuquo said...

"I had sessions that were cancelled because they weren't sure I could deliver either because they thought I was too young or maybe as a blind person" 

To really challenge conventional wisdom at TEDxEuston this year, you will get to know Cobhams Asuquo, who like his long-time hero Stevie Wonder, was born visually-impaired. But, even that was not enough to stop Asuquo from realizing his ambitions.Most people heard his name for the first time when the Nigerian soul-singing sensation, Asa, burst unto the music scene in 2007, with her debut album. Cobhams wrote and co-wrote several of its hits songs. But Asuquo is not only interested in helping out fledgling music stars. He also sees himself as an ambassador for blind young Nigerians who still face many challenges in their daily lives. He told CNN that .....

"I think it would be meaningless if I can achieve as much as I can achieve and as much as I hope to achieve and I'm not able to affect other blind people,"

What makes this amazing African tick? What has created this phenomenon called Cobhams? At TEDxEuston you will not only hear about his incredible journey but you will hear that he does not think that he has come close to fulfilling his life work. If this is the only reason you come to TEDxEuston this year ...it will be worth it...that is a promise! Get your ticket HERE

Cobhams Asuquo is a singer/songwriter/music producer and music entrepreneur. After graduating from the Pacelli School for the Blind and King’s College Lagos, he started his professional training as a lawyer, but later branched out into music full-time to fulfill a lifelong desire. While working with a Nigerian music label as an in-house producer, he gained a unique insight into the local music scene. He saw the opportunities and challenges within the industry with a vision to develop an entrepreneurial platform from which to drive the industry forward. Today he is the founder and chief executive officer of Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions (CAMP). He gained international attention for producing and co-writing ‘Asa’, the debut self-titled album for the acclaimed soul singer. He was recently featured on CNN’s African Voicesfor his contribution and impact on the African music industry. Rising alternative soul artiste, Bez is the first of three artistes signed by Cobhams to the C.A.M.P record label, and Bez’s debut album ‘Super Sun’ was highlighted on The Boston Globe’s top ten list of best ‘world music’ albums of 2011. He has won several awards in the music and film scene in Africa and beyond.

REGISTER HERE TO HEAR HIM SPEAK AT TEDxEUSTON

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Aminatta Forna

Very often we read the autobiographies of politicians or other public figures. Rarely, one stumbles on an autobiography of a person that could so easily fit the the experiences of many of us that attend TEDxEuston. Aminnata's book "The Devil that Danced on the Water" is one such books. Her passionate and vivid account of her childhood during the most turbulent days on the African continent is a book impossible to forget. The The Sunday Times described it as "Enormously compelling and painful reading" and the "Economist" as"Hers is an African Memoir unlike any before it"....we could not agree more . Aminatta has gone on to publish two novels: The Memory of Love (2010) and Ancestor Stones (2006).

Aminatta Forna was born in Glasgow, raised in Sierra Leone and Britain and also spent periods of her childhood in Iran, Thailand and Zambia. She is a serially award-winning author and her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages, including Mandarin. Aminatta has written essays and articles for Granta, The Times, The Observer and Vogue among others and has written for television and radio. In 2003 she established the Rogbonko Project to build a school in a village in Sierra Leone, where she now oversees a number of projects in the spheres of education, sanitation, maternal health and agriculture. Aminatta sits on the Board of the National Theatre of Great Britain, on the General Committee of the Royal Literary Fund and the Advisory Committee of the Caine Prize for African Writing. She has acted as judge for a number of literary awards and is currently a judge of the 2013 International Man Booker Prize. Most recently Sterling Brown Distinguished Visiting Professor at Williams College, Massachusetts, where she taught African literature.

You will not want to miss this fascinating African at TEDxEuston 2012. Tickets are flying off the shelf! Get yours today HERE

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Amina Az-Zubair

Public sector leaders in many African countries, more so in Nigeria receive a lot of criticism from a citizenry eager for development, and frustrated that our public sector is not keeping up with the pace of development occurring in the private sectors. Once in a while, a leader emerges in the public sector and there is almost complete agreement in his/her competence and sincerity of purpose in service. One such person is Amina Az-Zubair. It is no surprise therefore that  Mrs Az-Zubair served 3 Nigerian Presidents as a Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals, coordinating the expenditure of Debt Relief Funds (US $1bn p.a) aimed at achieving the MDGs in Nigeria. Prior to this, she was the National Coordinator for Education for All in Nigeria (2001-2005). She currently serves on numerous International advisory panels and boards, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the UN Global Sustainability Panel and Chairs the Advisory Board of the UNESCO Global Monitoring Report on Education.

Amina Az-Zubair is currently the founder and CEO of the Centre for Policy Research and Development Solutions (CPRDS), a think-tank aiming to address the policy and knowledge gaps in Development. She is also an adjunct Professor at Columbia University, New York. Just a few days ago, the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, appointed Mrs Amina Az-Zubair as his Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning. In 2010, Bill Gates invited her to speak at a special session he organised at the TED conference.

So why do presidents, UN Secretaries and business leaders all want Mrs Az-Zubair to lead the work on women and children on their behalf? What makes Amina Az-Zubair deliver where others stumble. What makes Amina Az-Zubair challenge conventional wisdom on public sector leadership in Africa? 

There's only one place to find out - on the TEDxEuston stage! You will not want to miss it. Tickets are selling out fast - save the date - December 1 2012, get a ticket today!. It will be the best present you get yourself this year... that's a promise!

Find out more about TEDxEuston and all the other speakers HERE. 

Registration opens for TEDxEuston 2012

It is that time of the year again...as we open registration for our biggest TEDxEuston yet!


Visit our brand new website to read the profiles of 13 exciting speakers who are challenging conventional wisdom on the continent. From the arts to archaeology, from social venture fund managers to social entrepreneurs, from newspaper publishers to digital artists, from music producers to public sector leaders, from writers to psychiatrists and even some royalty - you will not find a more exciting, eclectic mix of speakers focusing on Africa anywhere in the world in 2012 - that's our promise!. Visit the website and see for yourself.

The new TEDxEuston website

Once you have made your decision to attend, don't put it off. It will be your best investment of the year - promise! Register NOW.

Tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. Last year we sold out way in advance and sadly had to turn away hundreds of interested attendees. You are the reason we do this, so we have substantially increased capacity and moved the event to an exciting new venue in London "The Mermaid" with a beautiful view on the Thames. Registration will include full access to the event, a light breakfast, 3 course lunch and the after party, and all the speakers have promised to stay through the day to brainstorm further, sign their books, and you may even get to dance with them at the after party! When the tickets are gone, they are gone. Share with your friends and see you in December! Your TEDxEuston team is working hard to make it an unforgettable experience for you!

TEDxEuston 2012 Opens - June 16 2012

On the 16 on June 2012, we will reveal another exciting line-up of speakers for TEDxEuston 2012!

As usual, at this years's TEDxEuston, we have another exciting line up of speakers; great thinkers and dynamic individuals, all creating a new brand of leadership for African communities. This year’s event will take place at The Mermaid, a magnificent state-of-the-art conference venue, overlooking the River Thames. Our theme this year is; “Challenging Conventional Wisdom”.

Mark your calenders and don't be disappointed! The link to register will be on our brand new website launching on June 16. In order not to miss anything - follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Be ready for more exciting, profound, and entertaining ideas out of Africa by some of the brightest minds around!

Kayode Fayemi @ TEDxEuston 2012 - A pseudo-dichotomy between activism and politics

Until TEDxEuston 2011, we had never had a serving politician on stage. Politicians by definition always have an agenda and it would be unfair of us to ask them to stick to a single idea during a TEDxEuston talk. However there was something particularly compelling about  Kayode Fayemi's story that we could not ignore. Like many of us, he was previously resident in London. Before the age of blogs and Twitter, he was a prominent leader of the Nigerian opposition to military rule in exile. Kayode was  responsible for the founding and management of the opposition radios – Radio Freedom, Radio Democracy International & Radio Kudirat and played a central role in the opposition’s diplomatic engagements in exile. An account of the process and roles played in the setting up of Radio Kudirat can be found in his "Out Of The Shadows", which was available at the event. From London he eventually returned home and got his hand "dirty" with politics. He showed that it was not enough to be activists from a distance but at some point, one had to engage...and engage he did!. On the day, he appeared without the entourage of praise-singers that we have to come to expect with Nigerian politicians.

Watch his talk at TEDxEuston 2012 HERE...

Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has been the Governor of Ekiti State in Nigeria since October 2010 after winning a three-year challenge against his political opponent in the 2007, alleging electoral rigging. Prior to entering into partisan politics, Kayode Fayemi was Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development, a research and training institution dedicated to the study and promotion of democratic development, peace-building and human security in Africa. Dr Fayemi attended Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti and received degrees in History, Politics and International Relations from the Universities of Lagos and Ife in Nigeria, and a Doctorate in War Studies from King’s College, University of London, England. A prominent leader of the Nigerian opposition to military rule, he was responsible for the founding and management of the opposition radios – Radio Freedom, Radio Democracy International & Radio Kudirat and played a central role in the opposition’s diplomatic engagements in exile. He was the main technical adviser to Nigeria’s Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (Oputa Panel), which investigated past human rights abuses in Nigeria and also on the Presidential Implementation Committees on Security Sector Reform as well as a member, Africa Policy Advisory Panel of the British Government. Dr Fayemi also serves on the Governing Board of the Open Society Justice Institute. In his book "Out of the Shadows" he chronicles the amazing struggle for democracy in Nigeria

Toyin Saraki at TEDxEuston - An Unlikely Activist

When we first heard Mrs Toyin Saraki speak on CNN's African voices, we knew there was something special about this lady who belonged to an elite group of women married to state governors in Nigeria called "First Ladies". Before we approached her to speak at TEDxEuston, we examined the work she did in detail and her commitment to the health of women and children which was the focus her efforts. We found an unusual commitment to improving their fate. Unlike most other women who found themselves in her position, her work has not faded after the days close to the corridors of power but it has grown from strength to strength. So, how did all this come about? How did a woman born into relative privilege develope an instinct and perseverance that appears to grow stronger by the day? We asked ourselves the same question....

To find out - watch her talk here!

Mrs. Toyin Saraki is the Founder-President of The WellBeing Foundation, a prominent front-line maternal and child health focused Non-Governmental Organization in Nigeria. She was until recently the First Lady of Kwara State in Nigeria. Having held various leadership positions in humanitarian organizations for close to two decades, Mrs Saraki now dedicates much of her time to the work of The WellBeing Foundation and various networks of organizations that the NGO works with. She constantly advocates for accountability and improved public health policies, better working relationships between NGOs and the continuum of care for maternal, newborn and child health in communities. These efforts have made Mrs. Saraki one of the most heard voices on every issue relating to the health of mothers and children in Nigeria. Her Wellbeing Foundation Africa's 24-7-365 MDG Countdown to 2015 Advocacy And Action Campaign has integrated a strong advocacy profile with a unique model of community participation, direct action, effective communication and the development of innovative funding mechanisms in a resource constrained environment, to ensure universal access to quality basic healthcare. Mrs. Saraki gained her bachelor’s degree in law at the University of London School Of Oriental and African Studies and her masters’ degree in International Economic Law at University of London King’s College. She has researched and promoted the rights of women and children. In 2007 she was appointed Chair of the Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIDA) Committee on the Protection of Children while more recently she has taken up a key roles as a supporter for the United Nations Secretary General's Every Woman Every Child Effort, as Board Chair of the White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria, Member of the Africa Justice Foundation and The Global Foundation For The Elimination Of Domestic Violence.

SAVE THE DATE! TEDxEuston holds on December 1 2012

We are excited to announce the date of TEDxEuston 

December 1 2012 

The theme of this year's event is:

"Challenging Conventional Wisdom"

...and will take place at beautiful 

MERMAID

Registration details out soon!