#ThrowbackThursday - Pascal Dozie

As we gear up for our Summer Salon, we take a look back at one of our oldest (read wisest) speakers to take the TedxEuston stage - Pascal Dozie. Prolific for being a consistent visionary, Dozie's run of achievements include being the founder of Diamond Bank, President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and Chairman of MTN Nigeria to name a few.
A experienced executive with a wealth of experience, find out 5 more facts about Pascal Dozie.

1. Dozie celebrated his 74th birthday, 7th day of the 7th month birthday on the day of his TedxEuston talk
2. He retired in 2005 from his chief executive position in Diamond Bank, which he founded nearly 15 years prior.
3. Dozie has 5 sons, one of which Uzoma Dozie recently took over the helm of Diamond Bank as MD and another, Chiekezi Dozie opted out of the banking world and pursued the creative route by setting up a photography agency. 
4. In 2013, Dozie received a Lifetime Achievement Award of the year at the All African Business Leaders Award in Nigeria.
5. He once said that when he set up Diamond Bank “The first customer was my wife”

A charmer, a seasoned business man, a family man and now a #ThrowbackThursday speaker - watch the talk below.

Empowered women will change our world | Fatima B Muhammad | TEDxEustonChange

FATIMA B. MUHAMMAD has over 20 years working experience in Maternal and Child care as a midwife and midwife educator in Northern Nigeria. She has served as the head of Family Planning division and the project Director for a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded project with the the Society for Family Health where she works. She is currently on secondment as the Demand Side Advisor for DFID supported Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH2) project being implemented in 6 states of Northern Nigeria.

Thanks to TEDxChange, Fatima Muhammad was able to share at TEDxEuston 2014 her incredible journey and unfailing desire to giving women choices at all ages because: “It is not enough to have money. You have to be empowered in the mind and then you are able to negotiate.”

Watch her talk HERE....it will remind you of the danger of the single story.

Words for Worlds: Yvonne Owuor at TEDxEuston 2014

YVONNE OWUOR is a Kenyan writer, who was named "Woman of the Year" by Eve Magazine in Kenya in 2004 for her contribution to the country's literature and arts. She won the 2003 Caine Prize for African Writing for her story "Weight of Whispers", which explores the story of an aristocratic Rwandan refugee in Kenya. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications worldwide including Kwani and McSweeney’s, and her story "The Knife Grinder’s Tale" was made into a short film in 2005. Her novel "Dust", published in 2014 to widespread critical acclaim. Owuor’s talk at TEDxEuston was sheer poetry! She dropped many memorable lines, including this which takes a swipe at the “Bonoesque” brand of charity’: “We complete you “they” imply in songs that obliterated our voices”.  Watch.

Enjoy. Share....HERE.

FRANCES MENSAH asks "Where is home" at TEDxEuston 2014.

FRANCES MENSAH WILLIAMS is the Chief Executive of Interims for Development Ltd., an award-winning UK-based Human Resources, Careers and Training consultancy for Africa, and the Publisher and Managing Editor of ReConnect Africa.com, a careers and business website and online publication for African professionals in the Diaspora. With over 20 years’ experience in Human Resources Management and business consultancy in both the UK and Africa, Williams has chaired policy development committees and forums, and has spoken and written widely on skills development in Africa and harnessing the talents of the African Diaspora. Her inspiring talk at TEDxEuston 2014 shed light on the question of 'moving home', particularly for those who have spent most of their lives outside of the continent. She encouraged the audience with her story encapsulated in this quote: “Home isn’t a place where you just show up. It is a place where you are invested in.”

Watch her heart-warming talk here.

Beautiful Pictures of TEDxEuston 2014 - Enjoy and Share

We hope you you enjoyed TEDxEuston this past December and are looking forward to the next series of inspiring events from the TEDxEuston team. We will be tiding you over with video releases of our amazing speakers from 2014 but in the meantime you can relive the excitement by checking out the pictures from December 2014 on Facebook. Be sure to comment, like, and share with your friends. You can also find the pictures on Flickr. Fell free to share - but do give credit, and we look forward to hosting you again in 2015!

Pictures are all brought to you by the all-volunteer photography team of TEDxEuston....just for you! Enjoy!

At TEDxEuston, its never about the after-party :)

The after-party is probably not the reason anyone would come to TEDxEuston, but hey since you will spend the whole day with us, why don't we spoil you a "little"? Most of our speakers will stay as well....

And this year we have something special: DJ Bloxx will be in the house! If you are one of the few in London not acquainted with his "work". Not to worry, after TEDxEuston 2014 you will be :)

The last few tickets will go tonight, you may buy the last one here, and for students here.

Its not just about the speakers at TEDxEuston

TEDxEuston is not just about our speakers. There is a lot more. We call it the "buzz"...and its created by you!

Its been there from the very first event. Its the energy in your conversations, the pitch of your laughter, the bounce in your steps, the euphoria of being with people just like you. The magic at TEDxEuston does not just happen from the stage, but from the person seating next to you, or in front of you while you get lunch.

You can watch the talks online after a few months, but nothing quite beats the feeling....of being there.

Get one of the last tickets here and for students here.

The TEDxEuston 2014 Book stand

This year as always, we will have a bookstand at TEDxEuston 2014, and we have a great line up of books written by our speakers. We have also asked them to kindly make the time to sign copies of the books that are purchased at the stands! As always, we are selling them at exactly the same price that we get them from the publishers. So come prepared!  We will also be accepting all debit/credit cards.

Find below a bit about the amazing books by our speakers which will be available :

One Day I Will Write About This Place by Binyavanga Wainaina

Of Wainana’s stunning debut, One Day I Will Write About this Place, which was also a New York Times Notable Book, the New York Times writes:“it’s a book for anyone who still finds the nourishment of a well- written tale preferable to the empty-calorie  jolt of a celebrity confessional.” A coming of age memoir, Wainana’s book is passionate and poetic, taking readers into a lyrical and honest journey of his life growing up middle class in Kenya.


I Want  To Work in Africa by Frances Mensah Williams

I want to work in Africa is the recipient of numerous awards. It is a book that   delves into the many questions African professionals abroad continuously ask themselves, such as if they should move back home and how one moves their career to the world’s exciting continent. It gives the reader an idea of the possibilities in Africa, as well as serves as guide on what to consider when contemplating making the move. It’s a practical, easy-to read and clear guide to working in Africa. Highly recommended!


Everyday Heroes by Frances Mensah Williams

 Williams’ second book is an inspirational account of sixteen brilliant  individuals who have achieved great success, in spite of the unbelievable challenges they faced. Everyday Heroes is about people whose lives inspire us not only to broaden our own dreams to beyond the skies but also to  make sure that the ground we are standing on is solid enough. This is a book for anyone who wants to remain motivated to pursue their dreams. It is therefore a book for everyone.


Dust by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

Owuor’s much anticipated debut and critically acclaimed debut, Dust, is a brilliantly written glimpse of a family, a country, one haunted by violence and the ghosts of colonialism. Set in Kenya, Owuor’s narrative captures moments of brilliance, which are inventive and even breathtaking. Taiye Selasi writes in the New York Times, “only the reader who truly loves books — books full to brimming with imagery — will appreciate the magic Owuor has made of the classic nation-at-war novel.”

A few tickets left HERE.

Introducing TEDxEuston 2014 Speaker - Pius Adesanmi

Pius Adesanmi is one of Nigeria’s contemporary leading public intellectuals and celebrated columnists, never afraid to say it as he sees it, but always with grace and eloquence. Among his numerous lecture and keynote credits, Adesanmi has notably addressed audiences on African issues on such prestigious platforms as the Stanford Forum for African Studies, the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation’s annual lecture series, the International Leadership Platform of the university of Johannesburg, the African Unity for Renaissance series of the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute and the Africa Institute of South Africa, the Diaspora Consultation series of the African Union Agenda 2063, and the Academy of Science of South Africa series. He has just completed a one-year stint in Ghana as a Carnegie Diaspora Visiting Professor of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. Adesanmi is also a writer. He is the internationally-acclaimed winner of the inaugural Penguin Prize for African Writing (2010) in the non-fiction category with his book, You’re not a Country, Africa. His first book, The Wayfarer and Other Poems, won the Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize in 2001.

We are used to reading his work - but to get to know the man, feel his passion, and listen to him live, you will have to be at TEDxEuston 2014.

Get your tickets HERE.

Introducing TEDxEuston 2014 Speaker - Mizinga Melu

Mizinga Melu, is a business woman, accountant and the current Managing Director and has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Tanzanian National Bank of Commerce since 2013. Prior to that, she served as the Managing Director and CEO of Zambia's Standard Chartered bank, making her not only the first woman to hold the position but the first Zambian. She has degrees from the University of Zambia and Henley Management School, of the University of Reading. She has worked in six African countries. In 2013, Mizinga received the all Africa Business Woman of the Year Award and was nominated for the Southern Africa Business Woman of the year by Forbes Magazine and CNBC. Find out why we are all celebrating Misnga Melu at TEDxEuston 2014.

Get your ticket HERE:

Introducing TEDxEuston 2014 Speaker Sunday Oliseh

Sunday Oliseh, former Captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria has always loved football.

His career evolved from playing on the streets of Lagos to the Julius Berger FC, from where he was invited to Belgium to start an incredible professional career. At the club level, he was part of the famous Ajax team of the 1990′s with whom he won the league and cup double in 1998. He went on to have an illustrious career with Borussia Dortmund with whom he won the German league title and then to play for Juventus F.C. in Italy. Sunday Oliseh played 63 international matches for Nigeria. From 1994, he was also part of the team, many still consider Nigeria’s best ever that was crowned African champions, winning the title in a an emphatic manner against Zambia, ushering Nigeria unto the world stage as a force to reckon with in world soccer. The team went on to take Nigeria to its first ever World Cup. Oliseh was a tough defensive midfielder but will be  mostly remembered for scoring the winning goal; a cracker, in the group stage match against Spain in the 1998 World Cup, leading Nigeria to a historic 3–2 win. He went on to captain Nigeria for many years including during the during the 2002 African Cup of Nations. In 1996, Oliseh was again part of history as he was a key member of the team that Nigeria that won the Olympics gold medal for soccer. He was voted by the Confederation of African Football as the third best African player of the year in 1998. Today, he is one of the most respected voices on soccer and appears on several TV programmes around the world.

Sport is big on the continent and and there is no better speaker on this than Sunday Oliseh!

Get your ticket HERE.

Update on TEDxEuston 2014 tickets

Dear TEDxEuston Community,

Thank you for all your support. This is our 6th year (can you believe it?) and many of you have voted for the event the best way you can by registering. We have had the fastest ticket sales ever and we may well sell out earlier than any previous event. So this email is to reach out to the rest of you so that you are not disappointed. Get one of the tickets now....

Student tickets - £50.00  (SOLD OUT)

EARLY BIRD tickets - £70.00 (until end of October)

FULL TICKETS - £90.00 (from early November – if tickets are still available)

Friends of TEDxEuston - £100.00

This is one day you do not want to be at home in London.

Get your ticket HERE. 

TEDxEuston 2014 Speakers to be announced from Monday September 1

It is finally that time of the year when we offer you the product of months of scrutiny and discussions. We have searched the continent for stories: stories that are ours to own and to tell. Stories that will make you think, smile and strive. We have searched too for the people to tell them - people that we want to hear from, and we know you will too. We want to keep challenging conventional wisdom on perspectives from and about our continent.

Despite the challenges across the continent, we are convinced that there is much more good than bad going on....and this year we will reflect of that famous quote from one of the founding fathers of contemporary Africa; Kwame Nkrumah -  “We face neither East nor West; We face forward". This is a great metaphor for seeking a path that we define and design. A path that is ours. We hope that you'll join us again at TEDxEuston 2014!

It may be better to get you tickets now....

HERE

or you could wait until Monday :) 

Mind The Gender Gap - Naana Otoo-Oyrtey at TEDxEustonSalon 2014

Naana Otoo-Oyrtey MBE is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development (FORWARD). She is a social activist, and women’s rights defender passionate about building young women’s leadership. Naana played a key role in breaking the silence on child marriage in Africa. In her talk which she entitles ‘Mind The Gender Gap’, Naana introduces her TEDxEuston 2014 audience to the issues surrounding educating girls in Africa, particularly within the rural areas. Naana explains how long before the kidnapping of the Chibok girls in Northern Nigeria, the still existing cultural and gender stereotype including education policy and practice continue to impact on female education. Naana draws attention to underlying issues that affect female education such as, child brides, child mothers, school pregnancies and female genital mutilation. Naana says that we need to reflect on the need to bring girls back to school...but it is not just what she said but how she said it!

Watch her talk here.

Get your tickets to TEDxEuston 2014 here.

A vision of floating cities - Kunle Adeyemi at TEDxEustonSalon

Kunlé Adeyemi is a Nigerian architect, urbanist and creative researcher. He is founder and principal of NLÉ, an architecture, design and urbanism practice. He is a self-confessed ‘waterholic’ with an addiction to cities and an obsession for Africa.

In his fascinating talk at TEDxEuston Salon 2014, Kunle explains the relationship between water and cities, highlighting how much of our world is covered by water. He describes in a way only he can, the importance of water on cities and the impact of climate change particularly on African cities. Makoko, Lagos is an excellent example of how an African city based on water was built from virtually nothing, using the local technology notwithstanding various challenges. Lessons learnt from the Makoko project will be used as the model in moving forward with the ‘African Water Cities Project’ using Chicoco Project as a pilot. His talk had some surprising music in between! Nice one...

Watch, listen, enjoy!

A vision of floating cities - Kunle Adeyemi at TEDxEustonSalon

Tickets for TEDxEuston - December 6 2014 available here.