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! 

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