#FlashbackFriday - Emeka Okafor

Are you a misfit?  Great, you’ll fit right in! 

Emeka Okafor challenges TEDxEuston to change the world.

At TEDxEuston in 2013, leading African blogger and entrepreneur Emeka Okafor urged Africans to challenge the status quo.  In his TEDxEuston talk entitled, ‘The Crazy Ones’ Emeka – creator of Timbuktu Chronicles and Africa Unchained alluded to the 1997 Apple “Think Differently” advertising campaign, and reminded us that it is often the ‘misfits’ and the crazy ones who are the people that change the world.

Emeka Okafor shared with the audience how as director of TED Global in Arusha, Tanzania in 2007, he noticed how everyone at that event had a new and unique way of thinking for Africa.  They all shared ‘the DNA of getting things done’, he said.  And he encouraged the TEDxEuston audience to do the same.

Emeka claims that the people who start tinkering are often the ones who soon develop the prototypes.  In ‘The Crazy Ones’ talk, at TEDxEuston’s Ripple Effect-themed conference, Emeka alluded to one young boy who displayed at Maker Faire Africa his own creation of taking discarded syringes and created excavator toys.  Here’s more about this young inventor’s story here:  

Emeka encourages us all to be part of the ‘problem-solving society’.  He says that there needs to be a space, an environment where like-minded innovators, doers and problem-solvers can come together and encourage one another.  

We at TEDxEuston couldn’t agree more.  So we want to encourage you to do two things:

1)           Listen to Emeka’s full talk here  

2)          Join us at TEDxEuston Salon on 13 June. More about it here and purchase a ticket here 

You’ll be sure to find like-minded creators, innovators and problem-solvers who are determined to birth solutions, develop clear visions and create new concepts which can only harness the strength and potency of Africa. In short – at TEDxEuston Salon you’ll most likely find the crazy ones, the misfits, the ones who are likely to change the world – for better!

"The Crazy Ones" - Emeka Okafor at TEDxEuston 2013

He is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He was the director for TED Global 2007 that took place in Arusha,Tanzania. He is a blogger and runs the blogs: Timbuktu Chronicles; and Africa Unchained. Timbuktu Chronicles compiles  some of the most interesting and exciting models of entrepreneurship happening in Sub-Saharan Africa and Africa Unchained which  allows him  to "think out loud" about paradigms of development, innovation and politics

In his TEDxEuston 2013 talk, Emeka Okafor speaks of the people with the power to make a change. It is us. "It's already started. It started in rooms like this. It started in Arusha." Listen to him and be inspired to contribute to that change you want to see. It is the ripple effect.

Watch his talk HERE.

Introducing TEDxEuston 2013 speaker: Emeka Okafor

Emeka Okafor was the co-curator of the first TEDGlobal to take place in Africa (Arusha, Tanzania) in 2007. At the time, he was one of the earliest bloggers on technology news coming out of the African continent. Emeka brought together the best the continent had to offer to one of the most inspirational events of our time, on the African continent. He lives and works in New York, and is currently the curator of a roving annual event; “Makerfaire” that brings together inventors from African countries every year.

TEDxEuston 2013 - RIPPLE EFFECT - December 7 2013. Details at www.tedxeuston.com

Grab one of the few remaining tickets HERE.

Upping the ante; another three amazing speakers for TEDxEuston 2013

This year, we are taking TEDxEuston to a whole new level altogether, you deserve nothing less. You have shown your support by walking the walk, as the tickets have literarily flown off the "shelf". For every new one sold, we take it as an extra incentive to deliver to you ...our best event yet. The heart and soul of your event are the speakers - and we have spent the last eight months looking for the best our continent has to offer. Find below three more amazing people shaping the future of our continent...

Register here!

Pascal Dozie the founder of Diamond Bank PLC, is currently the Chairman of MTN Nigeria, and a founding partner of Africa Capital Alliance, the first Nigerian private equity firm. He was previously a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. He also served as the founding Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, and co-Chair of the Commonwealth Business Council. It is hard to find anyone that has had a greater impact on the evolution of corporate Nigeria in the past 30 years.

Teresa H. Clarke is the CEO of Africa.com, a company she founded in 2010 after resigning from her position as a managing director in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs & Co.  Africa.com is the fastest growing Africa related website, with over five million page views per month from visitors throughout the world. Africa.com showcases carefully selected news, travel and lifestyle information and is playing a key role in shaping how the world sees Africa.

Emeka Okafor was the co-curator of the first TEDGlobal to take place in Africa (Arusha, Tanzania) in 2007. At the time, he was one of the earliest bloggers on technology news coming out of the African continent. Emeka brought together the best the continent had to offer to one of the most inspirational events of our time, on the African continent. He lives and works in New York, and is currently the curator of a roving annual event; “Makerfaire” that brings together inventors from African countries every year.