Introducing TEDxEuston 2014 Speaker - FATIMA MUHAMMAD

FATIMA B. MUHAMMAD has been on the front-lines of innovating around the delivery of Maternal and Child care as a midwife and midwife educator in Nigeria for the past 20 years. She has Master’s Degree in Applied Population Research from Exeter University in the United Kingdom. Fatima has led a series of difficult projects, working on issues including family planning, health of newborns, social marketing project of contraception services and products. She is currently the Demand Side Advisor for the DFID supported Maternal, Newborn and Child Health project being implemented in 6 states of Northern Nigeria. If there is any change theory in public health - Fatima has probably tried it out and can give you an informed opinion on if it works or not, and why from her context.

Her insights will amaze you, the reason she will be on the TEDxEuston stage on December 6 2014.

This talk will be part of a new TEDxChange programme at TEDxEuston. TEDxChange is created supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, devoted to ideas worth spreading in the areas of global health and development.

Get one of the last tickets for TEDxEuston HERE.

Introducing TEDxEuston 2014 Speaker - Kene Mkparu

Educated at the University of Nigeria, Kene Mkparu has over 20 years experience in business management and cinema operations management. He was a General Manager with the Odeon Cinemas UK from 1991 to 2008. He returned to Nigeria a few years ago and is currently Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Filmhouse Limited a dynamic cinema company that is to rolling out 25 cinemas over 6 years in Nigeria, with nine currently in operation. Mkparu has produced three films. He won the 2013 Creative Entrepreneur Award; film Industry Category, the 2007 Best Producer Award at the Africa Films Awards, UK for his film, “The Successor”.

Something amazing is happening in the Nigerian Cinema space, and Kene is at the heart of it. You will not want to miss his story at TEDxEuston,

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.

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.

#BringBackOurGirls join us on Friday the 9th May at Nigeria House, Northumberland Ave. London at 10 am.

Many of us on the TEDxEuston team went to boarding school in Nigeria. We have fond recollections of our time there, getting a good education, forging friendships, never for once doubting that we were safe.

When FGC Yobe was attacked by Boko Haram and students were killed, we were horrified beyond words. We could not imagine how that could have happened. If our children could not be safe at school, where would they be?

We hoped a tragedy like that would never happen again. We trusted our government to ensure that it did not. In March, 50 girls were abducted from a school in Borno State. As far as we know, the girls are still at large. In April, almost 300 girls writing their exams were again abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from another school in Borno State. Apart from the few who escaped , the rest are still at large. There are rumors that some  have been sold off as sex slaves for as little as $12.00. There are allegations that some have died in captivity. Some have allegedly been moved on to Cameroon and Chad. This is news that breaks our hearts. These girls are our sisters, our daughters, our nieces.

 #Bringbackourgirls has probably become the one of the world's most recognizable hashtags. We ask the government of Nigeria to ensure that our  girls are brought back. WE want to see them back at school. Forging careers. Living the life they choose for themselves.

Access to education is a basic right. In communities where girls' education is already  at risk, it is important that parents are not further discouraged from sending their daughters to school. We say to the government, Enough is enough. We demand from them a safe environment not just for our girls but for every Nigerian citizen within its borders. We deserve that much.

For those of us living in London, join us on Friday the 9th May at Nigeria House, Northumberland Ave.London at 10 am. 

"History rediscovered" Emeka Keazor at TEDxEuston 2013

Lawyer. Historian. Musician. Writer. He wears his different hats very comfortably.  He has recently acted as Consultant Historian on the official Government documentary on the History of Nigeria to commemorate the nation’s centenary. He also volunteers as an admin on the Nigeria Nostalgia Projects Group on Facebook.
Unapologetically passionate about Nigeria’s past, Emeka Keazor's TEDxEuston 2013 talk is a blitz course in Nigerian history you are not likely to have heard. Did you know that contrary to popular knowledge, Flora Shaw did not name Nigeria? If knowledge is power, Emeka Keazor arms us with the power to celebrate our history and inspires us to follow the natural ripple effect and find out more.

"You have heroes. They are not in the limelight. Celebrate them." EEK 

Watch his talk HERE!

"Making long term bets" - Pascal Dozie at TEDxEuston 2013

He is among other roles,  co-founder and Partner at African Capital Alliance, founder of Kunoch Limited, founder of Diamond Bank PLC. He also  served as the Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank Plc., President at the Nigeria Stock Exchange. He serves as a Member of Advisory Board at Kaizen Venture Partners and as the Chairman of MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd. and many more.  He combines his experience as a Development Economist and Econometrician, with project management in Africa and Europe. Despite the above, in a country where it is the norm to display wealth and privilege, he is known for his radical simplicity. Mr Pascal Dozie, fondly referred to by his peers as PGD spent his 74th 7th day of the 7th month birthday inspiring the audience at TEDxEuston 2013 with the story of his trail-blazing journey to the top, but reminding us that he did not do it alone:  "We created a rising wave that carries everyone along"; the power of the Ripple Effect!!. He pulled no punches in insisting that the driver for Africans in the Diaspora returning home should be to create value.

Watch his talk HERE and share with everyone you know.

"My wake up call" - Ikenna Azuike at TEDxEuston 2013

He is a video blogger and founder of the hugely popular 'What’s up Africa'. He trained and worked as a Lawyer for four and a half years. But despite the financial security of that profession and the opportunities to live and work in some of the world’s best cities, he was unhappy and wanted to do something more creative and fulfilling. He ditched law for a new career in journalism. Ikenna Azuike, master of wit and satire, in his TEDxEuston 2013 presentation, talks us through his toothbrush eureka moment and of how sometimes one needs to leave the conventional and the safe to do what needs to be done. Ikenna reminded us that;

"It is better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to climb than to be at the top of one you don't want to climb." 

Watch his amazing talk HERE - be prepared to laugh and cry and everything in between. Share this widely...

Ikenna Azuike at TEDxEuston 2013

What TEDxEuston does to you

 :

Don't trivialise corruption, tackle it! Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at TEDxEuston 2013

She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1977, was vice-president and corporate secretary of the World Bank Group, is a globally renowned economist and Nigeria's Minister of Finance. An avowed anti-corruption advocate, she introduced the practice of publishing each state's monthly financial allocation from the federal government in the newspapers to encourage transparency and engagement by the population.

Beyond the oscillation of contemporary public opinion, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will be judged by history, long after her current tenure has ended by the impact her policies have had on Nigeria’s economy, which she has been privileged to manage through this most dynamic yet fragile time in its evolution.

In her TEDxEuston 2013 talk, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala reminds us all, however, of our own communal responsibility in creating and maintaining a corrupt-free society. That train demands that every one of us comes on board, and that we cannot abdicate the responsibility to our political leadership;

"If you can do (anything) from legitimate civil society…galvanize action, do not leave it to someone else” 

She is only the second political office holder that we have ever invited to the TEDxEuston stage! 

Listen to her talk HERE, watch her dance and and start a conversation. Don't trivialise the issues - deep thought is required for the things that matter!

Watch the talk, share to your network and tweet us your views @tedxeuston

Inua Ellams at TEDxEuston 2012

Inua Ellams describes himself as word and graphic artist, but we were not sure what to expect until he took to the stage and held the room spellbound with some of the most amazing poetry we have been privileged to listen to. With a combination of poise and confidence this calm poet (sorry - word artist!) took us on a journey so powerful that the audience was oooing and aaing at the end. Much love Inua - There's a lot more to come from you!

Jason Njoku at TEDxEuston 2012 - Failing all the way to success!

A Chemistry graduate, he rose from treading the streets of south London for Nollywood movies for relatives to  leading  a company that is now the largest distributor of Nollywood movies online. Last year, IROKO TV secured $8 million dollars in funding from US based Hedge Fund Tiger Global. His  TEDxEuston 2012 talk challenges the conventional wisdom of eschewing failure. Coming from a highly successful man, this sounds rather paradoxical but his invitation to embrace failure is compelling and powerful.

Listen to his amazing, powerful talk 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.

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 - 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 - 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.

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 - 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. 

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.

Femi Temowo at TEDxEuston - Back to my guitar roots

Speakers and performers at TEDxEuston are found in all sorts of ways. We debate and argue, some speakers are easy choices, some not so easy and some are found in the most pleasant of circumstances - like how we found Femi Tomowo! In mid-2011, a member of the TEDxEuston team, Paddy Anigbo had the privilege of spending his birthday with friends from his boarding school days at Federal Government College in Enugu, Nigeria; friends with whom he had shared the most exciting 5 years of his life. They chose the superb Hideaway in the heart of Streatham for their rendezvous. After settling down to the offering of Femi Temowo’s music, they were off their seats dancing away the night. They could not get enough of him and at that point decided that he had to be on the TEDxEuston stage! So when we started discussions in the TEDxEuston team, Paddy was so convinced that it took little to get the team to agree - we had to share his story and work with the TEDxEuston community. Femi came on board and not only told his story so well; he thrilled us with the beautiful music from his new album.



Femi Temowo is a guitarist ‘par excellence’. Born September 1976 in the city of Akure in Nigeria, Femi moved to London in 1986. He began playing the guitar at 17 and by 21 was already highly regarded on the jazz and popular music scene. Between 1998 and 2001 Femi studied jazz at Middlesex University under the great educator Stuart Hall (Loose Tubes). After graduating, he was approached by UK Jazz/Hip-Hop artist Soweto Kinch to join his then brand new quartet. The quartet went on to win many awards including a Mercury Music Prize nomination, BBC jazz award for best new group and several Mobo awards. Femi’s slick and melodic guitar sound has earned him a place beside many great musicians and artists from across many genres. His latest project sees him in a Trio/Quartet setting where he is currently expanding some of the ideas he started on his debut album but in a smaller group setting, experimenting with Nigerian folk sounds and jazz song form. The trio consists of Guitar, Bass and Drums and are sometimes joined by a vocalist.

Listen to his excellent talk here!!

Jerome Okolo at TEDxEuston 2011 - Not learning from history

Hans Rosling was 'just' a well respected Swedish professor - until TED put him its stage. Since then Hans Rosling has become world famous - the first of his 3 TED talks has been watched close to 4 million times. That is the power of TED in shaping the conversations on things that matter. TEDxEuston aims to do the same with issues that matter to Africans. When we invited Jerome Okolo to the TEDxEuston stage - many asked - Jerome who?. Well, we were soon to find out! Having brought the audience to exhilarating laughter as he took us through his immigration journey, we wondered where it would end. Well it ended where it started - the piece of land known between 1967 and 1970 as the "Republic of Biafra" in South Eastern Nigeria. But his was not a war story, but one about history and our obligation to learn from it in order to shape our future. Just after Jerome delivered his talk which left the audience deep in thought news filtered into the TEDxEuston community that Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu - the leader of the Biafran struggle had passed away. As Ikemba Nnewi is buried today in Nnewi, it is important to listen again to Jerome's talk to remember why an understanding of our history is so critically important in shaping the future. Share his talk - every Nigerian should watch it - we are aiming for 4 million views! 

Jerome Okolo’s life story provides a vivid and personal illustration of our tumultuous and rapidly changing epoch. He was born just as Nigeria’s Civil War was breaking out. His parent's journey took them from being penniless refugees, to privileged University of Nigeria staff – classical music, tennis, swimming – and then to facing the ire of the successive Military Administrations. Sent off to the far North of the country for his college education, he got caught up in the first outbreak of Islamic militant violence, when the Maitatsine sect attacked Nigerian Security forces, an attack that had to be repelled by the Nigerian army. He left Nigeria to study in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, just as that town was the flash-point of the ill-fated Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He traveled on to Ukraine for further studies, just as the world’s worst Nuclear disaster takes place at Chernobyl. Traversing East to West and back again, he witnessed the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. He was completing his dissertation in Moscow, when the August 1991 putsch against Gorbachev was launched in Moscow. Returning to Central Asia after completing his studies, he was again caught up in civil war, this time in Tajikistan, and escaped on the last Tu-134 out of Dushanbe. In 1993 Jerome was just re-launching his business career when another violent event, the siege of Parliament by Russian President Boris Yeltsin in 1993, almost ruined everything.


Watch his amazing talk at TEDxEuston 2011 HERE.....and share it!

TEDxEuston - Paul Onwuanibe - Taking your business home to Africa

Home is always on the minds of many Africans living in the so called Diaspora. We talk about Africa with emotion and nostalgia, at once yearning for its embrace and fearful of its challenges. The decision of leaving our comfort zones, the paycheck at the end of the month, constant electricity, healthcare etc often proves a step too far. So our plans to support the renaissance of the continent ends on our dinner tables and wine bars. With our decision not to engage, dies the dreams of a continent. Paul Onwuanibe chose to challenge conventional wisdom by not only founding a successful company in the UK but in taking his business back home to the continent. He tells the remarkable story of this journey that has taken him to open offices in all the major African cities. He shares the pains and the joys......and you cannot help but be infected by his enthusiasm for the opportunities that await those who dare to dream. 

Listen to the talk HERE.

Paul Onwuanibe began his career in the 'built environment' with a formal education in Architecture, Property Development and Construction Management, together with a London Business School MBA with a merit in "Value Engineering".Paul has 20 years in the professional property environment with experience of design and execution projects (Africa, USA, Europe). He served as Development Director with Beacon Housing, a UK based house builder producing over 1000 homes. Paul was the Executive with responsibility for the Property and Logistics team of Regus Plc during its rapid expansion years, which oversaw the opening of 190 business centres in 62 countries globally. He has expert knowledge of commercial property and workplace management and led Landmark's expansion into America, Europe and Africa. He has a deep and passionate interest in real estate in Africa, knowledge, experience and fresh views.