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!

Inside TEDxEuston

We asked Chioma Onyenwe to do a 'simple' job ...tell the story of TEDxEuston in 10 minutes! We saw her walking around the venue with her crew doing her thing .....and we had no idea on what to expect. She captured the essence of TEDxEuston beautifully in this short film titled- "Inside TEDxEuston". The Story of the how it all started, and the hope for the future. One for the Oscars?

Chioma is a budding Nigerian filmmaker. With a background in economics and management, and behind the scenes experiences, she plunged into full time film making over a year ago. She has undertaken film courses in the London Film Academy and Met Film School in London with interests spanning through film, television, and documentaries. Her debut web series ‘Goddammit It’s Monday’ -  A show targeting the growing young professional class in Lagos will be released shortly. If you have an interesting project, contact her on - chioma.onyenweATgmail.com

Watch her amazing film at TEDxEuston 2011 here.....and share it!

TEDxEuston - Kwame Kwei-Armah - 'Standing on shoulders of giants'

In an interview with the Financial Times, Kwame Kwei Arma describes how he spent 6 hours on the roof top of the residences of one of Senegal’s greatest musicians Baaba Maal - which ended up in his being appointed -  artistic director of the third World Festival of Black Arts and Culture, held in 2010, in Dakar. Kwei-Armah has explored his roots in the Caribbean and before that in Ghana - and we were privileged to have him on the stage at TEDxEuston 2011.

Kwame Kwei-Armah is an actor, playwright and director. Kwame was born Ian Roberts to immigrants from Grenada. His father was a factory worker, and his mother worked three jobs to put her three children through private schools. He changed his name in his early twenties after tracing his family ancestry to Ghana. He is currently Artistic director of Centerstage Baltimore- the State theater of Maryland. He was artistic director of the 2010 historic 3rd World festival of black arts and culture in Dakar Senegal and is an associate artist at the Royal National Theatre.  He is Chancellor of the University of the Arts London was the first black playwright  to have his play Elmina’s Kitchen produced in London’s West End.

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

TEDxEuston - Lola Shoneyin - 'Boys, sex and control'

It is difficult to put Lola Shoneyin in a box - novelist, poet, teacher, mother, activist. Perhaps that is what makes her so unique and interesting. Perhaps that is why we chose her to start off TEDxEuston 2011 - with no idea of her topic. What a start it was....

Lola Shoneyin says that she considers herself very lucky to have a day job that she absolutely loves: teaching English and drama at a secondary school in Abuja, Nigeria. She is also Deputy Principal of the school and first says that she writes in her spare time, and then admits she really writes 'all the time', constantly trying to memorise a catchy line or jot down phrases on paper. Lola wanted to be a writer because of the many stories she had to tell, having spent exactly 7.673% of her life day-dreaming. Her best seller; "The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives" is set in modern-day Nigeria. It explores the intricacies of a polygamous family. It has been described as "A fiercely funny, endearing and provocative novel" and as "...a powerful, mature and absorbing work of fiction". Lola has four children and is married "to a lovely, compassionate man who used to have a huge moustache."

Watch her amazing talk at TEDxEuston 2011 here.....and share it!

Last few Early Bird tickets for TEDxEuston

Get one of the last few Early Bird tickets for TEDxEuston 2011!

With another great lineup of speakers, TEDxEuston aims to reflect ideas and inspired thinking of a new generation of African thinkers and leaders, positive about their continent and confident in their ability to shape its future. Our speakers are all committed to engaging in an active and meaningful manner with the African continent and are carefully selected to reflect the diversity of thinking and action on the continent from the arts, business and public sector.s. As in our previous 2 events, we can promise another incredible day, full of amazing ideas about Africa.....you will not want to miss this. 

But, in addition to the speakers, TEDxEuston is also about you. You are the reason we bother, the only reason! The energy in the room at each of the previous two events, has been testimony to the amazing potential awaiting to be unleashed on the continent. We promise that you will be inspired not only by the speakers but the person seating on your left and your right, in front and behind....and yes....you can take that to the bank! 

You will think....

You will applaud....

...and sometimes you will let it all out!

Grab one of the few Early Bird tickets left

Click here to register 

TEDxEuston 2011 registration opens

We are delighted to invite you to TEDxEuston 2011!

For a third year, TEDxEuston will aim to reflect ideas and inspired thinking of a new generation of African thinkers and leaders, positive about their continent and confident in their ability to shape its future. The speakers are all committed to engaging in an active and meaningful manner with the African continent. TEDxEuston is licensed by TED, and like all TED events, is run as a not-for-profit event. It is organised by an entirely volunteer group of African professionals. Our speakers are carefully selected to reflect the diversity of thinking and action on the continent from the arts, business communities and the public sector.

We present another incredible line-up of speakers spreading amazing ideas about Africa.....you will not want to miss this. 

Arnold Ekpe has been Group Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Transnational, Inc., and its subsidiary, Ecobank Group since 2005.


Rt. Hon Paul Boateng MP is a British Labour Party politician and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent South from 1987 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 he served as the British High Commissioner to South Africa and was in July 2010 introduced as a member of the House of Lords.


Toyin Saraki is the Founder of The WellBeing Foundation, a front-line maternal and child health focused Non-Governmental Organization in Nigeria. She was until recently the First Lady of Kwara State in Nigeria.

Hadeel Ibrahim is the founding executive director of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation which was established in 2006 to support good governance and leadership in Africa.

Kayode Fayemi is the Governor of Ekiti state in Nigeria. He was sworn in October 2010 after winning a protracted legal battle in which he proved his opponent had engaged in electoral rigging. Prior to going into partisan politics, Kayode Fayemi was Director of the Centre for Democracy.

Lola Shoneyin says that she spends exactly 7.673% of her life day-dreaming. Her best seller; "The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives" is set in modern-day Nigeria and is about four wives and their husband, exploring the intricacies of family life.

Moky Makura is a TV presenter/producer, publisher, writer, actress and entrepreneur. She wrote the acclaimed book: ‘Africa’s Greatest Entrepreneurs’ and in In 2008, co-produced and presented a lifestyle TV series for MNet called “Living It", about  the lifestyle’s of Africa’s wealthy elite.

Jerome Okolo runs Maxivision, which that provides the highest standard of eye-care delivery in the country. His life story provides a vivid and personal illustration of our tumultuous and rapidly changing epoch.

Herman Chinery-Hesse co-founded the SOFTtribe Limited, which has become the leading software house in Ghana and possibly West Africa. Herman’s current venture Black Star line (BSL), seeks to financially empower rural Africans via e-commerce.

Kola Karim is the Chief Executive of Shoreline Energy International. Shoreline Energy International is a leading energy holding company operating in Africa with a diversified portfolio of companies in Construction, Oil and Gas, Power, Telecommunications, Engineering and Manufacturing.

Helen Lieberman is the founder and Honorary President of Ikamva Labantu (The Future of our Nation), a South African grassroots organisation, constituted during the Apartheid years.

Femi Temowo is a guitarist ‘par excellence’. His latest project sees him in a Trio/Quartet setting where he is currently experimenting with combining Nigerian folk sounds and the jazz song form.

Kwame Kwei-Armah is a musician, playwright and actor. He was recently named artistic director of CENTERSTAGE, the leadingprofessional theater in Baltimore, and the designated State Theater of Maryland.

Paula Akugizibwe, a writer and HIV and human rights activist. She was born in Nigeria to parents of Rwandan and Ugandan origin and grew up largely in Southern Africa. She considers herself a happy pan-African nomad. 




For more details on the speakers and how to register, go to our website www.tedxeuston.com

How to rise above the culture of low expectations

She says went into politics because she was angry...angy about education and angry about international development. But there is a lot more to this beautiful talk by Kemi Adegoke. In finding the words to describe the complex issues of what she describes as "The culture of low expectations" in inner city British schools she lets us into how she started on her incredible journey:) . She takes us through her amazing forray into politics and how she suddenly became on of the leaders of policy formulation on Africa in the Conservative Party. Kemi inspires us by her words and her story.....at TEDxEuston 2010.



Kemi Adegoke, was the feisty, outspoken Conservative Party candidate for Dulwich and West Norwood in south London in the recent elections in the UK. She otherwise works as a systems analyst within the RBS Group. She studied Computer Systems Engineering (M.Eng) at Sussex University, graduating in 2003, and is also a Chartered Member of the British Computer Society. In June 2009, she completed an undergraduate degree in Law at the University of London (Birkbeck). She is a school governor at St. Thomas the Apostle College and the Jubilee Primary School in Southwark and Lambeth boroughs respectively. She is also on the board of Charlton Triangle Housing Association, part of the Family Mosaic group of housing associations. She was born in Wimbledon although lived in Nigeria until she was 16 and now lives in Herne Hill ward within the Dulwich and West Norwood constituency. She stood for Parliament under the Conservative Party during the last elections in the UK. Before her selection, she was the Deputy Chairman of the Dulwich and West Norwood Conservative Association and worked as a project leader for the Conservative Party Globalisation and Global Poverty Policy Group in 2006 and 2007.