About eight years ago, everyone started talking about this guy named Ted. Not the long suffering architect from ‘How I Met Your Mother’, another guy who was as mysterious as Banksy, as influential as Steve Jobs and was uploading tons of videos to YouTube featuring his high profile posse including Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking and the geeks who gave us Google.
Offering a cool and compelling take on everything from science to society to art and everything in-between, Ted became the go-to-guy for comments and new ideas about all things progressive, unorthodox and inspirational in the spheres of Technology, Entertainment and Design.
As the Ted movement grew, eventually, people came to realise that Ted is not, in fact, a person.
It is a concept.
An idea about sharing ideas worth spreading through a set of global conferences which have hosted speakers presenting talks on the possibility of schools killing creativity, how great leaders inspire action, underwater astonishments, the power of introverts, brain magic, mathemagic and nurturing your creative genius among a collection of fascinating others.
Fast forward 30 years since the first conference and eight years since the talks have been offered for free viewing online and the TED movement finds itself in Namibia in a TEDx event titled ‘Unleashing Potential’.
With regard to how the TEDx event aligns itself with the TED ethos, TEDx licensee and communications expert Alisa Amupolo offers some clarification to those who still believe they will be meeting Seth Godin and Malcolm Gladwell.
“TEDx Windhoek is an independently organised TEDx event,” says Amupolo. “It operates with a license from TED and brings people together to share a TED – like experience and spread the concept further. However it’s entirely up to local organisers to determine the theme and speakers.”
Speaking within the theme of ‘Unleashing Potential’ at the opening event are entrepreneur Ally Angula, tech innovator Joris Komen, emerging leader Taleni Shimhopileni, wellness innovator Nangado Kauluma, humanitarian and visionary entrepreneur Hendrik Ehlers, business woman and philanthropist Monica Kalondo, media freedom expert Gwen Lister and investment guru Tega Shiimi ya Shiimi.
“The event brings together eight inaugural speakers in one place from across multidisciplinary backgrounds. Some are familiar faces in the Namibian landscape and seasoned leaders, while others are emerging leaders that many have never heard of from places we have never imagined,” says Amupolo.
“TEDx Windhoek comes at a critical time when Namibia’s economic level has elevated to upper middle income. This in itself presents challenges and opportunities and events like this enable us to see it through the eyes of pioneers, innovators and futurists with regard to their vision for the country and continent at large.”
In terms of the kind of people who should join in the event, Amupolo identifies them as “critical thinkers with a passion for ideas which can be propelled into tangible and sustainable solutions that travel beyond borders to be replicated around the world. This makes it an ideal platform for scientists, thinkers, innovators, students, designers, inventors, marketers, entrepreneurs, decision makers and politicians.”
In addition to being that kind of person, one should also have N$450 which is the cost of a ticket to the event. Effectively, precluding attendance from students, hawkers and interested parties without the money to spare, the event hopes to reach others in need of such an experience by offering a free live viewing event for 100 people; though they are currently without a sponsor or a venue.
Failing this, there is the potential for the event to become an elitist gathering of like-minded individuals who are already thinking in ways that have unleashed their potential enough to buy them a N$450 ticket to an event about unleashing their potential. However, for Namibians who do not manage to acquire tickets and are not able to attend the public viewing, there is always the internet.
“How most of us came to know TED talks was through online videos, therefore it is mandatory to upload the talk videos to the official TEDx channel on YouTube within one month of the event. The talks will also be available on the TEDx website,” says Amupolo.
Though many of the speakers are familiar and the public is eager to know what each will be speaking about specifically, Amupolo is keeping mum.
“We are keeping the participants and Windhoek at large in suspense and have so far only shared the speakers’ profiles. I can tell you that speakers will not necessarily only speak from the dimension of their discipline; they will delve into noble initiatives we never knew existed, so there will be a lot of surprises,” says Amupolo.
“Participants can look forward to a life changing experience, owed to thought provoking talks that can truly inspire transformative thinking and shift mindsets, and inspire action that can challenge participants to bring their own ideas to the shore and change the world.”
Stirring words from a woman who has taken it upon herself to organise a non-profit event that will encourage our leaders to put their personal philosophies and ideas for this country and the world into a digestible form like never before, while the public feasts on inspiration and joins a global conversation.
Offering a last word about her hopes for the event, Amupolo is optimistic.
“I hope that home grown ideas that are worth spreading at the first TEDxWindhoek can prompt action within our setting, transcend boundaries and unleash globally recognised solutions; and equally set the trends to regenerate ideas that address day to day challenges at home and afar.”
Tedx Windhoek – Unleashing Potential will take place on 6 March at the National Theatre of Namibia between 18h00 and 21h30. The event was still in need of a committed corporate sponsor for the live viewing event at the time of going to press.
Tickets were made available online through www.tedxwidhoek.com website on 6 February and are provisionally sold out. The public is advised to Follow TEDx Windhoek on Twitter, Facebook and on their website to keep abreast of cancellations and openings as well as updates on the live screening.
– marth__vader on Twitter
