Because I’d like to put my memory to test to see if I remember something (or anything), after a certain period of time… perhaps an after effect of Gus’ talk?
ADNEC seemed like a perfect place to host Abu Dhabi’s first TEDx organized by Carmen Oprea (TedX curator and organizer), who decided to bring TEDx here after moving from Romania. The theme “ideas worth spreading” brought together speakers to discuss business, the arts, science and other global issues that surround us.The speaker list reflected the international mix of people living here to address the specific issues of living in the country. Broadly speaking, it didn’t disappoint.
A few thoughts about the ones I found far more interesting than the others, in the order that they presented…
Yiannis Lagos, the president for International Markets at Humantelligence, spoke about the five myths of the modern workplace. The myth that stuck out the most was,“Money can buy effort”, considering the fact you can’t reward people with money for using their brains!
Yalman Khanand Kunal Wadhwani, founders of Agricel, showcased a water-efficient membrane,which can easily be mistaken for plastic or rubber. Developed by a Japanese scientist, this membrane can actually grow plants without any use of soil. During the break, the Agricel team entertained talks and showed pictures of the initial step-by-step process that started in the office. “Fresh salad anyone?”,I joked.
One of the performers, Bahareh, a dear friend and a great poetess, enlightened the people about Poetry Therapy, the art and the medicine of healing through words. Empowered by her mentor, John Fox, founder of the Institute for Poetic Medicine, she recited one of her inspiring poems “An Angel who has lost his wings”.
Amongst my favorites was the dynamic Nayla Al Khaja. She spoke about film-making, the film industry, and how she started out“D-Seven Motion Pictures”, her very own production house in the UAE. She shared her personal story with the audience, interacted with her ice-breaker pictures and showcased a short film about child abuse, which left the audience imagining their own endings.
Shaima AlSayed, a comedienne from Ajman, addressed certain stereotypes about Muslims andArabs with her humor. Topics about the way Arabs are dressed, what they do, and how they learn English got people laughing. Her idea behind that, “When they laugh they are more receptive to comments and criticism”. I had my own response“Hello Ma’amsir!!”
Mariam AlMazrouei spoke about her charity project called “Bus Raids” and shared her passion for helping people that touched many audience members. “Passion is contagious and if people around you can feel it, they come up to your level of energy”,one of her quotes that’s definitely Facebook status worthy!!
The most intriguing was Guz Halwani who spoke about the inter-relation of Music,Neuroscience and Education: What can we learn from the spaces in between? He pointed out that singing engages the brain differently than speaking and it can be used in therapy. Music got him interested in Neuroscience. He briefly talked about the different styles of teaching and best way to educate the community.”Is it hiring the best teachers? Introducing the best facilities? In the end it’s all about the best way to educate an individual.” His whole theory answered my unexplainable desire to be a Disney Mom to my future kids,and have them play out scenes and songs throughout their growing life!!
Filler performance sby Faisal Al Saari on the Oud urged me to grab a cape from somewhere and feel all Spanish to his El-toro-like piece. Nine year old, Hamzeh Jamal Saadah, performed beautifully on the Qanoon, the last I saw him was when he graced the Speak Abu Dhabi with his talent.
Little things do matter.. during one of the breaks, where stuffing my face was a bittoned-down, I noticed little standees placed on all the tables that had quirky messages like “Get to know an interesting person today”, “Fill in the spaces with ideas and words, Start a conversation”, all relative to the theme. I did have fun “starting a conversation” with “interesting people”, sharing “ideas”and exchanging “words”. A good kick off to my first TEDx experience.
If I were to organize it next year, I’d have the guys stop messing around with lights, so it wouldn’t be a hassle for photographers to manually keep adjusting the camera settings to the lights. Also, I’d keep it to about 7 speakers, and devote sometime to helping people meet each other. It would have been cool to have some breakout spaces with some kind of ice-breaking activity allowing people to network. I made it a point of sitting next to people I didn’t know (as I ran about taking pictures) and have gathered a few biz cards. But I wondered how many more have I missed out on?
For more Abu Dhabi TEDx pics: www.facebook.com/ell3.laine
