The GPC offers a world-level platform to share best practices and develop collaborative strategies in areas of community service, education, health care, water resource management, disaster response, and conflict resolution, guided by a vision of One Family under God. This convention was held from 17th – 21st November, 2010 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya.

(Video courtesy of gpservicealliance’s Channel on YouTube)

Oliver Sacks speaks at TED 2009 Conference in Long Beach California

It has been an interesting week. I have had to process a lot of emotions and thoughts since I got back from Long Beach. My TED experience was akin to staring at the sun for a while then looking away. The image of the sun is emblazoned in your vision and you really can’t see much else until your eyes adjust to your surroundings.

TED is a great experience. The most obvious question I have been asked is, “who were the celebrities you interacted with?”

Meeting famous people was but just a small part of the cult that is TED. I made a point of asking the fellows who participated in TED Global in Arusha whether the Long Beach experience was anywhere close to their 2007 one. Repeatedly, the answer was it was a better and different experience. So what is so great about TED?

On January 20^th, 2009; I watched as Barack Obama became the first black president of the United States. As I watched history unfold I asked one question on Facebook, “Is there ever a time in the United States’ history where political, military and leaders of industry gather together en masse than during presidential inaugurations; especially the historical inauguration of 2009?”

It was a glorious site to behold but from afar.

TED was my first experience where I was amongst such a large collection of world leaders. Mingling with them, talking to them and learning from their experiences. The most remarkable thing is everyone is interested in listening and discussing ideas with others from diverse backgrounds.

Two conversations that I can mention as surreal for me were both about my loves, the web in Africa and advertising. I talked to Steve Netzley of the advertising agency Euro RSCG Edge who had just had a very good week. The company had run the very successful MC Hammer/Ed McMahon spot during the Super Bowl with Arnold Worldwide. We talked about the production and how they had to bring all the pieces together to get it out. I also had a conversation with Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the web. We talked about the ways Africa can be wired. In my whole life this was one person I never imagined talking to about the web in Africa. And he was actually interested in what I had to say.

Networking is just a small example of the TED experience. The collection of all these leaders in different fields means you will learn of things you have never considered within your immediate realm. An example would be biological and medical inventions. Biology is a subject I absolutely rejected after a very bad high school experience with a teacher who made 70% of his class drop the subject. But sitting at TED, I was grateful of all the people who spend their days working to answer many of the questions we ask about life on this planet.

TED is about sharing ideas and using them to change the world. In 2005, Bono wished to lift Africa out of poverty. People all over the US have seen the fruits of that wish. I don’t think there is anyone in the world familiar with Bono and the ONE campaign that doesn’t associate him with Africa. That is all TED. Each year, TED awards a prize to three leaders and pools resources to allow them to make their wishes come true. This year deep-ocean explorer Sylvia Earle, astronomer Jill Tarter, and maestro Jose Antonio Abreu were honored. Their bodies of work speak for itself. But one of the most remarkable things were at the end of each prize presentation, TEDsters will stand up and offer their services to ensure these dreams would become reality. I was proud of humanity at those moments. And it occurred to me that so many of the world’s problems can be solve if we can all get our communities both large and small, prominent or obscure to come together and work at solving those problems.

For some of the speakers, one element was important. They started their work without any inclination of what it would become. Berners-Lee mentioned that he never thought the web would grow to what it is right now. Willie Smits attempted to save orangutans in Indonesia; and ended up solving problems compounding a whole society. Lena Maria Klingvall was born without hands and one leg, but has managed to defy all odds. She is a singer, artist and author. These are just a few examples of leaders who took on a larger problem than initially anticipated and wrestled them to submission.

Bill Gates talked of luck and how compounded with skill played a role in his success. And in a very appropriate conversation for most of the creative people in the TED audience worldwide, Elizabeth Gilbert talked of saving the geniuses amongst all of us in a very inspirational talk.

At the end of the whole TED experience, it is the people whom I first encountered at TED that meant the most. These are the TED Fellows. We all came to TED wondering how the experience would turn out. Most of us traveled a great distance from North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East on our life’s journey to make it to this event. For most of us, it was our first one. Our common bond was we had all been picked in the inaugural TED Fellows program. But through a week of learning new experiences, sharing our work and dreams and knowing each other; it became apparent that this won’t be the last time I will ever meet these fellows. As I am sitting right now at my computer blogging, Twitter updates me on the thoughts and actions of my brethren. That is the power of TED.

So when I next see any of these people: receiving an award, leading a movement or inspiring a community, I will remember that one week in the winter of 2009. We were all inspired together, grew together and understood just how much we could accomplish in this world together. While the seeds were planted in the far reaches of the world, they were germinated in Long Beach, California. For that, I am forever grateful to TED and the TEDsters that gave all the fellows a chance to learn from them.

I was really glad to get this email from TED about their new TED Fellows program, especially because I saw many friends and tech innovators working in Africa among the first group of 40 TED Fellows. Wonderful things are indeed emerging from Africa! Congratulations, friends!

Intriguingly, there is an open application process to join so anybody between 21-40 years old, even you, can apply!

Here are the TED Fellows working in Africa that I already know and admire:

• Bola Olabisi: Founder of Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network; Nigeria/U.K.
• Erik Hersman: Cofounder of Ushahidi.com — a site providing online visualization of conflict areas; blogger for Afrigadget.com and White African; organizer, Maker Faire Africa. Kenya/U.S.
• Joshua Wanyama: Founder of Pamoja Media — the first African online advertising network; founder of African Path — an African Huffington Post. Kenya/U.S.
• Katrin Verclas: Mobile trends analyst and founder of Mobileactive.org — a global network of people using mobile technology for social impact. U.S. (not focussed on Africa but mobileactive.org is still very influential in Africa)

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Photo by Erik Hersman

Below is the text of the short talk I gave during the TED 2009 Fellows pre-conference day.

My earliest online experiences were a wonderful exploration of this virtual world where everything was possible. I remember reading stories of people doing amazing things online. Companies built on close to nothing but ideas and generating millions overnight. And then the dot com bust happened in the year 2000. And all of a sudden, only the companies that were built on sound business plans survived the meltdown. I found these lessons to be of great importance as I started looking at the web and its effect on Africa.

The web is invaluable. The fact that it provides all these connections amongst human beings regardless of geographic reach, influence, wealth or your social circle means that everyone stands a chance to improve their existence if they so choose. That improvement could either be online, fueled by relationships created there or knowledge gained online.

Traditionally, Africans have had to depend on their governments for everything. Access to knowledge is through the government. Most learning institutions are government controlled as are libraries, public forums and mass media. This control has steadily eroded in some countries since the late 90s. All of a sudden, there are vibrant online communities serving various African markets.

Some people have argued that getting web access in Africa should be less of a priority than poverty eradication. I would argue that online access and the wealth of information available is part of the process of combating poverty in Africa. The beauty here is we don’t have to give everyone access to start. We can target community influencers.

Some of these influencers are community organizers, teachers, business people, public servants, health workers and the like. So long as these people have access to this wealth of knowledge and are interconnected within their communities; Africa has a bright future. The best solutions to each community’s problems come from within. The springboards for solutions lie in accessing information, gaining valuable knowledge and creating relationships that enhance one’s work. By exposing more influencers to a wealth of information, change within communities can be rapid and have a multiplier effect.

This brings me back to my fascination with the web and cell phone in Africa. Blogging and activism is good. But the greatest impact has to be the last stage from thought into action. Enabling people within communities to seize opportunities to lead and find solutions to everyday problems. The web allows people to organize both online and offline. That is its greatest significance to Africa.

In my life, I have found that I can combine two things that bring me great pleasure – business and design into a real solution that is relevant to Africa. This would not have been possible without the web. And I know there are a lot more solutions and opportunities within the continent that will keep springing forth daily. Whether online or offline, interconnectedness will play a huge role in the success of these ventures. And with that, we will be able to improve Africa while presenting a balanced view of it to the world at large. And in a world growing darker with the storms of economic upheaval, Africans have a chance to stand up and lead in their own way.