Sunday, February 26, 2012

INAUGURAL TEDxTRIPOLI EVENT CELEBRATES THE SPIRIT OF IDEAS WORTH SPREADING; SUCCEEDS IN AIM TO INSPIRE AND EXCITE YOUNG LIBYANS ABOUT COUNTRY’S FUTURE


TRIPOLI, LIBYA - Sunday, February 26th 2012 [ME NewsWire]


With a number of esteemed international, regional and local figures speaking about a range of social, cultural, economic and political issues, the inaugural TEDxTripoli, held on Monday 13 February 2012 at the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli, proved a huge success.

The event, which was the first international conference in Libya since the revolution, was attended by over three hundred people, of which more than ninety per cent were Libyans, and the organisers were supported by around twenty volunteers to ensure the day ran smoothly. TEDxTripoli was an independently organized event, licensed by TED.

The event opened with a keynote address by Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib, who expanded on TEDxTripoli’s overarching theme of“A Bold New Libya” by praising the organisers of the event and highlighting the challenges facing Libya as the country works towards building a modern democracy.

The first session, focused around ‘Innovation’s Possibilities’, featured Mustafa Abushagur, Deputy Prime Minister of Libya, who explored ways to encourage innovation in the Arab world and highlighted how vital it was to support social development and economic growth. Following this, Mohammed Omran, Chairman of Etisalat, presented his vision for the telecommunications and ICT sectors in the region and the impact broadband can have on emerging markets in terms of creating employment opportunities, providing access to essential services such as education and healthcare. Perry Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Kickstarter, concluded the session by highlighting the international and regional potential and benefits of its technology-led funding platform for creative projects.

In the following sessions the speakers included Abdulaziz Belhaj, a self taught Libyan filmmaker, who talked about his inspirational documentary following a rebel brigade in Libya on the battlefront during the revolution; and Hannah Song, President and CEO of LiNK – Liberty in North Korea, who addressed political repression in North Korea and examined the global challenges to freedom of expression.

The attendees were also treated to an exclusive recorded performance by world renowned cellist Joshua Roman followed by a talk by Bruce R. Scott, a Professor from Harvard Business School, who discussed the challenges faced by Libya as it makes a parallel transition towards capitalism and democracy. He emphasised the importance of building strong institutions and developing a robust regulatory environment to protect the economic and political frameworks.

TEDxTripoli was concluded by Dr Aref Ali Nayed, the Libyan Ambassador to the UAE, who stressed the need for political decentralisation in the new Libya, and the need for a combination of a society rooted in Islam but open to other cultures and the wider world. Fittingly, he highlighted that “the x in TEDx stands for it being an independently organised event, and I believe that the Libyan revolution was an independently organised event by the people of Libya, and the youth in particular.

The organisers of TEDxTripoli, Adrian Hong (Curator and Founder), Ousama Abushagur (Director and Co-Founder), Elliot Lee (Producer) and Adnan Husnein (Tripoli Field Director), commented: “We would like to thank the speakers, sponsors and volunteers who all ensured that the event was such a success. The audience feedback was exceedingly positive and we are pleased that TEDxTripoli really did prove a platform for ideas worth spreading, and one that was particularly shaped to the challenges and opportunities that Libya faces at this point in its history. We expect to be hosting another TEDxTripoli again in the near future.”

Detecon International GmbH and Tecore Networks were sponsors of the event. Al Aan, the pan Arab television broadcaster, was gold media partner. Pegasus Strategies, Tawasil and MEC Telematik provided in-kind support. Bell Pottinger Middle East acted as official Public Relations partner to TEDxTripoli alongside ME NewsWire, a News Services Group company and the official news distributor of TEDxTripoli.

For more information please visit www.tedxtripoli.org or like us on facebook www.facebook.com/#!/TEDxTripoli. All the talks will be made available on YouTube, and linked to through the TEDxTripoli website.

-ENDS-

Media enquiries

All press requests should be sent to media@tedxtripoli.org. Ousama Abushagur and Adrian Hong are the official spokespeople for TEDxTripoli.  Please note that TEDx event organizers are not able to speak for the TED Conference.

Any inquiry regarding TED should be sent to: Melody Serafino TEDx Media Liaison TEDxPR@groupsjr.com

While we appreciate any coverage, we kindly ask that all journalists and/or bloggers be respectful of the difference between the TED and TEDx brands.

The 'x' in 'TEDx' stands for "independently organized events." Any headline or text which implies "TED" is coming to Tripoli is misleading.

For more information on TEDx, visit http://www.ted.com/tedx.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED 

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

For information about TED's upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED

Contacts


Ousama Abushagur and Adrian Hong
official spokespeople for TEDxTripoli
media@tedxtripoli.org


Melody Serafino
TEDx Media Liaison
TEDxPR@groupsjr.com

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