TEDxKibera, Kevin’s Story
Kevin Otieno is from Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Suraj Sudhakar is an Acumen Fellow living in Nairobi. In 2009, Suraj introduced Kevin to the concept of TED and TEDx, and organized the first TEDxKibera. Their work inspired the launch of the TEDx Activator program, where individuals mentor TEDx events and organizers in developing world communities. Kevin shares his own experience as a TEDx Organizer, and what the experience has brought to his life.
I met Suraj while I was working as a project Manager at Hot Sun Foundation while Suraj was an Acumen Fund Fellow. At the time, the foundation was shooting a feature film (togetherness Supreme) in April 2009 and I was the Casting Director.
After we shot the movie, I was let go as donors had not send funds and I was back to being jobless in the slums of Kibera.
I called Suraj and explained my situation and we started communicating.
I did not know how to use a computer then. I never thought I could do it. Although I am a scriptwriter, I used to handwrite my scripts and give it to somebody to type it for me.
The layoff presented an opportunity for me, as I thought I might have been let go because I didn’t know how to use a computer.
I asked Suraj to help me pay for computer lessons and after much deliberations he advised me to learn computer on my own. At first, I didn’t believe it would work but decided to do it anyways, as Suraj paid for me to sit at a local cyber where I would sit on a computer for three hours learning on my own.
During this period, Suraj shared the idea of TED with eight others and me. At first, as someone from Kibera, it sounded an elite thing but inside I had this conviction that I should give it a try.
After watching the TED talks in a group, Suraj then threw a question to us: “Guys do you think we can organize such an event locally?” We all agreed in unison that we can. After two weekends of the introduction, our spirits were very high so we put our heads together and went into planning and organizing the event.
Being a filmmaker, I knew my film experience would come in handy at TEDx events. I remember Suraj asking me if people will come and I told him in Kibera if we have money to pay for sitting allowance then we will get more than the number we need. (In Kibera, many NGOs will pay people in the slums to attend their events). But Suraj told me that that is against the policy of TED and that I should only get interested people no matter how few they would be.
We did the first TEDxKibera on 15th August, 2009. We had two HD cameras and my role came out handy as director.
As time went by, many of us, including me, were giving up. I think because we were not accustomed to waiting for what will come. We wanted to see the tangible benefits and we wanted monetary benefits. My six colleagues left. I remained though, knowing that this is an open gate to filmmaking.
When we held a second TEDxKibera event December same year, I was, by default, the onstage host and I didn’t disappoint. In the back in my mind, I wanted to be behind the camera directing camera people, but it seemed this was also my calling. My new colleagues who joined — Chris, Dennis and Dickson — Suraj, and some of the audience agreed.
The first TEDxKibera we had only 40 people, which majorities were friends but the second TEDxKibera had 96 people. I started getting the power of TEDTalks and the transformation of thinking. As a person who has wanted to change the community, I found that power in TED and TEDx.
To my surprise, people in the slum kept asking me when is another TEDx event? This gave me a resolve to do more TEDx events, in 2010 I was not only the co-organizer but a licensee and onstage host. Though I still went for film projects when called, my heart was also for TEDx programs.
I co-organized TEDx events with Suraj and we spread that to other slums in Nairobi namely Korogocho, Kangemi and Mathare. We went to BabaNdogo in 2011 and Kahawa in 2012. We hosted TEDx events in all these areas with those who have interest in TED and TEDx events.
After seeing our success, TED was mesmerized and wanted to have similar program replicated worldwide and they started a program called TEDx Activator, in which Activator Managers find Activators and teach them how to host TEDx events.
Before selecting these Activators, we looked for those who are passionate in changing their communities and using the power of the ideas worth spreading. They also attended a training meeting where we took them through what is TED and TEDx and what is required of them as Activators. We also took them to TEDx events that we organized to give them a sense of what happens at a TEDx event.
We had six enthusiastic fellows who had interest out of thirteen:
Sande Wyclife, TEDxKaranja
Chris Makau, TEDxSilanga
Alex Sunguti, TEDxKangemi
Ramadhan Obiero, TEDxBabaNdogo
Godwin Omondi, TEDxMathare
Fredrick Odol, TEDxWendani
Besides these TEDx events we have also TEDxUmand) and TEDxShuleni which is for schools, as well other TED live streaming events like TEDxChange and TEDxLive.
TEDx has enabled me to meet and interact with the high and mighty locally and internationally – those who I deemed far from my reach because of my socio-eco status. It also has allowed me to travel out of my country for the first time and has given me leadership, organizational and planning skills.
Visit the TEDxKibera Flickr stream for images from events in Kibera.
TEDx Teams Up With IDEO to Relaunch “TEDx in a Box” Initiative
TEDx has teamed up with IDEO.org to launch the second phase of the TEDx in a Box initiative, first launched in December of last year.
The IDEO.org team – Emily, Marika and Robin — were excited to work on their first project as IDEO.org fellows:
Emily: “I’m thrilled to be on this project with TEDx. One of my priorities this year with IDEO.org is to get my hands dirty and design tangible and useful things that creates a positive impact on the world.”
Marika: “Most projects for poor communities focus on negatives, but this project is inspiring and unique, and focuses on tangible solutions that can be delivered on a really short time frame.”
Robin: “I love the challenge of working to help people bring big ideas to communities that are not typically exposed to them.”
After interviews with TEDx in a Box event organizers, and countless brainstorming sessions with co workers at IDEO, the IDEO.org team concluded with six key insights to incorporate into the second phase of the box:
They found that TEDx Organizers wanted: support explaining the importance of TEDx to their local community, to cater to bigger audiences, to be able to create their own content, a simpler box technology, help planning the event beyond just setting up the box and an more easily transported box.
With this in mind, they set forth on the “Box’s” second iteration.
The result is a multi-use and adaptable organizational system — with color coded and icon-specific system graphics — that make set-up and implementation of a TEDx event easy.
The package includes a projector, PA system, DVD player, battery, inverter, two camcorders, a power strip, an SD card and a tripod. The system is separated into nine color-coded systems, based on use.
Also included is a Quickstart Guide that visually guides the event organizer on how to charge the system, set it up to watch a TEDTalk and host live speakers, with or without slides. It also includes helpful tips for set-up in rooms with varying degrees of light.
Take a look:
TEDx in a Box from IDEO.org on Vimeo.
The next step? Build a few boxes, and send them out to TEDx communities around the globe.
Follow the IDEO.org fellows on their TEDx in a Box creation journey on the IDEO.org Blog.
With a “TEDx in a Box”, individuals in developing communities are delivered all the resources they need in order to organize a TEDx event — which in its first iteration included Two N8 Nokia phones, preloaded with TEDTalks and capable of recording video, a miniature video projector, audio speakers, a power strip and the TEDx Developing World Toolkit document — packaged in one small, portable box.
The program launched with 10 boxes and events were held in India, Bangladesh, South Africa, Brazil and Ecuador.
Among them were TEDxGawair, an event in the Gawair slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh, organized by Masarat Daod, and TEDxKliptown in South Africa — held in a community that does not have formal housing, running water or electricity.
More information on the program can be found here.
Love the location of this TEDx in a Box event, TEDxCuria — a beach in Ecuador. Lovely how you can hear the sound of the waves as a background to this speaker. (Note: In Spanish only)
TEDx in a Box in Soweto - TEDxKliptown
At TEDGlobal 2010, TED and Nokia launched an initiative called TEDx In a Box. The idea being, to enable people in developing communities to host TEDx events using the technology supplied in the Box. How the box works is that you have two Nokia N8 phones, Nokia MD-8 speakers and an Optoma PK201 Pico Projector. With these, you should be able to play TEDTalks (which are preloaded) and also record live speakers at your TEDx event.
TEDxSoweto became the first recipient of “the box” in South Africa. We looked at the different parts of Soweto and decided to focus on Kliptown. Established around 1903, Kliptown is the oldest residential settlement in Soweto. Today approximately 80% of its 45,000 residents still do not have running water, basic sanitation or electricity. The community does not have a school, and children have to travel long distances to attend school in other parts of Soweto.
In looking for community members to work with, we found a youth development programme (Kliptown Youth Project) that runs a tutoring program for kids, a library, a feeding scheme and has a community hall that is equipped with one solar panel and a generator. The project has 300 XO computers from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)
program.
We hosted a half a day workshop with members the youth project to get a better understanding of the community needs. At the end of the day, we agreed that education is their number one priority. The theme for the event became Education and Technology.
On the 28th May 2011 we hosted TEDxKliptown with 4 speakers, a dance performance and 40 attendees.
Selecting which TEDTalks to play was easy. Almost everyone who was at the event knew of Professor Nicholas Negroponte and MIT. We played Nicholas Negroponte’s One Laptop Per Child talk and Pravan Misty’s Sixth Sense talk. As far removed from MIT as Kliptown is, the young people who are direct beneficiaries of the OLPC project could not only relate to Negroponte’s talk but could also see the possibilities that
Mistry’s sixth sense technology presents.
The speakers were all part of the Kliptown story:
Hannah Weber is a student at Dartmouth College but originally from Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She first visited Kliptown in 2005 when she was 15 years old. Getting back to Boston she and her sister raised funds to buy 100 XO computers from the OLPC organisation and sent them to the Kliptown Youth Project. Since then, the project has managed to get 200 more computers. She talked about finding hope in Kliptown and how she has witnessed the difference the project has made in the lives
of children in the community.
Thulani Madondo is the founder of the Kliptown Youth Project. After his studies, he wanted to make a contribution to his community. Together with other young people they started the project and never looked back. Through this he is currently assisting other projects in Rwanda and Swaziland to implement their OLPC programmes.
Simphiwe Mthembu was one of the first beneficiaries of the XO computer when they first arrived in South Africa in 2008. She attributes her success to having been exposed to the XO computers and understanding technology better.
Shelley Bragg works as a marketing consultant for the International School in Shanghai China. When her school wanted to start a gumboot dance project, she remembered visiting a community in Soweto where the kids were very good gumboot dancers. How can she bring them to Shanghai? She quickly remembered that the kids also had XO computers which were internet enabled and if she linked them to the school via Skype, then her students in China would understand. After several
Skype gumboot dance performances, the Kliptown Youth gumboot dancers were able to visit Shanghai and Beijing.
The technology in the “Box” had its challenges, but ultimately delivered a great event.
With one phone, you can show TEDTalks and project them to a white surface. The Nokia speakers are good for an audience of up to 30 people. The TEDTalks are pre-loaded onto the phone or you can upload new talks directly from TED.com using Wi-Fi or wireless 3G Technology provided by your local cellular phone company. The 16GB memory on the phone makes it possible to store up to 30 TED Talks. You can then use the second Nokia N8 phones, to record live speakers.
Like any TEDx event, some of the speakers had power point presentations and wanted to show video clips. We had to transfer the presentations and video clips from their laptops to one Nokia N8 phone via Bluetooth. The speakers could then use the phone to run through the presentations and play their clips. We then used the second phone to record the talks.
The next process is to edit all that into seamless TEDxKliptown talks.
The challenges? Well the battery life on the N8 phones is relatively ok. You can play up 6 TEDTalks or record four 18 minutes presentations. After this you need power supply. The Nokia MD-8 speakers did not work very well. Thanks to my Jawbone Jambox that I received in my TED 2011 gift bag we had backup speakers. Unfortunately the Optoma Pico Projector could only work for one hour without power
supply. The venue had a power source that we could use.
For the first time, we were able to demonstrate to the community of Kliptown that cellular phones and the use of mobile technology has a potential to transform their community. In the past hosting such an event might not have been possible without computers, electricity, sophisticated filming equipment and a big budget. With TEDx in a Box, the community was able to finally watch Professor Negroponte talk ,
witness how the XO computers have transformed their lives and begin to imagine what else is possible.
The total budget for the event was $200 which was mainly for coffee, biscuits and printing costs.
We decided that we will host bimonthly TEDxKliptown events starting again in August 2011 and are looking at possibilities of rolling out the project to other parts of South Africa that have similar challenges like Kliptown.
Written by Kelo Kubu, TEDxSoweto Organizer and TEDx Africa Ambassador
