Never has listening to ideas that help us reflect about different points of view, our next steps, and our human condition been more necessary.
-Elena Crescia, TEDxSãoPaulo
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to grip the globe, pressuring public health systems, magnifying societal inequalities, and disrupting daily life. As the Skoll Foundation works to support organizations responding to the pandemic, we are continually reminded of the power of community-led solutions. Of leaders most proximate to the problem. Of how this health crisis is rippling across many other, interconnected systems.
We’ve teamed up again with the incredible global TEDx network to learn how communities are meeting this moment, to gain insight into local solutions to a global challenge. We asked curators across Latin America, Africa, and Asia what ideas are emerging, and how they are holding space for their communities in this time of distance and isolation.
We’re thrilled to partner with four local platforms to spotlight perspectives in two pandemic epicenters, Brazil and India, as well as two centers of social innovation on the African continent, Nigeria, and South Africa.
The 2020 TEDx Skoll Series kicked off in São Paulo on November 7, exploring themes of wellbeing and mental health. Speaker Marlo Libel, Brazilian epidemiologist and advisor to Ending Pandemics, advised on health steps individuals can take as well as the importance of disease detection and surveillance. Speaker and cardiologist Roberta Saretta shared, “Taking care of people’s hearts goes beyond the clinic. It’s connected to love, respect, empathy, compassion, and dedication to others.”
In Bangalore, conversations have focused on the fragile but critical mental healthcare ecosystem. Speakers Manoj Chandran, CEO of White Swan Foundation for Mental Health, and Puja Marwaha, CEO of CRY – Child Rights and You, shared perspectives on the multiple realities playing out in India, and what can be done at both personal and systemic levels.
“We are in urgent need of ideas that illuminate our thinking and nudge us into becoming a kinder and more self-aware people,” said Sartaj Anand, curator of TEDxBangalore. “I’m hopeful that our attempt at open conversations will inspire such resilience in our community.”
Coming up next, TEDxJohannesburg, themed Surviving Pandemics, will spotlight innovations and solutions developed to confront the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa. RSVP to hear from technologists, public health leaders, social innovators, and a violinist.
“What does the world need most right now?” asked Kelo Kubu, curator of TEDxJohannesburg. “Hope and trust in human ingenuity. A collective approach to solving for the current and future pandemics.”
TEDxPortHarcourt, themed Light Bearers, will feature Nigerian social entrepreneur Oluseun Onigbinde, CEO of BudgIT, and health policy advocate Dr. Ifeanyi McWilliams Nsofor, along with others bringing hope amidst crisis.
“We need to be realistic in our optimism, guided by our compassion and empathy,” said Donald Okudu, curator of TEDxPortHarcourt. “Our world needs truth and not saviors. We are in dire need of an altered path, a new way of imagining life by leaders, who can unpack complexities into simple realities.”
This format we’re experimenting with weaves virtual events and TEDx talk playlists spanning frontline responses, caring for community, and public health. Visit this page to sign up for update on the series and talk playlists. We’ll also hear directly from each of these four TEDx partners in a series of posts to follow. We hope you’ll join us for these conversations.
