In  university, Bryce Edem studied physics and other science-related courses. But while spending some years afterwards in the United Kingdom, he devoted more time to   speaking to big audiences under the aegis of an international agency, TED, an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design, which was founded in New York in 1984 and has now spread to many parts of the world, including Calabar, the Cross Rivers State capital. Edem, who is the Licensee, Curator and Lead Organiser for TED Calabar, in this interview, explains how the group is influencing Nigerians to think big and positively even in difficult times that the nation has found itself.

Excerpts:

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

What is TED all about and how widespread is it in Nigeria?

TEDxCalabar is an offshoot of the world’s most prestigious idea-generating organization, which was established in New York in 1984 and devoted to spreading ideas in the form of powerful talks of 18 minutes or less, under the slogan “ideas worth spreading.”

Why the sudden interest in public speaking instead of consolidating on your area of studies, which is science-oriented?

I want to say that I have many interests, passions and creative pursuits. I’m taking a life-long journey to discover if there is fulfilment and satisfaction in the opposite direction of the culturally-accepted, highly-romanticized, narrowly-focused life; to discover if succeeding at more than one thing is a possibility or a myth.  That is why I am focussing more in trying to influence lives rather than being influenced by what I studied while in  university. I want to influence leadership to do more for society and bring change to our people.

How can you explain TEDxCalabar to the ordinary Nigerian to appreciate that it has any bearing with their lives?

This is an annual event that features ideas that can change attitudes, lives and ultimately the world by offering free knowledge and inspiration from exceptional thinkers and doers who engage with a multi-disciplinary community that provides the richest possible landscape for creative collision.

In other words, TEDxCalabar is a journey through a world of extraordinary ideas, born of, and driven by, curiosity. It’s a ‘Talk Station’ for people who have ideas that can solve specific, identifiable problems in the world. It’s a platform that showcases unknown people who do remarkable things, who create significant values, who do cutting-edge work across different causes, who provide ingenious solutions to native and global challenges.

It’s a space that fuels impassioned conversations which rouse individuals, brands and governments to set and achieve audacious, wildly-ambitions goals. It’s a safe, congenial place for people to connect, network, and make meaningful contribution to the lives of others. It’s a space for atypical, intrepid, disruptive chat that engenders introspection and retrospection. It’s an event that reveals how the Calabar community is expanding perceptions, driving culture, tackling challenges, and creating new opportunities locally and globally.

What does that mean to the ordinary person?

Don’t forget that more than money, it is actually ideas that rule the world that we live in.

Great economies are run on ideas. Though TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design – three broad subjects that are collectively shaping our future – it showcases ideas that matter in any discipline. We try to create an immersive environment where creative innovators, organizations, thought leaders and key enablers from vastly different fields can cross-fertilize. We also try to build partnerships that will create, promote and support great ideas. Our overall goal  is to strengthen and reposition TEDxCalabar as a veritable platform for discovering, clarifying and – hopefully – helping execute ideas.

What inspired the TEDxCalabar vision, motivation and drive?

Many things, I would say, gave rise to the vision chief among them being the desire to feature and fuel conversations with some of the most-fascinating thinkers and doers who can discover and amplify ideas that can change the world.

The unending desire to optimize the creative and innovative ecosystems to bring passionate, open-minded change-agents together in an inspired atmosphere of authentic dialogue and extraordinary thinking to build a multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary community driven by big, bold and new ideas to unlock in people the capacity to advance and be more than they think they really are gave us the push to do what we are doing.

Bryce Edem

We really want to   engender intense digging into the fertility of imagination to stoke the flames of an ideas-based revolution; the desire to connect people with live-changing anecdotal experiences which is a tool for personal transformation; the desire to cause a reformative construction of a better world; and the desire to make significant contribution to the world give us the energy to plod on.

You see, what we do for ourselves alone dies with us but what we do for others and the world remains; and is immortal. So it’s that drive for self-actualization that has engendered Personal Social Responsibility. In a fable, the hummingbird – one of the animals affected by a forest fire – attempted to put out the fire, one drop of water at a time. When the animals asked, ‘What are you doing?’ the hummingbird said, “I’m doing the best I can”. Through TEDxCalabar I could make a big impact with a small and persistent effort; I want to be a hummingbird, to do the best I can wherever I am.

Who are you targeting in an economy that is in recession?

In the tradition of TED, we serve a diversified, heterogeneous and broadly-inclusive audience. This diverse audience includes CEOs, scientists, creatives, students, philanthropists, people of faith, people in government and public service, people in the academia, entrepreneurs, professionals – just anyone who loves ideas, wants to spread ideas and sees ideas change the world.

Youth unemployment is one of Nigeria’s biggest challenges. How can TEDxCalabar be a change agent? What’s there for the youths?

This is one key area of our specialisation. Nigerian youths are really are target and we believe that at every of our event they end will justify their presence. One of our speakers, who holds a  master’s degree in  leading Innovation and change, is enraptured by the creative and innovative ecosystems, and nurtures a passion to build capacities that will compete in the global knowledge economy. You see, the global crash in oil prices has imposed a new economic reality. The world – Nigeria inclusive – is searching for alternative economic options to save her from the horrible scenario presented by the fall in crude oil prices.

I believe strongly that in the face of the pressure on governments to diversify the economy, and as Nigeria bleeds from deep cuts by recession, this speaker offers a big, bold and audacious solution which lies not in concepts or theories; not in history or fantasies; but in the creative reservoir in us that calls out for change in order to succeed where others might have failed.

What is unique about the upcoming TEDxCalabar?

TEDxCalabar is configured for curious minds and will serve a potpourri of passion, inspiration, beauty, optimism, laughter, tears, authentic dialogue, strategic thinking, thought leadership, visionary insights, ingenuity and ideas capable of changing the world. We have a line-up of 10 speakers: A Sloan Fellow from Stanford University with financial services experience in 18 countries across four   continents, one of which is a bank in Asia with a balance sheet size of $100 Billion; a Clinical Lead at Cross River State Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Treatment Service who was former acting Chief Medical Director University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and one of Nigeria’s foremost Consultant Ophthalmologists; a marketing strategist, Distinguished Toastmaster, TEDxPortland speaking coach and author, ‘How to Rock a TED Talk; a global voice in environmental activism and recipient of The 31st Right Livelihood Award (Alternative Nobel Prize) 2010; a Speaker of a State House of Assembly; a High School girl who won the 2015 Global Technovation Challenge; a Higher Education investor and Founder of Nigeria’s first online University; a legendary mixed media and experimental artist who ‘resurrects’ rich, comatose cultural values through Art; and a female Executive Director of a leading, wholly-indigenous conglomerate who’s passionate about shattering the mythical psychology and social construct of glass ceiling.

Aside speakers, we have four   performers: A Calabar-based, all-female, instrumental music crew who, with poise, polish and panache, play excellent, exquisite and exceptional music of different genres; a Calabar-based recording artiste who was finalist at The Voice Nigeria – the internationally-acclaimed reality singing competition; a Performance Poet; and one of Africa’s foremost percussionists.

What’s the TEDxCalabar view about Nigeria of our dreams? 

Even ‘established’ democracies still grapple with stuff. Nigeria is evolving. We see a Nigeria which will live-out the true meaning of its creed: “One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity.” Let me use this opportunity to re-affirm that creed: “I pledge to Nigeria my country, to uphold her honour and glory. So help me God”