1 post tagged “ted africa”

"We the willing have been doing so much with so little for so long that we are now qualified to do anything with nothing."
    – Seyi Oyesola Inventor, Physician

Gazelle, I killed you for your skin’s exquisite touch,
for how easy it is to be nailed to a board weathered raw as white butcher paper.
Last night I heard my daughter praying for the meat here at my feet.
You know it wasn’t anger that made me stop my heart till the hammer fell.
Weeks ago, I broke you as a woman once shattered me into a song beneath her weight,
before you slouched into that grassy hush.
But now I’m tightening lashes,
shaping hide as if around a ribcage, stretched like five bowstrings.
Ghosts cannot slip back inside the body’s drum.
You’ve been seasoned by wind, dusk & sunlight.
Pressure can make everything whole again,
brass nails tacked into the ebony wood,
your face has been carved five times.
I have to drive trouble from the valley.
Trouble in the hills.
Trouble on the river too.
There’s no kola nut, palm wine, fish, salt, or calabash.
Kadoom.
Kadoom.
Kadoom.
Ka-doooom.
Kadoom.
Now I have beaten a song back into you, rise & walk away like a panther.
    – Yusuf Kumanyaaka’s “Ode to the Drum”

That, my friends, was today in a nutshell. Today was about practical solutions and something else, something more ephemeral, transcendent. Under the heading practical solutions Seyi Oyesola pointed out that there is no system in place in most African countries for events such as accidents or chronic illness. His talk was titled "Beyond HIV and Malaria" and in it he stressed the need to get healthy, not just focus on HIV and AIDS. One of the most relevant quotes about this idea came from the next speaker, Ernest Madu who said "The way to ensure poverty is to kill the parents." According to Seyi, the average life expectancy in most African countries is 47 compared to 78 in Europe. According to Ernest, in eight years non-communicable diseases will be the leading cause of death in Africa. Seyi showed the despicable hospital conditions in West Africa and then his hospital-in-a-box which won the British Invention Show's invention of the year award in 2005.

The last session of the day was titled "The Campfire" and that was a great description of it. One of the presenters asked us to imagine a world without stories. It would be meaningless. It is the stories of life that give meaning to life. The standout from this session was Chris Abani from a talk standpoint. For a great write up on Chris go to http://ethanzuckerman.com/blog/

Vushi Mahlasela closed out the session with truly amazing music. He sang in English and Zulu. He brought a great session to a fitting end.

Also check out this essay from speaker Binyavanga Wainaina.

I love you all more than I can say.

Don