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9 People Compete to Be the Next TED Speaker | Lagos | TED Idea Search

TED46:32Added Aug 30, 2026

In the heart of Lagos — a megacity of 20 million people pulsing with energy and big ambitions — nine undiscovered voices compete for a chance to speak on the world's biggest stage for ideas. From a renewable energy advocate who studied by candlelight to an archivist reimagining Africa-centered education, these speakers bring stories with global stakes. But only one will earn the 7,000-mile journey to the TED stage in Vancouver.

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Contributed by 刘嘉琪

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Transcript format

  1. Intro

  2. 00:02TED is that space that amplifies voices that are hardly even heard. As the only Ghanaian, I hope they will
  3. 00:08treat me well. His idea is massive. It's intense and overwhelming. I'm sorry.
  4. 00:15I studied and drew my candle light. He pulled it out of the bag. That red dot
  5. 00:22movement is the currency of divinity. I predict things are about to get crazy.
  6. 00:29Oh, look at that. Come on.
  7. 00:36My name is Reggie Watts and my life changed forever when I got the opportunity to speak at TED.
  8. 00:44Now TED is searching the globe for ideas that could change everything.
  9. 00:50Nine TED X events around the world, giving a global voice to the unknown.
  10. 00:57Six minutes that can inspire, motivate, and change their lives forever.
  11. 01:03But that's not all. Coached by an expert panel, one lucky speaker will be
  12. 01:09surprised with the opportunity of a lifetime.
  13. 01:14It's just so exciting. Wow. This is exactly the opportunity to reach
  14. 01:19out to millions of people. It's the biggest stage in the world. It's bigger than any dream. There were a
  15. 01:25bunch of people that were reading their scripts. Small batch lines.
  16. 01:30There's a lot of work to be done. No, no content notes. Can I start again? This cannot go.
  17. 01:37It blew me away. Wow. I'm really sorry. It's so big.
  18. 01:43This is the TED idea search.

  19. Meet the Speakers

  20. 01:56Africa, the cradle of humankind and a birthplace of ideas.
  21. 02:05And amongst its 54 countries, to the west sits Nigeria.
  22. 02:13Lagos, a vibrant mega city fueled by Afrobeats, ambition, and Nollywood.
  23. 02:24The former capital is home to 20 million people, but today it's a select few that
  24. 02:29rise above the rest to become the fourth group in our global search to stand on the TEDex stage.
  25. 02:37From amongst them, one will win the opportunity of a lifetime.
  26. 02:42Hello speakers. Welcome y'all. Welcome. Welcome. And huge congratulations to
  27. 02:49each one of you because right
  28. 02:55you were chosen from among so many applicants. So just the fact that you are here and ready to share your talks
  29. 03:02is absolutely incredible. When I saw the application I was like I have this idea in my head sitting for
  30. 03:08long and I needed the right platform the right space to put it out. TED is that
  31. 03:14space is that space that amplifies voices that are hardly even heard and given opportunities to create
  32. 03:20opportunities that I might not even realize are out there for me. TED is one of the biggest stage to share
  33. 03:27ideas to the world. I'm Poencen. I'm a scholar and executive director of Dean
  34. 03:34Center in Acra Ghana. I want to share with the world an idea of an African
  35. 03:40centered education. We were colonized. Therefore, our education system is geared towards a
  36. 03:48foreign concept which does not serve as in our context and also African's
  37. 03:53development. I'm a big fan of TED. I've watched people on stage share their ideas. So, I
  38. 04:00felt it's time to share to the world the idea. You are part of a global idea
  39. 04:06search and just one of you will be chosen to go on and take the main stage
  40. 04:14at TED in Vancouver. When I heard there's going to be a
  41. 04:19selection for Vancouver, I just thought in my mind that could be me and Vancouver will find me if it needs me.
  42. 04:26Just being able to pitch this idea in front of global audience. Well, some of them are going to be funders, some of
  43. 04:32them are going to be partners, some of them are going to be people who have the resources and the platforms to provide
  44. 04:40those solutions. I couldn't imagine uh getting to have that opportunity. It was surreal for me
  45. 04:47like to know about that.
  46. 04:53I'm Sadia Adu. My idea is about how local marginalized communities uh
  47. 05:00contribute to the booming industries in the world and are left underdeveloped and under supported.
  48. 05:07Feel like TED is the right place to get my message to reach wider audience.
  49. 05:13Tomorrow when you give that talk, we the TED panel, Mercy, Kelly, and
  50. 05:21myself will be listening really carefully.
  51. 05:29I'm Kelly Stetszel. I'm leading the TED panel. My role at TED for the past 20
  52. 05:34years has been curation. So, I've worked with thousands of speakers on the TED
  53. 05:40stage to select them, to help them develop their talks and get them ready to share them with the world. I'm so
  54. 05:46passionate about this initiative in particular because it brings up ideas that we could not have found any other
  55. 05:53way. Things that I look for are really the strength of the idea, but you then
  56. 05:58have to make it land. The delivery is how well they connect with the people in the room.
  57. 06:05My name is Kelly Shu. I run Ted's YouTube channel. So, anything that gets distributed on Ted's YouTube goes
  58. 06:11through me first. I always believe that content is king. And so, if it's a great
  59. 06:18talk and it's great delivery, it will do well. But selfishly, I'm always looking for a really concise way to like present
  60. 06:24it to people. I plan to bring my knowledge of what I think our audience
  61. 06:29enjoys. You can honestly have an amazing talk in person, but sometimes on the screen it's like not as intriguing as it
  62. 06:36was in real life. I'm a sucker for an inspiring TED talk that just makes me
  63. 06:41feel like there's hope again. Joining them on the panel is Legos Local
  64. 06:47and TEDex organizer Mercy Akamo. One thing that's so special about TEDex
  65. 06:52Lagos is the fact that we've been able to spotlight ideas that resonate um with us here in Lagos, Nigeria, but also on
  66. 06:59the continent and globally. I'll be looking for the way that the
  67. 07:07speaker is able to connect with the audience and how really scalable is the
  68. 07:12idea that they're sharing. Having someone from TEDex Lagos go and
  69. 07:18represent the region here at the global tech stage is amazing. So I'm feeling
  70. 07:23very proud and also very excited. We're so excited to see all of your hard
  71. 07:30work and ideas come to life on tomorrow's stage. And good luck.
  72. 07:37Good luck everybody.
  73. 07:43Stepping on to the TED Main stage really is the opportunity of a lifetime.
  74. 07:50It has hosted some of the world's most influential visionaries, leaders, and architects of the future.
  75. 07:56We have a long way to go in front of us. Sharing their ideas to a room of thousands, entrepreneurs, investors, and
  76. 08:03change makers, each waiting to be moved, provoked, and inspired. This is a moment
  77. 08:09when we have to rise to this occasion. But the power of TED doesn't end when
  78. 08:14the lights go down because the talk joins a global library of ideas watched by billions.
  79. 08:22Doors opened, media attention, book deals, and funding and support for their projects.
  80. 08:29Standing on the TED main stage is more than delivering a talk. All I want to do is show joy and hope.
  81. 08:36Your impact magnified far beyond the moment. Bonjour. That's what life is about. About daring
  82. 08:42greatly about being in the arena. It's a journey I've been on myself. So, I know how hopeful the speakers will be
  83. 08:48for that opportunity with the daunting task of taking the stage just 24 hours away. The speakers
  84. 08:56get a final chance to rehearse, refine, and sharpen their talks.

  85. Rehearsals

  86. 09:02One thing that people tend to do that I'll just go ahead and point out so that we can use shorthand if it happens today
  87. 09:08because it probably will is like when we're a little nervous our bodies tend to move. Dr. Caffy will know a lot about
  88. 09:14this and we can sometimes end up swaying and that lulls the audience into a
  89. 09:19little bit of a rhythm and it you know you can see that like right now I just
  90. 09:24stopped swaying and all of a sudden I seem more confident. So when you're on the stage, you just want to move
  91. 09:30thoughtfully when you move. Please welcome Dr. Cappy.
  92. 09:44Before
  93. 09:55man could speak, he moved. Dance by definition is a form of human
  94. 10:04expression. My name is Dr. Kafaya Tawa Shafala. I am
  95. 10:10a dance entrepreneur, creative director and wellness coach.
  96. 10:18My main focus is to advocate for the creative industry's growth.
  97. 10:23The system of the world has kind of like created boxes where if you do not fit
  98. 10:28in, then you are not seen in a certain light. This talk gives me an opportunity to spotlight myself as a testament to
  99. 10:36how that is just a meopic perspective. dance giving me an opportunity to
  100. 10:42express and amplify my voice for people to embrace the idea that no job is too
  101. 10:53small nor is it too little to bring honor um to improve your environment to impact
  102. 11:00humanity. I just believe that innately we all carry worth. Every one of you in
  103. 11:07this room are dancers. You just aren't using music. For every time you pick up that clipper
  104. 11:14and apply the coordination of trying to cut that hair to get that style of for that time that you cook in your
  105. 11:20restaurant, the sequence of putting and plating and putting together your ingredients is a flow and the sequence
  106. 11:27of creation. I think everybody who's gotten to this stage is equally very great. I've listened to them speak and I've seen how
  107. 11:34sound and beautiful their ideas are. The sound of sewing machine has always
  108. 11:40been part of my home. A rhythm of survival and skill. For me, I think it's more joyful to be
  109. 11:46in a space of Africans who have smart ideas and intellectual ideas as well. Our curriculums are built based on
  110. 11:53inheritance of our colonial masters. To present in front of my fellow Africans was lovely. Our classrooms has a
  111. 12:00dynamics of teacher who is the master and student sitting at the back.
  112. 12:06I'm the only Ghanaian among the speakers and I'm in in
  113. 12:11Nigeria. You know Ghana and Nigeria has this little banter going on. So my fear
  114. 12:17is as the only Ghanian I hope they will treat me well. Today I lead a team of 47
  115. 12:24people. We digitize 14,000 archives a day. We're on track to do 5 million
  116. 12:30archives this year to make it accessible to the people in Ghana. Paul's from Ghana. I think I love the
  117. 12:37nobility of his idea of expanding knowledge beyond the way it was served to us through colonialism and
  118. 12:43westernization and the way it was also delivered. I really really did enjoy enjoy that Paul is just incredible. I
  119. 12:50think his idea is massive too. So I really love him. He knew the talk so well too and was able to really deliver.
  120. 12:57In 1968, the same thing happened. Many people remember Ghana must go. And these
  121. 13:03are things. Wait, what happened to the lights? We
  122. 13:08seem to have a power cut.
  123. 13:14Power outbreaks really affects people across Africa. We have over 600 million
  124. 13:19people who are living without electricity. My name is Vincent Agoro. I work as the
  125. 13:26head of Africa at resource justice network where we're working to ensure that the
  126. 13:33energy transition is equitable, it's fair, it's just
  127. 13:39I've been so passionate about speaking about the other aspect of the energy transition that is not being spoken
  128. 13:44about which is about the skills that we need to power Africa.
  129. 13:50The biggest problems that we're facing is not really about the tech. The people to do the work have not even been
  130. 13:55trained. We need to begin to train the people for them to power and provide the solutions
  131. 14:01that they need themselves. Every night at 1000 p.m. our campus generator shuts
  132. 14:07down. For 5 years, I studied and drew by
  133. 14:12candle light. When I came here today, I was still thinking, will I be able to manage my
  134. 14:17lines? Will I remember my talk and so on? But I've been able to manage that. And across Africa, hundreds of millions
  135. 14:24more leave this same story. Yet we say our solution is oil or gas.
  136. 14:31Every single idea among the speakers is great. Is all African centered is
  137. 14:37everyone trying to solve a problem and that gives me so much joy. These are not stories of technology.
  138. 14:45They are stories of people of skills. The coaches have been very supportive. You know, boosting my confidence about
  139. 14:51you know this stuff, you're able to do it and that's really helped me. It's a really powerful idea. It's so
  140. 14:57simple yet it can make so much impact. Vincent did a beautiful job on his talk today which could impact electricity
  141. 15:04beyond Nigeria but certainly makes a huge difference here. That sound didn't just shape my family,
  142. 15:11it helped shape Nigeria's fashion identity.
  143. 15:18It helps shape Nigeria's fashion identity.
  144. 15:24It's intense and overwhelming for me. F story
  145. 15:30um Fate's story did I practice a lot but I was stuttering and stammering. A craft
  146. 15:37passed down from generation to generation.
  147. 15:44a craft passed down from generation to generation.
  148. 15:49Oh god, I'm sorry. She has a lot of memorization still to do and a lot of practicing to do with
  149. 15:55her slides. Oh, I forgot the slides. I'm sorry. Definitely definitely practice with the
  150. 16:01slides so that that doesn't trip you up tomorrow too cuz I think you still got time to just really like make sure that
  151. 16:08you're in great shape. It went well, but it's also quite quite drilling. It's a long day. From about
  152. 16:159:30 or 10 when we started up till now, I was still, you know, really practicing about it.
  153. 16:21You repeat after me and you do as I do. Everybody say do as I do. Do as I do. Good. So, you
  154. 16:27you and me must move to grow. I was very very fond of the
  155. 16:34fact that the main TED talk coordinators were able to give their insight. I felt
  156. 16:40that really is good. The only note I have is when you talk about innovation moves and flows, right? I wondered if
  157. 16:46you might want to just link it a little bit more directly to dance and just like
  158. 16:51by saying like dance really spell out the main idea in like a sentence.
  159. 16:56Perfect sense. Perfect sense. Thank you very much. The feedback was a confidence booster for me to hear from many people of the
  160. 17:04things I need to tweak on and the things I need to amplify. the slide about the New York text. It was a lot of text and
  161. 17:11I did find myself like reading it and then like not really like listening to you for a second. Maybe dimming that
  162. 17:18down or skipping it. I'm feeling really confident. Maybe I shouldn't feel that
  163. 17:26confident. It's a lot about just like practicing with their slides. I seeing that's like a common thing. Once they
  164. 17:33get that choreography down, I think they'll be good. The venue itself is really big. So many lights and the
  165. 17:38colors and everything there. It's like a dream come true. I've been on stages, conferences, but this is something
  166. 17:44different. You just spotlight
  167. 17:55that red dot. I have thought about it,
  168. 18:03dreamt about it of what would it be being on the dot. It will be very very
  169. 18:10joyful. I've had my first run at um just being on the stage there and I'm hoping
  170. 18:16that tomorrow I'll be able to kill whatever stage fright that I have um because I've been on the stage itself
  171. 18:22today. is TEDex and I'm here right now in this huge platform. I have six minutes to
  172. 18:30express what I embody and how that affects the world around me.
  173. 18:36I have a little bit of nervousness and fear, but I I'm sure I will overcome
  174. 18:41that.
  175. 18:47Stage flight can kick in when you're not practicing prepared. The goal is
  176. 18:52prepared tonight. And then also I got some feedback on some of the words I put
  177. 18:57in. So I'm going to remove them and restructure them for tomorrow.
  178. 19:26A new day breaks in Lagos and it's crunch time for our speakers.
  179. 19:34With just a short while before their talks, every moment of preparation now counts.
  180. 19:42Let's wake up our bodies. Let's tap tap tap tap tap tap tap your legs. Tap one leg.
  181. 19:48All right, let's tap the bellies. Let's tap our chest and our arms. Wake up.
  182. 19:54Wake up. Wake up. We're here. We're here. We're about to get on the T stage.
  183. 20:00All right. It's a dream come true for me. I will say it in short, a dream come true.
  184. 20:05I just want to be there and have fun. Be as relaxed as possible. Those are my hopes. I hope that the room get ignited
  185. 20:13by the story, by the idea and they all can go back home empowered mentally from
  186. 20:18what it is that you know I I do share. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 right foot. 1 2 3 4 5 6
  187. 20:267 8 left foot. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Africans are communal. It's not about
  188. 20:32who gets selected to the next stage or who gets selected to Vancouver. It's a representation of us. big yawn.
  189. 20:44I'm very confident that I'm going to win this. It's important that one has that self-belief in in everything that one
  190. 20:51does. And I've got that belief that I'm going to be the person that gets it.
  191. 20:56Let's loosen our lips. Let's lip roll.
  192. 21:01It will be awesome to win. It will really be so big for me to to win. One,
  193. 21:06two, three. I guess everything.
  194. 21:15With the speakers all warmed up and technical checks complete, it's time for TEDx Legos to begin.
  195. 21:23One by one, the speakers will give their talks with the hope of impressing the panel and winning that ticket to the TED
  196. 21:30main stage.

  197. The Talks

  198. 21:35Everyone, please give it up for Dr. Cathy Shafu.
  199. 21:52Kelly. Oh, I'm so excited. We are here in Nigeria and everyone is ready for these
  200. 21:59talks. The audience is going to be really loud. Okay, we'll turn the headphones down.
  201. 22:08Dr. Cathy is beloved here. I mean, listen to that audience that like she hasn't even said a word yet.
  202. 22:14Mhm.
  203. 22:28Before
  204. 22:48man could speak, we moved.
  205. 22:56Listen to that. They're in conversation. You're getting the snaps and the claps. First line. What? So, let's play a game
  206. 23:02together. What you think I am saying?
  207. 23:13It is important to note that the power of communication
  208. 23:19is what helps us evolve. two and a half decades ago.
  209. 23:26It's full hardy to tell your parents that you want to be a dancer. In my own house is
  210. 23:36these local words in local languages are really making an impact.
  211. 23:41I don't think they take away at all from our English only understanding of the talk either. They add to it completely.
  212. 23:47I am a testament to the fact that the art of movement serves multiple
  213. 23:54industries. Dance speaks for fashion,
  214. 23:59movies, health and wellness. And the biggest one there right now for
  215. 24:06those Tik Tockers in the house, dance is one of the greatest powerhouse when it comes to advertising.
  216. 24:13Afro beat will not get to the world without dance being the vehicle.
  217. 24:21So it is important to note that as I speak for dance, I speak for
  218. 24:26you because you all dance every day. The tailor, the photographer, the hairdresser,
  219. 24:33the mama biligate that is flying that acara with so much precision and rhythm and flow.
  220. 24:41She and you and I are worthy of investment because movement is the
  221. 24:48currency of divinity.
  222. 24:53So I stand here today with an idea, an idea that I have embodied that you
  223. 25:00should not deprive yourself with the limitation of the metric system and the world telling you that you need to be
  224. 25:06somebody by design of a box designed by a system that is still trying to figure itself out.
  225. 25:13So rise up right now everybody stand up on your feet. I predict things are about to get crazy
  226. 25:20cuz you are going to commit today not just to you but to the world that you
  227. 25:26are unstoppable because you move. So repeat after me. You you and I
  228. 25:32and I must move must move to grow to grow. I beg
  229. 25:37I beg. Ask swag now. You You and I and I must move
  230. 25:43must move to grow to grow. I beg I beg. Let's try with the drums. Are you ready?
  231. 25:48Oh my gosh, I'm so ready for this. And I must move
  232. 25:55to grow. I beg. So let's add rhythm. You and I must move to grow. I beg.
  233. 26:07One more time.
  234. 26:20So ladies and gentlemen, my idea is your idea.
  235. 26:27Hands on your chest. I move. I move
  236. 26:32because there are no boundaries within me. Because there are no boundaries within me. Thank you.
  237. 26:40Oh, look at that. Come on. She wrapped it up and just few seconds over. Well
  238. 26:45done. Look, they're bowing. I mean,
  239. 26:58this is definitely a strong idea, but I guess how is it going to stack up against the others in terms of the
  240. 27:04global impact it could make? And if you were to strip away the audience and if you were to strip away the energy in the
  241. 27:11room, would that idea be strong enough to stand alone? And I think that's important to consider. Yeah. Lots of words. Um I I am in a
  242. 27:20place right now that I don't know how to capture my emotions and name it. But I would say that audience, the energy, the
  243. 27:26aura, the the way they received the message, I felt that I did it.
  244. 27:34Yeah, I did it. Wow, that is going to be a tough act to follow. Good luck to whoever's next.
  245. 27:40Mhm. Please join me in welcoming Sadia Adu.
  246. 27:48The words that she has put to this story are gorgeous. Yesterday, um I don't
  247. 27:54think she had practiced yet actually clicking through the slides while she delivered the talk. So, she really had a
  248. 28:00lot to overcome last night. Like I hope she rehearsed like crazy because I want to see her nail this today.
  249. 28:07If she can nail the delivery, this one would be incredible. Before Lagos became the fashion capital
  250. 28:14of Nigeria, before African designs walked the runways of Paris and Milan, there was
  251. 28:21FA, a small historic community in Ko state, Northern Nigeria. But centuries ago,
  252. 28:29people didn't just stop there. They stayed, they traded, they created, and
  253. 28:34they built something timeless. The sound of sewing machine has always been part
  254. 28:40of my home. A rhythm of survival and skill.
  255. 28:45But that sound didn't just shape my family. It helped shape Nigeria's
  256. 28:51fashion identity.
  257. 28:58She's messed up on some slides. Oh yeah. Our people train others from Ghana,
  258. 29:03Niger, and Cameroon who later moved to Lagos seeking bigger markets and exposure. That's how FA's creativity
  259. 29:11spread. Our people are people are people. Oh no, it's
  260. 29:18getting harder and harder. I think she's getting stressed out because she sees what's happening here. When you hear forget today, you rarely think of
  261. 29:26fashion or creativity. You think of drug abuse, street thugy, poverty, and
  262. 29:32illiteracy. It hurts to watch a community that once helped clothe the nation now struggle to
  263. 29:40clothe itself with dignity. If we empower the marginalized communities, we
  264. 29:45build peace, stability, and peace and innovations for the world. So imagine
  265. 29:51walking through fate 10 years from now. This the harm of sewing machine powered
  266. 29:56by solar energy young men and women designing clothes that walk the runways of Paris and Milan. Then imagine the
  267. 30:03ripple effects when one community rises others will follow because what Fagen
  268. 30:08needs isn't charity. It's a connection. It's a recognition. It's a chance to scale what already exists.
  269. 30:17A chance to prove that the next global story of fashion, of science, of
  270. 30:22innovation, and more can rise from the home of a small community.
  271. 30:28Now that's the Sadilla I want to see the whole time. I know. Come on. Maybe the next global fashion
  272. 30:35inspiration won't come from Paris, Milan, New York, but from the home of
  273. 30:41the sewing machine in Fei. Hopefully. Thank you.
  274. 30:50She did bring it back and I'm so glad she let everyone meet her and see who
  275. 30:55she really is. And I'm just really I'm heartbroken that the slides threw her so
  276. 31:01much. I wish the whole 6 minutes for like the last 30 seconds of that talk. I really didn't think I'll be able to do
  277. 31:07that because it was like my heart was beating fast. It was pounding. I was I
  278. 31:13don't know how I did it. I would say it's grace. I didn't know how I did actually. Seriously. Next up, we have Vincent who is talking
  279. 31:21about tapping into human skills to solve big problems.
  280. 31:27Mhm.
  281. 31:32I can tell this guy's a competitive one. So, I know he probably worked real hard last
  282. 31:37night to get this down. When I was an architecture student, every night at 1000 p.m. our campus
  283. 31:45generator shuts down. Listen to the audience react to that. I think it's something, as I understand,
  284. 31:53they're familiar with. For 5 years, I studied and drew by
  285. 31:58candle light. I can still smell the wax dripping and
  286. 32:03feel the smoke sting my eyes as I struggle to complete my drawings in the
  287. 32:08dark. In fact, if you walk past our studio, then you might have thought that we're
  288. 32:14performing a spiritual ritual. Those candles taught me resilience. But
  289. 32:21they also revealed how fragile our systems are when one switch controls
  290. 32:27millions of dreams.
  291. 32:35Today over 85 million Nigerians live without electricity. That's about the
  292. 32:41entire population of Germany. Across Africa, hundreds of millions more
  293. 32:47live this same story. Yet we say our solution is oil or gas or megawatt or
  294. 32:54solar panels. But the truth is the biggest bottleneck in the energy
  295. 33:00transition is not technology, it is skills. Who will install the solar miniig grids?
  296. 33:08Who will maintain the batteries? He is bringing the passion today. Like I wonder almost if he was holding back
  297. 33:14yesterday like this. I love this Vincent in Kaduna. I met a lady Haja Amina a
  298. 33:22tomato seller who used to watch her tomatoes rot in two days but when she got a solar dryer and the training to
  299. 33:30use it she became the supplier of our whole town making more money as a
  300. 33:35result. So here's my idea. Treat skills as infrastructure.
  301. 33:42Good clear setup on that idea. So now we know why we're listening from here on out. Mhm. But if every project reserve just
  302. 33:4910% of its budget for training youth and women, we'll be building two power
  303. 33:55plants at once. One of steel and panels and one of people. Now this is not just
  304. 34:02Nigeria's story. It's a global one. From Legosier to Lima, from Delhi to Detroit,
  305. 34:09communities are racing to embrace renewables. But without the people to
  306. 34:14install and manage them, the clean energy revolution could stall. People in Vancouver need to hear this.
  307. 34:22They really do. Think of it. The world is fighting to extract lithium, fighting over cobalt,
  308. 34:28fighting for rare earth when the most valuable resource is sitting on top and
  309. 34:33that is human potential. The most renewable resource on earth is
  310. 34:39not the sun or the wind or even the minerals in our soil. It is people.
  311. 34:47And when we invest in their skills, the lights won't just come on. They will
  312. 34:54stay on. Thank you.
  313. 35:03And look at that. 5 and a half minutes. Mhm. I love how at the end he tied it
  314. 35:08back to the story he said in the beginning as well. I mean the the narration of his talk was so flawless to
  315. 35:15me. He set it up perfectly. I wasn't confused ever where he was going or confused where he was at and he got a standing ovation. He pulled
  316. 35:22it out of the bag. I think it went very well. I I think that people were um people resonated
  317. 35:28with it and it's something that most people in the room understood. They felt it. It's probably a gun base without
  318. 35:35electricity. So, it's something that they know and um it's something that that is relatable.
  319. 35:40Okay. Next up, we have Paul who is talking to us really about bringing
  320. 35:46African history to Africa, to the countries in Africa. He's from Ghana. It's big. It has the potential to make
  321. 35:54really massive impact. And for me, he's a front runner. I can't wait to see what he does today. I'm I'm excited for this
  322. 36:00one. Queen Elizabeth is here. Speak English.
  323. 36:06That was a description in my primary school. I remember on one Tuesday I spoke my local dialect tree. I was
  324. 36:14severely beaten and warned not to speak tree in the school again.
  325. 36:19Kind of a shame this talks in English. You know pictures like this was not in my textbook or my English books. My books
  326. 36:28and reading books and textbooks were pictures and stories of other people not
  327. 36:34like me. In many institutions today and many of
  328. 36:40our education system, our model has an invisible form of colonial history. We
  329. 36:46were well schooled but never educated.
  330. 36:53That's a good line. That's a really good line. That void and that emptiness led
  331. 36:58me to study in US with the hope of furthering my education. My first
  332. 37:04history class was history of America to my disappointment. Whilst in school I started collecting
  333. 37:11photo books, books stories that will transform and make it accessible to the
  334. 37:16people of Ghana and Africa. Today I lead a team of 45 people. We have the biggest
  335. 37:23photo library and history books in Africa.
  336. 37:30It didn't end there. We realized that our history, our context as much as it's on the other side is in our basement
  337. 37:37that is not accessible for us and for the people in our various country. in
  338. 37:42the past one year we have 50 million archives of Africa that we
  339. 37:49is so passionate about this and I'm like glad I think we're getting to see that in him now
  340. 37:55it's my hope that African centered education a true model that can
  341. 38:00transform our continent that can provide the agency the tools the knowledge and the value system which is inherent in us
  342. 38:08before colonization that truly transformed us it's my hope that all
  343. 38:13Ghanaians, all Nigerians, all Africans to be able to get to know each other, know our history, know our context, and
  344. 38:20transform the continent. Thank you.
  345. 38:26I don't think this was his best delivery, but I'm really glad to see that the audience resonated with it.
  346. 38:32Yesterday, when we heard this, because he had variation in his tone and his cadence throughout the talk, it made me
  347. 38:39feel really emotional. And today when he delivered the talk, it was all at a
  348. 38:45pretty high level of intensity which kind of stripped the feeling out of it. The delivery piece just wasn't there
  349. 38:51today. It went great uh as the only Ghanaian um in Nigeria. Yes, that's fine.
  350. 39:01After the remaining talks are complete, the audience leave their seats, giving them a chance to digest the afternoon's
  351. 39:08ideas. This is my first T event and I think it was such a brilliant lineup of speakers.
  352. 39:14I like the authenticity. I like the originality of thoughts. I found them to be truly truly intriguing and
  353. 39:21interesting and um I would say refreshing as well.
  354. 39:29Dr. Carp, she said something about movements like creates emotion and all of that. So that resonated with me. So
  355. 39:36yeah, I found that session in Princeton. I'm actually very interested in clean energy, right? So, I was looking forward
  356. 39:41to Vincent's speech and it was really exceptional.
  357. 39:46Vincent's talk really did stand out to me and um um was very compelling.
  358. 39:54Fad, the lady that talk about fashion, Faji, I think it's very interesting to know that I most of us didn't even have
  359. 40:01an idea that a city in Nigeria exists. I don't know. They were just all good. I mean, if we judge by the applause, we're
  360. 40:09going to take Cafe, but then everybody was just boo. It was just authentic. It was just too unique. So, yeah. May the
  361. 40:15best win. I think it's going to be very close, but we never know who's going to win.
  362. 40:22The audience may have their favorites, but it's now down to the panel to decide who will secure a spot on the TED main
  363. 40:30stage. Okay. What do we think y'all?

  364. Deliberation

  365. 40:36That was so good. Um, I think overall it was I think every single person was just
  366. 40:41remarkable. It was amazing. Like I want to come to every TEDx Legos ever of all time
  367. 40:47because because I want to feel that energy like that once a year will sustain me forever.
  368. 40:52Incredible. Incredible. Okay, so you guys they did incredibly well. But now we are going to
  369. 40:58have to make a decision and I guess we should start having that conversation, right? Okay, Sadia, I know this doesn't
  370. 41:04matter, but her outfit, her outfit was so good. I know there is no way you could have
  371. 41:10been sitting at your desk in New York trying to research speakers that you
  372. 41:15ever would have come across this idea, which is part of the challenge. I feel like she's a perfect idea search type of
  373. 41:21speaker. The talk is strong and maybe with another day or two of like constant
  374. 41:26rehearsal getting that clicking down right, you know, it could have leveled up maybe. I think so too.
  375. 41:32Um, okay. Dr. Cathy. Well, I mean, the audience went absolutely
  376. 41:40wild for her. She like Yeah. She like controlled them from top to bottom.
  377. 41:46Yeah. Yeah. It was really good. I mean, we know Cafe in Nigeria has a popular,
  378. 41:51you know, dancer. She's amazing. But like, you never really know when you bring in someone of that caliber on
  379. 41:56stage to give a talk like this. And well, the way she roped everything in, the way she controlled the crowd, the
  380. 42:02way she the energy that kind of came up from the talk and the performance, it was wild really. I mean, she has
  381. 42:11presence like almost no one I've ever seen before. The tricky part is
  382. 42:17it's not a totally new idea either, really. It's kind of a motivational talk, which there's nothing wrong with a
  383. 42:24motivational talk, but it's just not as meaty as some of the other talks. I
  384. 42:29don't think this talk would land on YouTube because you kind of it's like one of those you like you have to be
  385. 42:35there, you know? Vincent, I thought Vincent rocked it. And I think
  386. 42:41he also improved so much from yesterday as well. Like he was so confident up there and he was funny. Like he kind of hit all the points for me. If you could
  387. 42:48get a lot of countries to adopt that thinking and that practice, it could totally change the world. I think I mean
  388. 42:54this is to me just a giant idea. Mhm. Okay. Paul Paul's work is undeniably
  389. 43:02incredible, but I don't know. I thought that there was a little less personality in his talk today than what I saw in
  390. 43:08rehearsal yesterday, which makes me really kind of sad to say. Something was just a bit not right. But
  391. 43:14the idea of what he's doing, I love it. And it's something I would definitely want to see replicated across different
  392. 43:19parts of Africa. This is going to be tough. Wow. But we got to go break the news. Okay.
  393. 43:25Okay. Let's go. Decision made. And for one lucky
  394. 43:31speaker, a 7,000mi journey to the TED Main Stage awaits.

  395. The Winner Is…

  396. 43:39We are so proud of each one of you. You worked so hard on these talks and then
  397. 43:46when you walked out on that stage today, each one of you totally and completely
  398. 43:52delivered. And here's where things get tricky. At the end of the day, it is delivery.
  399. 43:59It is connection to the room. It is how the idea is going to land on a stage
  400. 44:06elsewhere that is for a truly global audience. And so we considered all of
  401. 44:12these things together along with the audience's feedback and we have come to
  402. 44:18a decision and
  403. 44:24the winner is
  404. 44:34infant.
  405. 44:43So so grateful for this opportunity. There's a lot just even if I didn't win,
  406. 44:49I just needed my speech to be on TED YouTube. That's what I was coming for really. And now I'm going beyond that.
  407. 44:56It's an idea that is complex and it's like tangible and I think he had a
  408. 45:01pretty simplistic way to explain it that I think most people would understand. and also his personality on stage today
  409. 45:08just like shine. So I think he had the delivery and the idea and his name had a star next to it for me
  410. 45:15to Vancouver. If I was a sports person, I would say that
  411. 45:21I got a ticket to represent my country, my continent in the Olympics. There are a lot of people in that audience that
  412. 45:27care deeply about renewable energy that are going to be excited to hear what he has to say and help him think about how
  413. 45:35to put this into action in a really significant way. And that's a huge factor why Vincent was chosen to go onto
  414. 45:40the big stage in Vancouver. I've seen people who've appeared on the TED talk and their lives literally
  415. 45:48changed with Vincent earning his place on the TED main stage to share his idea with
  416. 45:54millions. Our time in Lagos is up, but the TED idea search continues. Next time
  417. 46:01we arrive in a city where culture, creativity, and influence collide.
  418. 46:06London. Ready to go. Let's do it. You see? Oh, no. Straight away. Artificial intelligence is learning.
  419. 46:12Tradition itself is a form of resistance. He's extremely sick today. I'm so worried. I think there's a
  420. 46:18massive opportunity there. Sorry.