Theme: What If Africa?

Africa is a continent with a storied past and an uncertain future. With such radical disruption taking place in African government, business and society, there seems no better time than now to ask questions - questions about how the continent got to where it is today, how it could have been different, and more importantly, how it could look in the future.

Africa is a continent of survival, a continent of making do with what is available, a continent known for its creativity and ingenuity. It is that creativity and ingenuity that is catalysed when we ask questions that start with those two words: “What if…”. Such visionary questions destroy assumptions and open one’s mind to the seemingly impossible.

At TEDxStellenbosch 2012, our third African idea exploration, we will look into Africa’s past, its present, and its future. We will bring together a group of thinkers and doers, both speakers and attendees, for a day of asking visionary questions - questions that start with three words: What If Africa…

Spier
Spier, Baden Powell Road
Cape Town / Stellenbosch
South Africa

Nic Dawes

Editor-in-Chief - Mail & Guardian

Mmatshilo Motsei

Poet, Spiritualist, Author

Stan Du Plessis

Economist - Stellenbosch University

Alan Knott-Craig

CEO - Mxit

GlowLDB

Music collective

Alta De Vos

MAPA

Zapiro

Political cartoonist

Kevin Winter

Water researcher

Mikhael Subotzky

Photographer, Artist

Jonathan Deal

Treasure the Karoo Action Group

Lee Swan

Polar Racer

Patricia Glyn

Eco-adventurer

Bateleur

Post-rock instrumental band

Melanie Scholtz

Jazz singer