Theme: COUNTDOWN

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2000
South Africa

Barbara Holtmann

Social Transformation Expert

Barbara Holtmann developed the What it Looks Like When it’s Fixed systems model and methodology as an outcome of her doctoral thesis. Published in 2010, the methodology enables clarity of purpose and effective collaboration where there are many diverse stakeholder needs, views, and inputs in a development or transformation setting. Drawing on international and local theory and practice, the methodology is a home-grown South African innovation, implemented solely by her organisation Fixed. Africa, and used in a variety of complex settings.

Daylin Paul

Photographer

Daylin Paul is an independent photographer, writer, filmmaker and climate change activist. A graduate of Rhodes University’s school of Journalism and Media Studies, he is the 2017 winner of the Ernest Cole Award for Photography for his work on coal mining and burning in the Mpumalanga highveld region, which was released as his debut monograph “Broken Land.” His photographs have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, Financial Times, and many other publications internationally.

Francois Engelbrecht

Atmospheric Modelling Specialist

Francois Engelbrecht is one of South Africa’s pre-eminent climatologists. He is Lead Author on the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report. Further, Francois spearheads the climate studies, modelling, and environmental health research group at the CSIR. He has carved a niche as a specialist in numerical climate model development and regional climate modelling and drives the development of the first African-based Earth system. He is an associate professor at North-West University and an honorary research associate at Wits.

Ithateng Mokgoro

Designer

Ithateng Mokgoro is a versatile, multi-disciplinary creative thinker. He has been co-curator of various TEDx events since 2010, including TEDxJohannesburg. Here, he has worked with innovators across disciplines from all over the world. He has a long and colourful background in brand communications, having worked in various roles at several multinational and entrepreneurial firms. A curious and open-minded lifelong learner, Ithateng is driven by a healthy appetite for practical knowledge that solves today's problems and shapes the future.

Marcus Byrne

Entomologist

Marcus Byrne is a professor of entomology at Wits University, South Africa, where he teaches zoology and entomology. He grew up in the UK and despite being terrified of its limited fauna he avidly watched Jacques Cousteau and David Attenborough on the TV. Moving to South Africa, he got a job as a technician at the Dung Beetle Research Unit in Pretoria. At the time the unit was exporting African dung beetles to control dung-breeding flies in Australia. This experience opened his eyes to two wonderful aspects of insects; firstly biological control where one organism is used to control the population of another, and secondly dung beetles, which are enigmatic little insects that continue to entertain him to this day, 30 years after first encountering them.

PG 13

Musicians

Angela Mthembu, Bongiwe Nkobi, and Towela Tembo founded PG13 on the principles of rhythm, melody, and harmony. The band has since grown into a gender blended art collective that incorporates sensual vocals, evocative poetry, rhythmic lute instruments, meticulous percussive sounds, as well as consonant woodwind vibrational blows. With youthful rhythms accompanied by ancient grooves tied together by the harmonies of tomorrow, their sound is not jazz, nor is it rock 'n roll – it is where those rivers meet, balancing on a tight maskandi rope.