TEDxCalabar

19/02/2020

A Blast from the Past.

18/02/2020

Looking back.
Looking forward.

15/02/2020

TEDxCalabar

Ideas worth spreading!

15/02/2020

TEDxCalabar...ideas worth spreading!

21/09/2019

GIRL, BRIDE, MOTHER: THE MODERN SLAVERY CALLED 'MONEY MARRIAGE'.

If you think the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was perhaps the highest expression of man’s inhumanity to man, then you may be wrong. There’s another kind of slave trade more barbaric, more brutal, more callous, more cruel, more demeaning, more despicable, more hellish and more horrendous than the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

It's a cultural practice by the Becheve tribes in Northern Cross River State, Nigeria, called ‘Money Marriage'. An elderly man buys a little girl for a wife. Her sole responsibility is to provide for herself and her old husband. She prostitutes to do so. When the husband dies, his next-of-kin marries her. If the girl-wife dies without giving birth to children, her parents bring a replacement. Girls are sold for as low as Ten Thousand Naira – about $29. The husband determines what he does with her – even if he uses her for ritual.

Every 2 seconds, a girl is married before she turns 18. Yearly, about 15 million girls are married before they turn 18. 1 in 3 girls in the developing world are married by age 18. Are there compelling justifications to end 'Money Marriage?' What new interventions will build a safer, healthier and more prosperous future for these 'Money Wives?'

Richards Akonam - a Career Missionary who has empowered these 'Money Wives' - draws on his 25 years of passionate work and strong advocacy against ‘Money Marriage’ (girl marriage) in Cross River State to answer these tough questions. What ingenious solutions does he proffer to this native and global challenge?

This turned out to be a very moving, emotional and heart-wrenching talk.

Richards Akonam is a Pioneer Missionary and works among the Utanga (Cross River State, Nigeria) and Becheve tribes (Benue State, Cross River State – Nigeria, and Republic of Cameroon) respectively. He’s the Director of Missions at Faithhouse Missions, as well as Director, Richgrace Foundation.

Richards has led Faithhouse Missions for 25 years, advocating strongly against the practice of ‘Money Marriage’ among the Becheve tribes. His work has given succour to indigent children and has redeemed and empowered many girls who once were sold into slavery through ‘Money Marriage’. He’s an author and song writer. He holds, among other certificates, a degree in Guidance and Counselling.

TEDxTalks YouTube Channel Link:

If you think the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was perhaps the highest expression of man’s inhumanity to man, then you may be wrong. There’s another kind of sla...

21/09/2019

GIRL, BRIDE, MOTHER: THE MODERN SLAVERY CALLED 'MONEY MARRIAGE'.

If you think the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was perhaps the highest expression of man’s inhumanity to man, then you may be wrong. There’s another kind of slave trade more barbaric, more brutal, more callous, more cruel, more demeaning, more despicable, more hellish and more horrendous than the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

It's a cultural practice by the Becheve tribes in Northern Cross River State, Nigeria, called ‘Money Marriage'. An elderly man buys a little girl for a wife. Her sole responsibility is to provide for herself and her old husband. She prostitutes to do so. When the husband dies, his next-of-kin marries her. If the girl-wife dies without giving birth to children, her parents bring a replacement. Girls are sold for as low as Ten Thousand Naira – about $29. The husband determines what he does with her – even if he uses her for ritual.

Now, statistics from some UN agencies has it that globally every 2 seconds, a girl is married before she turns 18. And that yearly, about 15 million girls are married before they turn 18. And that 1 in 3 girls in the developing world are married by age 18.

So, are there compelling justifications to end 'Money Marriage?'

What new interventions will build a safer, healthier and more prosperous future for these 'Money Wives?'

Richards Akonam - a Career Missionary who has empowered these 'Money Wives' - draws on his 25 years of passionate work and strong advocacy against ‘Money Marriage’ (girl marriage) in Cross River State to answer these tough questions. What ingenious solutions does he proffer to this native and global challenge?

This turned out to be a very moving, emotional and heart-wrenching talk.

Richards Akonam is a Pioneer Missionary and works among the Utanga (Cross River State, Nigeria) and Becheve tribes (Benue State, Cross River State – Nigeria, and Republic of Cameroon) respectively. He’s the Director of Missions at Faithhouse Missions, as well as Director, Richgrace Foundation.

Richards has led Faithhouse Missions for 25 years, advocating strongly against the practice of ‘Money Marriage’ among the Becheve tribes. His work has given succour to indigent children and has redeemed and empowered many girls who once were sold into slavery through ‘Money Marriage’. He’s an author and song writer. He holds, among other certificates, a degree in Guidance and Counselling.

TEDxTalks YouTube Channel Link: https://youtu.be/bHT821Ibrd4

21/09/2019

HOW CARNIVAL CALABAR IS SHAPING THE TOURISM ECONOMY.

The annual is perhaps Africa’s biggest street party and cultural festival. It’s an outpouring of spectacular colour and sound, with 50,000 costumed revelers, 2 million spectators, and an audience of over 50 million television viewers.

What’s the ‘magic’ formula for its incredible success?

What is its impact on the economy?

What is the shape of the future for Africa's largest street party?

In this talk, Gabe Onah provides compelling answers.

Gabe Onah is the Chairman of Cross River State Carnival Commission. He holds a master’s degree in Theatre and Media Studies. He has certificates in Tourism with specialization in Tour Guiding Skills and Destination Management from the famous Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) of Jamaica and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Gabe has conducted research on ‘‘Carnival Arts Management and Cultural Diplomacy: The Carnival Calabar Paradigm.’’ He has led and participated in several delegations to Europe, the Caribbean, far East, Eastern Europe, and Exchange and Synergy Marketing sessions for the Cross River State Tourism Initiatives.

TEDxTalks YouTube Channel Link: https://youtu.be/seb-8WWVqeA

21/09/2019

VIRTUAL REALITY: THE PROMISE AND THE PERILS.

What are the boundaries of possibilities for virtual reality?

Virtual Reality has been disrupting Education – the Armed Forces, Medicine, etc;.

What potential does it have for doing so more widely now?

In this descriptive and eye-opening talk, Judith Okonkwo dives with us into the Virtual Reality space.

TEDxTalks YouTube Channel Link: https://youtu.be/-6dKNtNhA1I

21/09/2019

Fail fast.
Fail forward.

19/09/2019

Let's Talk About the Niger Delta.

From Ibim Semenitari's worldview, there's a huge difference between the Niger Delta she experienced and the one she's experiencing.

In this video, she conducts a diagnosis and prescribes a possible cure.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE NIGER DELTA. The Niger Delta means many things to many people. And that’s fine because people view the Niger Delta from the prism of the...

19/09/2019

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE NIGER DELTA.

The Niger Delta means many things to many people. And that’s fine because people view the Niger Delta from the prism of their perspective. Just because one person is right doesn’t mean the other is wrong.

Perspective is subjective because reality can be so complex that equally valid observations from differing perspectives can appear to be contradictory.

Ibim Semenitari is passionate about the Niger Delta. The Niger Delta means a lot to her. Not just because she grew up going home riding in the boat, tasting the saltiness of the sea. Not just because she loves the sound of the water and the smell of the river.

From Ibim’s worldview, there’s a huge difference between the Niger Delta she experienced and the one she’s experiencing.

So, what has happened to the Niger Delta? What have we lost?
Where did we lose it? When did we lose it? How can we take it back?
How can we make it great again? What’s the solution and the way forward?

In this talk which video can be viewed on TEDxCalabar's page, Ibim Semenitari conducts a diagnosis and prescribes a possible cure.

Ibim Semenitari is the first Nigerian female journalist to win the CNN African Journalist of the year Award. She won the Nigeria Media Merit Award twice. She won the Diamond Award for Media Excellence on three occasions. She was named most outstanding Commissioner of Information and Communications in South-South Nigeria.

Ibim is a results-driven administrator successful at leading high-performing teams through all phases of projects, from concept development to implementation. She is an Information Management Strategy specialist, award winning journalist/Publisher, and veteran business/financial intelligence analyst with a rich professional profile.

She is a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

19/09/2019

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE NIGER DELTA.

The Niger Delta means many things to many people. And that’s fine because people view the Niger Delta from the prism of their perspective. Just because one person is right doesn’t mean the other is wrong.

Perspective is subjective because reality can be so complex that equally valid observations from differing perspectives can appear to be contradictory.

Ibim Semenitari is passionate about the Niger Delta. The Niger Delta means a lot to her. Not just because she grew up going home riding in the boat, tasting the saltiness of the sea. Not just because she loves the sound of the water and the smell of the river.

From Ibim’s worldview, there’s a huge difference between the Niger Delta she experienced and the one she’s experiencing.

So, what has happened to the Niger Delta? What have we lost?
Where did we lose it? When did we lose it? How can we take it back?
How can we make it great again? What’s the solution and the way forward?

In this talk which video can be viewed on TEDxCalabar's page, Ibim Semenitari conducts a diagnosis and prescribes a possible cure.

Ibim Semenitari is the first Nigerian female journalist to win the CNN African Journalist of the year Award. She won the Nigeria Media Merit Award twice. She won the Diamond Award for Media Excellence on three occasions. She was named most outstanding Commissioner of Information and Communications in South-South Nigeria.

Ibim is a results-driven administrator successful at leading high-performing teams through all phases of projects, from concept development to implementation. She is an Information Management Strategy specialist, award winning journalist/Publisher, and veteran business/financial intelligence analyst with a rich professional profile.

She is a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.