TED talk videos are the perfect source of inspiration for taking little steps toward living your greatest life, from lectures on education to the practice of mindfulness.
Whether you’re a worker who wants to generate new ideas, a person trying to make positive change in your community, or a parent looking for ways to connect with your children, TED talks are the place to go.
Since the program’s inception in 2009, around 50,000 speeches have been delivered at 10,000 events. Notable persons who have achieved significant success in their respective disciplines are invited to give speeches on their various areas of competence.
Ghanaian speakers have not been excluded from these gatherings. We have carefully created a list of the crème de la crème of the best TED talks by Ghanaians.
Without further ado, here are the top three TED talks by Ghanaian speakers.
Ivy Prosper
The Power of Digital Media:
Bridging the gap between Africa & the Diaspora
One of the best TED talks from Ghanaian speakers is, the Power of Digital Media: Bridging the gap between Africa & the Diaspora.
The presentation was done by Ivy Prosper, a Ghanaian award-winning YouTube content creator, author, and producer. Ivy’s TED talk is targeted at showing Ghanaians the perils of being aloof to the current advances of technology and isolating themselves from the global stage, she then proceeded to talk about the ways through which we can use the media to our advantage and the benefits of doing so.
The talk starts with Ivy, giving a backstory about how powerful the media is, giving an example of how the Western media had propagated the image of Africa in the past in a piteous manner.
The people had no control and affected how the world saw Africans and further entrenched existing stereotypes. The onset of digital media has now made it possible for the everyday African to have control over their narrative.
The dangers of not owning your narrative are cut very deep. It doesn’t only mar your identity and portrays distasteful images but it’s worse when you do not have any idea what is known about you.
With the onset and increased accessibility to the internet and social media, Ghanaians and Africans at large would have can now put their voices into the conversation and make an effective change.
Promotion of tourism, putting the positive changes going on in the country on the global stage, and bridging the gap between people on the continent with the diaspora and the world at large.
Terry Afram The Ghanaian Dream
Another entry to the best best TED talks by Ghanaian speakers is “The Ghanaian Dream” by Terry Afram.
Terry Afram is a Dutch-born Ghanaian, He worked at Goldman Sachs and came back to Ghana to build the Ghanaian dream.
The Ghanaian dream describes the belief, that you can be successful in Ghana, regardless of your background.
It challenges people to come to Ghana (or stay), to find new ways of working, adopt methods of doing things differently, learn about the country’s rich history, and establish opportunities to solve existing problems.
The hindering factor to this is: while this is the image the country seeks to project, it’s unfortunate the average Ghanaian wants to leave the country.
Terry then went further to talk about how we can work to make sure the Ghanaian dream becomes reality.
He spoke about how the American dream is the belief that almost anyone, regardless of their background, can achieve upward social mobility. Ghanaians and people in the diaspora can do the same in their homeland country too. To achieve the Ghanaian dream, posited the acronym ABA.
1. Appreciate
What you appreciate grows; we need to value where we are. It is not be that other people identify the value Ghana offers before we realize it ourselves. It is common to overlook the value presented right in front of us.
2. Believe
Change is caused by people who are crazy enough to believe it can be done.
Most people will try to downplay your vision to do or cause a change in a traditional way of doing things or thinking.
Remember: there’s no harm in trying, and even in the worst case, you’ve gathered experience and will know how to do it better.
3. Act
You don’t have to just believe – you need to act on it. If you want to see something work, you need to put in the right action.
Bernard AvleHow the media influences Ghana
Last on our list of best TED talks by Ghanaian speakers is How the Media Influences Ghana by Bernard Avle.
He is a Ghanaian journalist, public speaker and media personality. He speaks about how the media influences and shapes Ghana in every way.
It is firstly the gatekeeper of society. The media determines what is important. It determines what the citizens are supposed to know and keep in high essence.
It is the scorekeeper of society, it reminds people of the promises made to them, for them to be fulfilled.
Lastly, the media is the watchdog of society, it is the one that makes sure people are in check and the threat of being brought out in case they engage in reprehensible activities keeps them in check.
He then went further to show the 3 unique dimensions that the media influences in Ghana.
First is the hard news journalism, they take on investigatory works, they are the ones that actively check the work of government workers in the country, these individuals keep are part of the watchdogs of media.
Then there’s advocacy journalism, in this instance the media itself becomes an active participant in advocating for change.
Things like banning illegal mining, are some of the examples of media being advocative. Here media isn’t neutral, it moves for a common positive goal.
A third example is an independent production. For example individuals, who are not involved or own any sort of media power independently organize programs to project messages.
For instance, people who spread knowledge of pertinent societal issues, individuals that engage in local political discourse to help people with problems they face.
A large percentage of individuals in Ghana have access to the internet and most of them are active users.
The scope of individuals that can be reached when we properly engage the use of media to influence positive change is huge.
There is an opportunity to create impactful changes and make Ghana the home we would all like to be. It starts with all of us and everyone is equally powerful to do this.
These TEDx talks by Ghanaian speakers seek to show the strengths we carry as a nation and how we can do more to create a positive change within our community and for our country.
They also show the disadvantage of not taking the opportunities available. We recommend you watch them, as they’re both inspiring and very educative.
See you soon!
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