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).

SALA COVARRUBIAS/TEATRO NACIONAL DE CUBA
Plaza de la Revolucion
Havana, La Habana
Cuba

Osaín del Monte

An emerging musical group devoted to the promotion of the Cuban rumba. This group of young artists has been recognized for its innovation in the different styles of the genre.

Alain Pérez

Musician. Multi-instrumentalist, singer, producer and composer. He has worked with Celia Cruz, Paco de Lucía, Enrique Morente, Diego El Cigala, Los Van Van and Issac Delgado. In 2015, he was nominated for the Grammy Latino Awards by the album El alma del Son: Tributo a Matamoros.

Alberto González

Chef and entrepreneur. In 1996, he went to work in Italy, but after almost two decades of successful career, he decided to go back to his country, Cuba, where at present he manages the Salchipizza bakery. Alberto won the Bronze Medal for International High Cuisine (2007) and the Golden Spoon and Silver Fork awards (2009). He was the first Cuban chef to obtain the distinguished Michelin Star and remained in the Michelin Guide for 3 years.

Bina 48 y Bruce Duncan

Bina 48 is one of the most social "personality / identity" robots, unique of its kind in the world. She was designed by Bruce Duncan MartineRothblatt and as a social being which represents a mix of values, memories and beliefs of Bina Rothblatt.

Chus Martínez

Curator and philosopher. Head of the Department of Art Academy of Art and Design FHNW in Basel, Switzerland. She has worked as Chief Curator of the Museo del Barrio in New York and as chief curator of Documenta 13.

Dadne Carbonell

Working as an analyst of computer systems, Carbonell has collaborated with different cultural and communitarian projects, such as El Fanguito Estudio, conducted by the artist Roberto Peraza. He has also participated in the organization of several hip hop concerts and other musical events. He is a regular collaborator in the Foreringen Viviar Associaton´s projects in Cuba.

Fabián Pina

Marine biologist. Director of the Cuban Center of Marine Ecosystems. For more than 20 years he has been researching the behavior of fish populations and other species in Jardines de la Reina natural reserve. In 2012, Pina won a prize of Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation.

Felix Manuel

Journalist, gamer and active member of the virtual community alternative network SNET. Félix graduated from the University of Havana in 2015 with a dissertation on the use of video games in Cuba.

Fernando Funes

Scientist, farmer and entrepreneur. In 2012, after 20 years dedicated to scientific research and the academic life, he began with his family the sustainable agro-ecological project Finca Marta in Caimito, Artemisa. At present, he combines his academic work as a consultant, lecturer, and teacher with the responsibilities of a farmer and a small business owner in Cuba.

Gilberto Fleites

General surgeon and oncologist with 30 years of experience in the field. At the Institute of Oncology (INOR), he led during more than ten years the Splanchnic Surgery Service. One of his areas of research, developed through its link with the Cuban Medical Committee for Global Survival (Cuban subsidiary of IPPNW) and the Felix Varela Center, is Bioethics. At present Fleites works as a surgeon at Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK). Among his recent endeavors is the construction of a Green Hospital, as a pillar of sustainable medicine.

Glenda León

Visual artist. Her work is included in many exhibitions and national and international galleries, such as the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de Cuba, the Pompidou Centre and the George Institute for Contemporary Art CCA Wattis. Her videos have been recognized as part of the vanguard of contemporary Cuban art.

Jorge Luis Batista

Engineer in Automatics working as System Analysts at the Office of the Historian of Havana City. Since 2008, he collaborates with the Open SteetMap project to develop a free and editable map of the world.

Lissette Vila

Filmmaker and social activist. She is one of the most representative voices of the movement pro gender equality in Cuba. Founder and leader of the Paloma Project. Her documentaries have been decisive to promote women rights on a national scale.

Manuel Raices

Researcher and leader of major projects at the Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. Member of the research group that developed the Heberprot-P, only drug of its kind in the world, which changed the paradigms in the management of diabetic foot ulcer.

Mariela Castro

Expert in Psychopedagogy and Sexology. She is the director of the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX) and the principal editor of Society and Sexology Magazine. The leader of numerous campaigns for the rights of the LGBTIQ community in Cuba.

Marlen Navarro

Professor and researcher working at the Estación Experimental “Indio Hatuey” in Matanzas. Her area of expertise is the technology of the seeds. She is one of the most active members of a revolutionary project aimed to develop the sustainable production of biofuel in Cuba.

Miguel Barnet

Poet and fiction writer. President of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC). His literary oeuvre has been versioned for film and television works several times.

Ricardo Sánchez

Architect and urbanist living in Cartagena since 1989. At present, Suárez works at the University of Los Andes offering his expertise in housing architecture, interior design, and landscape construction. He is also specialized in redesigning and recycling processes applied to old or obsolete structures.

Santiago García

Director of Operation at AG Studios Entertainment Group. Member of the leading board at Ítaca Films, a company producing feature and documentary films, video clips and advertisement for television. In more than 14 years in the industry, García was worked as a producer, co-producer and executive producer in more than 20 films.

Susana Pous Pous

Choreographer and director of the prestigious company Danza Abierta. For more than two decades she has been working as a dancer and professor in Cuba.

Vik Muñiz

Visual artist based in New York. His career began in the 80s, and in the following decade, the artist gained international recognition for his portraits. His series of installations made with garbage and waste (2006) inspired Wasteland, a documentary nominated for the Oscars awards, which narrates the process of an artistic intervention in a huge landfill in Rio de Janeiro.