Theme: Demand

As TEDxLilongwe, we understand that Malawians have been dreaming in color for so long, but we want to turn these dreams into reality hence we are demanding that ideas grow into tangible sustainable solutions. Demand can be described as an insistent and peremptory request made as if by right. What do you demand for? What should we demand for as a nation? TEDxLilongwe brings you talks of demand; demand more, demand less, demand results, demand answers.Thirteen innovators and entrepreneurs creating solutions to some of Malawi's challenges graced the stage and shared their ideas and stories.

We also had simulcast in Blantyre, Mzuzu and Zomba. The youth also got to enjoy livestream at Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe and were able to have a Q&A session with the speakers.

Crossroads Hotel
Crossroads Hotel
Lilongwe, Central Region
Malawi

Marlyn

Marlyn is a female artist from Malawi. She is works for Music Crossroads Malawi. She is also a music teacher and a director of the MCM choir. The choir featured on her album titled 'Sankha Moyo' which means choose life. The album features a song also called 'Sankha Moyo'. The track encourages people not to give up despite the challenges.

Charles Mnkanthama

Ethnomusicologist

Charles is an Ethnomusicologist, who makes and plays traditional Malawian instruments. He spent 22 years as a primary school teacher, and now owns a private primary school in his home district of Ntchisi. He is in the process of setting up a music school, cultural music museum and factory for making Ethnomusical instruments. He caries two other important titles as a Grioter and a King Soother,

Faith Mussa

Faith is a musician and teacher. He is described as Malawi’s only ‘One Man Band’, combining new technology with traditional Malawian vibes. He comes from a family of musicians, and began playing hand-made gallon guitars at the age of 10. He aims to use his music to speak for the rights of disadvantaged children.

Felix Kambwiri

Welder+Innovator

Felix is a 45-year old welder from Dowa who built a helicopter. He dropped out of school in standard 8 and studied at MEDI obtaining a welding and metal works certificate. He is married with 5 children and his work requires him to build ox carts and maize mills on a regular basis. Felix loves to build so he built a helicopter with nothing but imagination and determination.

Gama Petulo Bandawe

Medical scientist

Gama Bandawe is a Malawian medical scientist. He is married and has a daughter. He has a master's degree in molecular and cell Biology and a PhD in medical virology from the University of Cape Town. He is an expert in HIV and has been working in the area of HIV vaccine design for the last decade. He is currently at the Malawi University of Science and Technology where he is acting head of the Basic Sciences Department. Dr. Bandawe serves on the National Commission for Science and Technology's National Health's Ebola Emergency Response Technical Team. His research interests include HIV, public health, emerging infectious diseases and zoonotic infections, virus discovery and biotechnology.

Hastings Mkandawire

CEO

Hastings is CEO of Turbines Energy. He comes from Nkhata Bay district. He has the passion to increase electric connectivity to the rural areas to help farmers increase productivity. He has more than 10 years of experience in rural electrification. He has designed and installed more than 100 pieces of hydro power plants in rural areas of Malawi with a total estimated capacity of 300kW of clean energy. Currently, he is working on a 100kW power plants and is expected to be commissioned in August 2016. he expects to lead Turbines Energy towards development of 10 megawatts of hydro-power by 2018.

Jessie Kabwila

Academic and rights activist+Member of parliament

Dr. Jessie Kabwila is an academic and right activist in Malawi and a mother of one. She led the 2011 academic freedom struggle of Chancellor College academic staff union (CCASU). She is now a member of parliament, and spokesperson for the Malawi Congress Party, the main opposition. She began her career as a lecturer in comparative literature, and has completed a PhD in Feminist Theory.

Joanna Gentili

Anthropologist

Joanna has lived in Malawi, Africa for the past 4 years. She has researched why solar has been adopted by only 1% of the population while cell phones have skyrocketed to 40%. She has worked with Malawians, for Malawians, to develop solutions. She is an Anthropologist by training and believes strongly in collaboration.

Jonny Jacobs

Innovator+Entrepreneur

Jonny is co-founder and former Joint Managing Director of Malawi Mangoes, a progressive agro-processing start-up business. In 5 years the organization has developed two commercial farms, built an international processing facility, created a 5,000 smallholder farmer-strong rural supply chain and employees over 1,000 local people. He is now developing a new business enterprise directed at helping bridge the gap between the public and private sectors in the development world.

Kingdom Kwapata

Molecular geneticist

Dr. Kingdom is a Molecular Geneticist, working with the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) as a Lecturer in Biotechnology. Amongst his achievements Dr. King has an international patent for having invented a method for genetic engineering of beans to confer drought and fungal resistance as well as production of recombinant DNA drugs against HIV. In 2013 he was named as one of the top ten young scientists in Africa under 40 by CTA and FARA.

Mangaliso Chima

Architecture

Mangaliso Chima is an Architect, with two years of professional experience, graduating from the University of Malawi Polytechnic in 2012. Currently, working with THC Design & Build in Lilongwe as a Design Manager, he has been instrumental in designing and supervising various affordable low cost housing projects. Previously he has worked as a student intern at ArchArt Lab, an architectural firm based in Blantyre before joining the Centre for Community Organization and Development (CCODE) on some Bill and Melinda Gates slum upgrading projects.

Patience Musiwa

Nutritionist

Patience is a 22 year old Nutritionist currently working with Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Malawi and Kamuzu Central Hospital. She is a co-founder and executive director of an NGO, Fount for Nations which specializes in special education. She is an educator, and certified adolescent mentor who loves working with youth.She is passionate about Malawi and Africa as a whole and feels strongly about the youth taking charge of its development. She loves to read, teach and learn.

Rodney Jonathan Likaku

Writer+Artist+Young scholar

Rodney is a writer, artist and a young scholar. He uses creative leadership methods to inform youth projects and entrepreneurial ventures that are designed as innovative solutions to challenges in society. Leading a creative leadership program for college students called Students With Dreams designed by a multicultural team for the Malawian context, he hopes to begin prototyping the future of leadership in the continent by emphasizing creativity and collaboration. As an academic, he is a part-time lecturer in English Literature at Chancellor College, University of Malawi.

Thoko Chikondi

Photojournalist

Thoko Chikondi is an award winning Malawian photojournalist who is passionate about telling the untold stories of women and children through imagery. Her work seeks to highlight their plight and suggest solutions to their problem. Thoko was the CTA/NEPAD 2011 Southern Africa Award winner for the photographs on the involvement of youth and women in ICTs and climate change. In 2012, she received a Copyright Society of Malawi award for best female photojournalist in Malawi. She has received other various rewards for her extraordinary work. Thoko currently reading for a Bachelors of Arts in Business Communication at the University of Malawi and she also works as a photojournalist at the local daily publisher Nation Publications Limited.

Will Jameson

Founder of Lake of Stars

Will lived in Malawi as a gap year student before setting up the award winning Chibuku Shake Shake nightclub in Liverpool. Following Chibuku's success, he went on to create the Lake of Stars Festival, using the event to promote Malawian tourism and culture. Lake of Stars has since organized gigs in UK, a road-trip from Johannesburg, South Africa to Lake Malawi and has started more festivals in Malawi such as the Children's Future Festival and Lilongwe Short Film Festival.