Soneva Fushi resort hosted the first TEDx event in the Maldives on Saturday night (19 March).
‘TEDxBaaAtoll: The Slow Life’ featured talks by local and international speakers about culture, art, discourse, wellness and the environment. The overarching theme was Soneva’s ‘Slow Life’ philosophy, which is about “reconnecting with oneself and the natural world” and “learning how to live in harmony with our precious and fragile environment.”
Speakers included entomologist Akib Jahir, local diving pioneer Hussain ‘Sendi’ Rasheed, Guardian of the Brand COO Carissa Nimah, business veteran Bruce Bromley, and marine conservation advocate Shaziya ‘Saazu’ Saeed. Sonu Shivdasani, Soneva’s co-founder and CEO, discussed how luxury could co-exist with sustainability. Yala Shameem, a 13-year-old Maldivian school girl, spoke about the importance of schools adapting teaching methods to prepare children to become future leaders.
TEDx events are non-profit, community-driven local gatherings organised independently of official TED Conferences and TED Talks. Independently-run TEDx events follow the same format as the famous TED talks with short, carefully-prepared talks and performances.
Programme of TEDxBaaAtoll: The Slow Life’:
• ‘Zero mosquito, zero fogging’ by Akib Jahir
• ‘Nothing else matters but the ocean’ by Saazu Saeed
• ‘Why every CFO should also be Chief Sustainability Officer’ by Bruce Bromley
• ‘The future of school’ by Yala Shameem
• ‘Why companies should have a clear purpose beyond simply enriching shareholders’ by Sonu Shivdasani
• ‘I saw none, so I built one: women in the tech community’ by Aishath Adnan
• ‘The human story behind the glass cabinet’ by Malsa Maaz
• ‘Why seaweed is not a weed’ by Hussain Rasheed
• ‘Do job titles matter?’ by Carissa Nimah
