Dubai: A cluster of inspirational thinkers and achievers from the UAE, the region and several other countries took to the stage yesterday as part of TEDx Dubai, an event on the lines of the California-based TED gathering that focuses on technology, entertainment and design.
The conference, an independently organised event, brought together 20 guest speakers, including one aged 13.
Innovation, the power to dream big, persistence and optimism were the overriding themes for the day.
Leo Laporte a podcast and information technology guru spoke on the power shift from rich controlling media powerhouses to the future of individual bloggers and writers through blogs and personal websites.
Dr Naif Al Mutawa, creator of the cartoon hit The 99, based on the 99 attributes of God, recalled the struggles he faced to launch the comic series which is now a best-seller. Al Mutawa's superheroes now rival Batman and Superman in popularity in this part of the world.
Ian Gilbert gave a witty and thought-provoking view of how the education system in UK schools should adapt to children irrelevant of their ages.
Speaking about "thunks", he explained that his job is to make student's brains hurt by making them think outside the box.
"Children in the classrooms — if the classrooms are good enough — will be solving the problems of tomorrow," he said.
Among Dubai's homegrown talents at the conference were Mohammad Saeed Harib, creator of the Freej cartoon series.
Harib spoke on the success of the show and how, after three series, he simply felt bored. He is now working on grander projects but puts his initial success down to "a simple sketch on paper".
"I hope I paved the way to go ahead and do better," he said.
Mohammad and Rashid Parham Al Awadi spoke about their dream of launching the humble shawarma into a global brand with a national identity.
