#tedprize

Norwegian embassy about to deny VISA for Ugandan TEDPrize winner to come to Stockholm? Ugandan artist and TEDPrize winner Ruganzu Bruno from Kampala was invited 1 month back to come to Stockholm to collaborate with us on the Kids Hack Day Stockholm team. Our founder Carl Bärstad met up with Ruganzu at TEDActive in California together with this years TEDPrize winner Sugata Mitra. So the U.S. has given Ruganzu a VISA but not Norway? Amongst many of the exciting activities planned Ruganzu was to paint our lab, tell his story and interact with the kids we work with here. To inspire them to view the waste around them as a resource. Ruganzu himself is spearheading Kids Hack Day Kampala through his project Eco Art Uganda, turning waste into art and playgrounds for kids.  We are confused. How can a man that wants to spread so much joy in the world be denied a VISA from Norway but not from the U.S.?

It is deeply disturbing that a few people at the Norweigan embassy, handling the Swedish VISA applications, are making such arbitrary decisions about peoples lives and destinies. This is the second time Ruganzu is facing this destiny. Last year he was also invited to the annual TEDGlobal conference on a scholarship from the Gates Foundation, but was unable to go due to the exact same people at the Norwegian embassy. 

This ignorance has to stop! NOW! 

At TED 2012, the most recent TED Prize was announced, and given to an idea, rather than to a person: the City 2.0.

The $100,000 prize was divided into ten $10,000 grants, with the first five announced at TEDGlobal. Two went to TEDx communities in Pakistan, one to an event in Uganda. 

Five more grants are available, and anyone can nominate their project to win.

Going forward, the TEDx community will have a larger voice in the execution of the yearly TED Prize, including this year's. TEDxCity2.0 will be one day -- October 13th, 2012 -- when TEDx communities around the world can organize an event themed City 2.0 to highlight the amazing voices and stories making change in their local communities. 

What do a zombie apocalypse, the spread of cholera, a burger box and toilets all have in common?

All of them were mentioned this morning during the City 2.0 pitch sessions, hosted as part of our

TEDx Workshop leading up to TED Global 2012 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

There were four compelling projects proposed:

Photo: Bret Hartman

Daniel CerVentus, of TEDxKL, pitched the “While We Wait” project -- designed to make city dwellers’ “dead time” for public transportation, quite common in Kuala Lumpur, just a bit more fun and communal. Using choose your own adventure stories (like a zombie apocalypse flowchart) and conversation prompts, While We Wait gets people talking to one another. After all, why not slay boredom and build community in one fell swoop?