Campus Party hosts free virtual conference

From 9 to 11 July 2020, Campus Party is prompting thought leaders, innovators and game changers to “Reboot the World”, with three days of live, on-demand conferences featuring one global main stage and five topical stages. The event is a forum and global thinktank that has issued a call for ideas to connect innovators from all over the world.  

Campus Party Digital Edition is an opportunity for young minds to come together with established leaders in order to immerse themselves in ideas and technologies that can change the world in years to come. Talks will cover innovation, tech, gaming, creativity, design, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and advanced ways of communicating in the ever-changing world. The local stage focuses strongly on African innovation.  

Those who register will gain access to international and local stages, all from the comfort of their own homes.  

Members of the public can attend for free, though associated fundraising will go towards helping the families of healthcare workers who have lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic. This initiative is in partnership with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).  

Key speakers on the global main stage, along with such headline attractions as Sir Tim Berners Lee and Edward Snowden, include:  

• Former US Vice President, Al Gore – Author of the award-winning book and documentary series An Inconvenient Truth and leading global climate change activist. 
• William Kamkwamba – Author of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. William is a visionary inventor from Malawi, who became known for building an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap, despite having no instructions. 
• Dr Sharron McPherson – Co-Founder of Campus Party South Africa, Co-Founder of The Centre for Disruptive Technologies and Lecturer. Sharron will be speaking on the topic of #BuildBackBetter – How to Find the Future of Learning in South Africa. 

A range of stellar South African and international speakers will be taking the stage to discuss how to reboot your career during the COVID-19 Crisis with Wiebke Toussaint and Zuki Mzozoyana; some encouraging and inspiring youth led response to COVID-19 in South Africa with Tsitsi Sekgobela and Sarah Madingwana ; and African innovation at the forefront of building back better with Kathy Berman.  

With a line-up that includes some of the most dynamic talent from this country, the local schedule, which runs for eight hours daily over three days, and includes nearly 45 home-grown innovators, will not disappoint. Key local speakers include: 

• Neo Hutiri, inventor of the digital chronic medication Pelebox, which was named by Time magazine as one of the top inventions of 2019. 

• Tracy Lee Lynch, Creative Director the Nando’s Design Programme, which is responsible for the complete design of every Nando’s outlet globally, all by local designers – and has installed over 6 000 hand-made design objects from local designers across the world. 
• Globally acclaimed expert on brain function, Dr Kobus Neethling. 
• Ian Calvert of Further, the force behind the revolutionary Red Bull Amaphiko Accelerator,  which changed the careers of over 2 500 emerging social entrepreneurs across Europe, Africa, North and South America. 
• Gaming experts, Ryan Maquet of Africa Electronic Sport Association, Nicolas Holden of African Cyber Gaming, and Limpho Moeti of Nyamkop. 
• Kathy Berman of Innovation Space Consulting, whose focus in all her innovation and community work has led her to present Africa is Awesome: Innovation in Africa. 

• Jenn van den Bussche of Sticky Situations – an architect and urban change catalyst, whose work includes public art as well as WASSUP #adoptatoilet – a project in Diepsloot that trains women plumbers to repair the few portaloos that service the informal settlement.  

An unusual but riveting discussion will feature broadcaster and author on Forgiveness, Candice Mama, and photo-journalist Elisa Iannacone, who will talk about how they have risen above personal trauma to create globally acclaimed artworks in Laying it Bare – From Private Realities to Global Acclaim: Two Remarkable Journeys to Resilience.  

Other topics and speakers include Changing the Definition of Racism, with Moky Makura and Dr Russell Ally; New Ways to Deliver Learning with Lindsay Wesner and Brent Hutcheson; as well as many focuses on technology and skills acquisition in Africa – including: COVID-19 Africa 2.0: Stay Home.  

Reboot your career,which examines the new world of work; Youth-led Community Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa; and even a talk on Liliesleaf Museum, the original hideout of Mandela, now a globally acclaimed museum. Post-COVID-19 Online will also be addressed.  

Campus Party South Africa Co-Founder and speaker, Sharron McPherson says, “Campus Party is aimed at changing the narrative for young people in Africa and around the world, through innovative thinking and the power of invention and technology. We have so much to learn from great thinkers like William Kamkwamba, who overcame very difficult circumstances by creating a solution that made a massive impact on his community. We hope that Campus Party will usher in a new generation of visionaries like William, to boost the communities of the future.”  

The South African stage operates from 10h00 to 16h00 daily, with a new panel each hour and a breakaway to the mainstage from 16h00 to 18h00. Thereafter, the South African stage concludes from 18h00 to 20h00. To participate in this world first in South Africa, register at: https://southafrica-digital.campus-party.org/