Theme: The Common

The necessity to belong to a place, a community, a cultural or national identity is at the heart of our nature as human beings, is the natural balance of our human existence. Cut off from others and from the whole, we simply atrophy.

At TEDxTirana 2016 we aim to deepen our individual and collective sense of the common (in terms of place, connection and culture) through bold and engaging talks from visionary individuals.

Some of the questions we are aiming to investigate deeper are: Can one be an individual and part of a collective at the same time? Are we able to manage individualism in the wider framework of the collective? How capable are we Albanians to modernize, yet to safeguard our shared values and cultural identity?

Conference Hall, Orthodox Church
Rruga e Kavajes, 151
Tirana, Tiranë
Albania

Alba Caja

Architect

Alba is concluding her studies in Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Polytechnic University of Tirana. Besides other experiences, she is the creative voice within the civil society in Albania and TEDxTirana. Alba’s work is characterized by a creative and improvisational spirit. She uses simple materials to translate concepts in physical compositions with a simplistic sense of esthetics.

Arber Hajdari

charity

Arber Hajdari, student and Ilir Hoxholli, former Chairman of the State Committee of Cults, are the founders of "Fundjavë Ndryshe", the most popular initiative of the moment, that in a few months has touched so many people's heart. Charity has been something that has accompanied Ilir through his life e, while Arbëri is setting a strong example for his generation, dedicating his time and energy in helping others. The motto that unites them is "Charity doesn't make you poor"

Claudia Konyalian

Cultural Project Manager

Claudia Konyalian is a cultural project manager with a passion for art in public space and its transformative power. After her urban nomad years that took her to cities like San Francisco, Novi Sad and Berlin, she now delights in being at home in Nicosia, where she works with Urban Gorillas, and lives with her multicultural family.

Dorina Pllumbi

Architecture

Dorina is an architect and a researcher at Sapienza University of Rome and Technological University of Delft, with particular interest in 'Processes of Co-Production of Open Space' and the role of the architect in them. In her research, the openness aspect is, firstly, related to the collectiveness of these processes, to mechanisms to accept and integrate multiple voices; and, secondly, to the incompleteness in design and the left open for interpretation by the users in time.

Etleva Nallbani

Archaeologist

Etleva Nallbani is a researcher in charge at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France. She has a PhD in Archaeology and Art History from the Université de Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne and worked as a researcher at several scientific institutions in Tirana, U.K., Germany. France, It taly etc. Etleva’s research focuses on the archeology of the Balkans and the Mediterranean people from the late Roman period to the Middle Ages; in material culture, products and exchanges as well as population structure and lifestyles. For years, she has handled numerous settlements in Albania, as a member of the Albanian- English archaeological mission in Butrint and Albanian-French in Byllis; she has co-chaired the program of descovery of synagogue-church complex in Saranda, in cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and in a decade she was the co-leader of two major archaeological research programs in two settlements Albanian Middle Ages, in Lezha and Koman, suported by Fre

Gëzim Paçarizi

Architect

Paçarizi is a Swiss-Kosovar architect, partner of PHARC architects in Geneva, Switzerland and Politbyro studio in Prishtina, Kosovo. He represented Kosovo in Venice Biennale in 2014. His buildings in Kosovo are all made of local materials with local labour. They don’t try to copy traditional building gs through formal elements but by responding to the local conditions and the way of life. They are both traditional and modern at the same time. His architecture is based on human experience and well being through simplicity and order. Paçarizi believes architecture should make people's lives better and improve human condition

Gjergj Bojaxhi

Politician

Gjergj was born on March 28, 1974 in Tirana. He completed the first three years of high school in Petro Nini School in Tirana and completed the fourth year in Baltimore City College in the US. He then studied in Saint John's College in the US and got his master's degree at John Hopkins University in Washington. He started his professional career as a risk management analyst in New York. In 1999 he worked as assistant coordinator at the British Embassy, managing at the time the crisis of Albanians expelled from Kosovo. In the 2003-2005 period he worked as an expert at the World Bank in Washington. Later Gjergj has held senior roles in the Albanian administration as Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy, the leader of the Albanian Power Corporation and National Urban Construction Inspectorate. In the 2007-2011 period he served as a member of the Municipal Council of Tirana. In the local elections of 2015 he ran as an independent candidate for the Municipality of Tirana.

Golde Ebding

Social Worker

Golde Ebding is a qualified social worker and one of the co-founders of Berlin-based "Refugees Welcome” (Flüchtlinge Willkommen), the most successful people-run platform in Europe, helping refugees to find a shelter. Before this, Golde has gained firsthand experience in the migration sector while wor rking for an NGO in Valencia, Spain and later the church welfare services back in Berlin. Her role with “Refugees Welcome” is to coordinate the practical arrangements for accommodation and to advice the hosts on legal and financial matters. Moreover, she is very active in further developing the original concept by creating addition structures that would render the project more efficient and would further facilitate the interaction of the contributing actors. In 2013 she published her first book, "“Desperate measures?! Refugees’ Lifelines” (Flucht nach vorn?!: Lebenslinien von Flüchtlingen), which portrays refugees as individuals with very different life stories. Golde is only 27 years old

Ilir Hoxholli

Charity

Ilir Hoxholli, former Chairman of the State Committee of Cults and Arber Hajdari, student, are the founders of "Fundjavë Ndryshe", the most popular initiative of the moment, that in a few months has touched so many people's heart. Charity has been something that has accompanied Ilir through his life, , while Arbëri is setting a strong example for his generation, dedicating his time and energy in helping others. The motto that unites them is "Charity doesn't make you poor"

Jord den Hollander

Architect/ filmmaker

Jord den Hollander is a Dutch architect and filmmaker. After getting his master degree in architecture he was educated in script-writing at the London Film School, which has enabled him to combine both disciplines in numerous projects. His designs vary from adventurous mobile libraries to playful pu umphouses, always a mix of architecture and art. His 2010 design of a mobile children s library was based on the cinematic language and became literally a “moving experience”.The building of his 2011 design, “a Centre for Architecture for children”, was filmed as an educational project for television and was nominated for the “Outstanding Colour” prize in 2014. Meanwhile, his 2015 BOTEL project, a floating hotel in the harbour of Amsterdam, has been nominated for the Amsterdam Architecture Prize 2016. Jord’s architectural work has been awarded and internationally published in magazines and books while he received many international awards for his television series, films and documentaries.

Kim Mehmeti

Kim Mehmeti is a leading and innovative prose writer from the Albanian community in FYROM. He was born in Gërçec near Skopje, where he now lives and works. Kim was the head of the Skopje-based “Centre for Multi-cultural Understanding and Cooperation” that has been systematically working on developing a multiethnic communication in the country, by bringing together all ethnicities in joint projects. He works with the International Foundation for Culture, is a member of the Independent Writers' Association of Macedonia and the contributor to the leading independent Albanian-language weekly, “Lobi”. Kim is the author of 11 volumes of prose and winner of several awards.

Orgesa Zaimi

Singer

Orgesa Zaimi is a very well known Albanian singer, one of the few rock/pop rock singers and stands out from commercial music. She has her own programme on Club FM radio which she started five years ago and a programme on Albanian National Radio-Television. She will launch her new song with Down n Syndrome Albania kids. She has participated in several contests and has been awarded many times. Orgesa is mostly known and loved for her music videos, which are different, special, original in form and subject. She has studied Albanian language and literature in University of Tirana. She has released her new album in English "BRAND NEW DAY" in collaboration with her Swiss producent Domenique Meyer. Her album is available for everyone on ITunes, Spotify, Amazon ecc.

Shpat Deda

singer & songwriter

Shpat Deda is a critically acclaimed singer & songwriter based in Prishtina, Kosovo. Shpat's music is defined by a very naked and personal account of his life experiences, featuring lyrics that talk about love, despair, society and hope, all delivered over a mix of mellow and playful tunes with intertwined elements of folk, pop, rock, funk and jazz. His first album entitled "Molla e Parë" (The first apple) was launched in the summer of 2010. The album also features tracks that have become number one hits in various Kosovar and Albanian music charts. His second album entitled "Shkendijë" (Spark) was launched in the summer of 2014 and features material that has already won two best video awards and has topped music charts in Kosovo and Albania. In both of his albums, Shpat has maintained a consistency of delivering powerful lyrics with a unique and original sound and has managed to establish himself as one of the most important singer-songwriters of his generation.

Soela Zani

Photographer

Born in Gjirokastra in 1980, Soela studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana (now the University of Arts) Costume Design & Scenography. Passionate about photography, immediately after graduating university, she worked in the printed media as a photographer and photo editor. Soela's art has to ouched many hearts, as her photographs transmit her belief that "every human is a work of art". In 2015, she teamed up with Down Syndrome Albania (DSA) and gave life to an incredible portrait series, inspired by famous art work. Since 2007, Soela runs her own studio mostly focused on children and family photographs