Theme: Deconstructing Identity

The general theme of the TEDxCIU event focuses on the diverse identities of the local community and the community
of international students. We believe that ideas are built on the premise of one's identity.Each individual believes in something
bigger than themselves and through deconstructing the identity one holds close, we can capture the humanity behind each idea. This year we will focus on bridging the gap between the two prominent communities through sharing ideas on the TEDx stage.

Amphi 3
Cyprus International University
Lefkosia, Lefkosia, via Mersin 10
Cyprus

Ashraf Saleem

Ashraf Saleem is a Syrian national currently doing his MSc at Cyprus International University in Healthcare Organizations Management. Previously he finished his BSc with honors in psychology at Eastern Mediterranean University. He is currently the president of VOIS Cyprus, an organization dedicated to representing and helping international students in Northern Cyprus. Ashraf is interested in mental health among minority communities, organizational behavior, advocacy, and activism, as well as travel and nature.

Emmanuel Oluwatosin Adewusi

Emmanuel Oluwatosin Adewusi is a PhD. Candidate in International Relations and a Research Assistant at Cyprus International University (CIU). He is a former Faculty Student President, Economics and Administrative Science, and a valedictorian at the University. He served as Commissioner for Diplomacy and Reconciliations in the National Association of Nigerian Students. He currently runs Lifeage Global, an organization that combines research and best practices in promoting human rights. The organization also conducts social experiments to understand peaceful co-existence in a community with people of diverse identities. Lifeage Global also provides for scholarships to support children that are out of primary or secondary school in Nigeria. He enjoys sharing his knowledge, playing guitar, and traveling. He is gratefully married to his beautiful wife Titilayomi Adewusi who delivered her diversity fashion talk on TEDxCIU 2019

Janvier Wete

Janvier Wete, born as you might expect on the first day of the year, began his career, aged 20, by selling the pilot for a reality TV show called “Made in Brixton”. He went on to work for companies like Channel 4, Vice Media, and other production companies as a film producer and director Then in 2017, he got frustrated with the process of entering a short film he had made called “L.I.F.E.” for consideration by some film festivals. This is when he thought of the idea of creating a short film platform that will enable filmmakers from all parts of the world to have their films shown to an audience that likes short films/content. Minute Shorts is a video streaming platform that allows you to watch incredible short films from the next generation of filmmakers. They have a mobile app on both iOS and Android and also hold monthly film screening events in order to create a community of filmmakers and film lovers.

Meliz Redif

Meliz Redif is the first and only Turkish Cypriot Olympian athlete. She holds the record for Turkey in 400m, 4×400m, and 4×100m. She is the first female Turkish athlete to run 400m under 53 seconds and the first to compete in the 400m semifinals for the World Championship. In addition, she is a record holder in 100m, 200m, 300m, and 400m in Northern Cyprus. Meliz was part of the Turkey National Team from 2005 to 2015 and has competed in several competitions in Turkey, Europe, and the world arena. A graduate of Girne American University in the field of Sports Management, Meliz is also a successful business owner at Meliz Redif Personal Training Studio. Through her entrepreneurial project, she aims to increase sports awareness in Nothern Cyprus.

Onur Olguner

Onur Olguner was born in 1985 in Nicosia, Cyprus. He graduated from Middle East Technical University (2007) and finished his Master of Science degree at Cardiff University (2011). He is an architect and taught architecture in various universities in Cyprus. He had participated on boards of different non-governmental organizations such as the Chamber of Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Architects and Cyprus Turkish Orthopedic Disabled Association. He was the committee coordinator that wrote the Turkish Cypriot Disability Friendly Building Code. He was a municipal council member for two terms until 2018 in Nicosia Turkish Municipality, the capital of Cyprus. In 2021, he published a book titled ‘A Nicosia Story’ focuses on ‘Cities, Vision, and Nicosia’. He is currently managing his architectural office, Olguner Design Studio, and continuing his doctorate studies in Urban Architectural Policies

POETS ON AN ISLAND

Poets On An Island, or POAI in short, is a collective of creatives currently based in North Cyprus. Their aim as POAI is to encourage creative expression and showcase the beauty of language through spoken word poetry.