TEDxBaaAtoll - Slow Down and Gaze at the Ocean

Sunday 27th of February 2022

In a world where everything happens at full speed, it’s time to embrace the Slow Life. The Slow Life is about finding deeper meaning and purpose far beyond the superficial. It’s about reconnecting with oneself and the natural world and finding joy in life’s simplest pleasures. It is about learning how to live in harmony with our precious and fragile environment and working hand-in-hand with our local communities to make the world a better place. And it is about being mindful of every moment and nurturing our physical and mental wellbeing to become the very best we can be.

TEDxBaaAtoll is about learning and inspiring each other. Where local and international speakers will celebrate culture, art, discourse, wellness, and the environment – those diverse elements which are all part of the Slow Life.

What better place to discover the Slow Life than in the Maldives’ Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, where snow-white islands are surrounded by pristine turquoise waters. In this unique part of the Indian Ocean, the local island communities and tourist resorts are embodying the Slow Life ethos – working together to develop a model for a more sustainable and inclusive future that not only impacts the Maldives but also offers important lessons for the rest of the world.

TEDxBaaAtoll boasts several speakers from community innovators to business leaders, each of who will share their own unique stories and ideas on the TEDx platform.

• Sonu Shivdasani; After falling in love with the Maldives, Sonu and his wife Eva Malmström Shivdasani leased an island in the Baa Atoll, opening their first resort in 1995. Considered the blueprint for sustainable, ‘barefoot’ luxury, it redefined the country’s tourism sector.

• Yala Shameem; Yala Shameem is a youth activist from the island of Kudafari in the Maldives’ Noonu Atoll. At just 13 years of age, she is a dedicated advocate for environmental conservation and the phasing out of single-use plastics.

• Carissa Nimah; Originally a journalist before moving into PR and marketing, Carissa has worked for some of the world’s top luxury brands and is personally motivated by creativity, purpose, and ethical business. She holds a Masters of Marketing degree, as well as two undergraduate degrees in Politics and Journalism from Australian universities.

• Hussain ‘Sendi’ Rasheed; Hussain ‘Sendi’ Rasheed has contributed over 30 years of his life to the Maldives’ diving industry. Not only was he the region’s first-ever PADI-certified Course Director, and he also pioneered many of the country’s diving standards, was the first to launch a locally-owned dive center in a resort and developed the marine faculty at Villa College.

• Bruce Bromley; Bruce is the Chief Financial Officer and Deputy CEO of an award-winning luxury hospitality company. Somewhat uniquely, Bruce shares the responsibility for both finance and sustainability in the company, merging the two key pillars of sustainable corporate development.

• Shaziya ‘Saazu’ Saeed; Former Vice President of both the Maldives Surfing Association and the Diving Association of the Maldives, Shaziya ‘Saazu’ Saeed is a professional diver and surfer, as well as a passionate advocate for ocean conservation and women in surfing.

• Akib Jahir; Akib is a passionate entomologist, avid mosquito hunter, and Manchester United enthusiast. Based in the Maldives, Akib’s work is pioneering the way towards an integrated method of sustainable mosquito management.

The event will be streamed virtually next month, on the 19th. Registrations can be done on the official TEDxBaaAtoll website.