Qatar Foundation (QF) and TED launched TEDinArabic – a two-year initiative that will provide a platform for thinkers, researchers, artists, and change-makers around the world to share ideas with a global audience, in Arabic language.
The partnership has created TED’s first initiative to focus on sharing solutions, inventions and stories in Arabic, for ideas that can change perceptions, benefit societies and inspire others into the international spotlight.
The creation of TEDinArabic reflects Qatar Foundation’s commitment to preserve and celebrate the richness of the Arabic language and promote its enduring relevance to the world. It will also provide a platform for people to share their knowledge, perspectives and ideas. TED is a non-profit organisation devoted to ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’. Their partnership with QF is built on a collective recognition that everyone can make a difference through the power of ideas.
HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, said that language is more than just a means of communication as it influences the way we think and how we frame our perceptions on a subconscious level.
With TEDinArabic, I hope we can continue the process of amplifying ideas from our region to a global audience in a language that is synonymous with innovation and new thinking.
She said that they are proud to be partnering with TED.
We share the belief that everyone’s mind and voice can make a difference, as together we aim to build a new culture of idea-generation that stretches across the Arab world and beyond.
According to Chris Anderson, Head of TED, they have always valued the power of delivering talks in one’s native language, and the nuance and richness that comes with doing so – the TEDinArabic initiative, is an important step in that journey.
As we bring this programme to life, together with Qatar Foundation, we are grateful for the support of an organisation that shares our passion and dedication to education and ideas.
TEDinArabic will spread the ideas of Arabic speakers throughout the world to new and diverse audiences, magnifying their reach and impact. High-quality content produced in Arabic will be amplified by the initiative, which will include an idea search stretching across the Middle East, with selected ideas being celebrated at events across the region in 2021.
The idea search will see 16 Arabic speakers being selected to give TED Talks at a flagship event in Doha in 2022, which will mark the culmination of the partnership and bring the TED conference experience to the heart of the Middle East, showcasing the boldest and most inspiring ideas to emerge from the Arabic-speaking world.
Through its partnership with QF, TED will also build a custom digital destination to serve as a vault for TEDinArabic’s content library. This library will house content focusing on topics of greatest relevance to the Arabic-speaking world, including blog articles, TED-Ed video lessons, and custom video content.
The impact of TEDinArabic will endure even after the partnership between QF and TED concludes in 2022, with the website and content remaining live and accessible in order to continue sparking the imagination of Arabic speakers everywhere and empowering them to keep sharing their ideas.
Visit tedinarabic.ted.com/ar for more information about TEDinArabic.