“What would YOU do after the revolution?” – Ebele Okobi at TEDxEustonSalon 2016

When you hear that Ebele Okobi is speaking at the TEDxEustonSalon 2016 event, you feel a tad inadequate. I mean, don’t let the easy smile and soft spokenness fool you; Ms Okobi is Facebook’s Head of Public Policy, Africa. And before that, this juggernaut was the founding Global Head and Senior Legal Director for Human Rights at Yahoo. I had no idea what she would tell us, but I was like a big fat sponge. I was justy ready to soak it all up.

And when she took the stage and announced that the Trump election had completely thrown her well-memorised and rehearsed speech straight out of her mind, I was all the more eager to listen. Knowing that she was going to freestyle her talk made me even more eager somehow.

Ebele Okobi asked the simple question: “What would YOU do after the revolution?” When things fall apart and the centre cannot hold, what will you do? How will you be beneficial to your society? Will your acquired skills be what you are known for, or will your passion be what will be needed to move our world forward?

The truth of the matter is that we are indeed embarking upon a New World Order, and everyone must stand firm; firmer than ever before. We must make a change; we must make a difference. Coasting through life will no longer be allowed as there are no more free rides. What will you bring to the table?

Ebele Okobi says she would be a midwife if ever there was such a breakdown of our current society. The gatekeeper of life, the nurturer of all that is good and hopeful.

This made me stop to think. I had never given any thought to it, but I’d like to think I would still be a storyteller, an orator, a bringer of words and lessons. And a lover of Nigeria!

Picture courtesy: (c) TEDxEuston/Osita Nwegbu