Preconference tours show TEDGlobal bloggers the new Africa

Before the official start of TEDGlobal 2007, some attendees joined us for preconference tours, to get a visceral experience of the new Africa. Hosted by businesses and NGOs working on the ground in Tanzania, TEDsters visited schools, farms, businesses and other projects. A few reports:

ClassV took a tour led by DATA and shot some breathtaking photos:

The days ... in Tanzania have been inspiring, breathtaking, potentially life changing. Spent time engaging directly with the community through DATA and its founder, Bono. The term hero should be reserved for the kind of people I met during these visits, offering their love to the most unfortunate among all of us connected on this planet.

AfroMusing posted a long entry on the DATA trip, plus photos:

Early monday morning I was among a group of TEDsters for the DATA morning field trip before the conference. DATA is the organization founded by Bono of U2 to raise awareness about the issues facing Africa, namely Debt, Aids, Trade and Africa. DATA is mostly associated with the lobbying for debt forgiveness for the developing countries such as Tanzania. It was an incredible day, started out at the Artemisia farm of Mr. and Mrs. Loshie of Sambasha in Arumeru district. ...

Mweshi posts more stories and photos from the DATA tour:

The farm was only the first part of our half-a-day long trip. Following the farm visit, we saw how debt relief has helped to bring about improved health care and education in a clinic that provides ante-natal and post-natal services to mothers and would-be mothers as well as two schools located on the outskirts of Arusha. ...

Hugo Schotman helped hand out Lapdesks before the conference, and took pictures.

Technorati tags: TED, TEDGlobal, TEDGlobal2007, DATA

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