Kwame Kwei-Armah was born Ian Roberts to poor immigrants from Grenada. His father was a factory worker, and his mother worked three jobs to put her three children through private schools. They lived in a nieghbourhood dominated by skinheads and Kwei-Armah couldn't go to the subway without having to fight his way down the street. He changed his name in his early twenties after tracing his family ancestry to Ghana. He is a musician, playwright and actor who recently took over as artistic director of the largest regional theatre in Maryland, USA. He was the first Black Briton to stage a play in London's West End when his award winning piece 'Elmina's Kitchen transferred to the Garrick Theatre in 2005.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)