Switchpoint

Apr 25, 2013

I missed it last year, so last Friday I made sure to be able to attend day one of the Switchpoint conference, an annual meeting that takes place in Saxapahaw, North Carolina (where I take the kids on summer Saturday evenings for live music on the hillside). Hosted by global health organization IntraHealth in the Haw River Ballroom — a renovated textile warehouse that sits above the Haw River — it gathers health, tech and philanthropic leaders from around the world, with a good dash of music and performance.

I especially enjoyed hearing Erik Hersman celebrate the ingenuity and innovation of individuals across Africa, and watching DJ Spooky flip through his photos on his iPad, easily finding those that illustrated his talk. I met others from Nepal and Senegal and down the road in Cary. And, I was inspired by my lunchtime chat with Sebastian Lindstrom of What Took You So Long, a team of guerrilla filmmakers finding stories around the world.

Next year, I’ll be sure to attend the full event. If I’m not already in Africa chasing down stories myself.

Switchpoint uses the hashtag #switchpoint.

Anton Zuiker ☄