Lover, Lay Down Your Guns: Zena el Khalil at TEDxLSE

Zena el Khalil, born year of the Dragon, is a visual artist, writer and cultural agitator based in Beirut. As a by-product of political and economic turmoil, her work focuses on issues of violence, gender and their place in our bubblegum culture. Her mediums include mixed media paintings, installations and performance. Through her collective, xanadu*, she runs a small publishing house that supports young poets in the region. During the 2006 invasion of Lebanon, she was one of the first largely followed Middle Eastern bloggers. Her book 'Beirut, I Love You: A Memoir' is translated into several languages. In an attempt to spread peace, Zena is often seen running around Beirut in a big pink wedding dress. Zena is also a TED Fellow.

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)