Campus Party Milenio ( Granada ,Spain ) Essence of Technology and Romanticism in my journey to Granada ” مارٍّ على غرناطةَ”

To mark the millennium of the kingdom of Granada, I was honored to be one of 600 participants from 22 countries in the Mediterranean basin who attended Campus Party Milenio from October 12 till October 16, 2011.

Campus Party is an international technology event which started in 1997 and toured several cities like Valencia , Madrid ,Sao Paulo, Bogota, Mexico City and will be for the first time in San Francisco, United States during August 2012.

Here is a video showing the beauty of Granada and a welcome for “campuseros” which are the event attendees…

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjX4XDwUOKA]

Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias, Spain were the very special guests who kick-start the event in October 13.

Several keynote speeches were delivered from the Minister of Industry to Prince Felipe who mentioned us:

“It is you, the so-called ‘digital natives’ who best represent the transformative power of ICT, and who can contribute significantly to its effects and who are increasingly geared towards sustained economic development, promoting entrepreneurship, international cooperation and universal culture of respect for human rights. “

Every hour in Campus Party Milenio was a title for a unique experience. During day one, I attended several sessions which discuss e-commerce at the Mediterranean basin and Information Management in the Sierra Nevada. It was a great networking day and I grabbed the chance to meet entrepreneurs and technology enthusiasts from Spain , France, Albania and several European and North African people.

I also enjoyed a tour with some friends to the Expo to meet several technological companies and latest inventions in the robotics field.

Campus party revealed one of the best atmospheres for a technology event I have ever attended. You can see groups of people sitting on sofas in a co-working space of campus party and you can clearly sense the excitement as they are feedbacking each other’s projects. Campus Party Milenio was a unique gathering between several cultures and genius technology minds, thus, moving the business entrepreneurial energy to the values driven innovation tables where NGOs and social activists reside. 

Furthermore, I shared my thoughts and got impressive feedback about my project SKOODER which was lucky to be one of the projects selected in Campus Party Milenio. Project Skooder will move to an advanced stage and I will keep you posted about further updates very soon.

I would also like to give a special mention to each and every person in the Save the Children crew who were a unique team of generosity and kindness by guiding us to sightseeing all around Granada.

It was a fruitful gathering with them throughout the event days by sharing our digital community engagement especially in children online safety field and bridging the gaps between the Lebanese and Andalusian Spanish cultures by discussing our traditions.

Besides, I have been highlighting for now the gathering of technology youth in the city which has always been a cradle for arts and science and a crown for all artists, poets, and scientists thousand years ago.

On the other hand, I was trying to picture my journey in the roads around Alhambra citadel and the city of Granada. I wanted to raise my thoughts and propound riddles to describe a blend between a romantic city and a land for a mixture between history and civilization. Thus, I wrote some verses of Arabic poetry posted below to merely describe a “Sweet October walk in Granada”…