TEDxMarvila Shifts the Lens from Love to Learning

More than 1,000 people gathered in Lisbon in April for TEDxMarvila’s sold-out edition, What is Love?, an event that transformed one of humanity’s oldest questions into a day of talks, music, art and shared reflection.

Bringing together entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, poets and changemakers, the event examined love beyond its traditional associations, inviting audiences to consider it as a force capable of shaping relationships, communities, democracies and even the future itself.

From the moment guests arrived, the organisers created an experience which extended beyond the talks themselves. Attendees walked through a “love tunnel” decorated with flowers and accompanied by recorded voices repeating affirmations such as “You are loved”, “I care about you” and “You are the love”, setting the tone for a day centred on connection and belonging.

An interactive art exhibition titled ‘Love at First Sight’ invited participants to engage with the theme visually, while a large “What is love?” wall encouraged visitors to share their own definitions of love on heart-shaped notes. By the end of the event, the wall was covered in messages, which were later distributed among guests as keepsakes.

The programme also featured musical performances by Portuguese singer Carolina Deslandes, a student of Antónia Wagner performing Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’, members of the Metropolitan Orchestra, and the international star Haddaway.

A labour of love

For founder Anel Imanbay, the event represented the culmination of months of hard work carried out entirely by volunteers.

“This event is not for profit,” she explains, describing TEDxMarvila as a volunteer-driven initiative sustained by people who contribute their time, energy and expertise freely, including photographers, videographers, performers and organisers.

Imanbay recalled the closing moments of the day as particularly meaningful.

“I went on stage and thanked people, invited all volunteers up on stage, and brought Haddaway up with us, and we all sang his song ‘What is Love’ together,” she said.

“It was a very beautiful and meaningful moment. All these months of hard work, and that was the moment of celebration.”

The finale captured what organisers had spent months building towards: a celebration shared not only by speakers and performers, but by the dozens of volunteers whose efforts brought the event to life.

Freedom and democracy

The event attracted a diverse audience from Lisbon and across the world, something that resonated with guest speaker Stephan de Moraes, founder and managing partner of Índico Capital Partners.

His talk, ‘Love, Depths, and the House of Illusion’, examined how love can extend beyond personal relationships and become a commitment to democratic values, freedom and future generations.

“It’s a theme that connects depth, or the lack of depth, with freedom and democracy,” he says. “The love is not only for our own family and kids, but also for the society that we have developed over centuries and particularly the last century.”

De Moraes says that the broad framing of the event’s theme enabled speakers to move beyond conventional understandings of love and explore questions that touch on the future of societies themselves.

“It’s a broader love theme, not the romantic kind, but a broader model of society and the love for freedom, freedom of mankind and freedom of opportunities for our kids,” he added.

For de Moraes, the broad interpretation of love opened the door to a more personal reflection on ideas he believes are increasingly urgent at a time when democratic values and freedoms are challenged.

The courage to be vulnerable

For poet, rapper and musician Dan Whitlam, TEDxMarvila offered a very different kind of challenge.

Used to performing alongside a band, stepping onto a stage alone and delivering an intellectual talk rather than music or poetry felt considerably more vulnerable.

At the centre of Whitlam’s presentation were what he described as the five rules of love.

“My talk was about the five rules of love, and the fifth rule focused on allowing people to change within a relationship without making them feel guilty for growing,” he said.

“During that section, I spoke about friendship and how friends are often the best example of a love that lasts a lifetime, because they witness so many different versions of us over the years and continue to choose us anyway.”

The theme resonated visibly with the audience.

“As I was speaking about that, I noticed people in the audience holding their friends’ hands and really leaning into what was being said,” he recalled.

“I could genuinely feel the connection in the room at that moment. It felt like the audience and I were completely together in the idea, and it became a really beautiful and memorable part of the talk for me.”

Whitlam said speaking so openly about vulnerability, healing and self-discovery, subjects that remain difficult conversations for many people, particularly men, ultimately became one of the most rewarding experiences of the day.

“I was also lucky enough to catch some of the other talks, and I thought every speaker brought something thoughtful, insightful, and genuinely moving to the event,” he said.

One interaction with an audience member continued to stay with him afterwards. A guest told him they had attended TEDxMarvila with a close friend and became emotional during his talk because it reminded them of how fortunate they were to have that friendship in their life.

For Whitlam, moments like these reaffirm the value of speaking openly about sensitive subjects, demonstrating how vulnerability and honesty can truly create meaningful connections between strangers through shared experiences.

A new lens

Reflecting on the impact of the day, Imanbay shared a message she later posted on social media.

“I wrote on my Instagram: ‘And just like that, love was no longer a question.’ That’s my ultimate statement,” she said.

“Just like that, love was no longer a question.”

As organisers begin shaping the next chapter of TEDxMarvila, Imanbay has revealed exclusively to The Portugal News that the theme for the 2026 edition will be ‘The Power of Learning’.

“As we look to the future of TEDxMarvila, our mission remains the same: to create spaces where ideas spark curiosity, connection, and positive change,” she said.

“That is why next year’s theme, ‘The Power of Learning,’ feels especially timely. In a world evolving faster than ever, the ability to keep learning, unlearning, and learning again may be humanity’s greatest strength and our path toward a more human future.”

As organisers prepare for next year’s edition, TEDxMarvila will examine the world through a different lens. If, as Imanbay suggests, love was no longer a question by the end of this year’s gathering, the 2027 edition will explore whether learning can help people navigate the questions that remain.