Magali Chelpi-den Hamer

Journalist & DirPub

Life takes very unexpected turns. From Côte d’Ivoire to Amsterdam via many other parts of the world, this is a welcome return in my region of origin, nourished by 15 years of great experiences.

My background is strongly anchored in international aid. When I was young (sigh…), I worked as a program coordinator for several INGOs in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. Later, I switched to consultant for expert missions. Between the two, a PhD in social anthropology and academic experience at the University of Amsterdam and Aix-Marseille University the Institute of African Worlds. My last position was within the think tank IRIS.

I have a great appetite for applied research and I have worked on several projects relating to the adjustment of educational systems in times of crisis and civilian demilitarization programs . If I never managed to obtain the Holy Grail of a permanent university position, I remain active in Africanist networks and I continue to publish 'as a hobby'.

By an effect of opportunity, I took over the management of SophiaMag at the beginning of 2023 with two ambitions: 1/ make complicated themes intelligible to all and 2/ create bridges between the technopole’s actors. From business to business, from school to business, from researcher to reader, SophiaMag resolutely aims to serve the Sophipolitan ecosystem. At a time when we are literally drowning in informational content, the takeover of a local magazine marks a real desire, as a content producer, to maintain control of local, qualitative information. It is also an opportunity to remember that Sophia Antipolis is not just a land of AI and Tech and that Humanities have all their place there, in whatever form they take. Starting with a magazine.