Paris Talks

In her talk on the 2023 Paris Talks Ideas Festival's stage, Neuroimmunologist Aleksandra Deczkowska shared a fascinating story about her work. The question Aleksandra is interested in within the science of Neuroimmunology, and which we do not yet have an answer to, is how to employ the immune system to treat neurological diseases, like dementia or depression or the aftermath of a stroke. She argues that we don’t know that yet. And again, it is interesting that we don’t, because we do employ the immune system to cure other problems with our bodies all the time. Like infections or pain or recently even cancer! So what is so special about the brain? How come it took us so long to understand that we could employ the immune system to cure it? Well, it’s an interesting story, which she shared with Paris Talks participants. This talk was filmed and recorded in March 2023 at the Paris Talks Ideas Festival at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris (France). For more information about Aleksandra's work, visit her lab, The Deczkowska lab (affiliated with the Institut Pasteur), that's is interested in better understanding the interactions between immune cells and the brain, and the role of these communication circuits in shaping the brain function in physiology, aging and disease: https://www.aleksdelab.com/ For more information about Paris Talks, please visit our website: https://www.paris-talks.com/

Repeat this two more times and notice how you feel. Now open your eyes, watch, and carefully listen to what this change expert had to share with the Paris Talks audience at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in March. In this talk, Wani argues that the thing we don’t know yet is how to love ourselves and, she adds that "this is no fault of our own." For more information about Paris Talks, please visit our website: https://www.paris-talks.com/ You can find Wani's work at https://www.wanimanly.com/

Looking to unlock the secrets of your DNA and discover who you truly are? For years, scientists and biologists believed that our DNA held all the answers to our future, including predicting diseases and other critical information. But in a riveting talk at the 2023 Paris Talks festival, Molecular Biologist and Research Director Germano Cecere blew the lid off this outdated notion. As he explains in this video, DNA alone can't fully explain our identities. This talk was filmed and recorded in March 2023 at the Paris Talks Ideas Festival at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris (France). For more information about Germano's work, visit The Cecere Laboratory of Mechanisms of Epigenetic Inheritance's website: https://www.cecerelab.com/ For more information about Paris Talks, please visit our website: https://www.paris-talks.com/

For more information about Paris Talks, please visit our website: https://www.paris-talks.com/

Dans son talk sur le main stage de Paris Talks en Mars 2023, le champion de l'autonomisation de la jeunesse, Reince Trésor Gandou, raconte l'histoire de Luc et la fille Ghislaine, deux jeunes étudiants en quête d’intégration socio-professionnelle dans un environnement très hostile, compétitif et rempli d’incertitudes, à l’image de l’époque que nous sommes en train de traverser, une époque remplie d’incertitudes. Trésor argumente en lançant un appel pour l'accompagnement de la jeunesse car cela est une résponsabilité partagée. Ce talk a été enrégistré lors de d'édition 2023 du festival d'idées Paris Talks à la bibliothèque Nationale de France à Paris. Pour plus d'informations sur Paris Talks, rendez-vous sur https://www.paris-talks.com/

With her angelic voice and soulful melodies, Sumana is a speaker everyone wanted to see and hear on stage at Paris Talks 2023. The Paris-based India-born singer-songwriter found her calling in music by chance, after an unexpected encounter with a subway musician in the Parisian metro. Her mentor, @VanupieOfficiel inspired her to pursue her passion and start performing in the city's underground music scene. Despite having a promising corporate career ahead of her, Sumana's heart belonged to music. With unwavering passion, conviction, and courage, she took the leap of faith to become an independent artist. Her hard work paid off when she released her debut album titled Easy in June 2022, which showcases her unique blend of indie-pop and soulful sounds. Since then, Sumana has been captivating audiences with her mesmerizing performances at various venues in and around Paris. Her uplifting lyrics and catchy tunes are sure to leave you feeling inspired and energized. In her performance talk on the 2023 Paris Talks Ideas Festival's stage, the Paris-based singer and independent Songwriter @SumanaMusic talks about her journey through life's uncertain moments, her corporate working experiences and dreams, and her passion and professional experiences through the arts, and most importantly music. This talk was filmed and recorded in March 2023 at the Paris Talks Ideas Festival at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris (France). For more information about Sumana's work, check out and subscribe to her YouTube channel and, if you're in Paris, don't hesitate to go see her live music performances at https://www.sumanamusic.com/

For more information about @ParisTalks, please visit our website: https://www.paris-talks.com ..................

"The day you stop dreaming is the day you kill your drive for success." In this talk, entrepreneur and leadership educator, Bernard Muhindo shares insights, inspired by real-world success stories, on ways to keep harnessing the art of creativity for success in business, stressing that entrepreneurs and business people are a force for good with the mandate to make this world a better place. This talk was filmed and recorded in March 2023 at the Paris Talks Ideas Festival at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris (France). For more information about Bernard's work, visit his website: https://bernardmuhindo.com/ For more information about Paris Talks, please visit our website: https://www.paris-talks.com/

This talk was filmed and can be found on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/NUDReKPDr8c?si=kUNDdHBr4OOhXXev

This and the previous episodes have been produced by me, Michael BAHATI.

Our theme song is Nipe story by Charmant Mushaga

Additional music has been provided by Sumana Music and Pixabay.

For any question related to this or any other episodes of this podcast, please reach our via Twitter @ParisTalks or send us an email to contact@paris-talks.com

Paris Talks is produced by Michael Bahati

Our theme song is Nipe Story by Charmant Mushaga

For more information about this episode podcast and our other projects, please visit www.paris-talks.com

Born in Italy to an Italian Catholic mother and a Senegalese/Gambian father, this African, European, Italian, Gambian, Senegalese, blue collar, bourgeois, Muslim-Catholic, afro-italian guy is, well “technically”, all and none of these adjectives at the same time”. It’s important to mention here that that’s a self-description of Adama Sanneh, today’s Paris Talks Podcast guest. Adama is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Moleskine Foundation, a Milan-based non-profit organization that pursues a mission of ‘Creativity for Social Change’ with a special purpose of inspiring, encouraging and connecting young people to transform themselves and their communities through creativity.

Like many of the Paris Talks Podcast guests and listeners, Adama was brought up in a globalized world, he has lived in four different countries between Africa and Europe and his growth and learning experiences have been immersed in a cosmopolitan context.

If we were to start a New Normal, what and how should it be?

That’s the question we’re asking Adama today and, you know what?, he thinks that there’s never ever been such a thing as a “Normal”. It’s all been fictional.

He’s challenging us to start living our lives and designing our policies in a straight-forward intentional manner.

Welcome to the Paris Talks Podcast.

The season two of the Paris Talks Podcast is trying to understand the post-COVID-19’s New Normal through inspiring stories and testimonies from innovators, community influencers and policy-designers.

Paris Talks is produced by Michael Bahati

Our theme song is Nipe Story (pronounced “kneepay story”) by Charmant Mushaga

Additional music is provided by pixabay.com and Sumana Music

For more information about this episode podcast and our other projects, please visit www.paris-talks.com

Her musical journey began right from her childhood as she enthusiastically embraced the stage and actively engaged in singing events. Through her youth in Bangalore, she was part of many acappella groups and choirs. After her Bachelor's degree, Sumana moved to Paris to pursue an MBA from HEC Paris. As fate would have it, a chance encounter with musician Vanupié in the Parisian metros would change her life forever.

This defining moment led her to learning the guitar, writing songs and exploring music passionately.

In 2016, Sumana was selected to perform in the Paris metros. She has been a regular metro singer ever since, sharing her songs with the thousands of people traveling in the subway.

Right before the Covid-19 Pandemic and after more than 12 years in the financial sector, Sumana decided to take a break from her full time corporate job and dedicate her time, love and energy to music.

If we were to start a New Normal, what and how should it be?

That’s the question we’re asking Sumana in this episode.

Welcome to yet another episode of the Paris Talks Podcast.

This season two of the Paris Talks Podcast is trying to understand the post-COVID-19’s New Normal through inspiring stories and testimonies from innovators, community influencers and policy-designers.

Paris Talks is produced by Michael Bahati

Our theme song is Nipe Story (pronounced “kneepay story”) by Charmant Mushaga

Additional music is provided by pixabay.com and Sumana Music

For more information about this episode podcast and our other projects, please visit www.paris-talks.com

Sumana’s contacts and news are found on instagram at sumanamusic

Christopher Kramme is the co-founder and CEO of Outcome, a Paris-based startup leveraging collective intelligence and technology to change the way firms work together.

Prior to launching Outcome, Chris spent two decades with BNP Paribas in Europe and the United States in roles ranging from corporate finance to client coverage.

Christopher was in Paris during the earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic...well, that’s before it was called COVID-19….that’s also when it was still considered “a Chinese affair”.

Things went so fast that, a month later, Christopher found himself in his country house with the family adapting to remote working, homeschooling, meditating and other quickly-developed habits to keep his mental and physical sanity intact.

If we were to start a New Normal, what and how should it be?

That’s the question we’re asking Christopher today  and, while he is a huge fan of technological advancements, he believes there’s no way we should put aside and undermine human interactions if we were to design a “New Normal”.

Welcome to yet another episode of the Paris Talks Podcast.

The season two of the Paris Talks Podcast is trying to understand the post-COVID-19’s New Normal through inspiring stories and testimonies from innovators, community influencers and policy-designers.

This episode of the Paris Talks podcast is produced by Michael Bahati

Our theme song is Nipe Story (pronounced “kneepay story”) by Charmant Mushaga

Additional music is provided via the pixabay.com.

For more information about this episode podcast and our other projects, please reach out via Twitter.

For more information about this podcast and our other projects, please reach out via Twitter ( @ParisTalks) or send us an email to contact@paris-talks.com

In his lecture-like talk on the Paris Talks stage at UNESCO, the  Writer, Environmental and Energy Transition Innovator Pierre-Etienne FRANC methodically argues on the benefits of Hydrogen, adding that “it’s possible to demonstrate zero emission mobility in a city using Hydrogen fuel-cell” 

In his talk on the 2019 Paris Talks Conference stage at UNESCO, the Writer & ICAN France spokesperson & Arctic research, expert on issues of Defence and International Security, Jean-Marie Collin freaks participants out on future possibilities of an imminent nuclear war. Telling a story of The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency’s false alert about an incoming ballistic missile, Jean-Marie argues that atomic weapons could be used one day or another against us, our environment, cities, civilians and countries. 

In this talk, Jean-Marie tries to answer the question of our preparedness for a potential nuclear war and whether we’re ready to face the consequences of a nuclear war. Why hasn’t there been another nuclear war recently? “Luck”, argues Jean-marie.

“We all have a choice; to accept living in a fear of a nuclear detonation or to act right now”, he says.

In her talk on the 2019 Paris Talks Conference stage at UNESCO, the humanitarian, former Pakistani parliamentarian and cabinet member, Marvi Memon, talked about a disturbing observations of conflicts - mismanaged by corrupt institutions and global leadership - that nurture chronic poverty for some and great economic opportunities for others. To have safer and equal economic opportunities for all, Marvi argues that conflicts have to be solved through social programs, social insurance for all, territorial dispute resolutions’ programs and a labour-market program (aka economic dependency) among states. 

For more information about Paris Talks, please visit us on Twitter at @ParisTalks

In this talk, Kyle Matthews, the  Executive Director of Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, insists that to be able to win the war on terrorism, we have to be able to engage in the battle of ideas. 

How can we do that? 

Kyle argues that education is the key. 

We must continuously teach critical skills, apply the rule of law and stop our military obsession as it doesn't kill terror ideas. 

The best way to fight violent extremism is to bring the authors of these crimes to courts of justice.

In his 2019 Paris Talks Conference talk at UNESCO in 2019,  Writer & Journalist Alex Taylor discusses the messy break-up of Brexit, looking at its implication for popular confidence in glogal leadership. According to Alex, Identity & sincerity are some of the main issues politicians and the global leadership should learn to fix to avoid many issues that can turn into conflict. 

In this round table discussion on the Paris Talks stage at UNESCO in March 2019, the radio personality David J. COFFEY,  Deputy Head of Service RFI English engages Marvi Mermon, Sonia BEN ALI and Timo Eliott in a discussion on issues related to conflict and ways to resolve current politically-motivated divides in our society.

In her talk on the Paris Talks stage at UNESCO in March 2019, the Social Innovator, Co-Founder and CEO at URBAN REFUGEES Sonia BEN ALI, argues that even though refugees are victims of armed conflicts and, definitely suffer from the consequences of these conflicts, they are also powerful solutions builders and finders that need to be empowered and engaged.

In his keynote speech at the 2019 edition of the Paris Talks Conference at UNESCO,  Lassina Zerbo, the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization challenged the Paris Talks participants on the importance of innovating through the art of getting to commit to our engagements as Nation States and citizens but also learning to love and care for one another.