André Yinda
Thinking world order. Acting for those who go unseen. I taught in Yaoundé, defended my thesis in Paris, led integration projects in Brussels. Everywhere, the same fault line : talents, neighbourhoods, whole peoples that institutions look at without seeing. I devote my voice and my action to them : analysis, fieldwork, proposals.
There are those who are listened to, and all the others no one even hears anymore.
Our time is full of blind spots : work changing faster than our policies, democracies that doubt themselves. I speak up to shed light on them, and to propose.
"A just order does not silence those who disturb it. It makes room for them."
Work & dignity
Work as the first form of recognition. Making visible the talents and paths the market overlooks.
Charleroi & Brussels
Two cities, one commitment : in Charleroi, twenty years of civic action, integration and diversity work ; in Brussels, a young, plural capital that must work for all its residents, municipality by municipality.
Euro-African relations
Beyond the face-off between an ageing Europe and a twenty-year-old Africa : a relationship of equals, built on mutual interest.
Cameroon between Africa and Europe
A diaspora that links two continents : supporting it and standing by its business, training and investment projects, so that it becomes a bridge rather than an exile.
Equal opportunity
School, training and the first job as gateways : no one should be judged by their name or their address.
Democracy & participation
Citizens involved in decisions, not merely consulted : palaver as a method, conflict as a resource.
World order
From Machiavelli to today : thinking power, peace and democracy in a world being reshaped.
Two worlds in dialogue
A philosopher by training and a hands-on manager, I split my career between two worlds that inform one another : academic research in political philosophy and international relations, and the leadership of socially impactful organisations in Belgium.
Of Cameroonian origin, based in Brussels and Charleroi since the early 2000s, I have led vocational training and integration centres, held general management and senior expert roles within public institutions and the social economy at federal and regional level, before founding Incluseo consulting and then Joboost, a human resources management consultancy.
This dual background — academic and operational — sets me one standard : linking thought and action, in an organisation, in a city like Brussels, as in relations between Europe and Africa.
- Based in
- Brussels & Charleroi, Belgium
- Education
- PhD in Political Studies, EHESS (Paris)
- Areas
- Governance & Executive Management · Vocational Training & Integration · Diversity & Inclusion · Immigration & African Politics · International Relations · Political Philosophy
- Languages
- French · English · Dutch
- Network
Hands-on experience between research and organisational leadership
A chronological record of roles held, from university teaching in Yaoundé to leading a consulting firm in Brussels.
Human resources management consultancy : research, training, recruitment and placement.
Founding and growing a diversity and inclusion consulting firm : audits, training, coaching and strategic support for companies, public bodies and non-profits, across the five pillars of diversity (age, gender, disability, origin, orientation).
General administration, human resources management, coordination of research, training, coaching and publishing activities; institutional representation and budget oversight.
Drafting training manuals and designing instructional tools for advisers supporting jobseekers; preparation and monitoring of European projects (ESF, ERDF, Horizon Europe) totalling over €21M in funding.
Coordinating a panel of academic experts and researchers on the creation, funding and development of the Centre for Research and Information on Policy and Transparency.
General management of a vocational training and integration centre : project management, HR and financial management, curriculum design, partnership development and fundraising.
Setting up the organisation and building the team; day-to-day coordination of a mobility-based vocational integration centre, project development and fundraising.
Postdoctoral research, then coordination of international relations programmes; designing and leading doctoral seminars on colonial memory and Machiavellian thought.
Studies, syntheses and policy proposals feeding into the Belgian federal government's international environmental policy.
Coordinating the doctoral seminar in political studies; fundamental research in political philosophy, and research fundraising.
Teaching and research in political philosophy, Faculty of Arts, Letters and Humanities; associate researcher at GRAPS, University of Yaoundé II.
What I bring to organisations
"Ordering is not controlling."
Inclusive Strategic Management
Leading organisations and teams around governance with strong social impact.
Training & Instructional Design
Designing manuals, tools and training pathways for vocational integration.
Diversity & Inclusion
Auditing, training and supporting organisations across the five pillars of diversity : age, gender, disability, origin, orientation.
Research & Political Analysis
Political philosophy, international relations, colonial memory — twenty years of academic research.
Financial Management & Development
Budgets, fundraising, reporting on European projects (ESF, ERDF), public subsidy monitoring.
Communication & Representation
Public speaking, advocacy, leading institutional and civic networks.
Academic roots
PhD in Political Studies, EHESS (Paris)
Thesis : "Ordering the World : A Machiavellian Art", supervised by Pierre Manent — highest distinction, with unanimous congratulations from the jury.
First-year doctoral studies (DEA equivalent), University of Yaoundé I
Major in political philosophy — thesis : "Cosmopolitanism in Kant and Machiavelli".
Master's in Philosophy, University of Douala
Major in moral & political philosophy — thesis : "Morality and Politics in Machiavelli's The Prince".
Bachelor's in Philosophy and Humanities, University of Douala
Further training : Social law (UCM, 2010) · English for Business, Cambridge (2009) · Business Management, Bruxelles Formation (2008).
- Raymond Aron Prize — 2005Distinction for research work in political and strategic thought, Société des amis de Raymond Aron, Paris.
- Brain Back to Brussels Grant — 2008Brussels-Capital Region Government, best postdoctoral research project.
- CODESRIA Grant — 2001Thesis grant programme, Dakar.
Writings & Talks
A bibliographic selection drawn from my published work — full list available on request.
My books
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Books and articles marked with a link below can be ordered or read directly online, each linking to its own source.
Books
- Decolonial Montesquieu? Critique of the Belgian Balance of Powers Debate, New York, KDP Amazon Press, 2019.
Order on Amazon - Making World Order. Uses of Machiavelli, foreword by Pierre Manent, Paris, L'Harmattan, "Pouvoirs comparés" series, 2008.Published in French as : « L'art d'ordonner le monde. Usages de Machiavel »
Order on Amazon
Book Chapters
- "Paths of Integration : Afropolitan Prolegomena", in K. Gyssels (ed.), African Presence in Europe and Beyond, Paris, L'Harmattan, 2010, pp. 193-213.
- "From Toussaint Louverture to Jean-Michel Basquiat : the Link of Subversion", in M. Beniamino & A. Thauvin-Chapot (eds.), Memories and Cultures : Haiti 1804-2004, Limoges, PULIM, "Francophonies" series, 2006, pp. 119-133.
- "A Critique of the Transnational Citizenship", in H. Gafaïti, P. M. E. Lorcin & D. G. Troyansky (eds.), Francophone Migrations, Diasporas and Transculturalities, Paris, L'Harmattan, 2005, pp. 153-174.
- "For a Philosophy of Immigration", in L. Sindjoun (ed.), State, Individuals and Networks inside African Migrations, Paris, Karthala, 2004, pp. 333-354.
- "Cameroon Between War and Peace in Africa", in D. Abwa (ed.), Dynamics of Regional Integration in Central Africa, Yaoundé, Presses universitaires de Yaoundé, 2001, pp. 639-676.
Journal Articles
- "Machiavelli and Neoconservatives : Challenging the Empire", Études internationales, vol. XXXVIII, no. 1, March 2007, pp. 33-50.
Read on Érudit - "Prophets, War and Politics in Central Africa : a Florence Tropism", Enjeux, no. 33, 2007, pp. 20-26.
- "Subversive Memories : from Louverture to Basquiat", Tumultes, no. 27, Nov. 2006, pp. 69-88.
- "The International Memory of Africa", Polis — Cameroonian Journal of Political Science, no. 11, 2004, pp. 25-45.
- "Thinking African International Relations : From Problems to Philosophems Today", Polis, no. 8, 2001, pp. 141-158.
- "Between Peace and War(s) Today : The Disruptive Ambivalence of Postmodern Political Exercises", Dialogue & Reconciliation, no. 1, Dec. 2001, pp. 85-115.
- "Sequences of a Meeting with Pierre Manent", Cahier AMEP, no. 1, 2014, pp. 37-42.
Selected Talks
- "African Palabra and Inclusive Democracy", Study day on orality, Philocité, University of Liège, 12.11.2019.
- "The African Quest of Civilization", CERDOTOLA International Conference, Yaoundé, 18-21.06.2015.
- "Machiavelli in International Relations : Receptions, Uses, Projections", Doctoral seminar, Institute for European Studies, ULB, 19.02.2009.
- "Imperial Way of Doing Democracy", 20th Congress of the International Political Science Association, Fukuoka, Japan, 09.07.2006.
- "Immigration in the New International Relations", Texas Tech University, 21-23.03.2001.
Full list of talks and conferences (15+ presentations, 1999-2019) available on request.
Public Writing
- "Towards Inclusive Liberal Leadership in Belgian Politics", Mediapart Blog, 03.09.2019 — read the article.
- "Fifty Years of African Independence : A Critical Assessment", Bruxelles Laïque Échos, no. 69, 2010, pp. 45-49 — read the article.
- "We Must Not Lose Hope in Humanity", in-depth interview, Dimanche, 11 September 2022.
Bibliographic note : my name was printed without my consent, as author of an afterword, on the cover of Charles Ateba Eyene's book Le Cameroun sous la dictature des Loges… (Yaoundé, Éditions Saint-Paul, 2012).
Civic engagement & professional networks
- 2017 — 2019Chair, Charleroi Alternative — citizen movement defending and promoting local and regional political participation.
- 2015 — 2017Executive Secretary, Collectif Charleroi Diversité — federation of associations working against discrimination and for diversity.
- 2014 — 2017Facilitator, Charleroi citizen cafés.
- 2012 — 2014Board member, Belgian French-speaking Political Science Association (ABSP-CF).
- 2010 — 2012Board member, Centre régional d'intégration de Charleroi (CRIC).
Economic & Institutional Networks
Academic & Scientific Networks
In the field
Twenty years of action in Charleroi and Brussels: training, integration, civic debate.
Debate, pass on, build together
An invitation to a debate or a lecture, a press request, an academic collaboration, or a student or young professional looking for advice to move forward : my door is open.