Michel Bampély
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Michel Bampély (born 8 October 1974 in Kyiv, Ukraine) is a French sociologist, poet, singer, and music producer.[1] He is also known by his stage name Saint-Michel. His work mixes music, spoken word, and social research.
Biography
Bampély grew up in Paris, where he discovered hip hop.[2] He studied literature and sociology and earned a PhD from EHESS under Jean-Louis Fabiani.[3]
His grandfather, Michel Mongali, was a youth and sports minister in Congo in the 1960s. His uncle Maxime Mongali was a known Congolese composer.[2]
Music career
Bampély created the group La Troupe in the late 1990s. His first album, La fête des fous, came out in 2000. He later released Les Rillettes du Mans (2011), mixing French song and slam. In 2023, he released Grand Enfant (Afro-Jazz Vol.1) with Universal Music Africa.
Public life
In 2024, Bampély co-signed a letter with 4,000 scientists in L’Obs magazine, warning against far-right threats to academic freedom.[4][5]
Personal life
He married poet Mademoiselle Éférie in 2022. They have two children and perform together as a duo.
Discography
- La fête des fous (2000)
- Les Rillettes du Mans (2011)
- Grand Enfant (Afro-Jazz Vol.1) (2023)
- Les Infinis (Soul Jazz Poetry) (2025)
Publications
- 1999: La fête des fous, songs for voice and piano. Scorpio Music.
- 2016: Songs and Costumes in French Legal Tradition. Éditions L’Épitoge.
- 2025: In Africa, the Constitutional Order in Question. Afrique Contemporaine.
Articles
- 2025: Michel Bampély, “Review of *Cuba and Africa, 1959–1994: Writing an Alternative Atlantic History*”, in Afrique Contemporaine, no. 278, vol. 2 (2024).[6]
References
Other websites
- Official profile at EHESS
- "Saint-Michel, Afro-Jazz and Congolese Heritage" on Afrik.com
- "Jazz, Love and Africa" on Africultures
- Media related to Michel Bampély at Wikimedia Commons