Magali Reghezza-Zitt

After a scorching and fiery summer, we might have reason to weep, despair, and resign ourselves. Yet, this legitimate anger of ours could take another turn: that of resolute action to conceive a new way of living in order to preserve what can be. And, surprisingly, this new world could be enviable, desirable, and make us very happy.

« 2055. I am now 77 years old and, in the twilight of my life, I look back on the path I have travelled with pride and immense relief. If only I could go back twenty-five years to tell those who committed themselves to bringing about this new world that their struggle bore fruit. If only I could tell my fellow citizens, who had placed their trust in those who minimised the danger to protect their immediate interests, all that we nevertheless managed to preserve and all that the transition improved in our lives.  » Magali Reghezza-Zitt What if it was time to stop believing that there is no alternative to “it’s always been this way”? We can think differently, live differently, eat differently, consume differently, communicate differently. This is the choice Magali Reghezza-Zitt makes with her book Bienvenue en 2055. Going against apocalyptic visions of the future, those photos of desert and famine, the geographer chooses to show and describe what a new society could be like. The narrative is accompanied by illustrations which, for the first time, concretely provide us with a desirable horizon that makes us want to fight. To transform society, energy and imagination will be needed. Thanks to the hope Magali Reghezza-Zitt gives us, we finally have what we need to collectively empower ourselves. During this meeting, Magali Reghezza-Zitt will discuss with the public the very concrete transformations that could lead us towards this society: our ways of living, moving, eating, consuming, and inhabiting our territories.

About

Magali Reghezza-Zitt is a geographer, a former student of the École normale supérieure, agrégée and doctor in geography. Her scientific work focuses on the environment and the prevention and management of natural disaster risks. She specialises in resilience.