Think and Do Tank & Independent Consultancy

CC
Connecting
Cultures

Bridging rigorous research with practitioner experience across politics, civil society, and media — from the Mediterranean and MENA to the Sahel and West Africa.

Who We Are

A Think and Do Tank and a Consultancy that Connects Continents and Cultures

CC is an independent think-and-do tank and consultancy that bridges rigorous research with hands-on project-management. We work across politics, civil society, media, and digital innovation — combining analytical depth with practitioner experience to deliver real impact at every level, from local communities to strategic policy.

Our strength lies in our interdisciplinarity: we connect geopolitics, security, media, culture and development in ways that single-discipline consultancies cannot. From field research and capacity-building to high-level policy advice, we operate across the full spectrum — from grassroots engagement to EU-funded strategy. Our geographic focus spans the Mediterranean, the MENA region, and the Sahel and West Africa.

6+
Associate Research Fellows
3
Active International Projects
3
Regions: Mediterranean · MENA · Sahel & West Africa
EU
Funded Projects incl. German Foreign Office
Mediterranean Region
MENA
Sahel & West Africa
France · Germany · Spain
Syria · Jordan
Libya · Tunisia · Niger

Leadership & Core Team

AE
Dr. Asiem El Difraoui
Founder & Director

Political scientist and award-winning journalist specialising in propaganda and disinformation. Author of a doctoral thesis on jihadist propaganda; co-author of the Arab Media Handbook. Active in EuroMeSCo for many years.

VS
Verena Schad
Programme Manager

Communications expert and journalist with experience in reputation, crisis, and change management. Formerly worked on Germany's international image and in MENA/Sahel project coordination.

Abdullatif Sleibi
Senior Data Analyst, PAX

Specialising in online mis/disinformation, extremism, AI regulation, and Protection of Civilians policies. Contributor to media literacy projects with the European Institute of the Mediterranean.

Guillaume Soto-Mayor
President, Egregor

Expert in political and security issues in Africa and Europe, with field research on religious, social violence, disinformation, and hate speech.

Dr. Elise Bernard
ESSEC – Geopolitics Chair

Doctor in public law (Sorbonne Paris III), expert for international organisations since 2021, member of a CNRS scientific committee.

Dr. Lana Kazkaz
Scholar, Blanquerna Observatory

Journalist and guest professor focusing on hate speech, interfaith dialogue, and religion-media relations in the Middle East. PhD, Ramon Llull University Barcelona.

Nagla Abed
Senior Project Leader & M&E Expert

20+ years of experience in EU-funded programmes on youth engagement and civil society in the Euro-Mediterranean context. Formerly Anna Lindh Foundation.

David Fajolles
Sciences Po Paris & Institut Catholique de Paris

Teaches comparative cultural policy, heritage & international relations, and technology foresight at Sciences Po Paris and the Institut Catholique de Paris. Formerly European Union Institute for Security Studies; French Ministers of European Affairs and of Culture. Secretary-General of the French National Commission for UNESCO; Director-General of the Robert de Sorbon Foundation. Graduate of the École normale supérieure; Procter Fellow at Princeton University. Extensive work in Latin America and West Africa in French cultural diplomacy. Co-author of Atlas de l'influence française au XXIe siècle (Robert Laffont).

Projects & Initiatives

Examples of projects that were developed and managed by members of our team.

Media Literacy

Syria Media Literacy Lab

Advanced training for Syrian media professionals in media literacy and combating disinformation. Funded by the German Foreign Office. Amman, November 2025.

Visit Project →
Digital Innovation

Digital Sahel

Supporting digital transformation for civil society actors in the Sahel region, including training programmes and hybrid initiatives for youth and communities.

Visit Project →
Youth & Culture

Élan for Europe

Promoting creativity and critical thinking by connecting youth and artists across regions, fostering intercultural exchange and collaboration.

Media Literacy for the Mediterranean Consortium →

Research & Analysis

2026
Asiem El Difraoui, Carola Richter, Anja Wollenberg – forthcoming 2026
2025
El Difraoui, A. – Le Grand Continent, Paris
2025
El Difraoui, A. – Études Sécurité, Le Grand Continent, Paris
2025
Soto-Mayor, G. with Mame Yacine Diop – IRIS, June 2025
2024
Soto-Mayor, G. – De Gruyter-Brill, Studies in Critical Social Sciences, Vol. 295
2022
Bernard, E. – Intereconomics, Volume 57, No. 4, pp. 229–231
Get in Touch

Let's Connect Across Cultures

Whether you're interested in research collaboration, project partnership, or media consultancy, we'd love to hear from you.

Phone
Address
Domaine Jardin del Sud
1 Rue Albin
34390 Saint-Vincent-d'Olargues
France
Contact
Verena Schad & Asiem El Difraoui
info@cc-connect.org