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2. #2 - Dipo Fayolin
44:14||Season 1, Ep. 2Welcome to the second edition of Handing Over the Mic !In this episode, hosts Christine Mhundwa and Elisa Díaz Gras are joined by Dipo Faloyin, author of Africa Is Not A Country. Dipo’s insightful writing has been featured in The Guardian, The New York Times, Esquire, and more. As a journalist and commentator, he explores the complexities of identity, geopolitics, and Africa’s evolving relationship with the rest of the world.Christine, a seasoned journalist and host of Deutsche Welle’s daily Africa news show, brings her deep expertise in political reporting, having covered key developments across southern Africa. Elisa, with over 20 years of experience in diplomacy and international affairs, is the Head of the Global South Programme at BIG.“People can obviously see a lot of the political instabilities across Europe and the real fights for identity and for what the future of the European project is. . . . That has probably contributed a lot to young Africans looking more internally to focus on their communities”.In this conversation, Dipo reflects on how, for some African countries, the search for economic and security benefits has led them increasingly to consider alternatives to traditional European partnerships. Notably, Russia, before the war in Ukraine, had positioned itself as a partner offering security and economic support without the political entanglements that many African nations associate with Europe. Dipo touches on how this approach, alongside the rising influence of China, has been seen by some as an opportunity.Production and DistributionEpisodes will be available on major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and also featured on the homepages of BIG and our partner the European Cultural Foundation.
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1. #1 - Mohamed Mbougar Sarr
41:38||Season 1, Ep. 1Welcome to the first edition Handing Over the Mic, a new podcast series launching today (19 February) where influential voices from the Global South share their perspectives on Europe—its past, present and future.What does Europe look like from the outside? What narratives do people from regions of the Global South attribute to Europe?Hosts Elisa Diaz Gras, Margaux Cassan and Christine Mhundwa speak with political leaders, writers, artists, diplomats and intellectuals engaged in current geopolitical debate to explore Europe’s historical legacy, global image and evolving role in the world.In this first episode, we hand over the mic to Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, the acclaimed Senegalese writer and 2021 Prix Goncourt winner. In a wide-ranging conversation, he reflects on Europe's literature, politics and historical legacy through the lens of Senegal and Africa, offering new insights on identity, colonial memory and the powerof storytelling.HostsMargaux Cassan : Author of Vivre Nu (2023) and Paul Ricoeur: le courage du compromis (2021), Margaux explores the intersection of activism and philosophy. A philosophy graduate from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, she is currentlyworking with BIG on a project about the year 1989.Elisa Díaz Gras : A political theorist with twenty years of experience in diplomacy and international affairs, Elisa has represented Mexico at various multilateral and regional organizations. She is Head of the Global South Programme at BIG.Christine Mhundwa : Host of Deutsche Welle’s daily Africa news show and general news programmes, Christine’s reporting for CNBC Africa earned her the ‘Best Newcomer’ prize at the Vodacom Journalism Awards. As a correspondent, she hascovered key political developments in southern Africa.Production and DistributionEpisodes will be available on major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and also featured on the homepages of BIG and our partner the European Cultural Foundation.
1. Trailer
01:55||Season 1, Ep. 1Tune in to Handing Over the Mic, a new podcast series where influential voicesfrom the Global South share their perspectives on Europe—its past, present andfuture.What does Europe look like from the outside? What narratives do people fromregions of the Global South attribute to Europe?Hosts Elisa Diaz Gras, Margaux Cassan and Christine Mhundwa speak with politicalleaders, writers, artists, diplomats and intellectuals engaged in current geopoliticaldebate to explore Europe’s historical legacy, global image and evolving role in theworld.In our first episode (lauching 19 February 2025) we hand over the mic to MohamedMbougar Sarr, the acclaimed Senegalese writer and 2021 Prix Goncourt winner. In awide-ranging conversation, he reflects on Europe's literature, politics and historicallegacy through the lens of Senegal and Africa, offering new insights on identity,colonial memory and the power of storytelling.Listen to the trailer below, subscribe and share!This podcast is produced by the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics in collaborationwith the European Cultural Foundation.