In this episode, we hand over the mic to Dr Irene Khan, an internationally recognized leading voice in the defence of human rights, gender equality, and social justice. She is currently the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, becoming the first woman to hold the position. 

Khan has been a leader on some of the most pressing issues of our time, as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, where she served for over two decades; at Amnesty International, its first female Secretary General; and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), which she led from 2012 to 2019.

Speaking with hosts Christine Mhundwa and Elisa Díaz Gras, Dr Khan enlightens us on complex issues such as digital regulation, human rights and Europe's role in shaping global tech governance. Dr Khan highlights the weaponisation and commodification of freedom of expression, noting how some governments and companies promote only certain types of speech, undermining democratic values. 

The goal for Europe, she asserts, should be to 'create a system that is going to operate well no matter which part of the world you are in, when it comes to digital technology', adopting a truly global approach. She believes that 'this is an opportunity for Europe to play a leadership role, but it has to be an inclusive leadership role. We are not going back to Colonialism 2.0. Europe needs to recognize that is has partners on the other side - equal partners.'

Christine Mhundwa is 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 Díaz Gras has over 20 years of experience in diplomacy and international affairs, and is the Head of the Global South Programme at BIG.

Handing Over the Mic is a podcast by the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, produced with the support of the European Cultural Foundation.

Production and Distribution

Episodes are available on all major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and are also featured on the homepages of BIG and our partner, the European Cultural Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this new episode of Handing Over the Mic, a podcast series 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? Through this series, hosts Elisa Díaz Gras, Margaux Cassan and Christine Mhundwa invite writers, diplomats, artists and intellectuals to offer new, often unexpected, perspectives on how Europe is imagined beyond its borders.

In this episode, we hand over the mic to Dr. Vera Songwe, a renowned economist and global leader in development, finance and policy. With clarity and precision, she challenges the catch-all label “Global South,” arguing for more rigorous language—emerging economies, low- and middle-income countries, aspiring nations—that recognizes diversity and progress rather than relegation.

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She calls for partnerships that level the playing field, from agricultural market access to fairer trade, and for reforms of the multilateral system—governance, voice, and debt resolution—so countries can design and own their development paths.

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Taking a resolutely pragmatic view of geopolitics, Songwe insists Africa is on Africa’s side, navigating great-power rivalry by pursuing technology, finance and industry wherever they best serve citizens—while accelerating regional integration through the AfCFTA and bolder value-addition strategies, from cocoa pricing to local processing.

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She lays out a compelling climate agenda: make climate an all-of-government mission, recognize that the climate economy can be more prosperous, and scale innovative instruments—loss-and-damage, climate-resilient debt clauses, and creative swaps—to unlock adaptation and mitigation at speed.

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And she closes with a call to invest in specialty training for Africa’s youth—from mining engineering to advanced manufacturing—so human capital rises with industrial ambition.

Vera_Songwe.mp3

Handing Over the Mic is a podcast by the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, produced with the support of the European Cultural Foundation.

Production and Distribution

Episodes are available on all major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and are also featured on the homepages of BIG and our partner, the European Cultural Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this new episode of Handing Over the Mic, a podcast series 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? Through this series, hosts Elisa Díaz Gras, Margaux Cassan and Christine Mhundwa invite writers, diplomats, artists and intellectuals to offer new, often unexpected, perspectives on how Europe is imagined beyond its borders.

In this episode, we hand over the mic to Tarek Atoui, the trail-blazing Lebanese electro-acoustic composer and sound artist born in 1980. From his first impressions of Europe while witnessing France’s switch from the franc to the euro, to his globe-spanning performances that dissolve cultural and physical frontiers, Atoui invites us into a sonic universe where hospitality, experimentation and collective listening take centre stage. He reflects on the power and pitfalls of European cultural funding networks he first encountered in the early 2000s, and explains why he has learnt to resist the lure of artistic “fads” in favour of long-term, community-driven practice.

Drawing on formative projects such as Within, which re-imagines music through the expertise of Deaf and hard-of-hearing performers, and his recent collaborations with choreographer Noé Soulier, Atoui shows how sound can become both a bridge and a form of gentle provocation. He speaks candidly about growing up in war-torn Beirut, questioning Europe’s shifting borders, and exploring the Mediterranean not as a closed basin but as a channel of perpetual exchange. The result is a richly textured meditation on identity, inclusion and the ways subtle vibrations can upend entrenched narratives.

Handing Over the Mic is a podcast by the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, produced with the support of the European Cultural Foundation.

Production and Distribution

Episodes are available on all major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and are also featured on the homepages of BIG and our partner, the European Cultural Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this new episode of Handing Over the Mic, a podcast series 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?Through this series, hosts Elisa Díaz Gras, Margaux Cassan and Christine Mhundwa invite writers, diplomats, artists and intellectuals to offer new, often unexpected, perspectives on how Europe is imagined beyond its borders.

In this episode, we hand over the mic to Louma Salamé, cultural leader and director of the Boghossian Foundation. Born in Beirut and raised in Paris, Louma draws on a life between cultures to offer a deeply personal, nuanced reflection on Europe. From the Villa Empain in Brussels to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, she shares stories of métissage, migration, and the transformative power of art. With clarity and conviction, she reflects on how cultural institutions—museums, foundations, residencies—can serve as agents of dialogue, empathy, and soft power in today’s polarized world.

Handing Over the Mic is a podcast by the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, produced with the support of the European Cultural Foundation.

Production and Distribution

Episodes 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome 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 Distribution

Episodes 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome 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 power

of storytelling.

Hosts

Margaux 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 currently

working 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 has

covered key political developments in southern Africa.

Production and Distribution

Episodes 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tune in to Handing Over the Mic, a new podcast series 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 our first episode (lauching 19 February 2025) 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 power of storytelling.

Listen to the trailer below, subscribe and share!

This podcast is produced by the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics in collaboration

with the European Cultural Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.