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.