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.

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.