The Europeans | European news, politics and culture

Putin's African antics, the death of Skype, and a Eurovision c-bomb

Mar 13, 2025

Beverly Ochieng, a senior analyst focused on Francophone Africa, dives into Russia's stealthy maneuvers across the continent, unraveling the intricacies of the Wagner Group's involvement. She discusses Moscow's motivations and strategic goals amid the Ukraine conflict. The conversation also takes a humorous detour into the Eurovision controversy over a provocative song title, melding art and social commentary. Plus, they reflect on the nostalgic end of Skype, exploring European tech's struggle against American giants.

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INSIGHT

EU Regulation and Tech Sovereignty

EU regulations like the DMA and DSA aim to control big tech, causing transatlantic tension.
This raises concerns about Europe's dependence on US tech and the need for "tech sovereignty."

ADVICE

Buy European Tech

Support European tech companies whenever possible.
This can boost their businesses and promote strategic independence.

ANECDOTE

Eurovision C-Bomb

Malta's Eurovision entry caused controversy due to the word "cunt," meaning "singing" in Maltese.
The EBU requested a lyric change due to its similarity to an English vulgarity.

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Thousands of kilometres from the devastating war it's been waging in Ukraine, Russia has involved itself in a swathe of other conflicts that attract much less attention: in Africa. Why? This week we speak to Beverly Ochieng, a self-described Wagner Group stalker, about what Russia is playing at. We're also talking about a foul-mouthed (?) Eurovision controversy, and why none of the world's big bad tech giants come from Europe. Beverly is a senior analyst for francophone Africa at Control Risks and a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. You can follow her here on Bluesky and here on Mastodon. Check out our full conversation with Beverly on our YouTube channel. Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast! This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: Codenames and The Economist's Glass Ceiling Index. Other resources for this week's episode European Alternatives - euro-companies making all kinds of digital products: https://european-alternatives.eu/ Jitsi, the great Zoom alternative created by a swing-dancing Erasmus student: https://jitsi.org/ 'The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World' by Anu Bradford: https://academic.oup.com/book/36491 Fact-check: Does the EU really buy 80% of its weapons from overseas? (No, no it doesn't.) Bluesky thread by The Economist's Stanley Pignal, March 9, 2025: https://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3ljxd4r4cos25 Miriana Conte - Kant (‘Singing’); National Final Performance, Eurovision Song Contest 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qNK1tt6L5k 00:33 Smellovision and feminist babies
03:32 Bad Week: Skype
25:19 Good Week: Language prudes
37:39 Interview: Beverly Ochieng on Russia's African antics
53:40 The Inspiration Station: Codenames and The Economist's Glass Ceiling Index
56:44 Happy Ending: Easier breathing for Londoners Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | hello@europeanspodcast.com