The Take

There's an island in the Indian Ocean that's part of France. It's called Mayotte, and it's become a front line in the story of those seeking asylum in the European Union. Mayotte was part of neighboring Comoros until 1975. Now, Comorians and others are fleeing to Mayotte by boat seeking asylum or a better life.

About 1,800 security officers have been deployed from mainland France as part of Operation Wuambushu, which means “take back” in Mayotte’s local language. The government says that the shantytowns full of people are becoming economy, safety, and health concerns. The move has sparked demonstrations for and against the operation.

In this episode: 

• Dawud Bumaye (@dawudbumaye), Afro-feminist and Comoran activist

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. 

Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

TV and film writers in the US – 11,500 of them – have walked off the job for the first time in 15 years. On May 2, their negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke down. One of the bargaining points: the role of AI in writing a script. The Writers Guild wants to put regulations on artificial intelligence into their contract, and they say the studios have turned them down – leading to the question of how studios envision future writers’ rooms. The Take explores the balance of power between writers and studios. 

In this episode: 

• John August (@johnaugust), Screenwriter and member, Writers Guild of America negotiating committee

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with Sonia Bhagat and our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode. Special thanks to the Scriptnotes podcast and Drew Marquardt.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. 

Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Iran has looked abandoned for years. It was stormed by Iranian protesters back in 2016, and it closed – an extreme low point in the two countries’ relations. A dramatic breakthrough in March led to a landmark agreement to restore ties, brokered in China. Now, both countries’ embassies are set to reopen, turning a page on seven frosty years. So what does restoring relations mean for these two powerful neighbors whose historically fractious relationship has defined the region – and, at times, the globe?

In this episode: 

• Dorsa Jabbari (@DorsaJabbari), Al Jazeera correspondent
• Aziz Alghashian (@AzizAlghashian), Fellow, Project SEPAD

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters with Ashish Malhotra and our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The caste system: it’s a social hierarchy common in South Asian communities, but it’s now also become a flashpoint in the United States. Earlier this year, Seattle became the first city in the US to explicitly ban caste discrimination. The new law has been celebrated by many, and the state of California is considering passing a similar bill. But such moves are not without controversy. South Asians make up just about 2% of the US population, leading some to allege the new law unfairly singles out a minority community and perpetuates stereotypes. 

In this episode: 

• Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama), Member, Seattle City Council 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The coronation is a moment the UK has been waiting for ever since the death of Queen Elizabeth II. On May 6th, Charles III will be crowned during a ceremony that the Crown is aiming to make the most diverse and inclusive event in British history. Reports of multi-faith representation and choir performances featuring refugee and LGBTQ singers will make this coronation distinctly different from those in the past. But the UK’s ongoing economic turmoil, controversial immigration policy, and race-related scandals within the royal family have all kept some Britons from feeling the inclusion. So will Charles III fulfill his desire to be seen as the “people’s king”? Or will the coronation’s attempt to shine a light on diversity fall flat? 

In this episode: 

• Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) Contributing Editor, Novara Media (@novaramedia)

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sonia Bhagat with Negin Owliaei and our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

In a shocking discovery on a ranch hidden in Kenya’s Shakahola Forest, over 100 people – including children – have been found dead in mass graves. Hundreds more are still missing. Pastor Paul Mackenzie convinced followers of his Good News International Church that the world was ending, though he denies telling them to starve themselves to death. Now, the country is reeling, and Kenyan President William Ruto has called the mass deaths “akin to terrorism.” But it wasn’t the pastor’s first brush with the authorities. Could this have been stopped? And how did one man get hundreds of people to follow him down this path?

In this episode: 

• Hussein Khalid (@husskhalid), executive director of HAKI Africa 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The way out of Sudan right now is long and dangerous, and hundreds of thousands of people are on the journey. Nisrin Elamin and her family, including her father, who’s approaching 90, were among those escaping the violence after two weeks of fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the powerful paramilitary known as the Rapid Support Forces. The situation at Sudan’s borders is dire, but inside the country, there are widespread shortages and the violence threatens to increase. Nisrin tells us her story of leaving Sudan, and her worries for the family she left behind. 

In this episode: 

• Nisrin Elamin (@minlayla77), assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The Take is now a daily show. Catch our conversations on the global headlines Monday to Friday, and be sure to hit the subscribe button to get us in your feed. 

What does Russia’s digital draft mean for war? A spring offensive is looming in the war in Ukraine. Russia has already set in place greater restrictions on draft dodgers – suggesting that Russia may be preparing to launch another mass conscription order if it is not able to find enough volunteers. Before, conscripts had to be approached in person in order to be drafted, leading to videos of attempted draft dodgers being dragged unwillingly to enlistment. Now, the only thing standing between potential Russian military conscripts and war is an electronic message on a portal that’s become a major part of Russia’s digital infrastructure. 

In this episode: 

• Maria Kuznetsova (@maria_de_forest) Spokesperson, OVDInfo (@OvdInfo_en)

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei, Sonia Bhagat, and Khaled Soltan with our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Water in the western United States is at a dangerously low level, and the electricity supply for 40 million people could be at risk. It's all because of the region’s worst drought in more than 1,000 years. This summer, the US government is set to make some big decisions on who gets rights to the little water that remains – the states of the Colorado River basin and tribal nations. Many Native tribes have never shared the same rights as the states, and many reservations lack sufficient running water. Now, tribes are trying to change that, but they are afraid they may be left behind again. So what happens next in the West?

In this episode: 

• Jillian Kestler-D’Amours (@jkdamours), reporter and editor for Al Jazeera

• Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor of the Gila River Indian Community
• Nora McDowell, former chairwoman of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe

For more:

• Crisis on the Colorado: The Indigenous fight for water rights

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters, with Sonia Bhagat and Natasha Del Toro, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

In New Zealand, thousands of animals died after two ships transporting them sank. All export of live animals was banned, and now the ban is becoming a symbol of urban-rural divide. In one sinking in 2020, 41 crew members and 6,000 cattle on board the ship Gulf Livestock 1 all died. Now, animal rights activists are celebrating the ban, but farmers and rural communities are concerned over the economic impact. The opposition National Party argues it could reduce GDP by up to $472 million. Now, it’s becoming an issue ahead of this year’s elections.

In this episode: 

• Adrian Brown, Al Jazeera correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan with Miranda Lin and host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Adam Abou-Gad and Munera Al Dosari are our engagement producers. 

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook