This week on The Sound Kitchen you’ll hear the answer to the question about the French investigative reporter Albert Londres. There’s listener news and “The Listener’s Corner”, loads of great music, and of course, the new quiz question, so click on the “Play” button above and enjoy!
Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winners’ names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.
World Radio Day is just around the corner (13 February), and we’ll cook up a mighty fine banquet to celebrate. What’s the main course? Your greetings, of course! So get under your blanket with your phone – believe me, the blanket will make your recording broadcast quality – and record your World Radio Day greetings for us. Please, not too long, though. You must get it to us by 8 February. Send your recorded WRD greetings to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr
Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!
Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!
In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.
There’s Paris Perspective, Spotlight on France, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too.
As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our team of journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!
To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.
To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show.
Teachers, take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below.
Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books which were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.
Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. NB: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!
And don’t forget, there is a Facebook page just for you, the independent RFI English Clubs. Only members of RFI English Clubs can belong to this group page, so when you apply to join, be sure you include the name of your RFI Club and your membership number. Everyone can look at it, but only members of the group can post on it. If you haven’t yet asked to join the group, and you are a member of an independent, officially recognised RFI English club, go to the Facebook link above, and fill out the questionnaire!!!!! If you do not answer the questions, I click “Decline”.
There’s a Facebook page for members of the general RFI Listeners Club, too. Just click on the link and fill out the questionnaire, and you can connect with your fellow Club members around the world. Be sure you include your RFI Listeners Club membership number (most of them begin with an A, followed by a number) in the questionnaire, or I will have to click “Decline”, which I don’t like to do!
We have new RFI Listeners Club members to welcome: Sami Malik from Northern Pakistan; Habib Ur Rehman Sehal, the president of the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan; Pradip Chandra Kundu and Ratan Kumar Paul, both from West Bengal, India, and Mahfuzur Rahman from Cumilla, Bangladesh.
Welcome one and all! So glad you have joined us!
This week’s quiz: On 2 December, I asked you a question about a piece our French history specialist, Jessica Phelan, did for Alison Hird and Sarah Elzas’ Spotlight on France podcast. It was about the French investigative reporter, Albert Londres. France’s most prestigious journalism award is named after him.
You were to listen to Jessica’s story and send in the answer to these questions: In which year was the Albert Londres Prize founded, and by whom?
The answer is, to quote Jessica: “His daughter, Florise Albert-Londres, created it months after his death and the first one was announced in 1933. This year – 2023 – will be the 90th time it has been awarded.”
The 2023 Prix Albert Londres went to Wilson Fache, Hélène Lam Trong and Nicolas Legendre. It is awarded every year to three journalists in different categories.
In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Muhammad Shamim from Keralam State in India: “If you could time travel, would you go to the past, or the future?”
Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!
The winners are: Muhammad Shamim, the president of the Golden Eagles RFI Club in Keralam State, India. Muhammad is also the winner of this week’s bonus quiz. Congratulations, Muhammad!
Also on the list of lucky winners this week are two RFI Listeners Club members: Zenon Teles, the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, and Samir Mukhopadhyay from West Bengal. Finally, two RFI English listeners, both from Bangladesh: Sultana Begum from Sirajganj, and Rozina Akter from Munshiganj.
Congratulations winners!
Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Le Grand Voyage” by Ibrahim Maalouf, performed by the Haïdouti Orkestar; “Les Folies d’Espagne” by Jean-Baptiste Lully, performed by Musica Antiqua Köln conducted by Reinhard Goebel; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Lush Life” by Billy Strayhorn, sung by Queen Latifa.
This week’s question ... you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, read our article “French film ‘Anatomy of a fall’ wins best screenplay, foreign film at Golden Globes” to help you with the answer.
You have until 5 February to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 10 February podcast. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.
Send your answers to:
english.service@rfi.fr
or
Susan Owensby
RFI – The Sound Kitchen
80, rue Camille Desmoulins
92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux
France
or
By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country’s international access code, or “ + ”, then 33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.
To find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize, click here.
To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club, click here.
