France in focus

By FRANCE 24 English

France in focus episodes

June 12, 2020 Looking back at the rise of the French Resistance
This week, we're following in the unmistakable stride of Charles de Gaulle as we mark 80 years since his June 18 appeal to the French people to join the Free French Forces against Nazi occupation. Of course, it was actually from London, on the BBC airwaves, that the general launched his call to action, just four days after victorious German troops paraded down Paris's Champs-Élysées. But while the date is forever ingrained in France's collective memory, the truth is that it didn't immediately play out as hoped.
12 min
June 05, 2020 CCTV, masks, drones: Is France's 'liberté' under threat?
In this week's show we're putting the focus on how France's response to Covid-19 has threatened the country's founding notion of "liberté" or freedom. Between lockdown, restrictions on freedom of movement, a ban on gatherings and forcibly shuttered shops, individual and collective rights have been dealt some serious setbacks in the name of beating the pandemic.
12 min
May 29, 2020 French kids tell us their Covid-19 stories
This week, we're taking a look at the Covid-19 crisis from a child's perspective. Between new and daunting ways of schooling, closed-down play areas, cancelled holidays and the arrival of worrying face masks, the end of lockdown hasn't brought much relief to France's younger generation, who have their own take on events. We hear from a few of them.
13 min
May 22, 2020 Life after Covid-19: A long road to recovery
In this week’s show, we put the focus on the thousands of French people who contracted Covid-19 and came out the other side. We look at the long road to recovery that lies ahead for some, as well as lingering symptoms for others. We also talk to an infectious diseases specialist about immunity, vaccines and discrimination Covid-19 ‘survivors’ may face. We end by hearing the heartwarming story of 103-year-old Hélène-François, who beat the virus after three months in hospital.
14 min
May 08, 2020 Face masks: France adjusts to a new way of life
This week we bring you a show all about face masks as France starts to lift its lockdown. Faced with controversial shortages at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, French authorities initially rejected the notion of a generalised use before finally touting the device as essential, and in some situations compulsory.
13 min
May 01, 2020 Treating Covid-19: The toll on France's medical workers
Being on the frontline, France's medical staff are feeling the full physical and psychological impact of the crisis response to Covid-19. In a bid to help the helpers, most hospitals now offer much-needed support in various forms. But the crisis doesn’t end at the hospital gates, and frontliners are also witnessing the effects on their private lives. We see how this pandemic is affecting their children. Plus, amid the exceptional measures taken to deal with the sudden influx of patients, French authorities promptly called on medical and nursing students for backup. We speak to one of them.
13 min
April 17, 2020 Back to school? Concern over post-confinement classes in France
Since a nationwide lockdown was imposed in France on March 16, the country's 12.4 million schoolchildren have been forced to rethink the way they study. Now, the announcement by President Emmanuel Macron that at least some should be able to return to class from May 11 has sparked fresh questions and concerns. Meanwhile, life is made all the more complicated for less fortunate pupils, who don’t have ready access to a computer or the internet. For more on how France’s education system is handling this crisis, we talk to Stéphane Crochet, secretary general of the UNSA teachers' union.
12 min
April 10, 2020 Coronavirus: France's frontline workers
This week, we're shining the spotlight on the people who are keeping France running during the unprecedented lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Doctors and nurses are, of course, working around the clock to save lives. But there are many others who are doing essential, but less celebrated jobs: cleaners, cashiers, rubbish collectors and truckers. They are France's invisible but frontline workers; men and women working behind the scenes to keep the country going during these extraordinary times. We went to meet some of them.
11 min
April 03, 2020 Special programme: Confinement, France's new normal
This week we're turning our attention to the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown which has been in place in France since March 17. This has resulted in a totally new way of life for many of us, as well as a certain amount of frustration and worry. We see how people across France have adapted to this new reality.
12 min
March 13, 2020 The French workplace: No labour of love
While the current global trend is all about balancing professional performance and personal wellbeing, the average French office isn't a happy place. Stress, depression, burnout syndrome – far from the myth of a "superior" French work/life balance, the country has become a leader in work-related health issues.
12 min