A Libyan-born Irish singer has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her love for music, and how primarily she makes music for herself, this as she prepares for a concert here in Paris. Farah Elle's music is defined by her Libyan roots as she performs songs for piano as well as selections from her debut album "Fatima" that weaves together pop, touches of R'n'B, jazz and Middle Eastern music. She spoke to us in Perspective. 

A year after the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the Oscar-winning documentary producer of the 2022 film "Navalny" has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her memories of him. Odessa Rae spent over three months living with the Russian dissident in Germany following his 2020 poisoning as she tracked his life to make the film. Navalny died just over a year ago in a penal colony in the Russian Arctic in circumstances that remain unclear. Speaking to us in Perspective, she called Navalny "one of the most extraordinary humans that I have ever met."

An award-winning filmmaker has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how a dark sense of humour is the strength of the real-life characters in her latest film. "The Flats" has just been released here in France and revisits what has become known as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the conflict there that lasted around 30 years and killed more than 3,500 people. The story is told through Joe, who from his tower block apartment in Belfast reenacts memories of his childhood as he's joined by some of his neighbours. In Perspective, we spoke to director Alessandra Celesia.

A leading exiled blogger from Bangladesh who has more than 3 million followers on YouTube has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his hopes for the future after the revolution there. Pinaki Bhattacharya, who now lives here in France, is credited by supporters back home with playing a part in the toppling of the Bangladeshi government and its Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India last August. A UN report published last week accused the former government of being responsible for systematic attacks and the killings of protesters as it tried to hang onto power, warning the abuses could amount to crimes against humanity. He spoke to us in Perspective.

A Ukrainian photographer has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the scars the war has left on his country, and how he tries to reflect them in his work. Vic Bakin's pictures feature Ukraine's youth, most recently as they relax away from the front lines. He spoke to us in Perspective.

One of Russia’s leading critics has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how Moscow uses its criticism of the west to justify the poor living conditions of its people and the need for constant repression. Dmitry Glukhovsky, who has been sentenced in absentia to 8 and a half years in jail after accusing President Vladimir Putin of invading Ukraine, spoke of his hope of how Putin’s power could unravel. His latest book is called in French “Journal sous Dictature : Comment j’ai vu la Russie Basculer”, or “A dairy under dictatorship: How I’ve seen Russia change”. He spoke to us in Perspective.

Our guest today on the programme is a distinguished and versatile conductor – widely recognised for his expertise in contemporary and French music.  His career spans numerous acclaimed projects for orchestras, ensembles, and stage productions. This year, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Pierre Boulez’s birth, Franck Ollu is leading Les Siècles in a series of concerts across Europe, with performances in Paris, Munich, Berlin, and Bucharest. Boulez himself died back in 2016.  

As the huge summit on artificial intelligence kicks off here in Paris, one of the world’s top experts has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the pros and cons of the technology, and how it needs to be used responsibly. It comes as France, and co-host India, try to claim some ownership of AI amid intense competition from the US and China. We spoke to Abeba Birhane, founder of the AI Accountability Lab at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

An author who spent his early life living in a refugee camp in Sudan, his early teens in Saudi Arabia and then arrived in London as an underage unaccompanied refugee speaking no English, has told FRANCE 24 how he turned his life around, and how his books reflect the situations he has found himself in. Sulaiman Addonia went on to earn degrees in development studies and economics. His latest book "The Seers" tells the story of a homeless Eritrean in London, and the sexual encounters she faces as she tries to negotiate a foreign land. He spoke to us in Perspective ahead of his appearance at the Paris bookshop Shakespeare and Company this Thursday. 

The maker of one of the most remarkable films released last year has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how he gained access to and followed the Taliban just after they retook control of Afghanistan in 2021. Part of the film follows the Taliban around a vast former US complex known as Hollywood Gate, which was full of some of the $7 billion worth of military equipment left behind by the Americans. That included tactical fighter jets and M16 rifles. The film has been shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature Film at the Oscars. Ibrahim Nash'at spoke to us in Perspective.