Perspective

An Irish author who struggled for years with alcohol and drug use has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his book that tells his story of addiction and recovery. Tim MacGabhann says he was born missing a layer of skin that other people seem to have, meaning that everything just hit too hard. He says that around age 17 he broke into the drinks cabinet and felt completely safe. His memoir is entitled "The Black Pool: A Memoir of Forgetting". He spoke to us in Perspective.

The fifth president of Georgia has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her decision to leave the presidential palace almost a year ago, and her attempts ever since to help the millions of people who support her and the country’s bid for EU membership. After losing elections in Georgia that were widely seen as fraudulent and amid huge demonstrations in the country, Salomé Zourabichvili stayed in place to fight the pro-European cause. She spoke to us about the war in Ukraine, as well as her optimism that her country will once again turn away from Russia and towards Europe.

A Cambodian environmentalist activist who's been sentenced to eight years in jail in absentia back home has told FRANCE 24 that she hopes to return to the country one day to continue her environmental fight. Ratha Sun was charged and found guilty – along with five others – of conspiracy and insulting the king. She managed to escape before the sentencing and fled Cambodia. She spoke to us in Perspective. 

A leading climate researcher has told FRANCE 24 that the conclusion of the COP30 summit at the weekend was scientifically nothing less than a failure. Johan Rockström is director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. The German institute is seen as one of the world’s top environmental think tanks. Although more funding for countries to adapt to extreme weather events was agreed, there were no explicit details to phase out fossil fuels or strengthen countries' inadequate emissions-cutting plans, which dozens of nations had demanded. Rockström spoke to us in Perspective.

Currently touring Europe, jazz musician and trumpet player Takuya Kuroda sits down with FRANCE 24 to speak about his beginnings in the industry and his recording process. Originally from Kobe in Japan, Kuroda says the country's jazz scene, particularly vibrant in Tokyo, encouraged him to go to New York. The Big Apple, he says, is still an influential "melting pot" of cultures and styles. When it comes to "contemporary crossovers" in his own music, Kuroda credits jazz vocalist José James, whom he met during his studies, with showing him how to blend jazz with other genres like funk and hip-hop.

A new bill submitted to the French Senate is hoping to make incest a standalone criminal offence – a move that has been long awaited by children's rights groups. Speaking to FRANCE 24, Iris Ané from the Face à l'inceste organisation highlighted the fact that for centuries, the term of "incest" was "completely absent from French law". The legislation would also make statutes of limitations non applicable for sexual crimes committed against minors, a change backed by 90 percent of French citizens according to a recent Ipsos poll. Ané says allowing victims to come forward well after the time of the abuse is important, as "50 percent of victims of incest suffer from dissociative amnesia". 

An Irish photographer has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his new exhibition here in Paris that raises questions about gender roles, identity and the relationships between those in the photographs and the photographer himself. Daragh Soden delves into the world of drag queens in photographs in which he often appears himself either as an admirer, a collaborator, a narcissist or a voyeur. He told us he was drawn to the world of drag queens both aesthetically and also conceptually. His exhibition is on display at the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris until Christmas. He spoke to us in Perspective.

It has been 36 years since the Velvet Revolution in former Czechoslovakia – the peaceful uprising that ushered in a nonviolent transition of power and brought down communism. Nearly four decades on, the Czech Republic is undergoing political change again: last month, the party of “Trumpist” former premier Andrej Babis topped the parliamentary election and is returning to power. In this edition of Perspective we spoke to David Ondracka, author of “The Case of the Czech Republic: How billions disappear and why our state doesn't work" and the former head of Transparency International in the country.

A Franco-Syrian photographer who came to Paris directly after the attacks of November 13, 2015 has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his reasons for abandoning what he was doing, and how his decision to come to Paris has affected him since. Ammar Abd Rabbo took many pictures in the days after the attacks as he felt he needed to come to the city where he grew up to pay tribute to the victims. He says he also felt, as a Muslim, very pleased at the way civil society dealt with what happened. He spoke to us in Perspective.

The international charity Save the Children is warning of widespread violence against women and children in Somalia. Just this week, a father killed his four children in an arson attack. In October, an 11-year-old girl was subject to a violent rape, and a mother was murdered along with her three daughters. According to Save the Children, these cases are not isolated, and action needs to be taken. In Perspective, we spoke to Zahra Dahir, the head of Children Protection and Gender and Social Inclusion at Save the Children.