Perspective

One of the world's leading researchers on the state of our oceans has spoken to FRANCE 24 as the UN Ocean Conference got underway in the French Riviera city of Nice. The event is focused on "accelerating action and mobilising all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean". We spoke to Chris Bowler, the scientific coordinator of the Tara Ocean Programme – first about that programme and then about his reaction to French President Emmanuel Macron's opening speech at the conference in Nice.

As France welcomes Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Paris for a state visit, France is also celebrating a whole year of cultural exchanges with Brazil. One of the institutions taking part is a museum in Paris dedicated to one of Brazil's best-known artists, the late Frans Krajcberg, who spent his life working between the two countries. 

The head of Amnesty International in Ukraine has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the vital importance of the independent investigation of crimes committed during the Russian full-scale invasion. Veronika Velch told us that it is crucial to do this work, even if it may appear meaningless right now. She says that there is a profound difference between the way Russia is carrying out the war, and the way Ukraine is defending itself. Velch says that eventually there will be justice, because otherwise peace cannot be restored for the generations to come. She spoke to us in Perspective.

A Ghanaian oncology nurse who has won an international award for her work has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the need to invest in nursing. Naomi Ohene Oti is an Oncology Nurse Specialist and Head of Nursing at Ghana's National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre. She has just been named the winner of the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award, with the prize aiming to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary contribution of nurses across the world. "Nurses are the heartbeat of healthcare, so when they (governments) get it right (in terms of investing in nursing), the system also will get it right," she told us in Perspective.

A well-known French mathematician who has given a free lecture to students in Gaza online has spoken of his delight at being part of a new programme aiming to ensure that education for Gazans continues. While media coverage of Gaza often features attacks on hospitals and schools, the organisation Academic Solidarity with Palestine says that at least 12 universities and colleges have also been destroyed, along with nearly 100 university professors killed. Michel Broué is now one of a series of high-profile academics – including Nobel Prize winners – who are giving their time in a bid to ensure education in the enclave does not die. He spoke to us in Perspective.

An environmentalist who's been fighting for the protection of Colombia's Atrato River has spoken to FRANCE 24 about why the waterway is vital for the environment and for the local Indigenous community. The Atrato was protected nearly 10 years ago after people got together to persuade Colombia's constitutional court to force the government to take action. Special protections are now in place. But campaigners say the measures do not go far enough. Rodrigo Rogelis, researcher and deputy director of the SIEMBRA socio-legal centre, is currently in Paris to speak at Sciences Po university. He spoke to us in Perspective.

The president of Signal, a secure messaging app, spoke to FRANCE 24 about the urgent need to protect personal data. Meredith Whittaker highlighted how a handful of big tech companies collect vast amounts of information – often with little oversight and frequent misuse. She emphasised the need for structural change to regulate how companies handle user data. Signal is advocating for stronger privacy protections while defending freedom of expression. She spoke to us in Perspective.

A feminist group in France working to combat sexual violence spoke to FRANCE 24 about the case of former French surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec, who is accused of sexually abusing hundreds of his patients, many of them children. The case is due to conclude this week. However, it has received far less publicity in France and worldwide than the recent Gisèle Pelicot trial, prompting questions about why this is the case.

The author of a new book on the lack of reparations for the 12.5 million people shipped across the Atlantic in the slave trade has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how none of them or their families are yet to be internationally compensated. The trade is described in the book as surely one of the most heinous crimes against humanity committed in the modern era – all to help grow the sugar, tobacco, indigo and coffee trades. Many people perished on the African shores or during the voyage. The book “Reparations for Slavery and the Slave Trade: A Transnational and Comparative History” has also just been translated into French, and its author Ana Lucia Araujo, who is a professor of History at Howard University spoke to us in Perspective.

The curator of a new exhibition in Paris dedicated to the legendary barefoot diva, Cesaria Evora, spoke to FRANCE 24 about the singer's profound influence on world music. Evora began her career as a teenager, performing for sailors in her native Cape Verde, but it wasn’t until the age of 50 that she was discovered in Paris. Evora's deep captivating voice singing songs in the Morna style soon became famous across the planet. Curator Emilie Silva joined us in Perspective.