Perspective

Leading anthropologist Pedro Cesarino speaks to FRANCE 24 about his new book, “Les vautours n'oublient pas” (The vultures never forget), which was inspired by the struggles of young Indigenous people in the Amazon. Caught between ancestral traditions and a modern world of mining, corruption, and violence, they live at the crossroads of two conflicting realities. Through the story of a mother searching for her missing son, Cesarino highlights the deep fractures in Brazilian society.

Hundreds of aid trucks are needed daily to meet the food needs of people in Gaza, not just the five allowed in by Israel yesterday, says Ahmed Bayram, media advisor for the Norwegian Refugee Council. Speaking to us in Perspective, Bayram stressed that aid must "gush" into the enclave and called for increased diplomatic pressure to make that happen.

A silent majority in Romania was mobilised to ensure the win of pro-European candidate Nicusor Dan in Sunday’s presidential election, according to Sorin Ionita, president of Bucharest-based think tank Expert Forum. Ionita, who spoke to FRANCE 24, said the uptick in votes from the first to the second round went to show “how volatile and how emotional the elections were”, adding, “it’s something that doesn’t happen every day in politics.”

Ukraine and Russia are holding their first direct talks in three years this Thursday, but Russian President Vladimir Putin is skipping them, after his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky challenged him to a face-to-face meeting. Instead, a lower-level Russian delegation has been sent to Istanbul for the negotiations. After landing in Ankara for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Zelensky was set to decide whether he would attend the talks, having previously said that he would only take part if Putin did too. Former French ambassador to Russia, Claude Blanchemaison, gives us his insight in our Perspective programme.

Theo Croker, a Florida-born trumpet player, composer and producer, has a background in jazz but is known for pushing the boundaries of genres and mixing different musical styles. The Grammy-nominated artist tells FRANCE 24 that going "against the norm" and thinking "outside of a box or genre" were always part of his personality. His new album, "Dream Manifest", which will be released in June, continues in this vein. He says the record gives listeners an "uplifting feeling to manifest your dreams", but still contains a dark side. "We will definitely explore duality on this album," he tells us in Perspective. He is playing at Paris's New Morning concert venue this Wednesday.

As one of the most renowned and well-loved musicals, auditioning for "The Lion King" seemed somewhat out of reach for Phindile Ndlovu. "I thought 'maybe it's too big for me, maybe they won't take me'," she tells FRANCE 24. Ultimately, though, the South African native went on to play Rafiki — the shaman of the Pride Lands — in both the Spanish and French versions of the production. "I think I'm the only person in my family who actually got to be an artist and go outside of South Africa," she says. The musical is now playing at the Mogador Theatre in Paris, and Ndlovu says she is adapting well to French life: "I love the country, I'm loving the people, obviously." She says what makes "The Lion King" special is its broad appeal, promising to "captivate" audiences of all ages.

After more than three years of war in Ukraine, simple cultural pleasures like seeing a comedy show or going to the theatre have become both moments of refuge and an act of resistance for the people of Kyiv. Foreign artists have almost stopped travelling to the country since Russia's full-scale invasion, but one of those who have is Spanish conductor Félix Ardanaz. Speaking on FRANCE 24's Perspective programme, Ardanaz recounted his experience in leading a performance of "Carmen" at the National Opera of Ukraine. He said he was "shocked" to see how people in Kyiv had become used to living in a "permanent state of danger", adding that the musicians who decided to stay in Ukraine to continue the country's cultural scene are "real heroes".

As cardinals voted for a second day to choose the next head of the Catholic church, speculation continued over which names might be put forward inside the Sistine Chapel. Whoever the next pope may be, he will have to tackle issues both within the church and on an international scale. On FRANCE 24's Perspective programme, cultural anthropologist Marc Loustau says the next pontiff would need "a steady diplomatic hand" amid a changing global order. He adds that Pope Francis "tried to use his moral charisma" to bring warring parties closer together to broker peace but ultimately failed.

Despite ongoing peace talks, fighting continues in parts of DR Congo between local forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. The M23 has taken control of much of the eastern part of DR Congo since January – its first major advance being the capture of Goma in North Kivu province. Award-winning photojournalist Hugh Kinsella Cunningham has been documenting these takeovers as well as their impact on civilians. Speaking on FRANCE 24's Perspective programme, he described how civilians were ordered by the rebels to leave displacement camps and return to their villages, which had been ravaged by fighting.

Nollywood – Nigerian cinema – is the world's second-largest film industry in terms of output and has evolved a great deal since emerging in the 1990s. However, it still faces challenges as a relatively young industry, including profitability. One of the international events helping to shine a spotlight on films made in Nigeria and other African countries is the NollywoodWeek Film Festival in Paris. As the twelfth edition gets underway this week, we speak to Serge Noukoué and Nadira Shakur, the event's founders. They tell us how Nollywood filmmakers are now "much more daring" and discuss how the industry is navigating the age of streaming.