Perspective

Born and raised in a small coal-mining town in eastern Ukraine, our guest lost her family home in 2014 when the region was occupied by Russian-backed separatists, and her parents and sister were forced to flee as internally displaced people. Her poetry offers powerful glimpses into how one woman finds herself affected by a life-altering conflict. Her latest collection is entitled "Apricots of Donbas". In Perspective, we spoke to award-winning Ukrainian poet, playwright and screenwriter Lyuba Yakimchuk.

In the classic Scheherazade myth, a Persian queen tells stories to captivate an evil ruler, saving herself and thousands of possible victims from death. The children's book "Sharzhad and the Angry King", by Montreal-based author and illustrator Nahid Kazemi, is a wonderful retelling of that legend. It's about a little girl who helps a tyrannical leader evolve through stories. Kazemi grew up in Iran – a country that knows a thing or two about tyrants – but she says her book is not all about dictators. It sends a message to children that they can bring change through conversation and wisdom, rather than war and violence. In Paris for the release of the French translation of the book, Nahid Kazemi joined us for Perspective.

The number of wild mountain gorillas, who are at risk from humans, is increasing for the first time in years. This is thanks to the efforts of conservationists like Uganda's first-ever wildlife veterinarian, Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, who says they are truly gentle giants. There are just over a thousand mountain gorillas left, mostly high in the mountains in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kalema-Zikusoka has also written a book, "Walking with Gorillas", charting her life from young enthusiast to wildlife campaigner.

It's a feat that hasn't been repeated by a French player since 1983. It's been exactly forty years since Yannick Noah thrilled the crowds at Roland Garros – and audiences across France – when he beat Sweden’s Mats Wilander in the final of the French Open. Our guest for Perspective is Benjamin Rassat, director of the documentary "Noah-ed", which features testimony from the seven competitors the then-23-year-old beat to become France's last home champion for decades.

It's hard to overstate just how pervasive and permanent plastic pollution has become, with microplastics now found in almost every corner of the world - from the bottom of the oceans, to the peaks of the Himalayas, to our own stomachs. Talks have been taking place in Paris aimed at limiting global plastic pollution - the second phase of ambitious UN negotiations with the goal of reaching a legally-binding international treaty by the end of 2024. France 24 spoke with Elise D'Epenoux, the communications manager for The Sea Cleaners, who has participated in the talks. She says reducing plastic production is key, but that plastic-producing nations and lobbies are intentionally seeking to delay the negotiations.

Although climate change has been conspicuously absent from Nigeria's political agenda, the tangible effects of global warming are undeniably present. The country has one of the highest rates of desertification in the world, many of its cities are under threat from rising sea levels, and the 2022 floods resulted in hundreds of fatalities and displaced over a million people. Amid the politicians' tardiness in prioritising climate action, youth activists are emerging as a proactive force. Adenike Oladosu, one of these young leaders joined us on Perspective.

Democracies across the globe are facing a crisis. Deepening inequalities, social injustices, and failure to effectively tackle global warming have fostered a widespread sentiment that elected officials no longer cater to voters' interests. The shortcomings of current democratic governance have even fuelled a sense of pride in so-called illiberal democracies. But what if a more collaborative model, truly respecting rule by the people, were achievable? Claudia Chwalisz, founder and CEO of DemocracyNext, joined us on Perspective to delve into this further.

On May 30, 2023, a collective of artists, art historians, writers, and academics will convene at the Musée Quai Branly in Paris to mark the tenth anniversary of "Black Portraitures: Imagining the Black Body in the West". This conference delves into the positioning of Africa and the African diaspora, as well as their depiction in Western art. Among the attendees is art historian Cheryl Finley, who leads The Atlanta University Center of Art History and Curatorial Studies. She joined us on Perspective.

For today’s Perspective, FRANCE24 takes a deeper look at how President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the Turkish election once again, after 2 decades in power.

She's a self-described cultural agitator and social troublemaker. Poet Carol Sansour is co-creator of the Shaeirat project, which promotes and features contemporary Arab poetry, written by women. She joined us for Perspective to tell us more about the initiative.