Perspective

An up-and-coming soul star has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her love for music, and her new collaboration with the megastar Elton John. Nectar Woode was raised in the UK by British Ghanaian parents, and is already becoming a huge star with a series of releases, her latest called "Naturally". She also gave us the exclusive news that her next track due out in June has Elton John playing keyboards. She spoke to us in Perspective.

A vaccination and epidemic response adviser who is about to fly out to DR Congo to try to help in the fight against Ebola has told FRANCE 24 that the signs are the current outbreak will be a serious one. Already more than 130 people have been killed, with over 500 more cases detected. John Johnson is vaccination and epidemic response advisor at MSF and is due to fly to DR Congo on Thursday. He explained that part of the problem is that tests had been carried out for a more common strain of Ebola, so they were coming back negative. He spoke to us in Perspective.

A Palestinian and Israeli who have both lost family members in the conflict in the Middle East spoke to Perspective about their message of hope for the world. Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian whose brother was killed by the Israeli military, and Maoz Inon an Israeli whose parents were killed by Hamas in October of 2023.  It was after their deaths, that Aziz reached out to Maoz, and from that moment grew their book “The future of Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land”, which is also now being launched in French as “La Paix est notre Avenir”.

A British photographer who lives in Kyiv has told FRANCE 24 how he doesn't believe the war in Ukraine is coming to an end. Mark Neville takes his photographs to tell the real stories of the Ukrainian people as they fight for their country against the Russian invasion. Amid the latest more positive news from the front line and further signs that Ukraine is finding new ways of fighting back, he says it is best to take things one day at a time. He also says that while Russian leader Vladimir Putin is obviously under pressure, that does not necessarily mean the end of the conflict is around the corner. He spoke to us in Perspective.

A photographer and filmmaker who’s published a book of incredible photographs from the six countries that span the Congo Basin has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his love for the rainforest. Thomas Nicolon used to be FRANCE 24's correspondent in Kinshasa, and says he's been very fortunate to build a career out of his childhood dreams. His book "Kongo" takes us on a journey through the world's second-largest tropical rainforest of nearly 4 million square kilometres. He spoke to us in Perspective.

An international award-winning documentary maker has told FRANCE 24 that his expulsion from Hong Kong proves that the city is no longer what it was. Antoine Védeilhé has been covering Hong Kong for years and was aiming to make a documentary about how life has changed there under Chinese rule. The authorities, though, detained him at the airport and forced him to leave.

Every single second, two pieces of child sexual abuse material are shared online. Now, an international group that fights to address the causes and effects of sexual violence against children and adolescents is singling out France for particular criticism. The NGO Cameleon says that France, and the rest of Europe as well, is becoming a haven for online child sexual abuse content.

Black journalists remain underrepresented in French media and for those who do break in, the barriers don't end there. From elite journalism schools to newsroom hiring, many describe a system shaped by exclusion, stereotypes and unequal opportunity. So how deep does the problem go, and what needs to change? Those questions are at the heart of a round table here in Paris this Thursday on the experiences of Black journalists. Journalist Estelle Ndjandjo is the host. She spoke to us in Perspective.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing his biggest test yet as the UK heads to the polls on Thursday for local elections. Voters in England will be charged with picking their local councillors, while in Scotland and Wales, representatives of the devolved parliaments will be elected. Polls are already predicting the ruling Labour Party will suffer its worst results in decades, with Reform UK and the Green Party expected to make gains. We look ahead to the vote with Colm Murphy, senior lecturer in British politics at Queen Mary University. 

The 13th edition of the NollywoodWeek Film Festival is back in Paris, with a theme of "Voyage", taking audiences to Nigeria and beyond. It's an industry worth over $6 billion and growing fast, but it's also at a turning point, caught between global expansion and the pressures of streaming, technology and who gets to tell its stories. Serge Noukoué, co-founder of the NollywoodWeek Film Festival, spoke to us in Perspective.