The Sound Kitchen

This week on The Sound Kitchen, guest chef Aidan O’Donnell will give you the answer to the question about the first round of France’s 2017 presidential poll. There’s some great music, and of course, the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

This week on The Sound Kitchen, guest chef Aidan O’Donnell will give you the answer to the question about the winners of the 2017 Paris Marathon. There’s some great music, and of course, the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about Laura Angela Bagnetto’s report on Lake Chad. You’ll go to Macron’s victory party, get caught up on listener news, listen to some great music - and of course, there’s the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about cuneiform and hieroglyphics. There’s “On This Day”, musings on the fountains of Versailles, some great music - and of course, the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about the five happiest countries. There’s listener news, great music, and of course, the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear a listener essay by Shahinur Alam of Bogra, Bangladesh. There’s the answer to the question about independence and Brexit, listener news, some great music - and of course, the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the quiz about two of France’s 2017 presidential candidates’ legal troubles. There’s listener news, some great music - and of course, the quiz. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the quiz about the Academy Awards ceremony. There’s listener news, some great music - and of course, the quiz. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the quiz about what the French call the first of April – and there’s a special guest to explain how the French celebrate. There’s some great music for you - and of course, the quiz. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to The Sound Kitchen. You can catch the programme on-the-air every Saturday at 6:15, 7:15, 14:45 and 16:45 universal time. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you have grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and tune in every Saturday.

For our DX enthusiast friends: Our shortwave frequency is 9675 kHz on the 31m band, from 06.00 to 07.00 UT every day. We’ve had reception reports from Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and the US, and although the frequency is “aimed” (or however that works) towards the African continent, give it a try. You never know … and be sure and send us your reception reports. Maybe we can get more time, which would be wonderful.

You can also hear our programs on WRMI (http://www.wrmi.net/) and WRN (http://www.wrn.org/listeners/). These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts, but unless you tell us how you heard us, we have no way of knowing … so do write and tell us how you listen to us.

A hearty welcome to two new official RFI Listeners Clubs: the RFI Sungat Listeners Club with Malik Allah Bachaya Khokhar as president, in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan (the fourth club in that city! Thanks Muzaffargarh!), and the RFI Peace Fan Club in Bogra, Bangladesh. Dr Shahinur Alam is the president.

If you would like to create an official RFI club, or transform your existing listeners club into an RFI club, click on the link at the bottom of this page for information on how to get started.

This week’s quiz:On 25 February, I asked you a question about April Fool’s Day. You were to write in and tell me what the French call today, 1 April.

The answer is: “Poisson d’Avril”, or “April Fish”. Or “Fish of April”, if you prefer to be literal … at any rate, it’s weird, isn’t it? “April Fish”. Why?

No one is really sure, but the most accepted explanation is this: Before 1564 in France the beginning of the new year was 25 March. People gave each other presents to celebrate, between 25 March and 1 April. Usually this present was fish, because usually the New Year period fell during Lent, when Roman Catholics do not eat meat.

In 1564, France’s king Charles IX issued the Edict of Rousillion, which changed the date for the beginning of the new year from 25 March to where it is now, 1 January.

Not everyone knew about it this change of date for the beginning of the new year – there was no Radio France International in the 16th century. So to tease those who were still following the old dates and offering fish around 1 April, those who had accepted 1 January would play tricks on them. And what were those tricks? You guessed it – gifts of fish, but old rotten stinky fish, which they would attempt to hang from their victim’s back, without him knowing about it (lovely, no?).

And there you have it. The birth of the famous April Fish Day, a day for fools, a day for those who do not accept reality, or choose to see reality otherwise.

It seems the French are not alone in their April Fish Frenzy – the Italians, the Belgians, the Dutch as well as people in the French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada celebrate Poisson d’Avril too.

So now you know all about the Fish of April. Don’t you feel better?

By the way, this new calendar with 1 January as the beginning of the new year is called the Gregorian calendar, after Pope Gregory XIII, who imposed it on all Christian countries in 1582. The previous calendar was called the Julian calendar, after the Roman emperor Julius Caesar, which had been in use since 45 BCE.

 The winners are: Joseph Jack from Jinja, Uganda; Ms Guomei Zhu from Anhui, China; Benson Mutoko from Nairobi, Kenya, and RFI Listeners Club members Itumeleng Mokhele from Roma, Lesotho, and Behzad Payandeh from Tehran, Iran.

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question ... you'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 1 May to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 6 May program. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address in with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

or

By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country’s international access code, or “ + ”, then 33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

To find out how you can win an RFI wireless computer mouse click here

To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or to form your own official RFI Club click here

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the quiz about the French Socialist party’s nominee. There’s a trip to a Pakistani celebration, some great music, and of course, the quiz. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to The Sound Kitchen. You can catch the programme on-the-air every Saturday at 6:15, 7:15, 14:45 and 16:45 universal time. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you have grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and tune in every Saturday.

For our DX enthusiast friends: Our shortwave frequency is 9675 kHz on the 31m band, from 06.00 to 07.00 UT every day. We’ve had reception reports from Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and the US, and although the frequency is “aimed” (or however that works) towards the African continent, give it a try. You never know … and be sure and send us your reception reports. Maybe we can get more time, which would be wonderful.

You can also hear our programs on WRMI and WRN. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts, but unless you tell us how you heard us, we have no way of knowing, so do write and tell us how you listen to us.

A hearty welcome to two new official RFI Listeners Clubs: the RFI Sungat Listeners Club with Malik Allah Bachaya Khokhar as president, in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan (the fourth club in that city! Thanks Muzaffargarh!), and the RFI Peace Fan Club in Bogra, Bangladesh. Dr Shahinur Alam is the president.

If you would like to create an official RFI club, or transform your existing listeners club into an RFI club, click on the link at the bottom of this page for information on how to get started.

This week’s quiz: On 21 January, I asked you a question about French politics. On 22 January, the French Socialist party held their primary elections, so that the country’s left leaning voters could choose which candidate - out of seven -  they wanted to represent their party in this year’s presidential polls. You were to send me the names of the seven candidates hoping to become the Socialist party’s presidential nominee.

The answer is: Manuel Valls, Vincent Peillon, Arnaud Montebourg, Benoît Hamon, François de Rugy, Sylvia Pinel, et Jean-Luc Bennahmias.

Who won the primary? Benoît Hamon. Hamon, who is 49 years-old, was the most left-leaning of the seven initial candidates in the Socialist race. He was France’s Minister of Education in 2014.

The winners are: Hyrum K. Mennoh, the president of the RFI Ducor Sea Breeze Club in Monrovia, Liberia; Rajia Khatun, from Kurigram, Bangladesh; Md. Rocket, a member of the RFI Fan Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh; RFI Listeners Club member Zenon Teles of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist - Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India, and Arne Timm from Harjumaa, Estonia, another RFI Listeners Club member.

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question ... you'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 24 April to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 29 April program. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address in with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

or

By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country’s international access code, or “ + ”, then 33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

To find out how you can win an RFI wireless computer mouse click here

To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or to form your own official RFI Club click here