The Sound Kitchen

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear a “This I Believe” essay written by listener Abdulai Saiku Bah from Sierre Leone. 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 13725 kHz on the 22m 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, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, 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 look for our programs on WRMI and WRN ). In Paris, you can hear us on World Radio Paris on DAB+. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts (and thank you thank you thank you WRMI, WRN, and World Radio Paris!), 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 our new RFI clubs! There’s the RFI Listeners Club in

Muzaffargarh, Pakistan with Mubashir Hussain Asher as president; the RFI Fan Club in Nadia, W Bengal, India with Sunilbaran Das as president; the Kumi Central RFI Listeners Club in Kampala, Uganda with Charles Ongole John as president, and the RFI Listeners Club in Sheikhupura, Pakistan with Riaz Ahmed Khan as president.

Welcome, welcome, welcome! There are now 36 official RFI English listeners clubs!

There are 19 RFI English clubs in the midst of football tournaments. RFI’s Listener Relations department organized the tournaments to coincide with the European Championship Games, from 10 June through 10 July.

The participating clubs are from all around the globe. In Africa, there’s the RFI Fan Club, Kisii, Kenya, Mogire Machuki, president; Kemogemba Club, Tarime, Tanzania, Ras Franz Manko Ngogo, president; The RFI Listeners Club Gambia, Brikama Town, The Gambia, Lamin Ceesay, president; RFI Ducor Sea Breeze Club of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, Hyrum Karyea Mennoh, president, and the RFI Club Ain Kechera, Ain Kechera, Algeria, Ferhat Bezazel, president.

In Pakistan, there’s the Pak France International Listeners Club, Sahiwal, Shahzad Shabbir, president, and the RFI Fans Web Visitors Club in Khanpur, Amir Manzoor, president.

In India, there’s the International DX Radio Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Mr Najimuddin, president; RFI Natun Radio Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Kanchan KR Chatterjee, president; Golden DX Club, Murshidabad, Siddhartha Sarkar, president; RFI Listeners Club, Hyderabad / Miryalguda; Mrs P Sreelatha Reddy, president; Young Stars Radio Club, Sainikpuri / Secunderabad, Hari Madugula, president, and the Metali Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Shivendu Paul, president.

In Bangladesh, there’s the Kaptai RFI Fan Club, Kaptai, Jahangir Alam Manto, president; RFI Club Dhaka, Dhaka, Wali Ahad, president; RFI Surfer’s Society Bangladesh, Dhaka, Ms Royeka Khatun, president, and the Friends Radio Club, Naogaon, Dewan Rafiqul Islam, president.

Both of our Cuban clubs will participate, too – the RFI Club Cuba, Ivan Carralero, president, and Cubans on the Radio, also in Holguin, Rommel Tamayo Gutiérrez, president.

The clubs will be sending in match results and (hopefully!) lots of photos for our Facebook pages. Stay tuned for the latest!

The quiz will be back next week, 2 July.

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 question about the Philippine’s new president. There’s “On This Day”, 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 13725 kHz on the 22m 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, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, 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. In Paris, you can hear us on World Radio Paris on DAB+. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts (and thank you thank you thank you WRMI, WRN, and World Radio Paris!), 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.

There are 18 RFI English clubs kicking off a round of football tournaments. RFI’s Listener Relations department organized the tournaments to coincide with the European Championship Games, from 10 June through 10 July.

The participating clubs are from all around the globe. In Africa, there’s the RFI Fan Club, Kisii, Kenya, Mogire Machuki, president; Kemogemba Club, Tarime, Tanzania, Ras Franz Manko Ngogo, president; The RFI Listeners Club Gambia, Brikama Town, The Gambia, Lamin Ceesay, president; RFI Ducor Sea Breeze Club of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, Hyrum Karyea Mennoh, president, and the RFI Club Ain Kechera, Ain Kechera, Algeria, Ferhat Bezazel, president.

In Pakistan, there’s the Pak France International Listeners Club, Sahiwal, Shahzad Shabbir, president.

In India, there’s the International DX Radio Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Mr Najimuddin, president; RFI Natun Radio Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Kanchan KR Chatterjee, president; Golden DX Club, Murshidabad, Siddhartha Sarkar, president; RFI Listeners Club, Hyderabad / Miryalguda; Mrs P Sreelatha Reddy, president; Young Stars Radio Club, Sainikpuri / Secunderabad, Hari Madugula, president, and Metali Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Shivendu Paul, president.

In Bangladesh, there’s the Kaptai RFI Fan Club, Kaptai, Jahangir Alam Manto, president; RFI Club Dhaka, Dhaka, Wali Ahad, president; RFI Surfer’s Society Bangladesh, Dhaka, Ms Royeka Khatun, president, and the Friends Radio Club, Naogaon, Dewan Rafiqul Islam, president.

Both of our Cuban clubs will participate, too – the RFI Club Cuba, Ivan Carralero, president, and Cubans on the Radio, also in Holguin, Rommel Tamayo Gutiérrez, president.

The clubs will be sending in match results and (hopefully!) lots of photos for our Facebook pages. Stay tuned for the latest!

This week’s quiz: On 14 May, I asked you a question about the presidential elections in the Philippines, which were held on 9 May. I asked you to send in the name of the winner, plus the name of at least three other candidates.

The answer is: Rodrigo Duterte – whose nickname is “The Punisher” for his tough talk on fighting crime - is the new president of the Philippines.

For the three other candidates, you could name Grace Poe, Mar Roxas, Jejomar Binay or Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

The winners are: Dr A K M Moniruzzaman, a member of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh; RFI Club member Supriyo Sarkar from Murshidabad, India; Ernest Ambe Che from Bamenda, Cameroon; Shoiab, a member of the RFI Fans Web Visitors Club in Khanpur, Pakistan, and Mogire Machuki, the president of the RFI Listeners Club in Kisii, Kenya..

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question ... you'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 22 July to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 27 July 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 question about the world’s most expensive tea. RFI English’s Laura Angela Bagnetto joins us to talk about her recent trip to Somaliland, and we’ll play some great music, too. And of course, there’s 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 13725 kHz on the 22m 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, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, 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/). In Paris, you can hear us on World Radio Paris (http://www.worldradioparis.fr/) on DAB+. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts (and thank you thank you thank you WRMI, WRN, and World Radio Paris!), 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.

There are 19 RFI English clubs kicking off a round of football tournaments. RFI’s Listener Relations department organized the tournaments to coincide with the European Championship Games, from 10 June through 10 July.

The participating clubs are from all around the globe. In Africa, there’s the RFI Fan Club, Kisii, Kenya, Mogire Machuki, president; Kemogemba Club, Tarime, Tanzania, Ras Franz Manko Ngogo, president; The RFI Listeners Club Gambia, Brikama Town, The Gambia, Lamin Ceesay, president; RFI Ducor Sea Breeze Club of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, Hyrum Karyea Mennoh, president, and the RFI Club Ain Kechera, Ain Kechera, Algeria, Ferhat Bezazel, president.

In Pakistan, there’s the Pak France International Listeners Club, Sahiwal, Shahzad Shabbir, president, and the RFI Fans Web Visitors Club, Khanpur, Amir Manzoor, president.

In India, there’s the International DX Radio Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Mr Najimuddin, president; RFI Natun Radio Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Kanchan KR Chatterjee, president; Golden DX Club, Murshidabad, Siddhartha Sarkar, president; RFI Listeners Club, Hyderabad / Miryalguda; Mrs P Sreelatha Reddy, president; Young Stars Radio Club, Sainikpuri / Secunderabad, Hari Madugula, president, and Metali Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Shivendu Paul, president.

In Bangladesh, there’s the Kaptai RFI Fan Club, Kaptai, Jahangir Alam Manto, president; RFI Club Dhaka, Dhaka, Wali Ahad, president; RFI Surfer’s Society Bangladesh, Dhaka, Ms Royeka Khatun, president, and the Friends Radio Club, Naogaon, Dewan Rafiqul Islam, president.

Both of our Cuban clubs will participate, too – the RFI Club Cuba, Ivan Carralero, president, and Cubans on the Radio, also in Holguin, Rommel Tamayo Gutiérrez, president.

The clubs will be sending in match results and (hopefully!) lots of photos for our Facebook pages. Stay tuned for the latest!

This week’s quiz: On 7 May I asked you about the world’s most expensive tea. It costs almost 1,400 USD (1,231€) for a single gram, or well over 10,000 USD (8,796€) for a pot … nutty, isn’t it? Anyway, value judgements aside, I asked you to write in with the name of this crazy expensive tea, and where it is grown.

The answer is: Da Hong Pao, which means “Big Red Robe”. It’s grown on the Wuyi Mountains, right outside of a town called Wuyishan, in the Fujian province of southern China.

The winners are: Jewel Ahmad, from Sirajganj, Bangladesh; Mahesh Jain from Delhi, India; Dietmar Wolf from Hammelburg, Germany; Henry Mensch from San Francisco, California in the US, and last but not least, RFI Club member Ibrahim Umar Abdulkarim from Kano, Nigeria. Ibrahim Umar Abdulkarim sent his message via text to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone … everybody remember that number? It’s + 33 6 31 12 96 82.

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question ... you'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 18 July to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 23 July 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:

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-sound-kitchen-essay-contests

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

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-how-form-official-rfi-listeners-club

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about Walpurgis Nacht. There’s On This Day, the listener mailbag, some great music, and of course, the new quiz question. 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 13725 kHz on the 22m 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, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, 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/). In Paris, you can hear us on World Radio Paris (http://www.worldradioparis.fr/) on DAB+. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts (and thank you thank you thank you WRMI, WRN, and World Radio Paris!), 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.

Great news for the RFI Clubs: Chrystelle Nammour and Sébastien Bonijol in our Listener Relations department are organizing another round of football tournaments for all the official RFI Clubs. The first RFI Club Tournaments were in 2014 to celebrate the FIFA World Cup Football Championship and were so successful they’ve decided to do it again – this time, to coincide with the European Championship games this summer. 

The RFI Club Tournaments need to be played during the Euro 2016 games, from 10 June through 10 July. You can organize your matches any way you want – you can hold games between RFI Clubs in the same country, or games between members of the same club. Your RFI Club may choose to organize games for teams in your community, or games between your RFI Club and other organizations. In any case, RFI will furnish the team shirts, the footballs, and the trophies, and we’ll send RFI banners for you to use at the matches. I’ll announce match results – and you send us photos and videos for our Facebook pages. So don’t hesitate! Write Chrystelle, Sebastian and The Sound Kitchen today and let us know you want to be a part of the RFI Clubs / European Championship 2016 football tournaments.

So far there are 19 clubs participating. In Africa, there’s the RFI Fan Club, Kisii, Kenya, Mogire Machuki, president; Kemogemba Club, Tarime, Tanzania, Ras Franz Manko Ngogo, president; The RFI Listeners Club Gambia, Brikama Town, The Gambia, Lamin Ceesay, president; RFI Ducor Sea Breeze Club of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, Hyrum Karyea Mennoh, president, and the RFI Club Ain Kechera, Ain Kechera, Algeria, Ferhat Bezazel, president.

In Pakistan, there’s the Pak France International Listeners Club, Sahiwal, Shahzad Shabbir, president, and the RFI Fans Web Visitors Club, Khanpur, Amir Manzoor, president.

In India, there’s the International DX Radio Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Mr Najimuddin, president; RFI Natun Radio Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Kanchan KR Chatterjee, president; Golden DX Club, Murshidabad, Siddhartha Sarkar, president; RFI Listeners Club, Hyderabad / Miryalguda; Mrs P Sreelatha Reddy, president; Young Stars Radio Club, Sainikpuri / Secunderabad, Hari Madugula, president, and Metali Listeners Club, Murshidabad, Shivendu Paul, president.

In Bangladesh, there’s the Kaptai RFI Fan Club, Kaptai, Jahangir Alam Manto, president; RFI Club Dhaka, Dhaka, Wali Ahad, president; RFI Surfer’s Society Bangladesh, Dhaka, Ms Royeka Khatun, president, and the Friends Radio Club, Naogaon, Dewan Rafiqul Islam, president.

Both of our Cuban clubs will participate, too – the RFI Club Cuba, Ivan Carralero, president, and Cubans on the Radio, also in Holguin, Rommel Tamayo Gutiérrez, president.

To the fields! Be sure you send us match results, photos, and videos!

This week’s quiz: On 30 April, my colleague Aidan O’Donnell was in the Sound Kitchen, and he had a question for you about an ancient folk festival called Walpurgis Nacht, or night. Walpurgis Nacht is celebrated in the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Lithuania, Lativa, Finland and Estonia. Aidan asked you to write in and tell us what Walpurgis Nacht is, according to tradition.

The answer is: Walpurgis Nacht is the night before Saint Walpurga, an abbess, was canonized (that is, officially recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church) in 870. That is the official version. However, it’s not what is in the imagination of the people! Walpurgis Nacht is the night when witches meet on top of the Brocken mountain (in Germany), with their broomsticks, of course, and all fly together to Hexentanzplatz, the place where witches dance.

The winners are: RFI Club members Ralf Urbanczyk from Eisleben, Germany, Arne Timm from Harjumaa, Estonia, and Ferhat Bezazel from West Skikda, Algeria. The other lucky winners are Mohammad Idrees from the Jinnah DX Club in Layyah, Pakistan, and Abheraj Jaswal from Haryana, India.

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question ... you'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 11 July to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 16 July 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:

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-sound-kitchen-essay-contests

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

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-how-form-official-rfi-listeners-club

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about the broadcast transmission tower in Moscow. You’ll hear your fellow listener’s voices and a tribute to RFI’s beloved Lanni Smith. And of course, the new quiz question. 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 13725 kHz on the 22m 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, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, 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/). In Paris, you can hear us on World Radio Paris (http://www.worldradioparis.fr/) on DAB+. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts (and thank you thank you thank you WRMI, WRN, and World Radio Paris!), 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.

Great news for the RFI Clubs: Chrystelle Nammour and Sébastien Bonijol in our Listener Relations department are organizing another round of football tournaments for all the official RFI Clubs. The first RFI Club Tournaments were in 2014 to celebrate the FIFA World Cup Football Championship and were so successful they’ve decided to do it again – this time, to coincide with the European Championship games this summer. 

The RFI Club Tournaments need to be played during the Euro 2016 games, from 10 June through 10 July. You can organize your matches any way you want – you can hold games between RFI Clubs in the same country, or games between members of the same club. Your RFI Club may choose to organize games for teams in your community, or games between your RFI Club and other organizations. In any case, RFI will furnish the team shirts, the footballs, and the trophies, and we’ll send RFI banners for you to use at the matches. I’ll announce match results – and you send us photos and videos for our Facebook pages. So don’t hesitate! Write Chrystelle, Sebastian and The Sound Kitchen today and let us know you want to be a part of the RFI Clubs / European Championship 2016 football tournaments.

This week’s quiz: On 2 April, Aidan O’Donnell was in The Sound Kitchen, and he asked you a question about a broadcast transmission tower in Moscow. This 1922 tower is a landmark of modernist structural engineering, but it is in sad need of repair. It was recently put on the 2016 World Monuments Fund Watch list of endangered global cultural heritage sites.

Aidan asked you to write in with the name of the tower.

The answer is: the Shukhov Tower. It is not only a “landmark of modernist structural engineering”, it is beautiful! It’s composed of hyperboloids in diminishing size, so it is cone-shaped and really astonishing. Let’s hope the Russians heed the call and save this wonderful monument of modernity.

The winners are: Muhammad Jamal, a member of the RFI Fan Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh; Mr Ariful Islam from the Madakmukta Radio Listeners Club in Sirajgonj, Bangladesh; Ms Lalita Jaswal from Hamirpur, India; Hyrum Karyea-Mennoh, the president of the RFI Dukor Sea Breeze Club of Monrovia, Liberia, and Arnold K Jefwa from Nairobi, Kenya.

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question ... you'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 4 July to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 9 July 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:

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-sound-kitchen-essay-contests

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

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-how-form-official-rfi-listeners-club

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about the yacht used by the Cuban revolutionaries. There’s a special voice with a special message, some news for the RFI Clubs, great music - and of course, the new quiz question. 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 13725 kHz on the 22m 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, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, 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/). In Paris, you can hear us on World Radio Paris (http://www.worldradioparis.fr/) on DAB+. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts (and thank you thank you thank you WRMI, WRN, and World Radio Paris!), 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.

Great news for the RFI Clubs: Chrystelle Nammour and Sébastien Bonijol in our Listener Relations department are organizing another round of football tournaments for all the official RFI Clubs. The first RFI Club Tournaments were in 2014 to celebrate the FIFA World Cup Football Championship and were so successful they’ve decided to do it again – this time, to coincide with the European Championship games this summer. 

The RFI Club Tournaments need to be played during the Euro 2016 games, from 10 June through 10 July. You can organize your matches any way you want – you can hold games between RFI Clubs in the same country, or games between members of the same club. Your RFI Club may choose to organize games for teams in your community, or games between your RFI Club and other organizations. In any case, RFI will furnish the team shirts, the footballs, and the trophies, and we’ll send RFI banners for you to use at the matches. I’ll announce match results – and you send us photos and videos for our Facebook pages. So don’t hesitate! Write Chrystelle, Sebastian and The Sound Kitchen today and let us know you want to be a part of the RFI Clubs / European Championship 2016 football tournaments.

This week’s quiz: On 26 March, I asked you a question about Cuban history, for that was the week US president Barack Obama met with Cuban president Raul Castro. After more than a half-century of halted diplomatic relations, economic embargos and general all around hostility and bitterness, the US and Cuba are working on normalizing relations between their two countries.

The question was about the Cuban revolution. After a failed attack on an army facility in 1953, the revolutionary organization (called the “26 of July” movement, for the date of the attack) fled Cuba for Mexico. There they re-organized, and set sail in 1956 from Mexico on a very small pleasure yacht which was built to hold 12 people. There were 82 (!) men on-board, including Fidel and Raul Castro, Che Guevara, and Camilo Cienfuegos. In 1959 the “26 of July” revolutionaries succeeded in overthrowing the Fulgencia Batista dictatorship.

My question to you was: what was the name of that yacht? You were to send in the name of the small boat, meant to hold 12 people, that carried the 82 “26 of July” Cuban revolutionaries from Mexico to Cuba in 1956.

The answer is: the Granma. Granma is, in English, an affectionate term for a grandmother.

The winners are: A member of the RFI Club Cuba, naturalmente! Felicidades to Leonel Gomez Aballe from Holguin, Cuba. Also on the winner’s list this week: RFI Club member S J Agboola from Ado Ekiti, Nigeria; Mohammad Akhsan – also an RFI Club member – from Dhaka, Bangladesh; Mrs Fulmala Bain from Chhattisgarh, India, and Mawunyo Koblavi from Accra, Ghana.

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question - you'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 27 June to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 2 July 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:

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-sound-kitchen-essay-contests

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 question about the ExoMars lander. There’s a special birthday to celebrate, some news for the RFI Clubs, great music - and of course, the new quiz question. 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 13725 kHz on the 22m 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, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, 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/). In Paris, you can hear us on World Radio Paris (http://www.worldradioparis.fr/) on DAB+. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts (and thank you thank you thank you WRMI, WRN, and World Radio Paris!), 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.

Great news for the RFI Clubs: Chrystelle Nammour and Sébastien Bonijol in our Listener Relations department are organizing another round of football tournaments for all the official RFI Clubs. The first RFI Club Tournaments were in 2014 to celebrate the FIFA World Cup Football Championship and were so successful they’ve decided to do it again – this time, to coincide with the European Championship games this summer. 

The RFI Club Tournaments need to be played during the Euro 2016 games, from 10 June through 10 July. You can organize your matches any way you want – you can hold games between RFI Clubs in the same country, or games between members of the same club. Your RFI Club may choose to organize games for teams in your community, or games between your RFI Club and other organizations. In any case, RFI will furnish the team shirts, the footballs, and the trophies, and we’ll send RFI banners for you to use at the matches. I’ll announce match results – and you send us photos and videos for our Facebook pages. So don’t hesitate! Write Chrystelle, Sebastian and The Sound Kitchen today and let us know you want to be a part of the RFI Clubs / European Championship 2016 football tournaments.

This week’s quiz: On 19 March, I asked you a question about Mars. On 14 March the ExoMars 2016 mission, a joint mission between the European and Russian space agencies, blasted off from Kazakhstan.

The spacecraft consists of an orbiter that will measure methane and other gases in the Martian atmosphere, and a lander that will study dust storms. The spacecraft is expected to arrive in October.

My question to you was: what is the name of the lander on the ExoMars, and why does it have that name?

The answer is: the Schiaparelli. It’s named after the 19th-century Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835 – 1910). Schiaparelli is best known for his telescopic observations of Mars in 1877, a period when Mars was close to earth in its rotation cycle. Drawing on that month of close observation, he designed the most detailed map of Mars ever published, which became the standard reference in planetary cartography. The names he gave to major features on the planet survive to this day.

What is also interesting in this story is that Schiaparelli is inadvertently responsible for all of our Martian myths! Schiaparelli's description of a dense network of linear structures on the surface of Mars he called "canali" in Italian, which means "channels". However, it was mistranslated into English as "canals". Starting to see what happened? “Channels” are natural configurations. “Canals” are man-made … and there you have it. It didn’t take long for many to proclaim there was life on Mars, because the life form that lived there – the Martians – had to have built those canals that Schiaparelli saw. So Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli is not only the “Father” of Mars observation, you could even say he is the “Father” of a whole genre of science fiction!

Back to the ExoMars, though … three days before the ExoMars arrives at Mars, the Schiaparelli lander will separate from the orbiter and settle on the surface of the planet, where it will measure Mars’ atmosphere. All of this is expected to happen this coming October – Mars is not very close to we Earthlings!

The winners are: Raihan Ali, a member of the Nilshagor RFI Fan Club in Nilphamari, Bangladesh; Husneyara Khatun from the Karatoa Club in Sirajganj, Bangladesh; Ujwal Babu from Kathmandu, Nepal; RFI Listeners Club member P Sivashanmugham from Chennai, India and a member of the RFI Club Cuba: Manuel Alejandro Perez Paneque from Havana.

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question ... you'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 13 June to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 18 June 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:

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-sound-kitchen-essay-contests

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

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-how-form-official-rfi-listeners-club

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about the national heritage animal of Pakistan and Afghanistan. There’s “On This Day”, your letters, great music - and of course, the new quiz question. 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 13725 kHz on the 22m 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, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Sierra Leone, 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 look for our programs on WRMI (http://www.wrmi.net/) and WRN (http://www.wrn.org/listeners/). In Paris, you can hear us on World Radio Paris (http://www.worldradioparis.fr/) on DAB+. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts (and thank you thank you thank you WRMI, WRN, and World Radio Paris!), 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.

This week’s quiz: On 12 March, I asked you to send in the name of a very beautiful endangered animal. It lives at high elevations in central and South Asia, and it is the national heritage animal for both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The answer is: The panthera uncia, better known as the snow leopard.

The winners are: Mr Shah Nawaz from Sindh and Jiskani Farrukh Ahmad from the RFI Seven Stars Listeners Club in Chiniot District, both in Pakistan; Mrs P Sathyavathi from the RFI Listeners Club in Hyderabad, India; Jaroslaw Jedrzejczak from Fabianki, Poland, and Rachel Imuron of the Kumi Central RFI Listeners Club in Kampala, Uganda.

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question ... you'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 6 June to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 11 June 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:

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-sound-kitchen-essay-contests

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

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-how-form-official-rfi-listeners-club

Susan is on vacation, so there is no program as such – however, the weekend host will read out the question and the winners, as well as the new question, at the usual broadcast times. We’ve put the new question here on the web in case you were not able to tune in live.

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.

Great news my friends … there are three brand new official RFI clubs to welcome! There’s the “RFI Fans Web Visitors Club” in Khanpur, Pakistan, headed up by Amir Manzoor. Welcome! There’s the “Cubans on the Radio Club” in Holguin, Cuba, with Rommel Tamayo Gutiérrez as its president – Bienvenidos! And there’s the “RFI Surfer’s Society Bangladesh” in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with Ms Royeka Khatun at the helm – welcome! Welcome, welcome, welcome!

More great news - we have a new feature … a literary magazine produced once a month by Laura Angela Bagnetto, called Africa: Stories in the 54. Look for it here on our website, and also on The Sound Kitchen Facebook page.

For our DX enthusiast friends: Our shortwave frequency is 13725 kHz on the 22m band, and you can hear our programs every day from 6.00 to 7.00 UT. We’ve had reception reports from Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Sierra Leone, 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 look for our programs on WRMI and WRN. In Paris, you can hear us on World Radio Paris ( on DAB+. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts (and thank you thank you thank you WRMI, WRN, and World Radio Paris!), 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.

This week’s quiz: On 5 March, I asked you a question about the French cinema awards, the Césars. You were to send in the name of the movie which won Best Film, as well as the names of the leading actress and the director.

The answer is: The name of the film is Fatima. It stars Soria Zeroual, and was directed by Philippe Faucon.

The winners this week are: RFI Listeners Club member Sourodeep Sarkar from Murshidabad, India; Hans Verner Lollike from Hedhusene, Denmark; Kristopher Arens from Oregon, U-S; Royse Cramton, from Illinois, U-S and Shahzad Shabir, the president of the Pak France International Listener's Club in Sahiwal, Pakistan.

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question ... exceptionally, I am putting the question here for you, as I understand many of you listen to the program from the web - since the shows won’t be posted here until I get back from holiday, I don’t want to leave you out.

Here’s the question for 30 April: Tonight is Walpurgis Night. Walpurgis Night is celebrated on the night of 30 April in the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland and Estonia. What is Walpurgis Night, according to tradition?

You have until 30 May to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 4 June 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: