This week on The Sound Kitchen we’ll celebrate World Radio Day 2025. You’ll hear the answer to the question about former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his court trials, “The Listener’s Corner” with Paul Myers, and Erwan Rome’s “Music from Erwan” – all that, and the new quiz and bonus questions too, so click the “Play” button above and enjoy!

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner's names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

RFI English listeners have been very generous with their wonderful graphics for World Radio Day that they have posted on the RFI English Listeners Forum Facebook page – there’s even a World Radio Day quiz from Anand Mohan Bain, the president of the RFI Pariwer Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh India – so don’t miss out!

The RFI English team is pleased to announce that Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Listening Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan, won the RFI / Planète Radio ePOP video contest, in the RFI Clubs category. Bravo Saleem! Mubarak ho!

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner!

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write “RFI English” in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, The International Report, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We also have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis.

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show.

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below.

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 11 January, I asked you a question about France’s ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy. That week, Sarkozy’s trial on charges of accepting illegal campaign financing from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi began.

You were to refer to Melissa Chemam’s article “France's ex-president Sarkozy on trial over alleged Gaddafi pact”, and send in the answer to this question: What was former French president Nicolas Sarkozy convicted of on 18 December, and what was his penalty?

The answer is, to quote Melissa: “This new trial is starting barely half a month after France's top appeals court on 18 December rejected Sarkozy's appeal against a one-year prison sentence for influence peddling, which he is to serve by wearing an electronic tag rather than in jail.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What do you remember about the first time you caught a fish?” It was suggested by Ratna Shanta Shammi from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!

The winners are: RFI English listener Shahanoaz Akter Ripa, the president of the Sonali Badhan Female Listeners Club in Bogura, Bangladesh. Shahanoaz is also this week’s bonus question winner.

Congratulations Shahanoaz, on your double win !

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Mogire Machuki from Kisii, Kenya; Najimuddin, the president of the RFI International DX Radio Listeners Club in West Bengal, India; Nasyr Muhammad from Katsina State, Nigeria, and Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusenen in Denmark.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Preparation” from the film The Little Prince, written by Hans Zimmer and Richard Harvey; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and Histoire de Melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Claude Vannier, performed by Serge Gainsbourg and orchestra.

Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

This week’s question ... you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “French PM pushes through budget, faces second no-confidence vote”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 3 March to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 8 March podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to learn how to win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

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

A World Radio Day celebration!