The Maori chant

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you'll hear the answer to the question about the traditional chant of the Maoris of New Zealand. There's a “This I Believe” essay from Fatematuj Zahra, music by request from Alan Holder, and of course, the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo above and enjoy!

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday. 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.

Wouldn't you like to hear your voice on The Sound Kitchen? I know I would! Get out your telephones and record what we call “drops” – because we “drop” them in the show here and there - they're the little “You're listening to The Sound Kitchen, and Susan Owensby is cooking” things we sprinkle in the show. Many of these are from listeners, and since I'm always hungry, I want more! Here's what you can say:

“I am (your name) from (your country) and you're listening to The Sound Kitchen on Radio France International.”

“I am (your name) from (your country) and you're listening to The Sound Kitchen, where you never know what you'll be served!”

“I am (your name) from (your country) - you're listening to The Sound Kitchen, and Susan Owensby is cooking.”

Or be creative and make up your own – why not? Samuel Francis from Jamaica sent me one that said “yah man” – I play it often!

Send them to me as either Mp3 or WAV files, at [email protected]

Paris Live, our afternoon news broadcast, wants in on the action, too! You can also send recordings of you saying the above, but instead of (obviously) "The Sound Kitchen", say "Paris Live". We'll have your voices all over the English Service airwaves - which is great!

I would also like to hear from you about your little moments of joy. Small, daily things: a beautiful sunset, a baby's laugh. Let's add that as a very nice ingredient to our communal cooking – let's share the joy! In these crazy times, we all need it … write to me at [email protected]

For our DX enthusiast and shortwave listener friends: I am sad to announce we no longer have a shortwave frequency; we have severe budget constraints which no longer permit us to broadcast via shortwave.

But you can still hear us on World Radio Network. As you know, we now broadcast only 1 hour per day, Monday – Friday, from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC/GMT.

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For Europe: WRN broadcasts the quotidian RFI English programme three times a day from Monday to Friday, from 07:00 to 07:50, from 12:00 to 12:59 and from 20:00 to 20:59 UTC/GMT.

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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 [email protected]

Did you know there's an RFI English newsletter? If you subscribe, you'll receive our newsletter every day. Just click on Newsletters, fill out the form, and you'll stay up-to-date with RFI English.

Welcome to our new RFI Listeners Club member - Sutomo Huang of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Sutomo is a member of the International Broadcasting Listeners Club.

So glad you've joined us!
You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write me at [email protected] and tell me you want to join, and I'll send you a membership number. It's that easy. When you win a Sound Kitchen quiz as an RFI Listeners Club member, you receive a premium prize.

RFI Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni ([email protected]) from our Listener Relations department on all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me ([email protected]) when you write her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B. You do not need to send her your quiz answers!

We've made a Facebook page just for you, the RFI English Clubs. It is a closed group, so when you apply to join, be sure you include the name of your RFI Club and your membership number. Everyone can look at it, but only members of the group can post on it. If you haven't yet asked to join the group, go to the Facebook link above and fill out the questionnaire!!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”).

Are you interested in forming an official RFI Club, or transforming your existing club into an official RFI Club? Click here to find out how!

This week's quiz: On 23 March, I asked you a question about the horrible 15 March hate crime in New Zealand. Immediately following the tragedy, many groups - mainly students - paid homage to the victims with a very traditional chant, which comes from the Maoris, New Zealand's first occupants. I asked you to write in with the name of this chant.

The answer is: The Haka. We mainly know about it from New Zealand's rugby team the All Blacks, who perform it in front of their opponents on the field before every match. But that is only one Haka – there are Hakas for many different occasions, including funerals.

The winners this week are: Mrs Asifa Riaz, a member of the RFI Listeners Club in Sheikhupura, Pakistan; RFI Listener's Club member Kristopher Arens from Creswell, Oregon in the U-S; Jahan Ara Hussain from Odisha, India; Masud Ali from Naogaon, Bangladesh and Tahtiha Saleh from Nilphamari, Bangladesh.  

Congratulations winners!
Here's the music you heard on this week's program: “Africa Ouest 4” by After in Paris; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “Carousel” by Evanthia Reboutsika and "Acropolis Adieu" by Catherine Desage, Christian Bruhn and Georg Buschor, sung by  Mireille Mathieu.

Do you have a musical request? Send it to [email protected]

This week's question ... You'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 27 May to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 1 May podcast. 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:
[email protected]
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 a special Sound Kitchen prize, 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