Spotlight on France

How France shifted its approach to heatwaves after nearly 15,000 people died in the summer of 2003. An urban planning concept gets picked up by conspiracy theorists. And the first TGV that started France's expansion of high-speed rail travel. The world has just had its hottest three months on record. But France's worst heatwave in memory was 20 years ago, in 2003. In August that year nearly 15,000 people in France died from heat, more than any summer since. The disaster permanently changed how the country deals with heatwaves – and now, as climate change makes extreme heat more frequent and more intense, it's having to change tactics again. Historian of public health Richard C Keller, who wrote a book about the victims of 2003, looks back at what France has learned. (Listen @1'30)When Carlos Moreno conceived of the 15-minute city, he did not expect to be pulled into the world of conspiracy theorists. The Paris-based sociologist came up with a new concept of urban planning to try to create neighbourhoods where all services – for work and leisure – lie within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from home. The city of Paris has embraced the concept, but elsewhere it has been picked up by people who say that it is part of a plan to limit people's movements and confine them to open-air prisons. (Listen @16'25)France's first high-speed train line was inaugurated on 22 September 1981, with an orange-and-white "train à grande vitesse" – or TGV – making the trip from Paris to Lyon. It started an era of reducing travel times and chasing speed records. (Listen @12'10)Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

As the dust settles on a week of intense urban violence triggered by the police shooting of a young man in the northern working-class suburb of Nanterre, we look at the causes and what, if anything, has changed in these poorer, multi-racial neighbourhoods since the 2005 riots. What role has police violence played in the worsening relations between the state and banlieues residents? And the life and music of singer-poet-anarchist Léo Ferré. The fatal shooting of Nahel Merzouk by a police officer in the town of Nanterre on 27 June sparked a wave of violence, with mainly young men attacking symbols of the French state such as schools and town halls, damaging private property and looting shops and supermarkets. The unrest recalls the 2005 riots – also triggered by police violence against French youth of colour from the banlieues. Nearly 20 years later, little has changed, laments sociologist Julien Talpin. He argues that the violence during those eight nights was more political and far less random than the government and police portrayed it to be. (Listen @0')Relations between France's police force and banlieues residents have worsened since 2005. There is mistrust on both sides –  with young people seeing themselves as ready targets of racially motivated police violence and officers feeling they are disrespected and under attack. While the French government denies there is systemic racism within the police, studies have shown the contrary. Political Scientist Jacques De Maillard, who studies the police in France and elsewhere, says racial profiling and racist attitudes are part of how the police function, but neither the authorities nor officers themselves are willing to recognise this. (Listen @13'50'')Leo Ferré, one of France's most important and admired singer-poets, died on 14 July 1993. Ever the rebel, he wrote and interpreted songs that shocked and broke taboos in the 1960s –  whether denouncing torture in Algeria or celebrating female genitalia. His raw passion on stage and way with words earned him a huge place in the ballad tradition known as French "chanson". (Listen @27'30'')Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

How Rouen, a city on the Seine, far from the open sea, became France's largest grain port; denim production returns to its place of birth in Nimes; and the story of Alice Guy, the world's first woman director, forgotten by history.  French wheat exports got a boost with the war in Ukraine, and most are shipped out of Rouen, a port on the Seine, 100 kilometres away from the open sea. Manuel Gaborieau, head of agribuisness for Haropa, which manages the port, explains the historical and logistical reasons for an inland port. At the Simarex terminal, grain director Cédric Burg and operations manager Yannick Jossé talk about getting grain from field to boat, and how the war in Ukraine has impacted operations. (Listen @0')Jeans were first manufactured in the US by Levi Strauss in 1873, but the denim fabric they're made from was first woven in the 17th century in the southern French town of Nimes. Guillaume Sagot has returned to his home town to take denim production back to its roots. We visit him at the Ateliers de Nîmes workshop to see how they're using traditional savoir faire to make durable jeans with a lighter carbon footprint. Lisa Laborie-Barrière, curator at the Musée du Vieux Nimes, reflects on links between Nimes and Levi Strauss. (Listen @17')Alice Guy, born in Paris on 1 July 1873, was the first woman film director and is widely acknowledged with making the first narrative film in 1896. But her contributions to the history of cinema were largely forgotten – even ignored – during her lifetime. (Listen @11'40'')Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

How to get New Caledonians talking to each other; the incompatibility of being gay and a football player in France, and the naval officer who turned his world travels into fiction. In the face of political deadlock over the status of the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, pro-independence and loyalist parties are struggling to even talk to one another. Caledonian journalist and writer Jenny Briffa has spent a good part of her life trying to get conversations going between the archipelago's different ethnic communities, and recently wrote a triptych of plays around the three independence referendums held in 2018, 2020 and 2021. She talks about the territory's colonial legacy, its shared cultures, and how she sees herself as a white Caledonian, born of French parents. (Listen @0')Football remains a very macho sport in France, and failure to fit the straight, virile mould can lead to harassment, insults or worse. Ouissem Belgacem quit his career as a rising football star aged 20 when he realised he could never be an openly gay player. He finally came out publicly in his book Adieu ma honte (Farewell to my shame) in 2021, which inspired a recently released documentary series. While he's no longer in the football world, he hopes to become a role model – something he never had – for today's players. He talks about needing to wear a 'heterosexual mask' as a player, and how little that has changed since he left the sport 15 years ago. (Listen @19'38'')Acclaimed writer Pierre Loti, who died on 10 June 1923, had a long career as a naval officer. He's in a long line of French public figures to have tried their hand at writing fiction, though with far less success. (Listen @15'25'')Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

The village of Oradour-sur-Glane continues to memorialise the massacre of 643 of its inhabitants by the Nazis in 1944. Are shortages of an abortion drug in France linked to the anti-abortion movement in the United States? And the French doctor who helped identify HIV in the early days of the Aids epidemic. On 10 June 1944, Nazi troops entered the buccolic village of Oradour-sur-Glane in central France and massacred 643 men, women and children. They then burnt it to the ground. Later that year, General Charles de Gaulle declared Oradour a ‘martyred village', giving instructions that its state of destruction should be conserved as a permanent reminder of Nazi barbarity. Babeth Robert, the head of the village's remembrance centre, talks about life among the ruined remains. Benoit Sadry, the head of the association of families of victims of the massacre, reflects on family history and the need to conserve the site against the ravages of time. (Listen @0')As the US Supreme Court in April was considering a case to de-authorise the use of mifepristone – one of two drugs used in medication abortions – many abortion providers in France were experiencing a shortage of misoprostol, the other drug. Isabelle Louis of the Planning Familiale, which provides abortions in the Paris area, talks about the shortage and its impact on patients. Pauline Londeix, of the Observatory for transparency in drug policies, says the scarcity is likely part of a longer-running problem of medecine shortages in general. But the timing, given what's happening in the US, is hard to ignore. (Listen @21'38'')On 20 May 1983, a group of French scientists published a paper in Science identifying the virus that caused Aids. Jessica Phelan speaks about the discovery and its origins in a sample taken by a doctor in Paris, Willy Rozenbaum. (Listen @13'25'')Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Why French unions are so prominent despite record low membership. How Tintin defied critiques of racism, sexism and anti-Semitism to remain one of France's favourite comic strip characters. And the 1920 beauty pageant that evolved into Miss France, watched by millions each year.  France's leading trade unions have seen a recent increase in membership after organising weeks of strikes and protests against the government's unpopular pension reform. But union membership in France – at around 8 percent – is among the lowest in western Europe. Researcher Marie Menard talks about the raison d'etre of French unions and how they still manage to punch above their weight. (Listen @2'10'')Forty years after the death of his creator, and nearly a century after he first appeared in a comic strip, Tintin remains one of France's most beloved characters. The 24 albums featuring the young Belgian reporter's adventures with his dog Snowy sell half a million copies a year in France. Comic book sellers talk about how they're mainly bought by adults nowadays. And Renaud Nattiez, author of Faut-il bruler Tintin? (Should we burn Tintin?) reflects on why, despite critiques of Tintin, author Hergé is still so popular. (Listen @18'10'')Miss France was born on 10 May 1920 as 'La plus belle femme de France' (France's most beautiful woman) – a competition judged by cinema goers. It has evolved over the years, and while it has been criticised by feminist groups, the beauty pageant continues to pull in both contestants and television viewers. (Listen @11'30'')Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

France's pioneering 2017 law that made French-based multinational companies responsible for human rights and environmental violations wherever they do business. Also, a Franco-Vietnamese theatre director brings Vietnamese history to life on stage. And the first same-sex marriage remembered 10 years after it became legal. The collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh a decade ago led to France passing a duty of care law in 2017, making French-headquartered multinationals responsible for human rights violations and environmental damages throughout the supply chain. Nayla Ajaltouni (@naylaajaltouni) of the collective Éthique sur l'étiquette says the French initiative has helped spur on a similar law at the European level, but feels the business-friendly Macron government is not as ambitious as it should be in ensuring labour and human rights come before business as usual. (Listen @2'08'') Franco-Vietnamese activist Tran To Nga has spent years pushing for the chemical companies that produced Agent Orange – a herbicide used by the United States during the Vietnam war that caused cancers and birth defects – to be held responsible in French courts. Director Marine Bachelot-Nguyen was inspired by Tran's story and created a one-woman show, Nos corps empoisonnés (Our poisoned bodies), based on her life and activism. She talks about making theatre as a way of reaching audiences who might not otherwise listen. (Listen @22'07'')France legalised gay marriage on 23 April, 2013. 10years later, Vincent Autin (@VincentAutin), half of the first ever same-sex couple to tie the knot in France, reflects on the legacy of the law. And lawyer Florent Berdeaux (@florentberdeaux) talks about how the right to marry also opened up the right to divorce, which is arguably even more important. (Listen @13'50'')Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

France's evolving relationship with China; allowing women time off for period pain; and why artist Pablo Picasso never became French. France has historically had good relations with China, but as Europe has been looking to distance itself from the People's Republic, France has had to follow suit. RFI's Jan van der Made talks about French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to China this week, and the shifting relationship between the two countries. (Listen @2'20'')After Spain passed a law allowing women to take up to two days off each month for pain related to menstruation, France is being encouraged to do the same. The town of Saint Ouen, north of Paris, has put in place paid menstrual leave for city employees, to allow them to take time off, and to raise awareness of what is often a taboo subject. But not everyone agrees with the measure. (Listen @18'37'')Pablo Picasso, who died on 8 April 1973, spent his entire adult life in France and a host of exhibitions are planned to mark the 50th anniversary of his death. France claims him as a national treasure, but it rejected his 1940 request for French nationality. (Listen @12'20'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Is the French government denying people their democratic rights by passing its controversial pension reform without a vote in parliament? No, says a constitutional expert, but it has led to a political crisis. Fighting eco-anxiety by searching out France's eco-optimists. And a Napoleonic law that limited how you could name your child. France's last remaining hostage, journalist Olivier Dubois, is finally released (Listen @0'00)The French government used article 49.3 of the constitution to push through its contested pension reform without a final vote in parliament. Opponents to the reform say the use of the article is a denial of democracy. Political scientist Christophe Boutin says while it's perfectly legal, the way it was used remains problematic. (Listen @3'15'')Longtime journalist Dorothée Moisan (@domoisan) quit her job to focus on the environment, but found herself depressed and overwhelmed by what she learned about climate change. To ease her eco-anxiety, she set out to meet people who managed to overcome theirs, and wrote about them in her book, Les Ecoptimistes. They each have their own approach. (Listen @18'05'')Tired of revolutionaries calling their children Liberté or Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul of France, passed a law on 1 April 1803 allowing children to be given names from religious calenders, or named after historical figures. The law was overtunred in 1993, even though some would like to see it return. (Listen @12'43'')Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

How French farmers are adapting since the war in Ukraine halted grain and seed exports. Why we need to buy fewer clothes if we want the fashion industry to be sustainable. And the voice of Ernest Renan – one of the big thinkers of 19th century France, famed for his biography of Jesus. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to a drop in grain exports around the world, as Ukraine was a major producer before the war. Farmers in France – Europe's largest grain producer – have shifted their production to help compensate. At the annual ‘Salon de l'Agriculture' agriculture fair in the south of Paris, Laurent Rosso, director of the French vegetable oil and protein trade association, talks about how grain farmers here have increased their sunflower crops, for animal feed and cooking oil, and the country's quest for self-sufficiency. And with the increase in the price of wheat, farmers might be discouraged from planting other grains. Cédric Truphemus, a producer of petit epautre, or small spelt, in the high Alps, says not enough farmers in the region are planting, and they cannot meet demand. (Listen @1'15)The fashion industry's green credentials are not great: not only is it responsible for at least four percent of global carbon emissions, the dyes and chemicals involved in garment-making are damaging to the environment and human health. Fashion shows, such as the recent Fashion Week in Paris, are the most visible part of the industry, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. The big problem is the growth of 'ultra fast fashion', which floods the market with cheap garments with short shelf-lives. Catherine Dauriac, a fashion journalist, author and country coordinator of the global non-profit Fashion Revolution, talks about the urgent need to make fashion more sustainable. It begins with buying less but better and repairing the clothes we already have. (Listen @17'50)France is marking the bi-centenary of the birth of historian and philosopher Ernest Renan. Renowned for works such as the "Life of Jesus" and "What is a nation?" his voice was recorded by Gustave Eiffel in 1891 in one of the earliest audio recordings in France. (Listen @12'00)Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

How French educators are grappling with new AI-based technology, like ChatGPT, and how it will affect teaching, evaluating and learning. Voltuan, the most-recognised man on French demos, talks about life as a full-time activist. And the 17th century origins of France's pension system.  Faced with a growing number of students in France submitting papers written by the chatbot ChatGPT, the prestigious Sciences Po university recently banned its use as part of its policy against fraud and plagiarism. But artificial intelligence is here to stay and French educators are having to get to grips with it. Computer science professor Jean-Gabriel Ganascia (@Quecalcoatle) tested out a text generator to write a column in a research magazine and was quite impressed with the results. Thierry de Vulpillières (@tdevul), founder of a startup that proposes AI-based learning tools to teachers, says French teachers and professors will now need to rethink how they test and evaluate students. (Listen @0')At the front of most big demos in Paris you'll see a man with his arms outstretched in a V-shape holding up a huge  sign with a brightly coloured catchy slogan in big capital letters. 'Placard man', as French media have dubbed him, has attended hundreds of marches as part of the convergence of struggles –  climate justice, social justice, women's rights, animal rights, and of course, pension reform. Jean-Baptiste Reddé, who goes by the name of Voltuan (@Voltuan), talks about committing his life to activism, what it's like to be so visible, and coming up with his slogans in Parisien cafés. (Listen @19'18'')France's pension system, where working people pay for the pensions of current retirees, was founded in 1945 at the end of World War II. But the very first pensions go back to the 17th century, when Louis XIV signed edicts for the navy and ballet dancers – the first of which was 450 years ago, on 22 September 1673. (Listen @14'15'')Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

A majority of French people disapprove of the government proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64-years-old. Women could come off worse than men, and it will involve addressing senior employment, which France does not do particularly well. And how the Paris Peace Accords, marking a temporary end to the Vietnam war, were signed 50 years ago in the French capital. The French government's proposed pension reform, which would raise the minimum retirement age has unleashed a new wave of strikes and protests, drawing a record 1.3 million people into the streets on 18 January. Some opponents say everyone will loose out in the reform, though an official report suggests women may fare worse by having to work on average seven extra months – compared to five for men – in order to even out the gender imbalance. On the street, women expressed anger at being asked to work longer in what are already difficult jobs. (Listen @58'')Opposition parties on the hard left and hard right are opposed to the reform, but some members of the ruling coalition are also expressing concern. MP and former environment minister, Barbara Pompili, has said that she cannot vote on the legislation as it stands, and is pushing for amendments to make it fairer, especially for people who started working young, and for older workers. (Listen @10'27'')France has a problem with employing seniors – people aged 55 and over – and this could become an even bigger issue if the retirement age is raised to 64. Hervé Boulhol, senior economist at the OECD, says that contrary to popular opinion previous increases in retirement have not led to more unemployment among seniors. (Listen @14'50'')The agreement to end the Vietnam war was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973, after nearly five years of difficult negotiations between the US and communist North Vietnam. France was a logical place to hold the peace talks because of its historical links to Vietnam – a French colony until 1954. (Listen @22'40'')Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Long-awaited recognition for France's colonial infantry corps. Who are the French victims of the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange? Napoleon III's transformation of France. The "tirailleurs Senegalais" – riflemen from former French colonies in west Africa who fought in the French army – will be allowed to claim their French state pensions while living permanently in their countries of origin. The change in rules marks a shift in recognition for their heroism and coincides with the release of "Les Tirailleurs" starring Omar Sy. Yoro Diao, one of the few surviving soldiers, talks about the fight for recognition, and his pride in defending his country's former colonial ruler. (Listen @2'15'')Some 50,000 to 60,000 people in France lost money in the collapse of the American cryptocurrency exchange FTX. Lawyer Ronan Journoud (@cryptoavocat) is advising some of the victims. Several of them lost their life savings. (Listen @19'23'')We look at the complicated legacy of France's first president and last monarch, Napoleon III, 150 years after his death on 9 January 1873. He expanded France's colonial empire, renovated Paris, and died in exile in England. (Listen @)14'30")Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Unpicking France's win against Morocco in World Cup semi-final; finding "ethical" alternatives to force-fed foie gras; and why it's worth reading Marcel Proust, 100 years after his death. After France beat Morocco in the World Cup semi-final, Paul Myers looks at whether it makes sense to see it as a face-off between Morocco and its former colonial power, and what a win in the final against Argentina on Sunday would mean for France – which first won the football tournament in 1998. (Listen @0') Foie gras is a delicacy found on many French tables during the festive season. But the process of making it, which involves force feeding geese or ducks to increase their liver size, can be seen as a form of animal cruelty. French scientist Remy Burcelin has discovered a way for geese to naturally fatten their livers, and his company is experimenting with making foie gras without force feeding. Meanwhile vegan chef Julie Bavant shows us how to make faux gras, or fake foie gras  and talks about why it is appealing to vegans and meat-eaters alike. (Listen @19'50'') French writer Marcel Proust, who died 100 years ago this year, spent 14 years writing his 3,000-page opus 'A la recherche du temps perdu' (In search of lost time) – hailed as one of the greatest works of 20th century European literature. Reading it is a daunting task, but Josh Landy, author of 'The World According to Proust' says it's well worth the effort. (Listen @8'45'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

As France's parliament passes a bill that would enshrine the right to abortion in the constitution, a new film explores the time before it was legalised in 1975. The curator of Père Lachaise in Paris on life and biodiversity in France's most famous cemetery. And Walt Disney's 11th-century French roots. France might be on the way to becoming the first country to have abortion rights protected in the constitution, after a recent vote in the National Assembly passed with a large majority. Not everyone thinks it is necessary – legal scholar Gwenaele Calves says abortion rights are already well protected in France. Meanwhile a new film, Annie Colère (Angry Annie), tells the story of the MLAC (Movement for the freedom of abortion and contraception) whose work carrying out illegal abortions in the early 70s helped pave the way for the law legalising abortion in 1975. (Listen @0') Three million people flock to Paris' Père Lachaise cemetery every year, drawn to the tombs of Frederic Chopin, Jim Morrison and other famous people buried there. But it's also home to an increasing amount of wildlife, including foxes. Laura Angela Bagnetto spoke with cemetery curator Benoît Gallot (@benoit_gallot), author of La vie secrète d'un cimetière (The secret life of a cemetery) about living in the famed graveyard and its rich biodiversity. (Listen @16') Walt Disney was born on 5 December 1901 in the US, but his distant ancestors hailed from Normandy and gave him his name. (Listen @11'50'') Episode mixed by Vincent Pora. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

A north-south divide over bullfighting, which holds an important cultural spot in many parts of southern France, but which opponents say is animal cruelty. A French climate activist on why blocking roads and interrupting opera performances is the only way to get attention. And the 9th-century Viking attack on Paris. The bullfighting tradition is long and strong in many parts of southern and south-western France, but a lawmaker from the north of the country says it's immoral and wants to get it banned outright. A corrida in Vauvert, near Montpellier, where toreros were performing along with students from the Arles bullfighting school, suggest the issue might be more nuanced. Aficionados object to a Parisian vision of how they should or should not celebrate their culture. The violence inherent to bullfighting is also, they say, what makes it so powerful. (Listen @2'07'') Climate activists have taken to throwing things at famous paintings in European museums, to capture the public's attention over what they see as an existential threat. While French paintings have not been hit (so far), homegrown French activists Dernière Rénovation (Last renovation) have been using direct action or acts of civil disobedience to highlight the very specific issue of housing renovation. The housing sector is the second-biggest producer of greenhouse gas emissions in France, after transportation, and the group wants the government to pass more ambitious legislation to push homeowners to better insulate their buildings. To increase pressure on the government, they started in the summer by interrupting the Tour de France. Since then, they have regularly blocked highways around the country. Victor talks about interrupting an opera performance, and why such acts of civil disobedience are necessary. (Listen @20'00'') The Viking siege of Paris that started on 24 November 885 was the beginning of the end of the unified Carolingian Empire, setting in place the future shape of the France we know today. (Listen @16'12'') Episode mixed by Nicolas Doreau. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

A Paris art gallery embraces NFTs as a new form of expression, that can also make collectors very rich. A biopic of Simone Veil disappoints critics but brings the life of an inspirational woman to a new generation. And the story of the "father of forensic science" whose landmark fingerprint technology caught a murderer for the first time in 1902. The NFT market is rife with speculation, though the technology is winning over some digital artists and collectors. A Parisian art gallery has started putting on hybrid shows, with NFTs displayed on a screen alongside oil paintings and prints. Alla Goldshteyn, of the Goldshteyn-Saatort gallery, which shows and sells urban art, talks about the thrill of experimenting with NFTs. While some collectors are out to make money, software engineer and NFT collector Gaspard Tertrais (@gaspard_ter) talks about the added appeal of owning something no one else has in the virtual world. (Listen @2'30'') The French biopic 'Simone, le voyage du siècle' (Simone, a woman of the century) traces the life of Holocaust survivor and politician Simone Veil. Director Olivier Dahan talks about depicting the Holocaust on screen and the need to introduce younger people to an extraordinary woman in French history. The film has been panned by many cinema critics, including Eric Schwald (@eric_schwald). But viewing it with his teenage son delivers a different perspective and shows the importance of passing on her life and its lessons to the younger generation. (Listen @23') On 24 October, 1902, a murderer was arrested and convicted on the basis of fingerprints, thanks to a method devised by Frenchman Alphonse Bertillon. His long-term reputation as the father of anthropometry was somewhat sullied, however, following his involvement in the Dreyfus affair. (Listen @17'35'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

As the French National Assembly gets younger and more female, some lawmakers say it's time MPs on maternity leave were replaced. Opera singers bring love, tragedy and dialogue to French city streets with free concerts in unexpected places. And the man behind Paris' Wallace fountains, which turn 150 this year. France has a reputation for supporting new parents, with fully-paid maternity leave and a month of paternal leave, but it does not apply to everyone. Because they are appointed, and not employed, members of the National Assembly can stop and start work when they want, but they are not replaced. So when they are absent  – whether it is for giving birth or long-term illness – they lose their vote. MP Mathilde Hignet (@mathildehignet), who is pregnant with her first child, has introduced a constitutional amendment that would allow lawmakers to be replaced by their deputies when they are on maternity leave. Will anyone oppose such a proposal? (Listen @2'40'') Opera singers and musicians from the Calms collective are shaking up opera's image – taking it back to its roots in popular culture by performing in the streets. Conceived in Marseille in the wake of the Covid lockdown of 2020, the Opéra Déconfiné project has now spread to other cities. For eight weeks each summer, professional singers give free weekly mini-concerts in working class areas in a number of French towns, drawing in new audiences.  (Listen @14'40'') For 150 years 'Wallace' fountains have provided Parisians with clean, free drinking water. Laura Angela Bagnetto talks about Sir Richard Wallace, who generously supported Parisians during the Franco-Prussian war and donated the first 50 fountains to the city in 1872. (Listen @8'45'') Episode mixed by Vincent Pora. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

France's fascination with Queen Elizabeth II and the British monarchy; being a Russian artist in France in the wake of the Ukraine war; a Parisien house marks two decades of helping journalists in exile. Some seven million French people watched coverage of the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, that ended nearly two weeks of mourning and accolades for the British royal family. France's interest in the Queen and the British monarchy seems incongruous, given that France is the land of the Revolution and overthrew its own monarchy in 1789. Catherine Marshall, professor of British history and politics, talks about what draws French people to the Queen, and why the French might be wistful for their own monarch. (Listen @0') France's large Russian diaspora includes many artists and intellectuals who've built on cultural ties laid down in the late 18th century by enlightenment philosopher Diderot and Empress Catherine the Great. But the war in Ukraine has put a strain on relations – inciting calls for cultural boycotts. Russian-born painter Masha Schmidt talks about setting up the ArtetPaix (Art and Peace) project to encourage aid to Ukraine, and why the closeness of Franco-Russian cultural ties may limit the cancelling of Russian artists. (Listen @13'30'') The Maison des journalistes (Journalists' house) is celebrating 20 years of helping persecuted journalists settle into exile in France. (Listen @9'10'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

As France faces an energy crisis, opposition to wind turbines is slowing a shift to renewables. Making sheep cheese in the land of Roquefort. The Revolutionary origins of the left-right political divide. France has warned about power cuts this winter after Russia cut off gas supplies to most of Europe in response to sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine. While France's nuclear-heavy energy mix should help it weather the storm, half of the country's reactors are offline, raising the spectre of blackouts. This could be an opportunity to further develop renewable energies, such as wind power, says Yves Marignac (@YvesMarignac), a nuclear expert with the Negawatt think tank. The nuclear lobby and political right are fuelling opposition to windfarms but Marignac says the time is right for a shift and that the French are ready to heed calls for energy sufficiency providing they apply to everyone.  (Listen @40'') France's famous Roquefort blue cheese has been made in the Aveyron region for centuries, but production has dropped in recent years as French cheese eating habits change. People are turning their noses up to stronger, raw milk cheeses, while still looking for local products. Some farmers in Aveyron, long encouraged to produce milk exclusively for Roquefort, are starting to make their own cheese. Remi Seguin has been making cheese on the sheep farm he inherited from his parents, using techniques they taught him, and is enjoying success. (Listen @15'55'') The left-right political divide dates back to the time of the French Revolution, on 11 September 1789, when members of the constituent assembly chose to sit on different sides of the chamber during a vote on whether or not to give Louis XVI the power of veto. (Listen @11'50'') Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Another summer special, where we look back on what has been called the world's first green hydrogen production plant. And a first-hand account of gay conversion therapy, which has since become a crime in France. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

A special summer episode, in which we update last October's conversation with Jacqueline Jencquel, a member of the French Association for the right to die with dignity (ADMD). She talks about planning her own death and what needs to change in French law. Also, from the archives, a look at pastry chefs preparing Christmas cakes... in August. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Reflecting on the end of the trial of those involved in the 2015 Paris attacks; developing quidditch in France, where some are wary of a sport involving a broom between the legs. And the day that Haiti was forced to pay its former slave masters for its independence. The trial of the 20 men involved in the 2015 terror attacks in Paris, which left 130 people dead, ended this week after nearly ten months. 19 of the 20 defendents were found guilty of all terrorism-related charges. Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving member of the commando that carried out the attacks, was sentenced to a whole-life term of 30 years in prison. RFI's Michael Fitzpatrick, who has been following the trial since it started in September 2021, talks about how the defendents evolved and what the trial taught him about the rule of law in France. (Listen @2'40'') Quidditch, the fictional game featured in the Harry Potter books, has developed into a real life sport played in 40 countries. While France has only a few hundred players in a dozen or so teams, the national team won the IQA European Games title in 2019 and will be heading back to defend it in Ireland at the end of July. At a recent practice session, Team France members talk about their love of the game – the only gender-mixed contact sport – and why the broom is an essential ingredient. (Listen @17'45'') On 11 July 1825, Haiti agreed to pay 150-million gold francs to France to avoid going to war with its former colonial ruler. The payment was deemed necessary to compensate slave owners for losing their ‘property' after the Haitian revolution. The country is still suffering from the results of this massive independence debt. (Listen @12'15'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

France's famously good public healthcare system is in crisis, as emergency services warn of shutdowns over the summer due to lack of staff. Graduates of prestigious AgroParisTech university make waves by turning their backs on an industry they say is "waging war on the living world". The annual Fête de la musique all-day music festival turns 40.  French hospital A&E services are threatening to shut down over the summer due to staff shortages. The French emergency services association estimated a few weeks ago that 120 emergency rooms are facing difficulties – more than half of which have closed partially, at night or at weekends. Healthcare workers warn that this crisis is just the visible manifestation of the collapse of France's renowned healthcare system. Public hospital staff talk about burnout and lack of resources, exacerbated by the Covid pandemic, as the government says it is looking to overhaul the system. (Listen @1'50) During their graduation ceremony, eight students at AgroParisTech – an elite university that trains the country's top agro-tech engineers – announced they were "swerving" away from the industry they'd spent years preparing for. In a speech that made waves in one of France's most important economic sectors, they denounced studies that were contributing to social and ecological devastation. One of the deserters, who lives in the ZAD (Zone to defend) in Notre Dame des Landes, near Nantes, talks about investing her knowledge and energy into collective, anti-capitalist projects and why others could follow suit. (Listen @14'50'') On 21 June 1982, the French Culture Minister Jack Lang launched Fête de la musique as a cure for morosity and a showcase for France's known, and less known, musical talent. Forty years later the all-day music festival has spread to 120 countries. (Listen @10'05'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

A first-time candidate for parliament campaigns for the newly unified left. Why a Frenchman has set up camp in one of Gustav Eiffel's ancient plane trees. France marks the jubilee of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. One of the most interesting parts of the upcoming parliamentary elections in France is the way the famously splintered left has come together. For the first time since the 1970s the left is unifying, rallying behind hard left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who hopes to become prime minister. Mélenchon's France Unbowed party has joined forces with the Greens, Socialists and Communists to form NUPES – New Popular Ecological and Social Union – with the different parties fielding just one common candidate per constituency. In Paris' 7th district, the NUPES candidate is lawyer Caroline Mecary. A newcomer to party politics, she never expected to run for a seat in parliament but is approaching the task with energy and conviction as she tries to unify disparate parts on the left in her first ever campaign. (Listen @0') Thomas Brail, an arborist from the south of France, has set up camp in a 200-year-old plane tree at the foot of the Eiffel tower. The tree is one of three planted in 1814, before the Eiffel was built, but which were protected by Gustav Eiffel himself. Their existence is threatened, however, by a development project backed by City Hall in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Brail, founder of the National Tree Surveillance Group (GNSA), says France needs to do more to protect trees – "our allies" in the fight against climate change. (Listen @12'45'') France is joining in Britain's celebration of Queen Elizabeth's jubilee – marking the 70-year reign of a francophile monarch who has made more visits to France than any other foreign country. (Listen @8'55'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Does France's new female Prime Minister mark a victory for feminism? Marseille's creeks (Calanques), faced with degradation, limit visitors. The battle in 1643 that shifted influence in Europe from Spain to France. Elisabeth Borne, the second female prime minister in France's modern history, bears the official title of "première ministre" – the feminisation of “premier ministre”. President Emmanuel Macron was under pressure to appoint a woman, and someone with a more left-leaning profile than her predecessor, Jean Castex – a nod to the leftists and Greens who voted for him to block far-right Marine Le Pen. There's plenty of debate over Borne's left-wing credentials and whether she will usher in a more women-led government. Political journalist, Lea Chamboncel (@ChamboncelLea), host of the POPOL podcast and author of a book on women in politics, talks about why Borne's gender is, sadly, still news, and her own mission to get more women's voices heard in French politics. (Listen @0') Every year, tens of thousands of people flock to the picturesque inlets – known as Calanques – along the Mediterranean coast, eroding the cliffs and damaging vegetation. In a first for France – and Europe – the national park managing the Calanques is limiting access to those closest to Marseille, introducing a permit during the summer months. Isabelle Martinetti visits the area to see how it will impact locals and tourists alike. (Listen @20'05'') The French army snatched victory from its Spanish rival on 19 May 1643 in the Battle of Rocroi. Gary Girod (@girod_gary) of the French History Podcast explains the importance of the battle that marked the beginning of the end of Spanish dominance on the warfield, and the rise of France in Europe under the reign of Louis XIV. (Listen @12'53'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

The two presidential candidates faced off in a three-hour debate Wednesday in which they tried to convince undecided voters. Did it work? Leftist Mélenchon voters on what to do in the second round. And the first woman elected to office in France in 1925. In the last leg of France's 2022 presidential election, incumbant Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen finally faced off in a debate, aimed at getting undecided voters on side in Sunday's second round runoff. Le Pen tried to show she was in touch with the people and their problems, and the leader of a rehabilitated far right ready and able to govern. Macron, criticised by some for being aloof and arrogant, aimed to highlight fundamental differences between him and his rival, notably on Europe and the Muslim veil. He also sought to show that the choice of president will have a major impact on France. Did the debate convince anyone? (Listen @0') As well as the two candidates, a third important figure in this election remains the leader of the hard-left France Unbowed party, Jean-Luc Mélenchon. After winning 22 percent of the vote in the first round, the question of where those votes go in the runoff has led to him being called a kingmaker. He called for voters to block Le Pen, but stopped short of endorsing Macron, and his party voted overwhelmingly to abstain or cast blank ballots. Who are these voters, and what is driving their decisions? (Listen @11'15'') Follow RFI's coverage of the 2022 presidential election here. If Marine Le Pen wins, she would become France's first female president, nearly a hundred years after the first woman was elected to any office. On 3 May 1925, Joséphine Pencalet was elected to the city council in the Brittany town of Douarnenez. But because women were not yet allowed to vote, her time in office was short-lived. (Listen @8'30'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Yellow Vest militants hope to vote Macron out of office. How younger generations are shifting their relationship to voting. And the WWI spy who lobbied successfully to shut down France's brothels in 1946. Candidates running in the first round of presidential elections this Sunday have made the rising cost of living and drop in spending power a key campaign issue. Prices are going up, driven by soaring petrol and energy costs. President Emmanuel Macron, who is running for re-election, knows only too well how angry people can get over fuel hikes: his attempts to introduce a tax on diesel sparked the Yellow Vest protest movement in November 2018 that turned into a revolt against him. While the Covid lockdown in March 2020 put an end to weekly protests, the Yellow Vest did not die out and some militants see the election as a way of finally getting shot of Macron. Agnès and Nathalie joined the Yellow Vests in Chartres, and feature in a documentary film about the movement, Un peuple (A French Revolution), by Emmanuel Gras. They talk to us about how their lives have changed since 2018 and why the battle is far from over. (Listen @2'56'') Macron is leading in the polls but the key to winning the 2022 presidential election will depend a lot on voter turnout, which has been steadily decreasing in most French elections in the last two decades. However, political scientist Vincent Tiberj (@vtiberj), editor of a recent book of essays about voting behaviour in France, Extinction de vote (Vote extinction), points out that abstention rates vary, depending on the election and the issue at hand. He talks about how voting has changed drastically in France over the last couple of generations. (Listen @23'20'') On 13 April 1946, France closed its 1,400 brothels, thanks to a woman named Marthe Richard. Prostituted as a teenager, she went on to have a particularly varied and colourful life – as a pilot, spy and politician. (Listen @16'45'') This episode was mixed by Nicolas Doreau. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

France's presidential candidates court the hunting vote; how France is welcoming Ukrainian refugees; and Roland Barthes – ahead of his time in thinking about non-binary identity and language. Hunting is France's third most popular pastime, after fishing and football, and the country's 1.1 million licence holders see themselves as a political force. Presidential candidates have been pushed into addressing hunting after some high-profile accidents led to calls to curb – or even ban – it. Several were recently invited to address the French federation of hunters (FNC) and lay out their policies. Hunter Denis Plat (@platdenis), editor of the online hunting magazine J'aime la chasse (I love hunting), defends the tradition and says it's far more socially and politically diverse than its image. Faced with what they see as an attempt "to destroy a certain way of life", hunters are ready to fight back. (Listen @1'58) France is prepared to welcome 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion, with citizens offering spaces in their homes and donating clothes, toys and other basic necessities. Paris has set up a Ukrainian welcome centre to help people get temporary residency papers and find housing. We visit the centre at the Porte de Versailles and meet people arriving in France for the first time, not as tourists, but as refugees. Their welcome is strikingly different from the one refugees from other countries have received in France, says Emmanuel Olliver, director of the French Salvation Army. (Listen @19'20) French intellectual and essayist Roland Barthes, who died on 26 March 1980, is remembered for his ground-breaking work on semiology, but he also anticipated the question of non-binary identity and language. (Listen @15'15) This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Dissecting the nationalist and racist language of presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, France's push to label nuclear energy as green. And the origins of family aid policies that have supported France's high birth rate for over 90 years. One of France's 12 presidential candidates is the unashamedly xenophobic, anti-Islam writer and political pundit Eric Zemmour, whose popularity partially stems from his way with words. Using literary and historical references, he puts a positive spin on some of France's more difficult historical moments, praising colonialism or claiming the Vichy regime protected French Jews. Semiologist Cécile Alduy (@cecilealduy), author of La langue de Zemmour (The language of Zemmour), has dissected the structure of his discourses. She talks about how this enables him to advance his political and ideological ambitions and how he has differentiated himself from the other far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. (Listen @3'10'') Even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine – which has called Europe's dependence on Russian natural gas into question – energy prices were soaring in France. As Europe now looks for alternatives to gas, France's reliance on nuclear as its major energy source puts it in a unique position. President Emmanuel Macron recently touted nuclear as the way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and has backed a European Commission proposal to label nuclear energy a “green” investment. But some climate activists have called this greenwashing. French Greens MEP Marie Toussaint (@marietouss1) says France's dependence on nuclear hinders a real revolution in its energy economy, and will hamper its long-term emissions goals. (Listen @19'20'') The "allocations familiales" or family allowance is a cornerstone of France's social benefits system. The monthly stipend is universal and increases with the number of children. The benefits were officially introduced with a law on 11 March 1932, though their roots go back to WW1 when France's declining birth rate became a cause for concern. (Listen @13'30'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Imams-in-training learn about the roots of their religion, and the specific context of an 'Islam of France'. Breaking the glass ceiling as women entrepreneurs push for more startup funding. And the journalist who called on Parisians to rise up for democracy during the French Revolution. The French government has innagurated the first Forum of the Islam of France to figure out how to structure a so-called 'Islam de France', or Islam of France. One question is whether to give Imams an official status, which would involve formal training, as a tool to fight against radicalisation. Three institutions in France currently provide this kind of training, including the Al Ghazali Institute in the main Paris Mosque, which trains Imams and Mourchidates – the equivalent for women. For the students, the training is a way to better understand their religion within a French context, governed by the principles of laicité. (Listen @2'45'') In the early days of his presidency, Emmanuel Macron pledged to turn France into a startup nation, setting up a 5-billion-euro fund which has made good on his hope for France to have 25 so-called "unicorns" – billion-dollar companies – by 2025. The number was reached ahead of schedule, but only one of them was formed by a mixed group. Women entrepreneurs struggle to raise capital to scale up their business, but the Sista collective aims to close the gender finance gap in France's startup world. Marine Wetzel, co-founder of a femtech startup Imana Care (an app to help women with hormonal imbalance), talks about the challenges of getting financing and what Sista is doing to help. (Listen @14'50'',) Camille Desmoulins, born 2 March 1760, was a renowned journalist and pamphleteer who spoke out in favour of a Republic in the runup to the Revolution and used his oratory skills to spur Parisians to storm the Bastille. He was also one of the first people in France to defend freedom of expression. (Listen @9'45'') This episode was mixed by Nicolas Doreau. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Does French work culture tolerate bullshit jobs for the sake of work/life balance? Developing a vegan egg in a country with no strong vegan culture but an egg-heavy cuisine. How Moulinex helped free French women from their culinary shackles. When American anthropologist David Graeber coined the term 'bullshit jobs' in a 2018 book, his definition rested on self-reporting: if someone feels their job is pointless, then it is. His argument was that bullshit jobs are a product of capitalism, which requires everyone to work. The concept took off in popular culture around the world. But Franco-German journalist Nicolas Kayser-Bril (@nicolaskb), who has worked his share of bullshit jobs, noticed it had not been picked up by academics. So he researched and wrote his own book, Imposture à temps complet: Pourquoi les bullshit jobs envahissent le monde (Full time imposters, why bullshit jobs are taking over the world), in which he refined Graeber's definition. Turns out bullshit jobs are 'opaque' and 'unclarifiable', and France is full of them. (Listen @3'20'') France is known more for its butter croissants and egg-based creams than for its vegan cooking, but a startup is hoping to change that. Two female scientists have developed Le Papondu (Not laid), an entirely plant and mineral-based egg that cooks just like a chicken egg. The market for vegan and vegetarian food in France remains small, but it is growing, as are allergies in children which partly motivated the young scientists to hatch their vegan alternative. And how do they taste? (Listen @21') On 16 February 1932, French industrialist Jean Mantelet patented the ‘moulin-legumes', a food mill intended to help his wife in the kitchen. His company went on to create the first electric appliances in France, and in 1957 it became Moulinex, which advertised itself as 'liberating women in the kitchen with the press of a button'. (Listen @16'48'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

France's biggest-ever court case continues with dramatic interventions from witnesses and defendents. A bill to criminalise bullying at school and university raises questions. The 19th century roots of growing anti-intellectualism in France. The trial of 14 men accused of taking part and planning the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks is now at the halfway point. RFI journalist Michael Fitzpatrick has been covering the trial from the outset, and has written about it as a “ritual” of justice. He talks about the drama inherent in such a ritual, and the impact the trial has had on survivors of the attacks and families of victims – many of whom are participating as 'partie civil' (civil party). Their desire to put their suffering and grief into public record may well extend the trial beyond May, when it was scheduled to end. (Listen @0'00) Around one out of 10 children in France have experienced some form of harassment at school and a draft bill going through parliament would make bullying in schools and universities a criminal offence. But is this an adapted response? At a centre outside of Paris to help bullied kids, parents and children talk about feeling helpless faced with harassment which has pushed some children to take their own lives. (Listen @16'50'') Intellectuals play an important role in public life in France, but a certain anti-intellectualism is growing, with critiques of race and gender studies in universities, and nationalists positioning themselves against leftist universalism. The negative connotation is not new however and can be traced back to the 19th century, in an article published on 1 February 1898 in the midst of the Dreyfus Affair. (Listen @11'10'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Which Macron vowed to "piss off" the unvaccinated and why? The 17th century female playwrights around Molière, as France marks his 400th anniversary with pomp and circumstance. The African kingdom that made France tremble in the 19th century, until its king surrendered. President Emmanuel Macron shocked France when he used a curse word to describe his Covid strategy to put pressure on the unvaccinated, calling them irresponsible and non-citizens. Research suggests that such a confrontational approach is more likely to push people away from vaccination, so the message could be counter-productive. Unless, that is, he was addressing a different audience. Political scientist Philippe Moreau Chevrolet (@moreauchevrolet) says Macron's strategy may pay off electorally in the short term, but it comes at a price. (Listen @0') 17th century playwright Molière is a school curriculum staple in France and his plays are performed all around the world. As France marks the 400th anniversary of his birth, people are battling to appropriate his legacy – either nostalgic for a bygone glorious era or trying to establish his contemporary 'Republican' credentials. Moliere's satirical works poked fun at authority, and he denounced violence against women. But actor, director and researcher Aurore Evain (@auroreevain) cautions against calling him a feminist. She speaks about the influence of female actors around Molière and her discovery of 17th century women playwrights who influenced both him and his work. (Listen @16'50'') When France returned the Benin Bronzes in November 2021, it was returning treasure from the Dahomey kingdom, which fell on 15 January 1894 when King Behanzin surrendered to the French army after two wars. Today he is remembered as the monarch who made French tremble, but his kingdom, and the treasures in it, were also a product of the slave trade. (Listen @11'25'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani and Erwan Rome. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1241973975).

Inclusive writing and gender-neutral language divide France. The merits of homesharing across generations. And the trial that started the Dreyfus affair, kicking off a left-right split that's still felt today. The recent addition of the gender-neutral pronoun 'iel', a contraction of  "il" (he) and "elle" (she), into the Petit Robert's online dictionary became a national drama, fuelling very vocal opposition to inclusive writing. Its opponents present it as a threat not only to the French language, but the country's core values. French is a gendered language, and the masculine takes precedence, but academics and linguists have been working on how to write in a less gender-biased way. Raphaël Haddad (@raphaelhaddad), author of a guide to inclusive writing and whose company teaches local authorities and corporations how to use it effectively, talks about its development, despite the pushback. And literature “professeuse” Eliane Viennot explains how inclusive language is in fact a French tradition. (Listen @1'45''). The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the downside of living alone – with elderly people on their own and isolated students in small studios especially hard hit during lockdowns. Some housing programmes have brought these two groups of people together through the concept of intergenerational living, matching elderly people with a spare room in their homes with young people looking for accommodation in cities short on affordable student housing. Parisien roommates Jeanne and Brigitte were matched by Pari Solidaire, which has seen a gradual increase in demand for this kind of housing, after a drop last year due to the health crisis. (Listen @18'20''). Jewish army captain, Alfred Dreyfus, was sentenced to life in prison on 22 December 1894 for allegedly selling military secrets to Germany. It was the start of a decade-long crisis, which came to be known as the Dreyfus affair. It split France politically and brought deep-seated anti-Semitism to the surface. The results of both still resonate in France today. (Listen @14'05''). This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app.

A visit to the world's first green hydrogen production plant, in western France. Major delays in IVF for all women, months after legalisation. And the Canut revolt of 1831 – the first workers' protests of the industrial revolution. Is hydrogen the energy of the future? Some say the future is now. Lhyfe, a startup in Brittany in western France, has opened what it says is the world's first green hydrogen production plant, extracting the gas from water using electricity generated from local wind turbines. CEO Matthieu Guesné says when he started talking about green hydrogen in 2017, no one paid attention. Today, France is investing billions in the technology. We visit the plant and take a ride in a hydrogen vehicle in Nantes, whose transit authority, Semitan, is experimenting with the technology. (Listen @3'26'') France passed a law this summer allowing single women and lesbian couples to get fertility treatment, previously reserved for heterosexual couples. Single women seeking IVF used to have to go abroad, often to neighbouring Spain or Belgium. There's been a surge in demand since the new law came into effect but the system is unable to keep up. Eloïne Fouilloux, vice-president of support group Les enfants d'arc en ciel, talks about staffing shortages in French fertility clinics and the cultural taboo against sperm and egg donations, which contributes to the problem. (Listen @18'37'') In 1831, after an uprising of Canut silk workers in Lyon, King Louis Philippe cracked down, crushing one of the first workers' protests of the industrial era. (Listen @13'50'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app.

An experimental centre near Bordeaux offers Alzheimer's sufferers more freedom and less medication; debate over whether a translator's identity matters following the Amanda Gorman controversy, and France honours Josephine Baker – performer, Resistance hero and civil rights activist – with a place in the Pantheon. The Covid pandemic showed the limits of caring for the elderly within nursing homes, raising concern over how they are treated, especially those with Alzheimer's – a incurable form of dementia, often accompanied by anxiety and depression. During France's first lockdown in the spring of 2020, some patients were confined to their rooms to protect them from infection, adding to their sense of isolation and confusion. The Village Landais Alzheimer in Dax, south of Bordeaux, is experimenting a very different, non-pharmacological approach, providing 120 patients with the chance to carry on living as much of their ordinary daily life as possible within a vast but secure setting.  A visit to the village offers a glimpse of what Alzheimer's care could end up looking like in France, if research concludes it is effective. (Listen @1'20'') Translation is very visible in France: most movies and TV series are dubbed, and large numbers of books are read in translation. The spotlight was recently shone on the work of translators following controversy over who would translate Amanda Gorman – the 22-year-old African-American spoken-word artist who presented her poem The Hill at President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2020. The white poet chosen by the Dutch publisher stepped down from the job after questions were raised about why a black artist had not been picked. Literature professor and translator Tiphaine Samoyault talks about why it made sense to choose Marie-Pierre Kakoma, aka Lous and Yakuza, a 24-year-old Belgian-Congolese performer, for the French translation, and why a translator's identity matters. She also talks about the inherent violence in translation, the subject of her most recent book, 'Translation and violence'. (Listen @20'12'') Josephine Baker was the most successful American entertainer working in France in the 1920s and '30s. She was also a Resistance heroine and civil rights activist. On 30 November she will become the sixth woman, and the first black woman, to enter the Pantheon – France's mausoleum of 'great men'. In deciding to honour her, President Emmanuel Macron called Baker a figure of reconcilliation for France. (Listen @15'30'') Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app.

How France is dragging its feet in returning African art and artefacts housed in its museums. An 77-year-old activist talks about fighting for the right to die when and how she wants. And Georges Brassens, the "French Woodie Guthrie", continues to thrill with his free-spirited songs, full of word play, 100 years after his birth. The France-Africa summit, held regularly since the early 1970s, has long been seen as continuing 'Franceafrique' – the networks of influence France has in its former African colonies. This year's event, held in Montpellier, was different. Instead of African leaders, hundreds young people from across the continent interacted with President Macron. A key subject was the restitution of art and objects looted during the colonial wars. Laura Angela Bagnetto, host of the Africa Calling podcast, talks about France's commitment to returning objects, which many at the summit consider is going too slowly. She speaks with Nigerian cultural historian Oluwatoyin Sogbesan (@digiculture4art), who says all objects, no matter how ordinary, are important for African countries to connect to their history. (Listen @0') The issue of assisted dying, or euthanasia, has long been debated in France. It remains illegal here, despite recent efforts to pass laws to the contrary. Some people who want to end their lives, and have the financial means, go to neighbouring countries like Switzerland or Belgium, where assisted suicide is legal, though highly regulated. Jacqueline Jencquel, 77, a member of the French Association for the right to die with dignity (ADMD), talks about setting a date for her own death, counselling and advising others and why the law in France needs to change. Listen @15'10'') France is marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of singer-poet Georges Brassens, whose free sprit and way with words make him as popular as ever. (Listen @10'10'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Google podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), or your favourite podcast app.

A historic vote in parliament as French MPs unanimously approve a bill criminalising conversion therapy for LGBT+ people; no quick fix for Paris's growing crack cocaine problem; and the changing face of elite school ENA, founded 76 years ago this week. France made history this week when MPs from every political party voted to ban conversion therapy for gay and transgendered people, a practice which the UN has compared to torture. Many victims in France suffer the scars of psychological trauma. Benoit Berthé (@TheSiward) co-founder of the collective Rien à guerir (Nothing to heal), talks about the satisfaction in helping getting attitudes to change in France and his own experience of being forced into psycho-spiritual sessions by his devout Catholic parents, who were persuaded he would happier as a heterosexual. (Listen @0'00) Paris is facing a new crack crisis, with groups of homeless addicts making life hell for residents and businesses in the city's northeast and its surrounding suburbs. As the city and the national government throw responsibility for the problem back and forth, France's approach to drugs and addiction is showing its limitations. Are addicts victims in need of medical treatment, or criminals in need of punishment? France's 1970 drug law says both, which makes it difficult to put in place risk reduction programmes, like drug consumption rooms – that have been used elsewhere for decades. (Listen @18'35) France's Ecole Nationale d'Administration (ENA), founded by Charles de Gaulle at the end of World War II, was an emblem of meritocracy at the outset. But the graduate school, famous for training presidents and senior civil servants in the art of governance, gradually became a symbol of elitism. Emmanuel Macron promised to close it in the wake of the Yellow Vest crisis, but has now settled for a reform and a change of name. (Listen @14'05) This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Google podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), or your favourite podcast app.

How journalists are covering the 2015 terror attacks trial. The artists who have an important role in bringing French courtrooms alive. And France recognises Harkis' suffering, offering hope for reparations, nearly six decades after the end of the Algerian war of independence. Jihadists who planned and carried out the 2015 Paris attacks are being tried in France's biggest ever court case. Twenty people are on trial, including the only surviving member of the commando unit which killed 130 people in multiple attacks on the evening of 13 November 2015. Many more were injured and traumatised. Journalist Michael Fitzpatrick talks about the challenges of covering the historic nine-month trial, and resisting the temptation to let the accused take centre stage. (Listen @2'20) Cameras and audio recording equipment are not allowed in French courtrooms, so any visuals coming out of a trial are illustrations made by one of a few dozen courtroom artists working in France today. Joris Le Dain talks about using oil paint to honestly portray what is happening, and Dominique Lemarié compares her experience as a court artist in the US and in France over the last 40 years. (Listen @ 8'15) France has officially recognised and asked for forgiveness for the suffering of the Harkis, Algerian Muslims who fought with the French army during the 1954-1962 Algerian independence war and were then abandoned. President Emmanuel Macron's declaration, a few days before the annual Harki Day on 25 September, has broader ramifications for Franco-Algerian relations, and for the president himself. (Listen @19'25) This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Google podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), or your favourite podcast app.

Why are people protesting the Covid health pass in France? Challenging terroir by growing lavender outside of Provence. The birth of Le Canard Enchainé, the weekly that has brought down politicians and holds power to account. Spotlight on France is back! During the summer break the Covid health pass became an integral part of French daily life. The government argues that encouraging people to get vaccinated against the virus is necessary to avoid future lockdowns. It seems to have worked: vaccination rates are up, and the fourth wave has remained under control in mainland France. But a small, but vocal, minority opposes the pass and have been protesting weekly since July. While the government and much of the media paints them as fringe anti-vaxers, the movement is broader than QAnon conspirationists and vaccine sceptics. We met people at a recent demonstration in Paris to hear why they are so opposed. (Listen @0'40'') France's traditions are linked to the land – wine has its terroir, cheese has its protected appellation. Lavender has long been associated with the southern region of Provence, in the foothills of the Alps, north of Marseille. For two centuries the purple flower has been cultivated intensively for its oil, used in the perfume and pharmaceutical industry. In eastern Aveyron, some 250 kilometres to the west of Provence, sheep farmer Laurent Fages has discovered that the terrain in his area is also perfectly suited to growing lavender. (Listen @18'30'') The first issue of Le Canard Enchainé, one of France's last investigative newspapers, came out on 10 September 1915. It was aimed at countering pro-military propaganda being spread in mainstream media during WW1. Known for its independence, it remains a significant force in French public life. (Listen @14') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Google podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), or your favourite podcast app.

Is Marine Le Pen's 'softening' of the hard-right National Rally the right strategy to win the presidency? The American who pioneered quinoa farming in France. How a tragic blaze pushed Napoleon to launch the Paris fire brigade. Turnout was massively low in both rounds of last month's regional elections, even amongst supporters of the hard-right National Rally, which had been predicted to win at least one region. Only thirty percent of RN voters showed up. When Marine Le Pen took the National Front from her father in 2011, she renamed it and rebranded it as a less radical party to try to broaden the support base. But it's a risky game. Political scientist Jean-Yves Camus (@jeanyvescamus1), a specialist of the hard right, says Le Pen's strategy could be backfiring, alienating some of the party's followers. (Listen @0'00'') Quinoa, a seed that is eaten like a grain, has been grown in the Andean region of South America for hundreds of years. The rest of the world "discovered" quinoa in the early 2000s, and global demand went through the roof, putting a strain on producers in Peru and Bolivia. Farmers around the world started thinking about how they could grow quinoa, and over the past decade France has developed a local production, becoming Europe's largest producer. The bulk is grown in the Anjou, or Maine-et-Loire region in the west of the country, thanks to one man from Tennessee, Jason Abbott.(Listen @13'10'') The 8,500 firefighers in Paris' fire brigade, the sapeurs pompiers, are professional soldiers, part of military corps put in place by Napoleon after a tragic fire on 1 July 1810. (Listen @9'30'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Google podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), or your favourite podcast app.

The hijacking of France's regional election campaign, the fight to keep local languages alive and the first paid vacations for all in 1936. French people head to the polls on Sunday to decide what the country's 18 regional councils will look like. The regions are intended to spread power away from Paris, using substantial budgets to run high schools, universities and contribute to public health infrastructure and tourism. And yet the 2021 campaigns have been focused on national questions of security and immigration. Political scientist Bruno Cautres (@BCautres) laments the lack of debate around the role of regions, especially in the wake of the Covid crisis, coming on the heels of the Yellow Vest protests. The increasing influence of Marine Le Pen's hard-right National Rally on French politics is just one of the explanations. (Listen @3'30'') The French parliament in April approved a bill allowing primary schools to teach in one of France's 20+ regional languages alongside French. Finally getting state recognition for immersive teaching was warmly welcomed as an affirmation of regional identities, marginalised since the French Revolution imposed linguistic unity. But the bill has since been judged anti-constitutional because it breaches article 2, which states that the language of the Republic is French. Linguistic anthropologist James Costa (@seamasdubh) talks to David Coffey, host of the Paris Perspective podcast, about the thorny politics of language diversity in France. (Listen @18'36'') France's generous paid leave has its roots in the Front Populaire, which introduced two weeks of holidays for all French employees on 20 June 1936. But workers did not pack their suitcases right away. France had to develop a tourist and leisure industry to accompany the time off. (Listen @13'50'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Google podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), or your favourite podcast app.

A sufferer of chronic pain hopes to get relief using cannabis, as part of France's first ever experiment with medical marijuana. PSG striker Nadia Nadim on the thrills of playing to the crowds again. And Toussaint Louverture, the "black superhero" who defied Napoleon. France has embarked on an experiment with medical marijuana, to see how distributing and prescribing it could work, logistically. It is a step before full-scale drug trials that could lead towards legalisation, and is intended to allay concerns about the use of the drug, which remains illegal in France. Doctors like neurologist Didier Bouhassira are convinced of the beneficial effects of cannabis on a range of medical conditions. We meet one of his patients at the pain centre of the Antoine Pare hospital in Boulogne, west of Paris, who is desperate to join the experiment to ease her pain. (Listen @3'50'') French football fans are slowly being allowed back into stadiums, and players are looking forward to performing in front of big crowds again. We talk to Nadia Nadim (@nadia_nadim), a striker with the Paris Saint Germain's women's team. Born in Afghanistan, she came to Europe as a refugee and developed a passion for football in a camp in Denmark. As she publishes her memoir, Mon histoire (My story), she tells us about adjusting to life in France, and how, as a headstrong Muslim woman, she fitted into one of France's top women's teams. (Listen @20') Toussaint Louverture, born a slave in the French Caribbean colony of Saint Domingue, ended up leading a revolt that would lead to the independence of the island, known today as Haiti. But he paid the price, crossing the path of Napoleon Bonaparte. Toussaint Louverture was arrested on 7 June 1802, and deported to France, where he died in prison. (Listen @14'40'') This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Google podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), or your favourite podcast app.