This week on The Sound Kitchen you’ll hear the answer to the question about transportation-caused CO2 emissions across the European Union. There’s the “Listeners Corner” with Michael Fitzpatrick, “Music from Erwan”, and a new poem written and read by listener Ibironke Oyewole from Lagos, Nigeria. All that, and the new quiz question, too, so click on the “Play” button above and enjoy!  Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner's names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week. The ePOP video competition is open! The deadline for entries is 20 April  – but don’t put it off! Start now! The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment, and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people … you create a three-minute video about climate change, the environment, pollution – told by the people it affects. So put on your thinking caps and get to work ... and by the way, the prizes are incredibly generous! To read the ePOP entry guidelines – as well as watch videos from previous years – go to the ePOP website. Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your musical requests, so get them in! Send your musical requests to [email protected]  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all! Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts! In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts which will leave you hungry for more. There’s Paris Perspective, Spotlight on France, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too. As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service.  Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our staff of journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with! To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone. To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show.  Teachers, take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is [email protected]  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below.  Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that’s how I worked on my French, reading books which were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here. Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni ([email protected]) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me ([email protected]) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload! And don’t forget, there is a Facebook page just for you, the independent RFI English Clubs. Only members of RFI English Clubs can belong to this group page, 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, and you are a member of an independent, officially recognized RFI English club, go to the Facebook link above, and fill out the questionnaire !!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”). There’s a Facebook page for members of the general RFI Listeners Club too. Just click on the link and fill out the questionnaire, and you can connect with your fellow Club members around the world. Be sure you include your RFI Listeners Club membership number (most of them begin with an A, followed by a number) in the questionnaire, or I will have to click “Decline”, which I don’t like to do! This week’s quiz: On 18 February, I asked you an environmental question … that week, the European Parliament approved a ban on new sales of carbon-emitting petrol and diesel cars, to be in place by 2035. You were to re-read our article “EU to ban fossil fuel car sales by 2035, slash truck and bus emissions”, and send in your answer to this question: what is the percentage of CO2 that cars are responsible for today, across the EU? The answer is, to quote our article: “Cars currently account for about 15 percent of all CO2 emissions in the EU, while transportation overall accounts for around a quarter.” In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Radio Listeners Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan: “What do you love to drink every day, and if you don’t, it seems as if your day is just not quite right?”     Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!  The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Ralf Urbanczyk from Eisleben, Germany. Ralf is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Ralf! Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Nitu Biswas, who’s a member of the very active RFI Pariwar Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh, India; RFI Listeners Club member Tanima Tanne from Narayanganj, Bangladesh, and last but not least, RFI English listeners Kumar Sankar Adhikary from West Bengal, India, and Abdol Bari from Naogaon, Bangladesh. Congratulations winners! Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Milonga del Angel” by Astor Piazzolla, performed by Daniel Saenz, cello, and Michael Zuraw, piano; “The Window” by Avishai Cohen, performed by the Avishai Cohen Trio; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy performed by the composer, and “Time for Livin'” by Sylvester Stewart, performed by Sly and the Family Stone.   Do you have a musical request? Send it to [email protected]  This week’s question ... you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read Ryan Truscott’s article “Sparrow-sized bat confirmed as Mozambique’s newest mammal” to help you with the answer. You have until 17 April to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 22 April podcast. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address 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 form your own official RFI Club, click here.

This week on The Sound Kitchen, a special treat: RFI English listeners' musical requests. Just click on the “Play” button above and enjoy! Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday. This week, you’ll hear musical requests from your fellow listeners Hossen Abed Ali from Rangpur, Bangladesh, Karuna Kanta Pal from West Bengal, India, and Catherine Paèz, who lives in Las Palmas, one of the Canary Islands off of the coast of Spain. Be sure you send in your music requests! Write to me at [email protected] Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: Diana Gordon, John Kirby, Fousheé, Matthew Castellanos (Steve Lacy): “Bad Habit”; Bobby Hebb: (Boney M) “Sunny”; Eddie Rocksteady (composer) "Sing a Song". The quiz will be back next Saturday, 18 March. Be sure and tune in!

This week on The Sound Kitchen you’ll hear the answer to the question about the summit in Paris on Lebanon. There’s the “Listeners Corner” with Michael Fitzpatrick, “Music from Erwan”, and a call to submit essays to The Sound Kitchen essay contests. All that, and the new quiz question, too, so click on the “Play” button above and enjoy!  Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner's names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week. The ePOP video competition is open! The deadline for entries is 20 April  – but don’t put it off! Start now! The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment, and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people … you create a three-minute video about climate change, the environment, pollution – told by the people it affects. So put on your thinking caps and get to work ... and by the way, the prizes are incredibly generous! To read the ePOP entry guidelines – as well as watch videos from previous years – go to the ePOP website. Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your musical requests, so get them in! Send your musical requests to [email protected]  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all! Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts! In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts which will leave you hungry for more. There’s Paris Perspective, Spotlight on France, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too. As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service.  Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our staff of journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with! To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone. To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show.  Teachers, take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is [email protected]  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below.  Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that’s how I worked on my French, reading books which were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here. Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni ([email protected]) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me ([email protected]) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload! And don’t forget, there is a Facebook page just for you, the independent RFI English Clubs. Only members of RFI English Clubs can belong to this group page, 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, and you are a member of an independent, officially recognized RFI English club, go to the Facebook link above, and fill out the questionnaire !!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”). There’s a Facebook page for members of the general RFI Listeners Club too. Just click on the link and fill out the questionnaire, and you can connect with your fellow Club members around the world. Be sure you include your RFI Listeners Club membership number (most of them begin with an A, followed by a number) in the questionnaire, or I will have to click “Decline”, which I don’t like to do! We have a new RFI Listeners Club member to welcome: Aynal Hoque from Natore, Bangladesh. Welcome, Aynal! So glad you have joined us! Be sure you join the RFI Listeners Club Facebook page! You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write to 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, AND, you can join our Facebook page, the RFI Listeners Club page. You must ask to join the group, and you must furnish your RFI Listeners Club membership number. I’ll approve you, and off you go! This week’s quiz: On 11 February, I asked you a question about an article written by RFI English journalist Michael Fitzpatrick: “Paris summit in effort to lift Lebanon out of political paralysis”. That week in Paris, representatives from several countries met to discuss how to help Lebanon get back on its feet – the country has been without a president since October. You were to re-read Michael’s article and send in the answer to this question: representatives of which countries were in Paris to discuss solutions for how to help Lebanon out of its current political crisis? The answer is, to quote Michael: “The Paris gathering is to be attended by representatives from France, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt.” In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by listener Liton Rahaman from Naogaon, Bangladesh: “What did you feel when you received your very first paycheck?” Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!  The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Vladimir Gudzenko from Moskovskaya oblast in Russia. Vladimir is also the winner of this week’s bonus question: “How did you feel when you received your first paycheck?” Congratulations, Vladimir! Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ferhat Bezazel, the president of the RFI Butterflies Club Ain Kechera in West Skikda, Algeria; RFI Listeners Club members Jean-Maurice Devault from Montreal, Canada and Md. Junaid from Odisha, India. Last but not least, RFI English listener Nasir Aziz from Sheikhupura, Pakistan. Congratulations winners! Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Gone with the Wind” by Allie Wrubel and Herb Magidson, performed by the Wes Montgomery Quartet; the traditional Lebanese “Amaken”, performed by the Andre Hajj Ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy performed by the composer, and “Yes or No” by Wayne Shorter, performed by the Wayne Shorter Quartet. Do you have a musical request? Send it to [email protected]  This week’s question ... you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “Tunisian thriller ‘Ashkal’ snags top gong at Africa's Fespaco film fest” to help you with the answer. You have until 3 April to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 15 April podcast. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address 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 form your own official RFI Club, click here.

This week on The Sound Kitchen you’ll hear the answer to the question about France’s proposed pension reform. There’s the “Listeners Corner”, Ollia’s “Happy Moment”, and “Music from Erwan”. All that, and the new quiz question, too, so click on the “Play” button above and enjoy!  Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner's names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week. The ePOP video competition is open! The deadline for entries is 20 April  – but don’t put it off! Start now! The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment, and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people … you create a three-minute video about climate change, the environment, pollution – told by the people it affects. So put on your thinking caps and get to work ... and by the way, the prizes are incredibly generous! To read the ePOP entry guidelines – as well as watch videos from previous years – go to the ePOP website. Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your musical requests, so get them in! Send your musical requests to [email protected]  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all! Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts! In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts which will leave you hungry for more. There’s Paris Perspective, Spotlight on France, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too. As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service.  Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our staff of journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with! To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone. To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show.  Teachers, take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is [email protected]  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below.  Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that’s how I worked on my French, reading books which were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here. Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni ([email protected]) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me ([email protected]) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload! And don’t forget, there is a Facebook page just for you, the independent RFI English Clubs. Only members of RFI English Clubs can belong to this group page, 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, and you are a member of an independent, officially recognized RFI English club, go to the Facebook link above, and fill out the questionnaire !!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”). There’s a Facebook page for members of the general RFI Listeners Club too. Just click on the link and fill out the questionnaire, and you can connect with your fellow Club members around the world. Be sure you include your RFI Listeners Club membership number (most of them begin with an A, followed by a number) in the questionnaire, or I will have to click “Decline”, which I don’t like to do! We have a new RFI Listeners Club member to welcome: Aynal Hoque from Natore, Bangladesh. Welcome, Aynal! So glad you have joined us! Be sure you join the RFI Listeners Club Facebook page! You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write to 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, AND, you can join our Facebook page, the RFI Listeners Club page. You must ask to join the group, and you must furnish your RFI Listeners Club membership number. I’ll approve you, and off you go! This week’s quiz: On 4 February, I asked you a question about a segment on Alison Hird and Sarah Elzas’ podcast Spotlight on France. Alison had a piece on the podcast that week about how the proposed pension reform here will affect women, as often women take time off from work to care for their young children. They will therefore have to work longer than men, to fulfill the amount of time worked to qualify for a full pension. You were to listen closely to the podcast and answer this question: what is one option proposed by the opposition, that the government has refused outright? The answer is, to quote Alison: “One option would be getting retirees to contribute more by effectively lowering their pensions. The government has overruled this outright.” In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “Who is your role model?” Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!  The winners are: RFI English listener Dewan Rafiqul Islam from Naogaon, Bangladesh. Dewan is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations Dewan ! Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club member Father Steven Wara from Bamenda, Cameroon; Razib, who’s a member of the RFI Fan Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and RFI English listeners Dia Zanib from Punjab, Pakistan and Kanwar Sandhu from British Columbia in Canada. Congratulations winners! Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: The traditional “Raga Khammaj” performed by Rajeev Janardan; “Salon Buenos Aires” by Miguel del Aguila, performed by APERIO; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “The Joker” by Bojan Zulfikarpasic, performed by Ifrikya. Do you have a musical request? Send it to [email protected]  This week’s question ... you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read Amanda Morrow’s article “France headed for water curbs as dry winter intensifies drought” to help you with the answer. You have until 27 March to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 1 April podcast. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address 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 form your own official RFI Club, click here.

This week on The Sound Kitchen you’ll hear the answer to the question about Sierra Leone’s new gender equality bill, as well as the “Listeners Corner” and “Music from Erwan”. All that, and the new quiz question, too, so click on the “Play” button above and enjoy!  Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner's names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week. The ePOP video competition is open! The deadline for entries is 20 April 2023 – but don’t put it off! Start now! The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment, and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people … you create a three-minute video about climate change, the environment, pollution – told by the people it affects. So put on your thinking caps and get to work ... and by the way, the prizes are incredibly generous! To read the ePOP entry guidelines – as well as watch videos from previous years – go to the ePOP website. Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your musical requests, so get them in! Send your musical requests to [email protected]  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all! Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts! In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts which will leave you hungry for more. There’s Paris Perspective, Spotlight on France, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too. As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service.  Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our staff of journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with! To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone. To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show.  Teachers, take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is [email protected]  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below.  Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that’s how I worked on my French, reading books which were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here. Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni ([email protected]) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me ([email protected]) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload! And don’t forget, there is a Facebook page just for you, the independent RFI English Clubs. Only members of RFI English Clubs can belong to this group page, 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, and you are a member of an independent, officially recognized RFI English club, go to the Facebook link above, and fill out the questionnaire !!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”). There’s a Facebook page for members of the general RFI Listeners Club too. Just click on the link and fill out the questionnaire, and you can connect with your fellow Club members around the world. Be sure you include your RFI Listeners Club membership number (most of them begin with an A, followed by a number) in the questionnaire, or I will have to click “Decline”, which I don’t like to do! We have two new RFI Listeners Club members to welcome: Karuna Kanta Paul from West Bengal, India, and Jahangir Alam from Naogaon, Bangladesh. Welcome, Karuna! Welcome Jahangir! So glad you have joined us! Be sure you join the RFI Listeners Club Facebook page! You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write to 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, AND, you can join our Facebook page, the RFI Listeners Club page. You must ask to join the group, and you must furnish your RFI Listeners Club membership number. I’ll approve you, and off you go! This week’s quiz: On 28 January, I asked you a question about our article “Sierra Leone passes gender law reserving 30 percent of jobs for women”. The country’s president, Julius Maada Bio, had just signed into law the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act, which will guarantee more equal treatment of women in the workplace and the government. You were to re-read our article and answer these two questions: how many women are currently members of Sierra Leone’s parliament, and how many women are currently serving in President Bio’s 32-member cabinet? The answer is, to quote our article: “The country has only 18 woman MPs and only four members of Bio's 32-member cabinet are women.” Let’s see how quickly those numbers change. Go Sierra Leone! In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is your favorite holiday?” Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!  The winners are: Nadira Begum, who’s a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh. Nadira is also the winner of this week’s bonus question: “What is your favorite holiday?” Congratulations, Nadira! Also on the list of lucky winners this week are two Sierra Leoneans: Abdulai Saiku Bah, the president of the RFI Club Freetown in Sierra Leone, and RFI Listeners Club member Yeami Sanday John Turay, also from Freetown. Great news from your country, my friends! Rounding out the list are RFI Listeners Club member Samir Mukhopadhyay from Kolkata, India, and RFI English listener Kumar Sankar Adhikary from Nadia, India. Congratulations winners! Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: "Dancing Penguin" by George Reshetar, played by Paul Barton; “Bye Bye Blackbird” by Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon, performed by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, and Red Garland; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov;  “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy performed by the composer, and John Coltrane/ Hervé Samb’s  “Giant Steps / Bëg Tekki”,  performed by Hervé Samb, N'dongo D, and Mike Ladd. Do you have a musical request? Send it to [email protected]  This week’s question ... you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read Ollia Horton’s article “Meet the African comic book heroes taking the world by storm”, to help you with the answer. You have until 20 March to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 25 March podcast. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address 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 form your own official RFI Club, click here.