Mutiny on the Bounty, our beloved languages, and monkey business

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about that mysterious island in the South Pacific. There’s “On This Day”, an appeal for help from monkeys (!), the listener mailbag, some great music - and of course, the new quiz question. So click on that little “Listen” arrow above and join in!

David Franklin/Getty Images/A Terrade

Hello everyone!

Welcome to The Sound Kitchen. You can catch the programme on-the-air every Saturday at 6:15, 7:15, 14:45 and 16:45 universal time. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you have grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and tune in every Saturday.

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

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

Fabulous news! We have a shortwave frequency again! It’s 9675 kHz on the 31m band, and you can hear us between 6.00 and 7.00 UT every day. We’ve had reception reports from Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Sierra Leone, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and the US, and although the frequency is “aimed” (or however that works) towards the African continent, give it a try. You never know … and be sure and send us your reception reports. Maybe we can get more time, which would be wonderful.

You can also look for our programs on WRMI (http://www.wrmi.net/) and WRN (http://www.wrn.org/listeners/). In Paris, you can hear us on World Radio Paris (http://www.worldradioparis.fr/) on DAB+. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts (and thank you thank you thank you WRMI, WRN, and World Radio Paris!), but unless you tell us how you heard us, we have no way of knowing … so do write and tell us how you listen to us.

This week’s quiz: On 23 January, I told you about an island in the South Pacific that was celebrating “Bounty Day”, the name of their National Day. You were to send in the name of the island, and why their National Day is called “Bounty Day”.

The answer is: For the name of the island: Pitcairn Island. Pitcairn Island is part of a group of four islands (and the only one where people live) which are the last British Overseas Territory in the Pacific. Pitcairn is the smallest democracy on earth – there are only about 56 people who live there.

Their national day is called “Bounty Day” because the island was founded by the 1790 mutineers aboard the ship The Bounty. Most of the inhabitants are descendants of the Bounty mutineers and the Tahitians who were with them. On Bounty Day the islanders burn a model of the Bounty ship, feast, have a Bounty Ball – I have a feeling they know how to have fun. I hope they do, living as isolated as they do …

The winners this week are: Alex Malcolm Akugizibwe from Kampala, Uganda; Mr Swopan - a member of the RFI Fan Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh; RFI Listeners Club member SB Sharma from Jharkhand, India; Dohsekafover Livinus Lafen from Bamenda, Cameroon, and As Saloum Mbye from Manjai, The Gambia (who sent his answer in a text message to the Sound Kitchen mobile phone – you know how to do that? Just call + 33 6 31 12 96 82 … it’s that easy!)

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question ... you'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 28 March to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 2 April program. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address in with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

[e-mail]

or

Susan Owensby
RFI – The Sound Kitchen
80, rue Camille Desmoulins
92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux
France

or

By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country’s international access code, or “ + ”, then 33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

To find out how you can win an RFI wireless computer mouse or Mp3 player, click here:

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

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

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