This week on The Sound Kitchen you’ll hear the answer to the question about the Great Pyramid of Giza. There’s a special Christmas story, some great music, and of course - the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!
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.
For our DX enthusiast friends: Our shortwave frequency is 9735 kHz on the 31m band, from 06.00 to 07.00 UT every day. We’ve had reception reports from Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, 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 hear our programs on WRMI and WRN. These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts, 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.
If you have an internet radio and would like to add RFI English to your pre-set buttons, send an e-mail to english.service@rfi.fr and we'll get the link to you.
We want you to call us! We have a phone number you can call to leave us a message, so we can hear your voice! Just call, give your name, your country, and a short message - something like “I love RFI”, because of course you do – and we can put you on-the-air! We had some trouble with the old number, so if you tried to call and could not get through, try again (please!). The correct number to call is: + 33 1 84 22 95 82.
World Radio Day is not too far away – and I would like to hear your thoughts about radio. Call the listener line above, and I’ll put together a “bouquet” of your voices that we can air to celebrate the day together. World Radio Day is 13 February 2018.
Congratulations to RFI English reporter Laura Angela Bagnetto! Laura Angela just won an incredibly prestigious international journalism award: the United Nations Correspondents Association Bronze Prize for her coverage of the UN’s Humanitarian and Development activities. She won for her series of reports in Chad in the south with Central African refugees and in Lake Chad (on the Chad side) with Chadian Internally Displaced Persons and Nigerian refugees. Laura Angela is not only incredibly bright and a top professional, she’s a woman with a big heart, and we are all so proud of her! Do send a little congratulatory note to her at english.service@rfi.fr – she will so appreciate it!
Welcome to our new RFI Listeners Club memberAboiyar Yima. Nigerian by birth, Aboiyar Yima lives in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. So glad you joined us Aboiyar Yima!
You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write me at english.service@rfi.fr and tell me you want to join, and I’ll send you a membership number. It’s that easy.
A hearty welcome to three new official RFI Listeners Clubs! All three are in Murshidibad, India: the United RFI Listeners Club with Debakamal Hararika as president; the RFI Fan Club with Naved Raiyan as president and the RFI World Radio Club with Biswanath Mandal as its president. Welcome!
If you would like to create an official RFI club, or transform your existing listeners club into an RFI club, scroll down for more information.
A warm welcome to Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr), who is your new contact person for all RFI Club business. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write her, so that I stay in the loop too!
RFI Clubs, take note: As most of you know, Chrystelle in the Listener Relations department has gone off to pursue new adventures, but before she left she urged Sebastien and I to challenge you to a Club Contest. We decided on a humorous photography competition. This is what you have to do: take a photo of your entire club membership with the RFI banner, doing something in the kitchen, or something to do with cooking … and … make us laugh! So put on your silly thinking caps, get out your pots and pans or whatever you choose, and get all your club members in the photo with the RFI banner … and take a funny picture! The “new Chrystelle” – Audrey Iattoni – has set the contest opening date for 15 January 2018, and she already has the very good camera which is the prize for the winning club, so start thinking about it now!
The RFI Listener Relations department is asking all you football playing radio fans to send in photos for the “Ma RFI” web page (it’s in French). They want action photographs, not posed team photos. It’s a cool idea – players and playing fields from around the world. Send your action football photos to english.service@rfi.fr and I’ll send you the link to see the page with other football playing RFI radio fans. Don’t be shy!
This week’s quiz: On 25November, I asked you a question about the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. An international team of researchers had just discovered a huge 30 meter-long “void” within the pyramid. No one is quite sure of the reason for this “void” – was it a tunnel? A burial chamber? A gallery? Or ancient engineering, designed by the pyramid’s architects to lessen the weight on the chambers and keep them from collapsing?
At any rate, I asked you to send me the name of the Pharaoh who commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza, and when he is thought to have reigned.
The answer is: Khufu, who is also known by his Greek name Cheops. He is thought to have ruled from 2509 BCE to 2483 BCE, during Egypt’s fourth dynasty. Though he constructed the largest pyramid Egypt has ever seen, very little is known about him, so his pyramid offers one of the few looks into his life and reign. The site at Giza where his pyramid was built also contains two other major pyramids and the Sphinx. The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The winners are: RFI Listeners Club members Samuel Francis from St. Catherine, Jamaica; Father Steve Wara from Bamenda, Cameroon; Mamadou Alimu Jallow from Serekunda, The Gambia, and Miss Usha Hazarika from Assam, India. Finally, there’s Amena Khakun from Sirajgonj, Bangladesh.
Congratulations winners!
Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: Haven Gillespie: “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” sung by Nat King Cole; Rimsky-Korsakov: “The Flight of the Bumblebee”; Irving Berlin: “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”, performed by The Drifters.
Have a musical request? Write me and let me know! thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr
This week’s question: You'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 22 January to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 27 January program. 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:
or
Susan Owensby
RFI – The Sound Kitchen
80, rue Camille Desmoulins
92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux
France
or
By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country’s international access code, or “ + ”, then 33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.
To find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize click here
To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or to form your own official RFI Club click here
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