The 2 October Sound Kitchen winners

Are you one of this week’s lucky winners? Today you’ll hear who won the quiz about the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Click on that little “Listen” arrow above, and join in!

Hello everyone!

You’ve surely noticed by now we’ve been experimenting with the Sound Kitchen recipes … on Saturdays, at 5:16 universal time, tune in to hear if you are amongst the week’s winners. The winners names are here on our website, too. Look for Short Features / Sound Kitchen Winners.

Tune in on Sundays, at 4:22, 5:52 and 7:22 universal time, for the quiz question ... and whatever else is cooking up in the Sound Kitchen.

Today’s question was read on 2 October, and was about a sad event, the passing of a wonderful woman whom I greatly admire … and from your letters, you do too.

She was the first woman from east Africa to earn a doctorate, and the first African woman to win a Nobel Prize, for her “contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace”, in the words of the 2004 Nobel committee.

She founded the Green Belt Movement in the 1970’s, an organization which campaigned for environmental conservation and good governance.

I asked you to send me the name of this formidable woman, who spent her life working on providing not just relief for immediate needs, but went to the source of the problem, so that ultimately, people are empowered to take care of their immediate needs themselves.

Who is this woman? Kenyan Wangaari Matthai.

The winners this week are: Kenyan Mogire Machuki, from Kisii, Kenya; Ras Franz Manko N’gogo, from Tarime, Tanzania; Miss Zara Modu, from Borno State, Nigeria; new listener Mr. Ashok Kumar Aggarwal, from Punjab State, India, and Riaz Ahmad Khan, from the Sky Listener’s Club in Sheikhupura, Pakistan.

Congratulations winners!

This week’s question is about Greece, which is facing big problems. The country is close to defaulting on its debt, and is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. The European Union – mainly due to efforts from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy - came up with a bail-out package - a 100 billion-euro loan, and a 50 per cent debt write-off by the banks.

But in return, Greece has to make deep cuts in public spending. Pensions and wages are to be reduced, and thousands of civil servants will be fired. There have been widespread protests in Greece against the measures.

Thinking everything was worked out, that the Greek and Eurozone crisis - if not exactly solved, at least was heading in the right direction to being solved - European leaders were taken off guard earlier this week by a surprise announcement from the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.

His announcement drove angry European leaders to issue an ultimatum. They demanded that Greece decide once and for all if it wanted to remain a part of the European Union, and its currency bloc, the eurozone.

What was this announcement? What did Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou call for at the beginning of this past week, which created political turmoil in the Eurozone?

Send me your answer by 12 December; the answer and the winners will be announced on the 18 December programme. Be sure you send your postal address in with your answer … and be sure and tell me if you are a Mr. or a Mrs. or a Ms. or a Miss – I don’t want to get it wrong!

Send your answers to:
[e-mail]

or

Susan Owensby
RFI – The Sound Kitchen
BP 9516
75016 Paris
France

Remember, it’s not just the quiz which wins you a prize. If your essay goes on the air, you’ll find a package in the mail from the Sound Kitchen. Write in about your community heroes – the people in your community who are quietly working to make the world a better place, in whatever way they can. I am still looking for your “This I Believe” essays, too. Tell us about the principles that guide your life … what you have found to be true from your very own personal experience. Or write in with your most memorable moment, and/or your proudest achievement.

Send your mini book reviews, your musical requests, your proverbs, your tricks for remembering things, your favourite quotations, descriptions of the local festivals you participate in, or just your general all-around thoughts to:
[e-mail]

Include a phone number, if you can. I’d like to call you and put you on-the-air … and send you a thank-you gift for participating.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

All the best,

Susan