The strawberry farmer’s son who became a prime minister

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about Japan’s prime minister. There’s “On This Day’, a mini history of Haiti’s revolution, Ollia’s Happy Moment, great music, and of course, the new quiz question. Just click on the “Audio” arrow above and enjoy!

Sound Kitchen Podcast RFI

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 winners' 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.

For the time being, Paris Live, our afternoon news broadcast, is still off-the-air. We will let you know as soon as we can safely bring it back to you. Thank you all for your patience, and for your support of the English service during this difficult time.

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To join the RFI Listeners Club, just write to me at [e-mail] 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.

Welcome to our new RFI Listeners Club member: Rakesh Seshan, from Chennai in Tamil Nadu state, India.

So glad you have joined us!

You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write to me at [e-mail] 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.

This week’s quiz: On 19 September, I asked you a question about Japan. In late August Shinzo Abe suddenly announced that he was resigning as the country’s prime minister, because of ill health. Who would replace him? His term runs through September 2021.

On 14 September, Abe’s party, the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, held an election for the new leader of their party. One man absolutely swept the election – all but assuring he would succeed Abe as Japan’s prime minister. And he did. Two days later, this man was elected to become Japan’s new prime minister. I asked to you write in with the name of the man who, in September, was overwhelmingly elected the leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, and two days later became the country’s new prime minister.

The answer is: Yoshihide Suga - the son of a strawberry farmer. Yoshihide Suga served as Shinzo Abe’s chief cabinet secretary for nearly eight years, a position that combines the power of a chief of staff with the public visibility of the country’s top spokesman.

The winners are: Salehin An Nahiyan, a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and Mobeen Arshad, a member of the Pak France RFI International Listeners Club in Chichawatni, Pakistan. There are three RFI Listeners Club members on the list of lucky winners this week: Mohammad Akhsan from Dhaka, Bangladesh; Solomon Fessahazion from Asmara, Eritrea, and Cornelius Dery from Kumasi, Ghana.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Take the A Train” by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, performed by Duke Ellington and his orchestra; “La Dessalinienne” by Justin Lhérisson and Nicolas Geffrard, performed on the bass guitar by  Westar Desamours; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “La valse d’Amelie” by Yann Tiersen, performed on the accordion by Douglas Borsatti, and “Ma Muse” by Camille Bertault and Michael Leonhart, sung by Camille Bertault.

Do you have a musical request? Send it to [e-mail]

This week’s question ... You'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 9 November to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 14 November podcast. 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 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