Spotlight on France - Podcast: Scrapping France’s elite training school, teaching the Holocaust, and the origins of La Marseillaise

Loading player...

How do you teach about the Holocaust when the survivors are dying? A teacher talks about this tricky period of history. Plus, an interview with political pundit Rokhaya Diallo on breaking the mould and making her way into the French public sphere. Also, why does it matter that Macron wants to get rid of France’s top public servant training school? And the story behind France’s national anthem, La Marseillaise.

In this episode:

- Rokhaya Diallo (@RokhayaDiallo), writer and journalist

- Julie Van Rechem, middle school history-geography teacher

For more stories about France and beyond, visit www.rfienglish.com

26 Apr 2019 English South Africa News

Other recent episodes

Podcast: War economy, France's supercomputers, La Marseillaise and the Republic

A French-German weapons manufacturer ramps up production to meet the needs of France's war economy. An encounter with France's largest supercomputer dedicated to artificial intelligence. And how the Marseillaise national anthem has contributed to reinforcing French values and ideals. Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, President…

10 Apr 29 min

Podcast: French wine in Africa, confronting obesity, video game giant

The Nigerian woman helping Bordeaux wine find new markets in Africa. Confronting France's fatphobia by classifying obesity as a disease. And the story of the French video game company behind the hit game Assassin's Creed. As French people consume less wine, and exports to China are slowing down, the wine…

27 Mar 29 min

Podcast: Women wage outrage, farmers face organic slump, Ravel's Bolero

Despite a raft of laws and programmes in France to address the gender pay gap, women still earn less than men. Organic farmers try to adapt to a drop in demand for organic food. And the story of Ravel's Boléro – the world's most performed piece of classical music. There…

13 Mar 30 min

Podcast: AI 'à la française', immigration fact vs feeling, disability law

A French large language model adds European context and nuance to the dominant artificial intelligence being developped by US tech giants and China. Is France really being "flooded" with immigrants? The numbers say no, but the feeling remains. And the mixed legacy of a landmark law on disability and inclusion, 20…

13 Feb 33 min

Podcast: Budget woes, medical cannabis stalled, French comic who defied Hitler

How France's budget cuts will impact development work abroad and civil society at home. An inconclusive medical marijuana experiment leaves patients in limbo. And how Jewish comedian Pierre Dac used humour in the Resistance. The government’s budget for 2025, if passed, will see public spending slashed by €32 billion. While…

30 Jan 32 min

All episodes