Creating a language in the Amazon rainforest

This week on The Sound Kitchen you’ll hear the answer to the question about the créole created by the Bushinenge people. There’s the Bonus Question, the “Listeners Corner” with Michael Fitzpatrick, and lots of good music. All that, and the new quiz question, too. 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 winner’s 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.

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your musical requests, so get them in! Send your musical requests to [e-mail]  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts which will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Paris Perspective, Africa Calling, Spotlight on France, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series - an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too.

As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service.  Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our excellent staff of journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website and click on the three horizontal bars on the top right, choose “Listen to RFI / Podcasts”, and you’ve got ‘em ! You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

Teachers, take note!  I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is [e-mail]  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that’s how I worked on my French, reading books which were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni ([e-mail]) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me ([e-mail]) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

And don’t forget, there is a Facebook page just for you, the independent RFI English Clubs. Only members of RFI English Clubs can belong to this group page, so when you apply to join, be sure you include the name of your RFI Club and your membership number. Everyone can look at it, but only members of the group can post on it. If you haven’t yet asked to join the group, and you are a member of an independent, officially recognized RFI English club, go to the Facebook link above, and fill out the questionnaire !!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”).

There’s a Facebook page for members of the general RFI Listeners Club too. Just click on the link and fill out the questionnaire, and you can connect with your fellow Club members around the world. Be sure you include your RFI Listeners Club membership number (most of them begin with an A, followed by a number) in the questionnaire, or I will have to click “Decline”, which I don’t like to do!

This week’s quiz: On 23 July, I asked you a question about an article and a video produced by RFI English journalist Isabelle Martinetti. Called "Escaping Slavery, the Art of Breaking One's Chains", it’s about the descendants of African slaves who escaped the Dutch plantations in Suriname, South America and fled to French Guyana.

The runaway slaves – called the “Bushinenge” - developed communities in the Amazon rainforests nearby, and created a new language, a créole, a mix of four existing languages. That was your question: you were to write me with the name of the language developed by the escaped slaves in Guyana, and on which four languages it is based.

The answer is: The créole created by the “Bushinenge" ("men of the woods") is called Nenge Tongo. Nenge Tongo was built from English, French, Portuguese, and Dutch. 

In addition to the quiz question, there was the Bonus Question: What is your dream day at work or school?

The winners are: Mohammad Likhon, who is a member of the Nilshagor RFI Fan Club in Nilphamari, Bangladesh. Mohammad is also the winner of this week’s Bonus Question – his dream day at school, was: “My first day at college. There was lots of fun and new friends, moreover, my father was my mathematics teacher.” 

Also on the list of winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Jayanta Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India; Anika Anne from Munshiganj, Bangladesh; Mahamudul Hasan from Rajbar, also in Bangladesh, and Zenon Teles, from the Christian - Marxist – Leninist - Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa,  India.

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; “Hadouk Blues” by Didier Malherbe and Loy Ehrlich; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Bane” by Thom Sonny Green, Gus Unger-Hamilton, and Joe Newman, performed by alt-J.

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

This week’s question ... Zeenat Hansrod’s article “Kenya Supreme Court rules no foul play in 2022 elections and upholds Ruto’s win” to help you with the answer.  

You have until 3 October to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 8 October podcast. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address 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.