Spotlight on France - Podcast: Actors want Covid curtain lifted, coping with lockdown #2, Enlightened Emilie

Loading player...
French actors, directors and culture workers are chafing against Covid restrictions and calling out the government's double standards in keeping shops open but theatres closed. Researchers check in on people's well-being during France's second lockdown and find more negativity than the first one. And Emelie du Châtelet, the first woman to devote her life to science.

The culture world took to the streets in France this week to protest against theatres, cinemas and museums remaining closed as lockdown has eased. They say “food for the soul” is just as important as the food on your plate, and it is unfair for shops, public transport and churches to be open while they cannot work. Marc Lesage, director of the Theatre de l'Atelier, argues the government does not understand the economics of the sector. And actress Anael Guez talks about what it is like to feel "non essential". (Listen @2'55'')

As France eases out of its second lockdown, we check in with a longitudinal study that started asking questions about Covid in March. During the first confinement, people were relatively positive. Today, six months later, that is far from the case. Ettore Recchi leads the researchers in the Coco study (Listen @16'12'')

Emilie du Châtelet, born on 17 December 1706, defied patriarchal norms of the 18th century to become a renowned natural philosopher and mathematician. She is most famous for translating and commenting the Principia by Isaac Newton and sharing love, ideas and scientific discoveries with Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire. (Listen @12'45'')

This episode was mixed by Cécile Pompéani.

Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Google podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here), or your favourite podcast app.
17 Dec 2020 English South Africa News

Other recent episodes

Podcast: Assisted dying in France, Pagnol at Cannes, meet the neighbours

As French lawmakers consider legalising assisted dying, a look at the citizen's assembly that carefully considered the issue. Also, a film about the writer – and filmmaker – Marcel Pagnol at the Cannes film festival, which is finally tackling sexual harassment in the industry. And the man who created the…
22 May 28 min

Podcast: US science 'refugees' in France, doctor shortages, 8 May massacre

France is opening its arms to foreign scientists, particularly from the US, as the Trump administration pulls back from climate research. French GPs and trainee doctors are up in arms over proposals to address 'medical deserts', which they say would make the problem worse. And as Europe marks the 80th…
8 May 34 min

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