"It’s very nice to go travelling..."

This week you’ll hear the answer to the question about Colombia’s presidential poll. There’s a holiday wrap-up, listener news, great music, and of course, the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

David Franklin/Getty Images/A Terrade

Hello everyone!

Welcome to The Sound Kitchen. You can catch the programme on-the-air every Saturday at 6.15, 7.15, 14.45 and 16.45 universal time. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you have grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews and great music, so be sure and tune in every Saturday.

For our DX enthusiast friends: Our shortwave frequency is 11830 kHz on the 25m band, from 6.00 to 7.00 UT every day. We’ve had reception reports from Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, the UK and the US, and although the frequency is “aimed” (or however that works) towards the African continent, give it a try. You never know … and be sure and send us your reception reports. Maybe we can get more time, which would be wonderful.

You can also hear our programs on WRMI (http://www.wrmi.net/) and WRN (http://www.wrn.org/listeners/). These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts, but unless you tell us how you heard us we have no way of knowing … so do write and tell us how you listen to us.

Fabulous News! We now have an RFI English newsletter! On the very top of our homepage, there’s a little tab that says “Newsletters”. Click on it and fill out the form, and every day you’ll receive the latest from the RFI English website.

We look forward to seeing all your names on our brand-new subscriber’s list. And congratulations to our web team for making it happen. Way to go David, Tony and Isabelle!

We want to hear from you. We have a phone number you can call to leave us a message, so we can hear your voice. Just call, give your name, your country, and a short message - something like “I love RFI”, because of course you do – and we can put you on-the-air. The number to call is: + 33 1 84 22 95 82.

We have new RFI Listeners Club members to welcome. Randolph Mambia from Monrovia, Liberia; Sulaiman Kamara, originally from Sierra Leone but now living in The Gambia; Kehbuma Sama from Bamenda, Cameroon and Kwame Obeng Frimpong from Kumasi, Ghana.  From Abbotsford, Canada, there’s Kanwar Sandhu - although he notes he has been listening to RFI since 1975, when he lived in India. Well it’s about time you joined up, Kanwar! Welcome new members! So glad you have joined us!

You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write 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.

RFI Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni ([e-mail]) from our Listener Relations department on all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me ([e-mail]) when you write her so that I know what is going on, too.

We’ve made a Facebook page just for you, the RFI English Clubs. It is a closed group, 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, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/583819955292977/ and fill out the questionnaire !!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”).

Are you interested in forming an official RFI Club, or transforming your existing club into an official RFI Club?  Here’s how: http://en.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-how-form-official-rfi-listeners-club

This week’s quiz: On 23 June, I asked you a question about Colombia. On 17 June Colombians voted for president, and I asked you to send in the name of the winner as well as the name of his party.

The answer is: Ivan Duque, a former senator from the right leaning Democratic Centre party. Duque won about 54 percent of the vote in the second and last round of elections, according to election officials.

He defeated Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla member and former mayor of Bogotá, the capital; Petro got about 42 percent.

At 41, Duque will be one of the youngest presidents in the country’s history.

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Timothy Ofori from Kumasi, Ghana; Bony Biswas, a member of the Student's Oriental Radio Club in Murshidabad, India; Leonel Gomez Aballe, a member of the RFI Club Cuba in Holguin; Yakuba Ceesay from Serrekunda, The Gambia, and Christer Brunström from Halmstad, Sweden.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program:“It’s Very Nice to Go Traveling” by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, sung by Frank Sinatra; Rimsky-Korsakov: “The Flight of the Bumblebee”; "Listening with Your Sweet Eyes” by RFI Listeners Club member Jnyanendra Nath Phukan.

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 17 September to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 22 September program. 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:

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-sound-kitchen-essay-contests

To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or to form your own official RFI Club, click here:

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-how-form-official-rfi-listeners-club