In, out, and in again: Sweden’s new Prime Minister

This week on The Sound Kitchen you’ll hear the answer to the question about Sweden’s Prime Minister. There’s lots of Christmas music and cheer, listener letters, 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.

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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: my beloved music teacher from St Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, Br Gerald Muller, 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. 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.

RFI 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!

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This week’s quiz: On 4 December, I asked you a question about Sweden. On 24 November, Sweden elected their very first female prime minister, the leader of the center-left Social Democratic Party. However, it only lasted about seven hours.

She resigned because her budget was defeated in Parliament, and her coalition partner quit out of frustration.  So, this history maker resigned as well, saying: “According to constitutional practice, a coalition government should resign if one party leaves the government. For me, it is about respect, but I also do not want to lead a government where there may be grounds to question its legitimacy.”

So that was that. No leader in Sweden. Until … parliament re-elected her on 29 November.

I asked you to send in her name.

The answer is: Magdalena Andersson. Andersson is Sweden’s former finance minister, a post she held from 2014 until she became prime minister.

Sweden is the last of the Nordic countries to have a woman as prime minister – Finland, Iceland, Denmark – and Estonia, as RFI English Club member Arne Timm reminds us – all have women running their countries.

The winners are: Mr. Manik Hossain, who is a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and three RFI Club members: Richard Wasajja from Masaka, Uganda; Alan Holder from the Isle of Wight, England, and Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusene, Denmark. Last but not least, there’s RFI English listener Princess Honour Serena Dokubo from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, who is a member of the Radio Zeater Club.  

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “The Christmas Song” by Robert Wells, sung by Nat King Cole; “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” by Irving Berlin, sung by The Drifters; "Sommarpolska" by Roger Tallroth, performed by Tallroth and the trio Väsen; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and “Cascabel” by James Lord Pierpont, arranged and translated into Spanish by Andrés Alén, and performed by Ritmo Latino.

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 January 2022 to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 22 January 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