So French!

It's snowing a lot in Paris, but we will take you to the sunny Island of Beauty, and that is Corisca, of course. Millennials, or the boring new generation. And we’ll dicuss food, and stars and unbearable pressure. Maud Descamps is with us for a brand new winter-related expression of the week. Recorded in Paris, 9 February 2018

The Jupitarian president once again using the Sun King’s to help conqueur the world. Prison guards are angry, the World's best ice cream is French and Parisians are getting wet feet. Recorded in Paris, January 27, 2018

President Emmanuel Macron went on a trip to China, and brought a curious present for his host Xi Jiping. More on the ongoing #metoo discussion, but this week the controversy was caused by women, who disagree with the movement against sexual harassment. We mentioned this article in The New Yorker: Why Did Catherine Deneuve and Other Prominent Frenchwomen Denounce #MeToo? Refugees were dominating th...

The last episode of 2017 and the very first of the new year. We are looking back to last year and forward to 2018. We wish you all the best for 2018! Recorded in Paris, 30 december 2017

Selling fighter jets, saving the Earth, delivering two eulogies and being the king of Europe: this month, Macron's agenda is fuller than a stuffed Christmas turkey. Also, with independence à la mode in Europe, the French Corsicans are making their voices heard, voting for more autonomy. One homeless man got very lucky this week, but most of the 140.000 ‘SDF‘, the homeless people, in France will fa...

Emmanuel Macron toured Africa, trying to change the decades-old touchy relationship with the former colonies on the vast continent and the old ‘motherland'. Paris is the world’s most visited city, and the number of apartments rented out through Airbnb has exploded in just a few years. Now the city wants to limit short stays French politicians are not known for their wit. However, this week one of...

Where is Marine? And what's going on with the Front national? We also take a closer look at the leadership battle in the French conservative party. Who will lead the party – and will it be in opposition, or compliance with president Macron? And does Sara feel insulteed by Carla Bruni? Listen to a new epiosde of our podcast! Recorded in Paris, 17 November 2017

Many women and some men, around the world have added their voices to a wave of complaints about sexual harassment. In France, the Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan and the film director Roman Polanski were publicly confronted with their past. The government presented a 1 billion euro plan to reform the French University System. But why? And how? We’ll also take a closer look at the poetic qualities of...

In this week's episode * We’ll take a closer look at how the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the #metoo hashtag has affected France * When the days are getting shorter, and the trees are losing their leaves, it’s not uncommon for Europeans to be a little bit sombre in this time of the year. The French seem to be the champions of depression. Two scholars claim to have found the culprit. * And what do...

Will the French Catalans join their brothers across the border? Who is Jihad Granny? And we will teach you some French swear words with the help of the foul-mouthed French President. Epiosde 35 – Recorded in Paris, October 6, 2017

After a long and very French Summer Break, we are back with our third season of So French! We discuss the falling popularity of Emmanuel Macron. His will sign his new Labour Bill this week and unions are taking to the streets. Couscous, the popular Moroccan dish, caused a political row. Maud Descamps gives us the French Word of the Week and we talk to Wassim Nasr, a journalist at France 24 and a r...

‘Le Startup’ is the magic word in France since Macron became a president. This week he opend the world's largest incubator, in the heart of Paris. Both President Macron and Prime Minister Philippe held long speeches this week to unveil their programme. One of France's most beloved women passed away, Simone Veil (89). Who was she and what is her legacy to the French society? And don't try to unders...

As a heatwave hits the country, we dive into the muddy waters of European politics, and ask the question what Europe will look like under the new french president. Will Emmanuel Macron be a refreshing force, or will the warm relationship between Germany and France cool down once the UK leaves the union? Other topics: France is getting older and older, Paris wants to host the 2024 Summer Olympics,...

The French government would like to turn the exceptional measures of the state of emergency into regular law. We discuss the worrying implications of this bill with Marco Perolini, of Amnesty International. This weekend, it's election time again. This time, the French go to the polls to vote for their MP's. It looks like it's going to be a landslide victory for Wonder Boy Macron. And Maud Descamps...

In their first week, the Government is already involved in two potential scandals. Once again the French media revealed some embarrassing details about two politicians, both close to Emmanuel Macron. The new President has promised to clean up his country's politics, so what will he do? He is preparing a new law to ‘moralise' politics, and moralisation is our So French Word of this episode, brought...

France has a new president…but who is Emmanuel Macron really? The French political landscape looks more like the battlefields at the end of the First World War. They're are casualties everywhere. And…you may not yet have noticed…but l’amour is dead… The man who had the Parisians bump into love in every street corner has passed away. Recorded in Paris, on May 12, 2017 in Le Cercle Suédois, the Swed...

With the second round of the presidential election coming up in just one week, we scratch our heads and take a closer look at WHAT actually happened and WHAT to expect. And we also ask the question WHY Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the far-left candidate, refuses to encourage HIS voters to vote against Marine Le Pen. And of course, Maud Descamps brings us a fresh French word of the day! This month, So Frenc...

Only a week to go before the first round of the presidential elections, we’re we’re wondering if France will face a run-off between the extreme left and the far right.
 Is France going to ditch the euro for the sucre? We alo have a look at what’s left of Nuit Debout, the grassroots movement that grew out of the protests against the new labour laws here in France. One year on, does the movement sti...

The French Left is crumbling down. Why don’t they just kiss and make up to have a better chance in the upcoming elections? Since two weeks, there's a lot of social tension in French Guyana. Journalist Déborah Neusy of the newspaper France Guyane is in Cayenne and gives us the latest. We have a report on university students working together with young Syrian migrants and we'll tell you the link bet...

With just over a month to go until the French presidential election, we finally know who is a candidate and who isn't. We also discuss the ongoign revelations of François Fillon's way of life. The So French Word of this epsiode is ‘cadeau', given to you by Maud Descamps. And we listen to the stars, to the music selected by France's star-astronaut Thomas Pequet. You can find his playlist on Deezer:...

In this week's episode: Elections, elections, elections (and the occasional scandal)! We also talk about France’s large and diverse Asian population, with guest Leo Takeuchi of the organisation Asia 2.0 And of course, Maud Descamps brings us a fresh French word of the day!

Lots of politics in this episode. We talk about the socialist primaries, a new political scandal involving former PM François Fillon and about the fact that politics in France is almost a men-only affair. And Maud Descamps went into the lion's den of American Republicans living in Paris, celebrating Donald Trump's inauguration. Hosts: Sara Bertilsson & Stefan de Vries Recorded in Paris, January 27...

Is the French government executing its own citizens abroad? We’ll walk you through accusations of targeted killings approved by the president himself in legal grey zones. And after the 35 hour work week a legal right NOT to reply to work email. On top of that – a tax free year in France! Maybe the country is really turning into heaven on earth? And of course, Maud Descamps brings us a fresh French...

Since our last episode only three weeks ago, French politics has been shaken up. Old men like Sarkozy, Juppé and Hollande are leaving the scene, but will not be replaced by new faces. In other news: * Parisians were suffering this week from a extreme pollution. There's no solution in sight. * Beards are getting more and more popular in France * The country has a new space hero. Recorded in Paris o...

We follow up on that surprise Donald Trump victory in the US elections. What is the impact on the French presidential elections, up in only six months? And how do Franco-Americans see the Rise of the Orange Leader? We'll discuss that with our special guest, the Franco-American journalist François Picard. PNL is the name of a rap duo that's a real phenomenon in France. And of course, Maud Descamps...