France in focus

FRANCE 24 English
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France in focus

An in-depth look at the political and social events shaping France. Monday at 3:45pm Paris time.

  1. 3D AGO

    French overseas territories: Martinique's Creole melting pot

    In France's overseas departments, Creole language and culture are seen as a bulwark against racism and standardisation. The concept of "Créoleness" was developed in the late 1980s, in the wake of Aimé Césaire's writings on Négritude and Edouard Glissant's notion of "Antillanité", or a specifically Caribbean identity. Our reporters Florence Gaillard and Georges Yazbeck travelled to Martinique to hear from those who embody this complex identity.

    12 min

  2. MAR 18

    A rare peek behind the scenes of the Académie française

    This week, France in Focus gets a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the Académie française, the temple of the French language. Our reporters delve into the history of this 17th-century institution and follow the painstaking task of writing its dictionary. The report also asks how this 400-year-old monument is trying to remain relevant in today's increasingly globalised world.

    12 min

  3. MAR 14

    Mayotte residents struggle to pick up the pieces after Cyclone Chido

    Cyclone Chido was the strongest storm to hit Mayotte in at least 90 years. When the cyclone slammed into the French overseas department in December, it packed winds of more than 200km per hour, wreaking devastation across the island. In Mayotte, a territory already ravaged by soaring levels of poverty, shantytowns were blown apart in moments, leaving residents to fend for themselves. More than two months after the cyclone, the island is still struggling to get back on its feet. Many schools remain closed, and it's only now that local authorities are getting to grips with the challenges of reconstruction. Mayotte la 1ère and Réunion la 1ère's reporters went to meet the victims trying to rebuild their lives.

    12 min

  4. FEB 27

    Paris's La Défense business district reels from working-from-home trend

    For many years, the La Défense business district on the edge of Paris was the beating heart of France's corporate and financial sectors. La Défense emerged in the late 1960s as a modernist hub of skyscrapers and commercial infrastructure, with hundreds of thousands of people working there every day. But when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, many of those employees began to work remotely. The neighbourhood has since struggled to attract the pre-Covid crowds, and local business are suffering as a result. FRANCE 24's Natacha Vesnitch, George Yazbeck and Siobhán Silke report.

    12 min

  5. FEB 18

    One year after protests, French farming still in crisis

    This week, France in Focus returns to the rural Tarn et Garonne department in the southwestern Occitania region, where unrest in the French agricultural sector first took root in early 2024. For months, protesters, tractors and hay bales blocked motorways leading to the capital, calling out low food prices, unfair foreign competition and government red tape. Although the protest movement has since fizzled out, the frustration remains palpable in the French countryside. FRANCE 24's Jon Walsh and Jennifer Ben Brahim met local farmers who are still fighting to keep their family businesses alive.

    12 min

  6. JAN 27

    Eighty years on, French deportee remembers horror of Auschwitz and difficult return home

    On January 27, 1945, the French population had yet to grasp the full horror of the Holocaust. After the Soviet army finally liberated Auschwitz and the allies advanced on the Western front, the first survivors began to trickle back to their home countries and the true scale of the tragedy began to emerge. Esther Dzik was one of the survivors who returned to Paris in 1945. She'd been deported in September 1943 at the age of 15 and sent to Auschwitz, where her own sister perished. Now 97 years old, she tells us about the conditions in the camp, her resolve to survive and the struggle to rebuild her life after her whole family was murdered.

    12 min

  7. JAN 22

    France's Pelicot case: Questioning toxic masculinity

    The Pelicot rape trial at the end of 2024 put the issue of sexual violence at the centre of public debate in France. Seen as a real turning point, the case has also raised questions about men's responsibility in rape culture. From the #Notallmen slogan circulating on social media, to discussion groups where some men have been examining their own behaviour, the case has prompted many men to take a long, hard look in the mirror. FRANCE 24's Sonia Baritello, Olivia Salazar-Winspear, Jade Lévin and Jonathan Walsh met some of them.

    12 min

  8. JAN 14

    2019 Paris gas explosion: Six years on, life resumes after the blast

    On January 12, 2019, the residents of rue de Trévise in Paris's 9th arrondissement (district) were woken by a huge explosion prompted by a gas leak. As they were rushed out of the building by the emergency services, the full horror became apparent: four dead, dozens injured and an entire neighbourhood destroyed. Six years later, some former residents are finally able to return home. But many are still waiting for repairs to be completed and want an explanation about what caused this tragic accident. We take a closer look in this edition of France in Focus.

    12 min
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    About

    An in-depth look at the political and social events shaping France. Monday at 3:45pm Paris time.

    Information

    • Channel
      FRANCE 24 English
    • Creator
      FRANCE 24 English
    • Years Active
      2020 - 2025
    • Episodes
      22
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © France Médias Monde
    • Show Website
      France in focus

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