Gen Z takes to the streets in Morocco

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about the Gen Z demonstrations in Morocco. There are your answers to the bonus question on “The Listeners Corner” with Paul Myers, and a tasty musical dessert to wrap it all up.  All that and the new quiz and bonus questions too, so click the “Play” button above and enjoy! 

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This week’s quiz: On 18 October, I asked you a question about Morocco, where the young people are demanding reforms on education and health care, as well as tackling corruption and a cost-of-living crisis.

You were to re-read our article “Morocco Gen Z protesters call for 'peaceful sit-ins' to demand reforms”, and send in the answers to these two questions: What happened in the city of Agadir that lit the flame of the protests in September? And what is the combined cost the kingdom spent on renovating or building the stadiums for the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup?

The answers are, to quote our article: “The protests erupted in late September, after the deaths of eight pregnant women during Caesarean sections at a hospital in Agadir, in southern Morocco, sparked anger over conditions at public health facilities.” 

And for the second question: “Economist Najib Akesbi says there is a fundamental problem in how resources are allocated. ‘The needs of the majority of the population are clearly not being prioritised,’ he told RFI. ‘Instead, ostentatious, prestige-driven spending is favoured. That’s the great imbalance.’ The country’s large-scale sports infrastructure – the stadiums built or renovated for the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup, with a combined budget of nearly €2 billion – are the most striking examples, Akesbi argued.

‘The big problem in Morocco is that we invest massively, but often in projects that are not profitable, that generate neither sufficient growth nor enough jobs,’ he says.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: What is your favorite memory of your grandparents?

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Helmut Matt from Herbolzheim in Germany. Helmut is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations on your double win, Helmut.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Reepa Bain, a member of the RFI Pariwer Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh, India, and Rubi Saikia, a member of the United RFI Listeners Club in Assam, also in India.

Last but not least, there are RFI English listeners Zeeshan, a member of the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan, and Zhum Zhum Sultana Eva, from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: Polonaise op 2, no 2 by Dionisio Aguado, performed by Julian Bream; “Raqsa cha'abya”  by Abderrahman el Hadri, performed by el Hadri and his ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Tune for T” by Laurent de Wilde, performed by de Wilde and the New Monk Trio.

Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

This week’s question ... you must listen to the show to participate.After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “Louvre Museum in Paris shuts gallery over structural safety fears”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 15 December to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 20 December podcast. When you enter, be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

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