VOA慢速英语2013 南苏丹音乐家通过音乐传播思想

 

AS IT IS 2013-08-17 South Sudan Musicians Spread Message Through Music 南苏丹音乐家通过音乐传播思想

Hello again and welcome to As It Is, from VOA Learning English. I’m June Simms in Washington.

On the show today, we take to the dance floor with an exciting new mix of music that blends northwestern Indian and Pakistani bhangra with jazz, funk, hip-hop and other forms of music.

But first, we hear how musicians in newly liberated¹ South Sudan are using their music to spread news about problems facing their country.

South Sudan Musicians Spread Message Through Music 

South Sudan is still struggling to overcome huge difficulties just two years after its war of independence with the north. Almost two million people were killed in the war. Millions more were displaced. Many refugees of that war are now returning home. One such returnee is rising hip-hop artist Lual D’Awol. Mario Ritter has more.

Lual D’Awol found his love for hip-hop growing up in the American city of Baltimore, Maryland. There he listened to Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G. and reggae artists like Bob Marley. Lual started rapping in 2010. Since returning home to South Sudan, he has used his music to talk about problems in his country.

“My stage name is L-U-A-L, which stands for Lyrically Untouchable African Legend. I just rap about a lot of the things that are going on in South Sudan politically, socially. I talk about corruption², I talk about tribalism, I talk about nepotism³, I talk about all the -isms that are not going well in this nation and trying to expose them.”

International producers filmed Lual’s video for his hit song “I’m the King Around Here”. It was recorded in one of South Sudan’s many cattle camps where some say stealing cattle has turned into a blood sport.

Charles James Oman is one of the few music businessmen in the country. He came from Khartoum, where he learned music in church and then started writing his own at age 13.

“The music is not about the style you sing, but about the message, about the words. We are civilians⁴, so we don’t have any weapons. So my weapon is the song I sing.”

He says he and other artists use music to speak out against issues like early pregnancy⁵, rape⁶ and abuse. And they call for an end to political fighting and ethnic⁷ violence.

Singer-songwriter Mer Ayang says songs like her “South Sudanese” call for unity⁸. She says they are a message from the younger generation to those at the top.

“We are the future of the country. We are the leaders of the country. If the current leaders are not doing it right, there’s nothing wrong with correcting them.”

The name Mer means “peace” in Shilluk, one of the many languages spoken in South Sudan. With her songs, Mer Ayang calls on young people to take part in building their new nation.

“Life is not about partying and just being home finally. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done and they have to feel responsible for this.”

Mer’s experiences at home and overseas have helped to shape her music. But most of all, she has her father in mind. He was a freedom fighter who died exactly one year before independence on July 9, 2011. Mer says she wants to honor him in her own way.

“There’s a struggle, and even being home now, things are not easy. And if we sit and wait in the name of enjoying the fruits of corruption, what’s the point of our parents and our previous grandfathers and mothers who died in the war? What is the point of the war if we’re not focused in making it well now?”

Many of the artists in this country that is so new and so unknown say they want to take their message to the world. I’m Mario Ritter.

You are listening to As It Is, from VOA Learning English. I’m June Simms.

Red Baraat Band Brings Bhangra to Brooklyn

New York’s multicultural⁹ environment is a hot spot for new art and music. Red Baraat, an eight-member horns and percussion¹⁰ band from Brooklyn, is a product of that environment. The group mixes northwestern Indian and Pakistani bhangra music with jazz, funk, hip-hop and other forms of music. One critic calls it an “explosively happy meld of bangtastic funk, Bollywood drama and marching band swagger.”

Bandleader Sunny Jain is a first-generation Indian American who grew up in Rochester, New York. He formed Red Baraat in 2008 after looking for a traditional Indian bhangra band to play at his own wedding. The jazz drummer and singer fell in love with the musical instrument, the dhol, on a trip to India in 1997. The booming double-sided drum is used in bhangra and in Bollywood musicals.

“It was just a different energy for me, you know. It’s slung¹¹ on the shoulder. I’m not sitting stationary¹² on a drum set, but I’m able to move around. And it’s enormously loud.”

Red Baraat is named after a joyous¹³ wedding procession in India. The music is a mix of horns and drums, bhangra and jazz, go-go, Latin music and even a bit of klezmer.

Sunny Jain calls it “Brooklyn bhangra.” He says the band members all come from different backgrounds.

“Sonny Singh is a trumpet¹⁴ player who grew up in, you know, with Sikh gurdwaras, going to temple and praying, and also grew up with ska music and reggae music. MiWi La Lupa is a bass¹⁵ trumpet player. He grew up with like R&B. He grew up with jazz. Ernest Stuart grew up in the black church in Philadelphia. Everyone’s coming from different arenas¹⁶.”

Red Baraat released its second full-length album, “Shruggy Ji,” in January. The album reached first place on world music charts. The band has risen from unpaid¹⁷ performances in a Brooklyn bar to playing music festivals across the United States and Canada. Red Baraat also performed at the White House last year.

And that is As It Is. Thanks for sharing part of your day with us. For the latest on what’s happening in the world, VOA news is coming up at the beginning of the hour Universal Time.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

1 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 nepotism   

n.任人唯亲；裙带关系

参考例句：

• The congressman lashed the president for his nepotism.国会议员抨击总统搞裙带关系。
• Many will regard his appointment as the kind of nepotism British banking ought to avoid.很多人会把他的任命看作是英国银行业应该避免的一种裙带关系。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

6 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

7 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

8 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

9 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

10 percussion   

n.打击乐器；冲突，撞击；震动，音响

参考例句：

• In an orchestra,people who play percussion instruments sit at the back.在管弦乐队中，演奏打击乐器的人会坐在后面。
• Percussion of the abdomen is often omitted.腹部叩诊常被省略。

11 slung   

抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。
• He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。

12 stationary   

adj.固定的，静止不动的

参考例句：

• A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
• Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。

13 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

14 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

15 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

16 arenas   

表演场地( arena的名词复数 )； 竞技场； 活动或斗争的场所或场面； 圆形运动场

参考例句：

• Demolition derbies are large-scale automobile rodeos that take place in big arenas. 撞车比赛指的是在很大的竞技场上举行的大型汽车驾驶技术表演。
• Are there areas of privacy in the most public of arenas? 在绝大部分公开的场合中存在需要保护隐私的领域吗？

17 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。