VOA慢速英语--马里艺术学校和国家的人才流失抗衡

AS IT IS 2016-07-18 Mali Art School Battles Country's Brain Drain 马里艺术学校和国家的人才流失抗衡

Mali has produced many world-famous artists and musicians.

An arts school in the country’s capital, Bamako, is trying to use that rich cultural history to fight youth unemployment and to deter¹ migration².

A famous artist founds the conservatory³

Abdoulaye Konate is a famous Malian artist. In 2004, he founded the Balla Fasseke Koyate Conservatory.

Konate said he wanted to offer students the chance to get a higher education without leaving Mali.

To deter migration, one strategy the school has been using is to bring the world to the students.

In addition to the school's 80 teachers, instructors⁴ from other countries regularly give classes at the school.

Cuban teachers, for example, trained Jonathan Dembele in classical guitar. Dembele graduated from the school last year. He had returned to Mali after studying abroad in Denmark and Finland.

This training made him a versatile⁵ musician, but he still prefers to play folk music.

What happens after graduation?

Some graduates find jobs at media agencies, or as teachers. Others have set up businesses. The school did a study last year and found that 60 percent of its graduates have found work.

Dembele, the guitar player, plays music at weddings and other events. He plays regularly at a hotel, too.

Dembele said:

“It’s not easy, I repeat, it's not easy to live off the music here in Mali, unless you have some branches somewhere else not in Mali, because in Mali musicians are really not well paid. You work to survive."

Arts are important for peace

Earlier this year, the conservatory hosted the Bamako Acoustik Festival. It was the first international music festival to take place in Bamako since 2012.

In that year, conflict broke out in Mali. The country is still trying to recover.

Konate, the founder⁶ of the school, says the arts are a key weapon for peace.

A new generation, he adds, that works in media and culture can help transform the country, reconcile⁷ people and build the economy.

Words in This Story

deter – v. to cause (someone) to decide not to do something

conservatory – n. a school in which students are taught music, theater, or dance

counter – v. to do something in defense⁸ or in response to something

brain drain – n. a situation in which many educated or professional people leave a particular place or profession and move to another one that gives them better pay or living conditions

versatile – adj. able to do many different things

1 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

2 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

3 conservatory   

n.温室，音乐学院；adj.保存性的，有保存力的

参考例句：

• At the conservatory,he learned how to score a musical composition.在音乐学校里，他学会了怎样谱曲。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants.这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

4 instructors   

指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The instructors were slacking on the job. 教员们对工作松松垮垮。
• He was invited to sit on the rostrum as a representative of extramural instructors. 他以校外辅导员身份，被邀请到主席台上。

5 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。

6 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

7 reconcile   

vt.使协调，使和解，使顺从（甘心）（于）

参考例句：

• Must they reconcile themselves to their fate?难道他们甘心忍受这种命运吗？
• He found it hard to reconcile himself to the disagreeable state.他发现难以忍受这种不愉快的状况。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。