美国国家公共电台 NPR In Paris, This Refugee Radio Station Is A Lifeline — In 5 Different Languages

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Imagine landing in France as a refugee. You don't speak French. You don't know any locals or where to go to register as an asylum¹-seeker and get documentation. You probably also don't know that there are offers of food and housing, of help. In Paris, one community radio station has stepped in to help inform refugees there. Rebecca Rosman tuned² in.

REBECCA ROSMAN, BYLINE³: When Hassan Baigi arrived in Paris from Afghanistan as an asylum-seeker a year and a half ago, he thought his days sleeping outside were over. But the refugee camps were full, so Baigi ended up sleeping here.

HASSAN BAIGI: This place is important because the first time I came to Paris, I came to know about this place.

ROSMAN: This place is under a crowded, noisy metro⁴ station called La Chapelle in northeast Paris.

BAIGI: It was awful.

ROSMAN: At one point, as many as 1,200 migrants were sleeping in tents around here.

BAIGI: My mind was not able to accept it that, yeah, of course, I am in Paris. I thought I am somewhere else.

ROSMAN: Eventually, Baigi connected with a group that asked if he would be interested in sharing his experiences for a local radio project.

BAIGI: At the first point, I thought it is a great job to do - to speak - because, for example, if a French person talks about the problems of refugees, it is good. But if a refugee, he, himself, talks about the problems they face, it will be better, it will be best.

ROSMAN: The program that Baigi and other volunteers help produce is called "Stalingrad Connection."

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Stalingrad Connection. (Speaking French).

ROSMAN: It's named after another Paris metro where migrants used to camp out back in 2016. It was overcrowded, loud and sometimes dangerous, but it was also a forum⁵ where migrants, volunteers, activists⁶ and journalists met to exchange information, like where to find free showers, hot food or how to fill out asylum applications. Margot Colinet was one of the volunteers giving French lessons to journalist refugees when the police tore down the camp.

MARGOT COLINET: And when it was dismantled⁷, we decided⁸ to create a radio in order to bring a way for these people to communicate with each other and also to communicate about their situation to people who would not be aware about what was happening in Paris for migrants.

ROSMAN: "Stalingrad Connection" got off the ground two years ago. It's grown to a monthly 60-minute show broadcast in five languages.

(CROSSTALK)

ROSMAN: Today, volunteers are gathered in a cramped⁹ kitchen inside a tiny Parisian apartment putting the finishing touches on the latest broadcast.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking French).

ROSMAN: This episode is about the French government organization that reviews asylum applications. The French acronym¹⁰ is O-F-P-R-A, known as OFPRA.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Singing in French).

ROSMAN: For one of the taped segments, Margot Colinet accompanies Hassan Baigi to his latest appointment.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Singing) I am coming.

ROSMAN: The meeting does not go well. But in the show, Baigi says he can't divulge¹¹ any specific details of what happened during the appointment.

BAIGI: There can be a 50,000 Euro penalty for that. You can be jailed. That is illegal.

ROSMAN: Only 27% of asylum requests were granted in France last year. Many of those who were rejected didn't have their paperwork in order, so another part of the show features an interview with a former OFPRA employee who offers migrants advice on how to correctly fill out documentation.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: (Speaking French).

ROSMAN: But practical information is only a part of the show's mission. It's also an opportunity for migrants to share their stories with a wider audience. Each episode is also archived online, so even if refugees don't have access to a radio, they can listen on their smartphones. Twenty-five-year-old Mohammed Baha'a is a refugee from Iraq who has been volunteering with "Stalingrad Connection."

MOHAMMED BAHA'A: Maybe someone can hear my story and then try to think about - because I meet a lot of people here. They don't know about refugees. They know nothing about refugees. So when I explain them the story and everything, they really change their mind. They say OK, now we understand. So I said OK, maybe I can explain it here. It's going to - everybody going to hear a story or say something. It's going to be cool.

ROSMAN: Baha'a arrived in France only several months ago, but he says he feels like he's already found a community here. For NPR News, I'm Rebecca Rosman in Paris.

1 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

2 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

5 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 dismantled   

拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消

参考例句：

• The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
• The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

10 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

11 divulge   

v.泄漏(秘密等)；宣布，公布

参考例句：

• They refused to divulge where they had hidden the money.他们拒绝说出他们把钱藏在什么地方。
• He swore never to divulge the secret.他立誓决不泄露秘密。