VOA常速英语2007-Mauritanian Rappers Fight Against Clandestine Mi

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
09 October 2007
 

Thousands of youths line up in Mauritania's poorest neighborhoods to see the mostly underground concerts of a homegrown rap group.  Diam Men Teky does not win many fans in the government for their songs about corruption¹ and neglect.  A phenomenon for 15 years, the young rappers have a new cause:  fighting clandestine² migration³.

Phuong Tran met with the rappers in Nouakchott, Mauritania and has this report for VOA.

They rap in their native ethnic⁴ Pulaar language about police taking bribes⁵, a government that has forgotten its youths, and recently, about clandestine migration.

Local officials deny harassing⁶ the group.  But the rappers say police still shut down their concerts and raid music stalls that sell their latest CD -- called "Gongoo," which means "truth" in Pulaar.  The group's leader Mar⁷ Ba says the three musicians are still reaching fans. "We will stop performing when there is no longer anything to denounce. But until then, we will keep speaking out. "

They live, work and perform in the roughest neighborhoods in the country.  They shun⁸ concert halls for youth community centers and backyards like their own. These places have no electricity.  Water deliveries by donkey carts are infrequent.  Jobs are scarce.

The rappers saw their crowds thin out last year as men began leaving Mauritania illegally on boats, headed for Spain. The rappers fought back. They recruited concertgoers for a video about clandestine migration, a topic touching⁹ more and more African youth.

Unemployed¹⁰ fans volunteered to be in the video, which tells a story about friends who disagree on whether or not to risk the trip.

Rapper Mar tries to convince his friend Lamine not to make the 1,000 kilometer sea crossing in a used fishing boat. Ba asks his friend how he can make the deadly trip as a Muslim, since suicide is considered a sin in the Koran.

Lamine answers that Ba does not know his life.  He raps about his shame of not providing for his family and not being able to marry. The group's third rapper, Ousmane, advises Lamine to accept God's will rather than give his money to Mafia-like boat organizers who profit from misery¹¹.

The video ends with a plea to parents to not compare their children to others who have more money, which shames them into making a deadly journey to defend family honor.

"Concertgoers really like our song and are touched by it, but they are still leaving for Europe because life is so hard here," says Mar Ba.

But even if they just touch one person, they say their song will have been a success.

1 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。

2 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。

3 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。

4 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。

5 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

6 harassing   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近，不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句

7 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

8 shun   

vt.避开，回避，避免

参考例句：

• Materialists face truth,whereas idealists shun it.唯物主义者面向真理，唯心主义者则逃避真理。
• This extremist organization has shunned conventional politics.这个极端主义组织有意避开了传统政治。

9 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

10 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

11 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。