2007年VOA标准英语-African Widows Refuse Forced Re-Marriage

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
16 March 2007

In some African countries when a woman's husband dies, it is common for her to marry one of his brothers. For many families, this ensures someone will take care of the widow and her children, and that she remains¹ part of her husband's family. But some African widows are refusing orders to marry when their husbands die. Reporter Phuong Tran has more from Dakar on why some families are rethinking this tradition.

In this film called Tree in the Wind, village leaders in an African country decide a widow must follow tradition and marry one of her husband's brothers.

MOVIE:  "I have come to a decision. Hashir's widow, once her mourning is over, she will marry her deceased husband's brother, Sharif. Agreed? Agreed."

A girl then talks to her grandmother because she is worried her uncle Hashir may have died of AIDS, and that his possibly-infected wife may pass the virus to her new husband, who has other wives.

MOVIE DAUGHTER:  "What is the right thing to do when following our traditions might affect our health?" she asked.  "Traditions [are] protected, lives are not."

MOVIE GRANDMOTHER: "Granddaughter, it is our responsibility to protect them both."

This movie produced by Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun came out of a contest in Africa organized by the U.S.-based non profit organization Global Dialogues.

Youths submit film scripts about AIDS every year. Winning ideas are made into short films by well-known African filmmakers.    

Contest co-founder Daniel Enger, based in Burkina Faso, says the contest has had numerous entries on the topic of wife inheritance, where a man marries the widow of his brother.

"Some young people advocated a complete end to wife inheritance," he said.  "Others said when it comes to changing long standing² traditions, which can pose a problem when it comes to HIV transmission, we have to be respectful of the tradition, but at the same time, work gradually towards a change in the phenomenon."

Senegalese sociologist³ Djiby Diakhate says HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), which can lead to AIDS, is one reason wife inheritance is less common in urban areas than rural ones.

"In urban areas, HIV is more known, whereas people in rural areas are more fatalistic about why people die," he explained.  "They say it is God's will."

But Diakhate says as more city dwellers⁴ visit their home villages, they bring back information about HIV, as well as, different ideas about marriage.

The sociologist says this is how traditions normally change.

At the end of the film, Tree in the Wind the village elder reminds the widow change may be necessary for survival.

MOVIE:  "Our traditions resemble a tree deeply rooted in the ground. Where in a strong wind, a tree must be flexible. It bends, or it falls."

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

4 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》