2007年VOA标准英语-Film Festival Examines Human Rights in Central

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
23 May 2007

The first international human rights film festival to take place in Bangui, Central African Republic, has ended. During the week-long festival, about 15,000 people saw 10 films. Festival organizers say they were under pressure to cancel screenings of one controversial film. But they say this shows that the country needs more opportunities to talk about its human rights record. Phuong Tran has more from VOA's Central and West African Bureau in Dakar.

Captain Thomas Sankara, President of Burkina Faso (file photo)

Festival director Vincent Mercier says in the middle of the festival he began receiving anonymous¹ telephone threats demanding that organizers cancel public screenings of a French film called Thomas Sankara, a Man of Integrity. The film is about the former president of Burkina Faso, killed during a bloody² coup³ d'etat in 1987.

The film examines the policies of the former leader, sometimes called the Che Guevara of Africa. His revolutionary program, including a fight against corruption⁴ and improving the status of women, provoked strong opposition⁵ from traditional leaders.

Some African leaders still see Mr. Sankara's legacy⁶ as a threat.

 

"This film, in particular, has been the source of a certain tension here, [but] we screened it as many times as we had planned we would," said festival director Mercier. "So it shows a human rights festival here is possible, but it is not all that consensual, which is why we are here."

For the past five years, the festival had been held in Paris. Organizers say they wanted to show films to Central Africans that they would not otherwise see.

The festival screened the film about Mr. Sankara five times in public and private venues⁷.

"All the places are crowded," said Mercier. "There is a strong appetite for the population to talk about those different things, human rights, liberty of freedom of speech, freedom of the media, as well as social and economic rights."

Central African human rights lawyer and festival president Edith Douzima says the festival's films reflect issues that Central Africans face, but do not always acknowledge.

She says the films help Central Africans see more clearly their own human rights situation and look for abuses.

During the festival, the Hague-based International Criminal Court announced it is launching an investigation⁸ into possible war crimes committed five years ago in Central African Republic, when former president Ange-Félix Patassé fought a coup attempt by current president Francois Bozize.

Lawyer Douzima says the Central African human rights community welcomes the start of the investigation. She says it is fortunate that the international court made the announcement during the festival.

The human rights lawyer says the announcement sends a strong message to victims of the coup's suppression, as well as to past, current and future war criminals that human rights abuses will not be tolerated in Central African Republic.

1 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

2 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

3 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

4 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。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

7 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。