2007年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Artists Dream of Oil Riches, Find Slum

By Nico Colombant
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
27 May 2007

Happiness despite hardships in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, 27 May 2007

A group of Nigerian artists and dancers from the Muslim north once dreamt of oil riches in the southern delta¹ region, but instead found difficult life in a slum, underneath² a bridge in Port Harcourt. But as VOA's Nico Colombant reports, they persevere³ in trying to promote their culture.

Members of this troupe⁴ from Kaduna state play drums under threatening rain, amid trash mixed in mud, in front of their tin roof shacks⁵.

They thought they would be playing for Nigerian dignitaries and rich oil businessmen but instead they are playing for a crowd of slum dwellers⁶.

The musicians laugh it off, even though they say their houses were razed⁷ three weeks ago. The foundations of their previous homes pile along the bank of a nearby creek⁸, but they refuse to leave, and say they will continue enjoying their life, whatever the hardships.

There is more laughter as two of the musicians go bathe in the oily creek below, that also serves as a communal⁹ toilet and public dump.

One of the leaders, Aminu Yussuf Aruma, says however bad it may look, it is a good place to do some business.

"I am doing business, anything one can, I do. Do you understand? I sell cigarettes, mineral, fuel, water, other things. The business is good, because we are getting small, small things," said Aruma.

Despite the treatment from government officials who told them they were not allowed to be living on the street, Aruma says he cannot complain about common people in Port Harcourt.

"All this place, we do not have bad people. We came here, this is not our place, but we know here it is Nigeria and that Nigeria is one, and that wherever you have been, anywhere you are if you are inside in Nigeria, even though you are in the east, and you are from the north and you come to the east, you come to your land," continued Aruma. "All the people living in Port Harcourt, they like us, what we did here."

He says it is important to continue art despite poverty.

The troupe's main problem, he says, is like for many artists around the world, getting a good agent, which he calls a standing¹⁰ man.

"Often now, we do not have anything from this cultural troupe, because we do not have a standing man who will stand for us, so if that person will stand for us. We do not have standing man to hire us and carry on for us to perform," added Aruma.

Sometimes he says they get orders, but then since they do not receive the money upfront, they do not have enough money to pay for the transportation to perform.

Another dancer says artists are like any other Nigerians who do not have connections. He says he has no future, so he spends most of his time getting high.

"I find things very difficult for me. In fact Nigeria as a whole is in trouble because we do not have jobs for people in the country," he said. "We the masses, people, young men in the country, are suffering. As you can see there is no job for me now. We only eat from God, from hand to mouth, because we do not have a job."

He then takes pieces of wood from the trash-littered ground, sharpens them with his teeth and starts playing a new tune¹¹ on the drums, while people from the bridge above stop their endless chase of a few desperate nairas, the local currency, watch, listen and smile amid the smog coming from car fumes¹² and a nearby slaughterhouse.

1 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

2 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

3 persevere   

v.坚持，坚忍，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• They are determined to persevere in the fight.他们决心坚持战斗。
• It is strength of character enabled him to persevere.他那坚强的性格使他能够坚持不懈。

4 troupe   

n.剧团，戏班；杂技团；马戏团

参考例句：

• The art troupe is always on the move in frontier guards.文工团常年在边防部队流动。
• The troupe produced a new play last night.剧团昨晚上演了一部新剧。

5 shacks   

n.窝棚，简陋的小屋( shack的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They live in shacks which they made out of wood. 他们住在用木头搭成的简陋的小屋里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most people in Port au-Prince live in tin shacks. 太子港的大多数居民居住在铁皮棚里。 来自互联网

6 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》

7 razed   

v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The village was razed to the ground . 这座村庄被夷为平地。
• Many villages were razed to the ground. 许多村子被夷为平地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

9 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

10 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。

11 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

12 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。