VOA标准英语2008年-African Spectacle Showcases Continent's Other S

By Suzanne Chislett
London
22 January 2008
 

When people are asked to picture Africa, they often speak of famine, war, deserts and jungles. Now a touring stage show in Britain is trying to shake up those ideas and reveal an entirely¹ different side of the vast continent. Suzanne Chislett reports from London.

One hundred twenty artists from 17 African nations make up the performing cast of "Afrika! Afrika!"

 The idea of this amazing spectacle is to showcase a side of Africa the rest of the world does not often see.

Huit Huit was born Makaya Dimbelolo in Angola. He was inspired to test his own flexibility² after seeing Chinese contortionists on television. Now he is one of the stars of the show and loves performing to the crowds every day.

He says, "I give them my energy. I get back the energy from people because this is very important for me. Then, from that, people can go out with that in their minds. 'Ah, I want to see Afrika! Afrika! show. Wow, that guy was very amazing. That guy was talking about something! The job! Maybe those people exist in Africa. Ah! In Africa also these people have a talent.' "

While the performers showcase an impressive range of talents, the show also helps artists back in Africa.

One euro from every ticket sold is donated to a special charity called Art in Africa. The show's makers³ established the charity to encourage talents similar to those wowing London audiences.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism⁴, Doudou Diene, has praised the charity. He says that encouraging the talents of African performers is a major step to widening non-Africans' views of the continent. "It is the field of culture that is the foundation for discrimination and prejudices and certainly one of the biggest issues is how to get Europeans to have another picture of Africa beyond the picture of tribal⁵ war or AIDS or violence. There is another Africa."

"Afrika! Afrika!" has proven such a big hit in Europe that there are now two touring companies.

Some two million people have already seen the show, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for its African art charity, and also raising awareness⁶ of the diversity of life on the continent.

1 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

2 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

5 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。