VOA标准英语2009-Football Aims to Help Heal Rwanda's Post-Gen

Several of the world's top footballers came to Rwanda this week to play a charity match in support of the country's genocide survivors¹. The VOA correspondent reports from Kigali on the unifying³ power of sports in a country still healing from the divisive events 15 years ago.
　
Man at the "genocide cemetary" of Kigali, Rwanda (file photo)

By sunset Monday, Rwanda's Amahoro stadium was packed with more than 20,000 football enthusiasts⁴.

Tutsis, Hutus, the young, and the old cheered on Rwanda's Amavubi Stars as they came out victorious⁵ in a charity match against an All-Star team led by Cameroon and Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o.

Proceeds went to the 'One Dollar Campaign,' an organization that builds homes for displaced orphans⁶ of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsis.

After the game, a crowd of young Rwandans gathered around all-star player and professional American footballer Dominic Scicluna as he urged the children to harness football to help heal the country's post-genocide divide.

"The players with the best technique in the world are ones that know that football is the vehicle for peace," Scicluna said. "That is why this stadium is called peace. What is the name of the stadium in Rwandee? "Amaharo!" That is right, and Amahoro means peace.

Using football to help unify² is a concept that has trickled⁷ down from the stadium to the streets. Last October, when Rwanda's National Unity⁸ and Reconciliation⁹ Commission was tasked with reintegrating genocide perpetrators back into the same community they committed atrocities¹⁰ against, it turned to the beloved sport.

A series of football matches took place during a three-month stretch in various parts of urban Rwanda, including Kigali and Butare, and were each followed by events where the two parties could comfortably converse¹¹. And they actually worked, says NURC Project Coordinator¹² Oswald Rutimburana.

"The sports makes the first entry - football - and it helps them come closer," Rutimburana said. "We have seen it working. We have seen people now accepting them, impressing them, talking to them and at least that trust, the first trust is built."

Rutimburana says the Rwanda National Unity and Reconciliation Commission hopes to coordinate¹³ several more reconciliatory matches next year.

1 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

2 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

3 unifying   

使联合( unify的现在分词 )； 使相同； 使一致； 统一

参考例句：

• In addition, there were certain religious bonds of a unifying kind. 此外，他们还有某种具有一种统一性质的宗教上的结合。
• There is a unifying theme, and that is the theme of information flow within biological systems. 我们可以用一个总的命题，把生物学系统内的信息流来作为这一研究主题。

4 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

5 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

6 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

7 trickled   

v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Blood trickled down his face. 血从他脸上一滴滴流下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The tears trickled down her cheeks. 热泪一滴滴从她脸颊上滚下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

9 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

10 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 converse   

vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反

参考例句：

• He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
• I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。

12 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

13 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。