Jailed Cameroonian Musician Fights for Freedom of Expression

One of Cameroon's best known and most controversial musicians, Lapiro de Mbanga, is spending this year's fifth annual International Music Freedom Day at a Douala courthouse not far from his jail cell. Lapiro is citing wrongful imprisonment¹ for a song that put him behind bars nearly three years ago.
Since April 2008, Lapiro Mbanga has been detained at New Bell Prison, otherwise known as 'Hell Prison', for writing "Constipated Constitution"" The lyrics² denounce a constitutional amendment³ that gives Cameroon's president, Paul Biya, 78, unlimited⁴ terms in office. Lapiro, whose real name is Lambo Pierre Roger Sandjo, spoke⁵ on the phone outside the prison as he was coming back from a recent court hearing.
He said he wrote the song because it's his job. The song came out two days before parliament changed the constitution to what he calls the "false constitution." In his opinion, Cameroon has never had a constitution. He says if you consider a constitution as something that is made by a constitutional council, Cameroon has never had one.? So he says he wrote the song "Constipated Constitution" to explain all the country's troubles.
Cameroon has one of the highest rates of corruption⁶ in the world. This is according to the United States-based Task Force on Financial Integrity and Economic Development, an international government and research advocacy group. President Biya, who came to power in 1982, is worth an estimated $100 million. The majority of Cameroon's 20 million people still live off less than $1 per day.
Today, Lapiro says, if we look at what's happening in Tunisia and Egypt it is because people have communicated with Internet. So while others are communicating online, he says he has to communicate through his music. He says music is a powerful vehicle. He says it wakes people up. It taps into their consciousness. He says music, when it becomes a factor in communication, can be very powerful.
Ole Reitov is program manager for FreeMuse, a Copenhagen-based advocacy group that fights for freedom of musical expression around the world. Since Lapiro was taken in chains to live among 3,000 other detainees at New Bell Prison, FreeMuse has been actively⁷ lobbying for his release.
"In Africa in general, music plays a very interesting role, because with social commentary you cannot really stop people from exchanging views on how they look at society," said Reitov. "In Cameroon particularly, there's no doubt that Lapiro, for many, many years has been - I remember there was an article by an academic who called him - 'The sheriff of the backyard,' someone who watches what is really going on, what's the dirty part of society and it gives life to people. Of course, news media can do that as well, but they can also easily be censored⁸. And even if you put him sitting behind bars, you can't really stop his songs, you know people are still singing them and making use of them at demonstrations⁹. So the interesting thing about music is that it transcends¹⁰ somehow gender¹¹, age, ethnic¹² groups and whatnot. I think the whole oral tradition in Africa is still very, very important. And music is probably the most important force in social commentary these days."
Lapiro de Mbanga has been a strong presence on Cameroon's musical stage since 1985. He sings in the local Creole known as Mboko talk. This is a pidgin language that combines French, English and Douala and is a way of reaching people from all segments of society.
In his song Constipated Constitution, Lapiro pokes¹³ fun at the government. He calls President Biya a "paco" who is "daya" - an old man who is tired - and says "Cameroon is the birthplace of advanced democracy - a place that is beautiful, full of electoral frauds and a paradise for corruption."
But on International Music Freedom Day, it is Lapiro's turn to take his government to court. It is his chance to charge those who put him in jail to begin with and fined him over $1000.
He says what he is experiencing in prison is a stage in the life he has chosen to live as a fighter. Lapiro says he sees his situation as a boxing match. He says you have to give some and take some. Lapiro says he throws his punches through his voice and through his music. And the government, from their side, he says, throws punches by putting him in prison.? Now who is going to win? he asks. He responds the people will win.

1 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

2 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

3 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

4 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 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。

7 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

8 censored   

受审查的，被删剪的

参考例句：

• The news reports had been heavily censored . 这些新闻报道已被大幅删剪。
• The military-backed government has heavily censored the news. 有军方撑腰的政府对新闻进行了严格审查。

9 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

10 transcends   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的第三人称单数 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• The chemical dilution technique transcends most of the difficulties. 化学稀释法能克服大部分困难。
• The genius of Shakespeare transcends that of all other English poets. 莎士比亚的才华胜过所有的其他英国诗人。

11 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

12 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

13 pokes   

v.伸出( poke的第三人称单数 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• He pokes his nose into everything. 他这人好管闲事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Only the tip of an iceberg pokes up above water. 只有冰山的尖端突出于水面。 来自辞典例句