VOA标准英语2012--People Power Movements Rise in Sub-Saharan Africa

People Power Movements Rise in Sub-Saharan Africa

 In recent weeks, Senegal has had repeated protests, some of them deadly, in which demonstrators are denouncing incumbent¹ President Abdoulaye Wade² and his decision to run for a third term on February 26.

Walid Phares, an international relations expert in Washington who wrote a book predicting the so-called Arab Spring, thinks Africa's Sahel region from Sudan to Senegal will have more and more protests against autocratic governments and bad governance as social media develops.

Phares says civil society activists⁴ as well as several radical⁵ Islamic groups and a few ethnic⁶ insurgencies in the region want change.

"With the rise of technology, where you are going to have Internet you are going to have similar uprisings because of the connectivity ability of these forces, so it is not going to be as massive as in Tunisia or in Egypt or even in Benghazi and Tripoli but it is going to find its way," said Phares.

Carl LeVan, an Africa expert from American University, says growing disappointment in the outcome of Africa's many elections is also playing a part.

"In many countries, Africans do not feel like democracy is consolidating⁷, they in fact feel like autocracy⁸ is consolidating," said LeVan. "And that is a volatile⁹ combination for people who are otherwise used to going to the polls and who placed high hopes in democratic political reform."

Constitutions are routinely changed to allow for more mandates¹⁰ and leaders who came to power through coups¹¹ or wars win elections often marred¹² by fear and fraud.

The longest serving leaders in Africa are both from oil-rich, but extremely impoverished¹³ countries, Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema and Angola's Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

Both of them have been in power since 1979.

In a close third place, in terms of length of tenure¹⁴, is Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, in power since 1980.

Even in extremely repressive environments, activist³ Maurice Carney, from a group called Friends of the Congo, believes people power movements can make a difference.

He says the current convergence of these movements, which also includes the so-called Occupy trend in the United States, helps.

Carney points to a recent protest by Congolese women activists at the U.S. embassy in Kinshasa following botched elections which returned Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila to power.

"Strategically, if the opposition¹⁵ were to get the women back at the embassy, and serve as a symbol to tap into the global, the greater Occupy movement, I think it can have some legs, without a doubt," said Carney.

Emira Woods from the Foreign Policy in Focus advocacy group in Washington says despite the challenges in facing formidable security and state structures, there is historical precedence in having African hardline leaders forced out through social pressure.

She points to a wave of such protests after the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, when U.S or Soviet-backed leaders lost support.

"That was when the dictator from Mali, Moussa Traore, was kicked out because women and students organized demonstrations¹⁶ and occupied, forcing him to leave office," said Woods.

This year, protests in sub-Saharan Africa have been successful, not to change a regime, but to force a government to review unpopular policies. This happened when Nigeria's government decided¹⁷ to lower gasoline prices, after an earlier subsidy¹⁸ slash¹⁹ had caused them to more than double.

A young Nigerian engineer at a protest in Lagos last month, Adeboye Forowa, had this warning for leaders.

"They are not in tune²⁰ with the pulse of the environment," said Forowa. "They need to walk out of their offices onto the streets and just listen for a change."

Analysts²¹ say that with more social media organizing these types of protests, a growing African middle class demanding better governance, as well as radical movements also seeking change in a context of widespread corruption²², street demonstrations and regional insurrections are likely to escalate²³ across the continent. 

1 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

2 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

6 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。

7 consolidating   

v.（使）巩固， （使）加强( consolidate的现在分词 )；（使）合并

参考例句：

• These measures are meant for consolidating the system of basic medical care. 这些举措旨在夯实基层医疗体系，让老百姓看大病不必出远门。 来自互联网
• We are consolidating the Chinese and English versions of our homepage. 我们将为您提供中英文版本一起的主页。 来自互联网

8 autocracy   

n.独裁政治，独裁政府

参考例句：

• The revolution caused the overthrow of the autocracy.这场革命导致了独裁政体的结束。
• Many poor countries are abandoning autocracy.很多贫穷国家都在放弃独裁统治。

9 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

10 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

11 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

12 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

13 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

15 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。

16 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。

17 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

18 subsidy   

n.补助金，津贴

参考例句：

• The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
• The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。

19 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

20 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。

21 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

22 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。

23 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。