2006年VOA标准英语-Mourning Mothers Fight Against Migration

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
27 November 2006

Even as officials recently discussed ideas to prevent growing illegal migration¹ from Africa to the shores of Europe, African mothers who lost their sons at sea were busy trying to help their communities. Many say they must prevent more young men from attempting the perilous² crossing, but some still hope their sons will try. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from a fishing village near Senegal's capital, Dakar, in this the first report in a five part series.

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Yayi Bayam Diouf fights back illegal migration in Senegal
"Me, I am a woman who has lost her only son in the illegal immigration."

Yayi Bayam Diouf is still mourning her son, who died like hundreds of others, this year, after setting sail on flimsy pirogues, dreaming of a better life in Europe.

"All young men are trying to go by small boats to go to the Canary [Islands]. Many of my community are living the same as me," she said. "We all lost one son, two sons in the sea, because of illegal migration."

To fight back, she has set up shoreline watch community groups around her village, Thiaroye, and reports any suspicious³ activity.

"[When I see] the men who have boats and who take the boys to illegal migration, I call police. Five of them are in prison. That is a good thing," she said.

 
Pirogues along the shoreline 
Diouf also curses the foreign fishing boats and the agreements African governments sign allowing their presence, which she says are also causing migration.

She said, "Big boats from Europe and from Korea are here. We cannot fish with them in the sea because our materials are old."

Speaking in the local Wolof language, Arame Leigh says her own son left on a pirogue, just after his own son was born.

A journalist at the village translates her dismay⁴ and resolute⁵ will not to let it happen again.

"When my son left, I never heard from him. I called several people and asked everywhere," she said. "Up to now, all we know is that out of 50 people in the boat that he was in, only two people could be accounted for."

 
Senegalese mothers are still mourning their sons
"All the 48 others are nowhere to be seen. We, the women of Thiaroye, will never let our children join small boats to go on this illegal migration again. We have already lost a lot of people in this community. Two boats carrying 50 people each left and we never saw our children again. This is really heart-breaking," she added.

The women hold meetings with the young men, convincing them not to leave and to work, instead, to help mothers and wives whose husbands and sons died or disappeared.

They also invited an Islamic leader, who said taking a pirogue was similar to suicide⁶, which the Koran considers a sin.

A visitor to the village and the president of a Spanish association helping⁷ economic migrants, María Jesús Arsuaga, says she is impressed by what the mothers are doing.

 
Young Senegalese men have died on pirogues because of illegal migration
She said, "We must cooperate in order to make this immigration legal and with better conditions. They want to create work and job opportunities in Senegal in order to find solutions to the problems."

"And third, [I note] the courage of these women, after having the pain and suffering of losing their relatives, they have started to work in order to solve their problems and to look ahead," she continued.

But some Senegalese mothers interviewed for this report say they still feel illegal migration could be the only hope for a better future for their sons and themselves, whatever the risk.

They say they secretly hope their son can one day send them money from wages in Europe and buy them a ticket to the Muslim holy site, Mecca.

1 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

2 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

3 suspicious   

adj.可疑的，容易引起怀疑的，猜疑的，疑心的

参考例句：

• A man was hanging about the house in a suspicious manner.一个男人在房子周围可疑地荡来荡去。
• He's so suspicious he would distrust his own mother.他这个人疑心太重，连自己的母亲也不相信。

4 dismay   

n.灰心，沮丧，惊愕；vt.使沮丧，使惊愕

参考例句：

• The enemy retreated in perfect dismay.敌人沮丧地退去。
• I am filled with dismay at the news.我对这个消息极为震惊。

5 resolute   

adj.坚决的，果敢的

参考例句：

• He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
• The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。

6 suicide   

n.自杀，自毁，自杀性行为

参考例句：

• The number of suicide has increased.自杀案件的数量增加了。
• The death was adjudged a suicide by sleeping pills.该死亡事件被判定为服用安眠药自杀。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。