2006年VOA标准英语-Growing Number of Unemployed West African

By Nico Colombant
Abidjan
08 March 2006
 
watch African Youth report

In many parts of West Africa, as in much of the developing world, the youth population is growing fast, accounting¹ for nearly 40 percent of the total.  But these young people face dismal² job prospects³ even in countries that are rich with natural resources.   Without a secure livelihood⁴, the youth have become easy recruits for insurgencies in West Africa. 

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Training of western militia⁵   
  

At dusk, near Abidjan's international airport, pro-presidential militia members flex⁶ their muscles and jog  around the Akwaba or "Welcome" statue of Ivory Coast.

They are known locally as the GPP - Group for Patriotism⁷ and Peace.

Sitting at a lagoon-side café, their leader, Moussa Toure Zeguen, explains the reason for their existence.

"We are fighting as Ivorians, as somebody who is conscious of what our country, what our continent is in," he said.  "So what we are doing since our young years, in school, or at university is to contribute to democracy in our country for fairness, for justice. I believe that anybody who is aware of the situation has to do something."

GPP member  
  
For the GPP, that includes fighting what they view as foreign-backed rebels, as well as intimidating⁸ immigrants in the government-run south.

Ivory Coast has been divided in two since a northern rebel insurgency⁹ began in late 2002 against elected President Laurent Gbagbo.  Forces from the former colonial power, France, were called in to prevent more fighting, but their deployment¹⁰ along a cease-fire line effectively divided the country in two.

Successive peace deals have not been implemented¹¹, with rebels refusing to disarm¹² until they are given assurances more northerners are given the right to become Ivorian and vote. Many northerners are the descendants of Muslim immigrants from outlying countries who came to work in Ivory Coast's lush cocoa fields, and now live in limbo¹³ without any national identity.

Across the U.N.-patrolled front line of the conflict, in the northwestern rebel city of Man, the chants and jogging style of fighters here are nearly identical to those heard in the south of the country.

Las Com  
  
One of their leaders, known as Las-Com, explains why he left his studies and girlfriend in Abidjan to fight with the northern-based rebels.

"I decided¹⁴ because some situation appeared to me, because I'm from the north," he explained.  "Regarding my name, Mara Lassine, a policeman will tell me at a checkpoint in Abidjan, 'Mara Lassine, he's not an Ivorian, where are you coming from? No.'  That's why when some people are fighting to give legal rights to everybody, I say they are okay. I prefer letting down my life, letting down my mother, let everything, to join those people, to fight for justice, liberty and equality."

Access to resources, definitions of nationality in relatively¹⁵ new countries, ethnically¹⁶ based profiling, changing rules about who can run for office, these are problems ripping apart communities across West Africa and pushing educated youth here into rebellion and the bush.

The conflict in Ivory Coast also coincided with the first generation of a widely educated and urbanized youth, who left rural areas but found little formal employment in cities.

Mara says he is sacrificing for the next generation.

"Today, you do some war, you do your fighting, for the children," he said.  "Today, we have some problems, education for our children, we have some social, humanitarian¹⁷ problems. We have some social problems. You will see that in the city.  We need to go to peace. But before going to peace, you need to have some solution to problems, reasons why we take weapons. That's very important."

 
Northern rebels want right to vote
  
For him, that means getting voting cards for many northerners now considered foreigners.  But for supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo, that would mean Mr. Gbagbo would lose in the next election, and that his efforts for true independence from the former colonial power France, would be lost.

"We must fight. We are the freedom fighters," said one speaker. "We are the Young Patriots¹⁸. Our fight, our wrestling is to free Africa."

Speaker after speaker spurs on a lively lunch crowd in downtown Abidjan at this public place known as La Sorbonne.

One of the organizers, Olivier Greto Zoue, blames the French for Ivory Coast's problems.

He says he believes the civil war started because, "France can smell oil in Ivorian waters and they want someone they can control in the presidency¹⁹." He says that's how it is with civil wars in Africa.

 
Opposition²⁰ protests in Abidjan face crackdowns
  
Zoue is part of the Young Patriots, a group of both armed and unarmed civilians²¹ who take to the streets whenever Mr. Gbagbo's power seems under threat.  United Nations peacekeepers killed several of them recently in the city of Guiglo, after they stormed a U.N. base.

Their leaders, including Charles Ble Goude, get tens of thousands of dollars and cars from the presidency.  When protests take place, participants can expect $10 every day, free tee-shirts, plus food and drinks, served by so-called lady patriots.

Recent Ivorian newspaper reports allege²² cocoa cooperatives paid about $15,000 to help fund anti-U.N. protests in January, something their officials have denied.

Rebel supporters have their own heated political gatherings²³ in immigrant neighborhoods of Abidjan.  These are called "grain". Tea is served and discussions center around their own protest actions.

Their protests usually face harsh repression²⁴ from security forces, unlike those of the Young Patriots, which are encouraged.

All these groups usually split into competing factions²⁵, with everyone trying to get their hands on money from party leaders and government ministers, who send them out on the streets or in the bush when they need them.

But Jeff Agba says this is nonsense.  He was previously²⁶ a pro-presidential GPP militia leader.  He was kicked out after saying youth should no longer be cannon²⁷ fodder²⁸ for greedy politicians.

"The youngest, now, all they need is development, good health," he said.  "They need education and they don't understand politics, they don't need politics. But what I'm seeing in the new movements, the new generation needs politics to understand their life. No! They need education without politics because politics is not an education, it's a game.  It's lying to people to be [greedy].  So we don't need that. They need peace, freedom and to have a job, yes, more jobs, to be happy, that's all we need."

Agba has traded in his militia fatigues²⁹ for a suit and tie, and now uses his education to be a micro-credit lender at a local bank, rather than a political youth leader setting tires on fire. He says he hopes he can start a new pattern, to break the cycle of violence to which so many frustrated youth of Africa fall victim

1 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

2 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

3 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

4 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

5 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

6 flex   

n.皮线，花线；vt.弯曲或伸展

参考例句：

• We wound off a couple of yards of wire for a new lamp flex.我们解开几码电线作为新的电灯花线。
• He gave his biceps a flex to impress the ladies.他收缩他的肱二头肌以吸引那些女士们的目光。

7 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

8 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

9 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

10 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

11 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

12 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

13 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

14 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。

15 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

16 ethnically   

adv.人种上，民族上

参考例句：

• Ethnically, the Yuan Empire comprised most of modern China's ethnic groups. 元朝的民族成分包括现今中国绝大多数民族。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous. 俄罗斯是个民族成分相对单一的国家。 来自辞典例句

17 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

18 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

19 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

20 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。

21 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

22 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

23 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

24 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

25 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

26 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

27 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

28 fodder   

n.草料；炮灰

参考例句：

• Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.割下来晒干用作饲料的草。
• Guaranteed salt intake, no matter which normal fodder.不管是那一种正常的草料，保证盐的摄取。

29 fatigues   

n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服

参考例句：

• The patient fatigues easily. 病人容易疲劳。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Instead of training the men were put on fatigues/fatigue duty. 那些士兵没有接受训练，而是派去做杂务。 来自辞典例句